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IBRN vs XBI

iShares Neuroscience and Healthcare ETF

IBRNCNYSE Arca

State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF

XBIANYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

XBI −0.12pt a year

IBRN0.47%XBI0.35%

Avg volume · 30D

XBI 3342.9×the volume

IBRN2.68KXBI8.95M

3Y return · a year

XBI +12.9pt

IBRN+20.4%XBI+33.3%

IBRN vs XBI Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

+11.2%IBRN+39.0%XBI

Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. IBRN +11.2%. XBI +39.0%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−10%0%20%30%50%Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
Expense ratio
IBRN 0.47%
XBI 0.35%, better
Fund size
IBRN $7M
XBI $10.8B
1Y total return
IBRN +11.2%
XBI +39.0%, better
Yield (12M)
IBRN 0.96%, better
XBI 0.35%
Holdings
IBRN 71
XBI 164
Avg volume (30D)
IBRN 2.68K sh
XBI 8.95M sh, better
NAV per share
IBRN $32.81
XBI $157.82
52W range

ETF.net Grade

IBRN: Cost 56, Risk 28, Mission not scored, Tradability 25, Holdings 65, Durability 31. XBI: Cost 81, Risk 47, Mission 85, Tradability 99, Holdings 88, Durability 89.
Pillar letters and Scores for IBRN, XBI, with each pillar’s weight
PillarIBRNXBI
Cost30% weightB56A81Higher
Mission25% weightNot scoredA85
Risk15% weightD28C47Higher
Tradability15% weightD25A99Higher
Holdings10% weightB65A88Higher
Durability5% weightD31A89Higher

Rank among Biotech & Genomics funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. IBRN and XBI are both graded against the same 17 Biotech & Genomics funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Biotech & Genomics⁠

Category · 17 funds
See all 17 ›

XBI ranks 1st and IBRN 10th of 17 funds in the Biotech & Genomics Category.

  1. Rank 1AXBIState Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETFScore 80
  2. Rank 2AIBBQInvesco Nasdaq Biotechnology ETFScore 77
  3. Rank 9CSBIOALPS Medical Breakthroughs ETFScore 44
  4. Rank 10CIBRNiShares Neuroscience and Healthcare ETFScore 43
  5. Rank 11CGNMXCorgi Genomics & Precision Medicine ETFScore 40

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

IBRNCiShares Neuroscience and Healthcare ETF

XBIAState Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF

In short

IBRN A healthcare fund with one obsession: the brain. IBRN tracks a global index of roughly 70 drugmakers and device companies working on neurological disease, a slice most sector funds bury inside hundreds of names.

XBI Biotech's great leveler. Its index weights roughly 160 US biotechs near-equally, so a clinical-stage minnow carries about as much as a megacap. Live since 2006 and one of the most heavily traded funds in the sector.

Stated mandate

IBRN The fund seeks to track an index of global companies advancing research and treatment of neurological disorders, providing focused exposure to healthcare innovation related to brain health.

XBI The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the total return performance of the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index.

Why people hold it

  • IBRN A rare single-theme cut of healthcare: brain-disease biopharma and medical devices held together, sourced globally rather than US-only.ishares.com
  • At 0.47%, it undercuts the median expense ratio of its broad healthcare peer group, unusual for a narrow theme fund.
  • Rules-based, not a stock picker: it follows a published NYSE FactSet neuro index, so the exposure you own is defined in advance.ishares.com
  • XBI Modified equal weighting spreads exposure across roughly 160 biotechs instead of a handful of giants, so small drug developers actually move the fund.ssga.com
  • 0.35% a year sits below the typical fee in its biotech peer group, which is unusual for a specialist sleeve this narrow.
  • Among the most heavily traded funds in biotech and multi-billion-dollar in size, so getting in and out is rarely the hard part.
  • A 2006 launch from State Street's SPDR line, meaning it has traded through several biotech booms and busts rather than one hot cycle. Pays quarterly.

Worth knowing

  • IBRN Small asset base and thin trading. Spreads can run wider than on the sector's heavyweights, and that cost lands on the buyer.
  • 0.47% is several times what plain broad healthcare index funds like VHT and XLV charge. The theme is what you're paying for.
  • Roughly 70 names in one research niche, live since 2022. Trial results at a few companies can swing it more than a whole-sector fund.
  • XBI Equal weighting leans hard on smaller, clinical-stage names where a single trial readout moves a stock, so swings run deeper than cap-weighted rivals like IBB.ssga.comnasdaqomx.com
  • Not the cheapest ticket on the shelf: Invesco's IBBQ charges 0.19% against XBI's 0.35%.
  • One US industry only, drawn from the biotechnology segment of the S&P Total Market Index, so it can drift a long way from the broad market either direction.ssga.com

Full IBRN profile⁠

Full XBI profile⁠

IBRN vs XBI Holdings

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

IBRN vs XBI Cost

Overpaying IBRN vs XBI

$2,292

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • IBRN 0.47%

    $9,418

  • XBI 0.35%

    $7,126

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • IBRN 0.47%
  • XBI 0.35%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2K$4K$6K$8K$10K051015202530IBRN $9,418XBI $7,126

Year by year

YearIBRNXBIOverpaying
10$847$634$213
20$3,261$2,454$807
30$9,418$7,126$2,292

Expense ratio

  • 0.47%IBRN
  • 0.35%XBI, cheaper
  • Middle half of Biotech & Genomics funds
  • Median 0.47%

XBI 3rd cheapest of 17 funds

IBRN 8th cheapest of 17 funds

IBRN vs XBI Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
IBRN 0.96%, better
XBI 0.35%
Payout (12M)
IBRN $0.32
XBI $0.54
Last payment
IBRN $0.32
XBI $0.14
Ex-dividend
IBRN Dec 16, 2025
XBI Jun 22, 2026
Paid on
IBRN Dec 19, 2025
XBI Jun 24, 2026
Frequency
IBRN Annual
XBI Twice a year

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

IBRNAnnual · 4 paymentsAll IBRN payments⁠
One bar per payment. 4 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Jun 7, 2023 $0.0082; Dec 20, 2023 $0.0063; Dec 17, 2024 $0.10; Dec 16, 2025 $0.32. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.252017202020232026YTD
XBITwice a year · 24 paymentsAll XBI payments⁠
One bar per payment. 24 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 17, 2017 $0.02; Jun 16, 2017 $0.11; Sep 15, 2017 $0.04; Dec 15, 2017 $0.04; Mar 16, 2018 $0.06; Jun 15, 2018 $0.06; Sep 21, 2018 $0.07; Dec 21, 2018 $0.01; Sep 20, 2019 $0.0032; Dec 20, 2019 $0.00086; Jun 22, 2020 $0.02; Sep 21, 2020 $0.09; Dec 21, 2020 $0.18; Mar 22, 2021 $0.04; Jun 20, 2023 $0.0026; Dec 18, 2023 $0.01; Jun 24, 2024 $0.11; Sep 23, 2024 $0.02; Dec 23, 2024 $0.0027; Mar 24, 2025 $0.0053; Jun 23, 2025 $0.0073; Sep 22, 2025 $0.03; Dec 22, 2025 $0.41; Jun 22, 2026 $0.14. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.252017202020232026YTD

IBRN vs XBI Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
IBRN 23.6%, betterXBI 24.8%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
IBRN 0.71XBI 1.11, better
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
IBRN −35.4%since Aug 2022XBI −53.2%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
IBRN 0.87XBI 1.10

IBRN and XBI in the news

All news⁠

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