The S&P 500 — 500 of the largest US-listed companies — is the single most popular index for Canadian investors after the TSX. Five Canadian-listed ETFs offer access: VFV, ZSP, XUS (CAD-unhedged), VSP (CAD-hedged), and HXS (corporate class, no distributions). Looking for tech-heavy NASDAQ-100 instead? See the QQC.F / ZNQ / XQQ section below.
Largest by AUM: VFV ($22.3B). Lowest MER: VSP at 0.09%. AUM and MER are approximate snapshots — confirm on the issuer's fund page before investing.
All five funds track the same index, so the differences come down to MER, currency hedging, and distribution structure. HXS is the cheapest at 0.10% MER but uses a swap-based corporate class structure (no taxable distributions — useful in non-registered accounts). VFV and ZSP at 0.09% are the simplest plain-vanilla picks. VSP is the only CAD-hedged option, useful if you want to remove USD/CAD volatility but expensive over long horizons. NASDAQ-100 alternative: If you want concentrated tech/growth exposure (Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, Meta, Google, Tesla) instead of the broader S&P 500, three Canadian-listed NASDAQ-100 ETFs are available: QQC.F (Invesco, 0.20% MER, CAD-unhedged), ZNQ (BMO, 0.39% MER, CAD-unhedged), and XQQ (iShares, 0.39% MER, CAD-hedged). QQC.F is the cheapest. Historical returns have outpaced the S&P 500 over the last decade, but with materially higher volatility and sector concentration risk — roughly 50% of the index is the seven largest tech companies.
Need filters by issuer, MER, AUM, or distribution frequency? Compare to other US-equity ETFs. For one-ticker portfolios, see which account to fund first, and the compound interest calculator to model long-term contributions.
Snapshot date: 2026-04-15. 4 Canadian-listed ETFs covering s&p 500, with MERs from 0.09% to 0.10%. Educational only — not advice. Verify all rates and holdings with the issuer before investing.
Last reviewed: April 2026