At a glance
Side-by-side comparison
| Metric |
SSO
State Street SPDR S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries ETF
|
VSO
Vanguard MSCI Australian Small Companies Index ETF
|
SMLL
BetaShares Australian Small Companies Select ETF
|
FSML
Firetrail Australian Small Companies Fund - Active ETF
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snapshot | ||||
| Provider |
State Street
|
Vanguard
|
BetaShares
|
—
|
| Tracks index |
S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries Index
|
MSCI Australian Shares Small Cap Index
|
Nasdaq Australia Small Cap Select Index
|
S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries Index
|
| Categories |
AU, Small-Cap
|
AU, Small-Cap, Market-Cap
|
AU, Small-Cap, Factor, Quality
|
AU, Small-Cap
|
| Listed since |
—
|
2011 (15 yrs)
|
2017 (9 yrs)
|
2020 (6 yrs)
|
| Fund size (AUM) |
$25m
|
$1.1bn
|
—
|
$765m
|
| Cost & income | ||||
| Management fee |
0.5%
|
0.3%
|
0.39%
|
0.85%
|
| Dividend yield |
9.5%
|
4.92%
|
—
|
6.1%
|
| Franking |
50%
|
65%
|
70%
|
60%
|
| Turnover |
20%
|
18%
|
35%
|
90%
|
| Tax drag | 2.14% | 1.07% | 0.84% | 3.05% |
| Returns |
Tax bracket
|
|||
| 1-year return |
1.1%
net
|
7%
net
|
—
|
10.8%
net
|
| 3-year return |
6.6%
net
|
9.3%
net
|
—
|
19.1%
net
|
| 5-year return |
1.7%
net
|
5.5%
net
|
—
|
7.6%
net
|
| 10-year return |
5.4%
net
|
8.4%
net
|
—
|
—
|
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility (3y) |
13.9%
|
13.2%
|
—
|
15.4%
|
| Volatility (5y) |
16.4%
|
15.6%
|
—
|
16.9%
|
| Volatility (10y) |
16.7%
|
16.6%
|
—
|
—
|
| Sharpe ratio (3y) |
0.24
|
0.43
|
—
|
0.95
|
| Sharpe ratio (5y) |
0.11
|
0.22
|
—
|
0.33
|
| Sharpe ratio (10y) |
0.27
|
0.44
|
—
|
—
|
| Bid/ask spread |
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
marks the strongest fund in each row. “net” shows the after-tax return at your selected bracket. “—” means we don’t have that data point yet.
Each fund at a glance
- High 9.5% income yield — good for investors who want regular cash flow.
- Has lagged most peers over 5 years (150th of 188).
- Low-cost: a 0.3% management fee keeps more of the return in your pocket.
- Pays a useful 4.92% income yield.
- Cheaper alternatives exist: VAS and EX20.
- Low-cost: a 0.39% management fee keeps more of the return in your pocket.
- Pricier than similar ETFs, which average around 0.34%.
- Top-13% returns over 3 years (29th of 226 ETFs we track).
- High 6.1% income yield — good for investors who want regular cash flow.
- A 0.85% management fee is high and compounds against you over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
SSO, VSO, SMLL, and FSML are 4 Australian-listed ETFs we compare side by side. VSO carries the lowest management fee (0.3%). Over 10 years, VSO has delivered the highest total return (8.4% a year). The table above breaks down fees, returns, income and risk for each.
VSO has the lowest management fee at 0.3% a year, versus SSO 0.5%, SMLL 0.39%, and FSML 0.85%.
Over the past 10 years, VSO has delivered the highest total return at 8.4% a year. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.
SSO pays the highest at 9.5%. Remember distributions are taxed each year at your marginal rate.
VSO is the largest fund by assets ($1.1bn). Larger funds are typically more liquid and trade on tighter spreads.
Related comparisons
General information only, generated from each fund's published data — not personal financial advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns. Consider your own circumstances or seek licensed advice before investing.