IPAY vs. VOX

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about ETFMG Prime Mobile Payments ETF (IPAY) and Vanguard Communication Services ETF (VOX).

IPAY and VOX are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. IPAY is a passively managed fund by ETFMG that tracks the performance of the Prime Mobile Payments Index. It was launched on Jul 15, 2015. VOX is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Telecommunication Services 25/50 Index. It was launched on Sep 23, 2004. Both IPAY and VOX are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

IPAY vs. VOX - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in ETFMG Prime Mobile Payments ETF (IPAY) and Vanguard Communication Services ETF (VOX). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

IPAY vs. VOX - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
IPAY ETFMG Prime Mobile Payments ETF	-17.75%	-9.55%	25.88%	18.21%	-32.38%	-12.72%	34.22%	41.80%	0.17%	36.34%
VOX Vanguard Communication Services ETF	-6.90%	26.27%	33.12%	44.81%	-38.85%	13.83%	29.12%	28.03%	-16.75%	-5.50%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, IPAY achieves a -17.75% return, which is significantly lower than VOX's -6.90% return. Over the past 10 years, IPAY has underperformed VOX with an annualized return of 6.12%, while VOX has yielded a comparatively higher 8.41% annualized return.

IPAY

• 1D: 2.51%
• 1M: -5.29%
• YTD: -17.75%
• 6M: -24.46%
• 1Y: -18.94%
• 3Y*: 1.41%
• 5Y*: -8.65%
• 10Y*: 6.12%

VOX

• 1D: 3.50%
• 1M: -6.17%
• YTD: -6.90%
• 6M: -3.66%
• 1Y: 22.45%
• 3Y*: 24.33%
• 5Y*: 7.40%
• 10Y*: 8.41%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

IPAY vs. VOX - Expense Ratio Comparison

IPAY has a 0.75% expense ratio, which is higher than VOX's 0.10% expense ratio.

IPAY

ETFMG Prime Mobile Payments ETF

VOX

Vanguard Communication Services ETF

Return for Risk

IPAY vs. VOX — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

IPAY

IPAY Risk / Return Rank: 2
IPAY Sharpe Ratio Rank: 2
IPAY Sortino Ratio Rank: 2
IPAY Omega Ratio Rank: 2
IPAY Calmar Ratio Rank: 3
IPAY Martin Ratio Rank: 2

VOX

VOX Risk / Return Rank: 68
VOX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 66
VOX Sortino Ratio Rank: 72
VOX Omega Ratio Rank: 67
VOX Calmar Ratio Rank: 69
VOX Martin Ratio Rank: 67

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

IPAY vs. VOX - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for ETFMG Prime Mobile Payments ETF (IPAY) and Vanguard Communication Services ETF (VOX). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	IPAY	VOX	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	-0.69	1.11	-1.80
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	-0.84	1.72	-2.56
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	0.89	1.23	-0.34
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.61	1.67	-2.28
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-1.45	6.24	-7.69
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

IPAY vs. VOX - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current IPAY Sharpe Ratio is -0.69, which is lower than the VOX Sharpe Ratio of 1.11. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of IPAY and VOX, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	IPAY	VOX	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	-0.69	1.11	-1.80
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.34	0.35	-0.69
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.24	0.40	-0.16
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.21	0.42	-0.21

Correlation

The correlation between IPAY and VOX is 0.68, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

IPAY vs. VOX - Dividend Comparison

IPAY's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.96%, less than VOX's 1.05% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
IPAY ETFMG Prime Mobile Payments ETF	0.96%	0.79%	0.77%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
VOX Vanguard Communication Services ETF	1.05%	0.95%	1.05%	1.03%	0.88%	0.93%	0.73%	0.90%	2.77%	3.83%	2.67%	3.55%

Drawdowns

IPAY vs. VOX - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum IPAY drawdown since its inception was -51.75%, smaller than the maximum VOX drawdown of -57.18%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for IPAY and VOX.

Drawdown Indicators

	IPAY	VOX	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-51.75%	-57.18%	+5.43%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-31.31%	-13.56%	-17.75%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-51.75%	-46.76%	-4.99%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-51.75%	-46.76%	-4.99%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-40.45%	-10.03%	-30.42%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-16.35%	-11.99%	-4.36%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	13.05%	3.64%	+9.41%

Volatility

IPAY vs. VOX - Volatility Comparison

ETFMG Prime Mobile Payments ETF (IPAY) has a higher volatility of 7.11% compared to Vanguard Communication Services ETF (VOX) at 6.40%. This indicates that IPAY's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than VOX based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	IPAY	VOX	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.11%	6.40%	+0.71%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	17.96%	11.80%	+6.16%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	27.48%	20.34%	+7.14%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	25.81%	21.19%	+4.62%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	25.19%	20.87%	+4.32%