Quick Decision
Choose CSPX if…
you value the generally larger, more established iShares line and your broker offers it at a competitive spread and commission.
Choose VUAA if…
Vanguard is easier or cheaper to access at your broker, including through a preferred exchange line or recurring-investment plan.
Either is strong if…
both are available on similar terms; they provide materially similar accumulating S&P 500 UCITS ETF exposure.
Winner summary
Scale and established fund depth
CSPXCSPX is generally the larger and older share class.
Vanguard access or preference
VUAAVUAA can be the more practical option if it is easier or cheaper to buy through your broker, appears in your recurring plan, or you reasonably prefer Vanguard.
Core S&P 500 exposure
TieProvider brand does not materially change the underlying U.S. large-cap exposure when both products seek S&P 500 exposure through accumulating UCITS share classes.
Final practical choice
DependsCompare your exact listing, spread, broker commission, FX handling, recurring-plan access and execution price before choosing CSPX or VUAA.
Key facts comparison
- CSPX
- 0.07% · iShares factsheet, data as at 6 Jul 2026
- VUAA
- 0.07% · Vanguard factsheet, data as at 30 Jun 2026
- CSPX
- $150.5B · as-of date unavailable
- VUAA
- Around USD 29–30 billion · as-of date unavailable
- CSPX
- 19 May 2010
- VUAA
- 14 May 2019
- CSPX
- S&P 500 Index
- VUAA
- S&P 500 Net Total Return Index
- CSPX
- Physical replication
- VUAA
- Physical acquisition; sampling may be used where full replication is not practicable
- CSPX
- Accumulating
- VUAA
- Accumulating
| Field | CSPX | VUAA |
|---|---|---|
| Full fund name | iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF | Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF |
| Ticker | CSPX | VUAA |
| ISIN | IE00B5BMR087 | IE00BFMXXD54 |
| Provider | iShares by BlackRock | Vanguard |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 Index | S&P 500 Net Total Return Index |
| TER / OCF | 0.07% · iShares factsheet, data as at 6 Jul 2026 | 0.07% · Vanguard factsheet, data as at 30 Jun 2026 |
| Domicile | Ireland | Ireland |
| UCITS status | UCITS ETF | UCITS ETF |
| Distribution policy | Accumulating | Accumulating |
| Replication method | Physical replication | Physical acquisition; sampling may be used where full replication is not practicable |
| Fund size or AUM | $150.5B · as-of date unavailable | Around USD 29–30 billion · as-of date unavailable |
| Inception date | 19 May 2010 | 14 May 2019 |
| Base currency | USD | USD |
| Trading currencies | Multiple exchange lines; verify ticker, ISIN, currency and venue with your broker | Multiple exchange lines; Vanguard factsheet lists GBP, USD and EUR examples |
| Exchange listings | Multiple listings; verify current venue availability before trading | Examples in Vanguard factsheet include London Stock Exchange, Deutsche Börse and Borsa Italiana |
At a glance
- Both ETFs are Ireland-domiciled UCITS ETFs offering S&P 500 exposure through accumulating share classes.
- Both use physical investment methods, so the main exposure is the underlying U.S. large-cap equity portfolio rather than a synthetic swap return.
- Headline ongoing charges are tied at 0.07% in the reviewed official factsheets, so execution costs may matter more than TER alone.
- CSPX is generally the larger and more established fund.
- The practical choice is often broker-specific: check the exact ISIN, ticker, exchange, trading currency, spread, commission, FX treatment and recurring-plan availability.
5 key differences in 30 seconds
Provider
CSPX is from iShares by BlackRock; VUAA is from Vanguard. Provider preference is reasonable, but brand alone does not change S&P 500 exposure.
Fund size and age
CSPX is generally the larger and older share class.
TER and total cost
The supported ongoing charge is tied at 0.07%; spreads, commission, FX and execution can decide the investor’s real cost.
Listings and broker access
Availability can differ by country, broker, exchange and recurring-investment plan. Verify the ISIN and listing before trading.
Long-term practical choice
If both are cheap to execute, they are close substitutes; avoid switching unless future benefits outweigh transaction, FX, spread and tax costs.
Who wins each category?
Overall: Both are strong options for investors seeking accumulating S&P 500 UCITS ETF exposure, provided that exposure fits their risk profile. The more practical choice will often depend on broker availability, exchange, spread and execution cost.
Overview
CSPX and VUAA are close substitutes; the deciding factor is the exact share class and exchange line you can access.
CSPX and VUAA are close substitutes for long-term S&P 500 UCITS exposure. They are not materially different in broad market exposure, but practical investor outcomes can still differ because listings, bid-ask spreads, broker fees, foreign-exchange handling and tax circumstances differ.
The most important distinction is not “iShares versus Vanguard” in isolation. It is the exact share class and exchange line available to you: ISIN, ticker, exchange, trading currency, broker commission, settlement currency and recurring-plan eligibility.
Costs
Both funds show a 0.07% ongoing charge, so spread, commission and FX decide your real cost.
In the reviewed official factsheets, CSPX and VUAA are tied on headline ongoing charge at 0.07%. That makes a simple CSPX vs VUAA TER comparison less decisive than it might look at first glance.
What makes up your total cost? The investor’s realised cost can also include the bid-ask spread, brokerage commission, foreign-exchange conversion, execution venue, order size, recurring-plan fees, securities-lending contribution where known, and any tax effect. The lowest TER does not automatically produce the lowest total investor cost.
Related: Lowest TER UCITS ETF rankings
Fund size
CSPX is generally the larger and more established fund, but size is not the same as a tight spread.
Treat CSPX as generally the larger and more established fund based on reviewed provider materials, but verify current AUM before relying on that factor. Fund size can support trading depth and provider commitment, but it is not the same as the live spread available on a specific exchange line.
- 2010CSPX share class launched
iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF share class launch: 19 May 2010.
- 2019VUAA launched
Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF (USD) Accumulating inception: 14 May 2019.
Liquidity and trading
The spread you pay is set on your exchange line at order time, not by fund size alone.
Fund-level scale and listing-level liquidity are related but not identical. The spread you actually pay is set on the specific exchange line, at the moment the order is placed, and depends on market makers, order size and your broker’s routing.
Performance
Returns should be broadly similar; small gaps come from charges, taxes, sampling and timing.
CSPX vs VUAA performance should be broadly similar because both funds seek S&P 500 exposure. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.
Two funds tracking the same benchmark can still differ slightly because of ongoing charges, withholding-tax treatment inside the fund, cash drag, sampling, securities lending, portfolio timing and execution costs. A ticker-to-ticker chart can also mislead when one listing trades in EUR and another in USD or GBP.
Holdings
Both hold substantially the same S&P 500 constituents, with small timing and sampling differences.
Both products should provide exposure to substantially the same S&P 500 constituents. The reviewed factsheets show similar top holdings and a similar holdings count around the index size, but the exact list can change with index rebalances, corporate actions, cash positions and sampling.
ETF detail pages: CSPX detail page and VUAA detail page.
Replication
Both use physical investment methods; Vanguard allows sampling where needed.
Both funds use physical investment methods. iShares describes CSPX as physical replication. Vanguard describes VUAA as investing through physical acquisition of index securities and allows sampling where full replication is not practicable.
Distribution
Both compared share classes are accumulating — income is reinvested, not paid out.
This page compares accumulating share classes. Income is reinvested in the ETF rather than distributed as cash. Whether accumulating or distributing is preferable depends on tax residence, account type, broker reporting and personal cash-flow needs.
Currency exposure
A EUR or GBP trading line changes the dealing currency only, not your USD exposure.
Both funds are USD base-currency products holding U.S. companies. Buying a EUR or GBP exchange line changes the dealing currency only; it does not remove exposure to the U.S. dollar or to U.S. equity markets.
Risks
Equity-market risk, U.S. large-cap concentration, currency, tracking and spread considerations apply to both.
Both ETFs carry equity-market risk, U.S. large-cap concentration, currency exposure, tracking risk, and liquidity and spread considerations.
Index concentration means a small number of very large companies can drive a large share of returns. Tracking risk reflects charges, withholding taxes, sampling and timing. Tax and regulatory treatment can change and differs by residence and account type. Choosing based only on past performance, a brand name or one exchange ticker can miss the costs that actually affect your result.
Who should choose CSPX?
Investors with competitive CSPX access who value the larger, older iShares line.
CSPX may be the practical choice if your broker offers it on your preferred exchange with a competitive spread, acceptable commission and settlement currency, or if you place a high value on the larger and older iShares S&P 500 UCITS ETF line.
Who should choose VUAA?
Investors for whom Vanguard is cheaper, simpler or available in a recurring plan.
VUAA may be the practical choice if it is cheaper or simpler to execute at your broker, available in a recurring-investment plan, available on a preferred exchange line, or if you prefer Vanguard’s fund range and documentation. It is not automatically better for every investor.
Which one fits you?
Do you already invest through iShares products at your broker?
CSPX probably fits well — it is the larger, longer-established line.
Move on and check whether Vanguard is simpler for you.
Do you use Vanguard, or prefer their fund range and plans?
VUAA may be simpler, especially inside a recurring-investment plan.
Neither brand is decisive — compare the execution economics instead.
Have you compared spread, commission and FX on your exact listing?
Choose the cheaper line to buy and hold consistently.
Check both ISINs at your broker before placing an order.
Bottom line
CSPX and VUAA provide substantially the same core S&P 500 market exposure. The practical choice is usually determined by provider preference, fund scale, exchange listing, spread, broker access, foreign-exchange handling and execution cost.
There is usually little reason to switch solely because one ticker appears marginally cheaper or more familiar. Before switching, consider transaction costs, spreads, FX, taxes and whether future contributions would clearly be better served by the alternative ETF.
FAQs
Grouped by topic — open a group to read the answers.
Data sources
- iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF documentation for CSPX: TER, ISIN, distribution policy, domicile, physical replication, launch date and fund-structure context.
- Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF (USD) Accumulating documentation: OCF, ISIN, distribution policy, domicile, physical investment method, sampling language, inception date and example listings.
- S&P Dow Jones Indices S&P 500 materials: benchmark context for U.S. large-cap equity exposure.