Which returned more over the last year, AIRR or VB?

In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AIRR returned +15.0% and VB returned +15.2%, so VB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, AIRR or VB?

AIRR charges 0.69% a year and VB charges 0.03%, so VB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do AIRR and VB overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 6% of AIRR and 22% of VB by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 6% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.

Are AIRR and VB the same kind of fund?

No. AIRR is a thematic ETF and VB is an index ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

AIRR vs VB: how they differ

Over the year AIRR and VB finished level, +15.0% against +15.2%, and VB charges 0.03% against 0.69%.

First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF and Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, AIRR and VB hold 6% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Positions AIRR and VB both hold, largest shared weight first
Holding	AIRR	VB
EMCOR GROUP INC	3.75%	0.45%
MASTEC INC	4.18%	0.32%
STERLING INFRASTRUCTURE INC	6.00%	0.30%
CH ROBINSON WORLDWIDE INC	4.08%	0.26%
RBC BEARINGS INC	1.85%	0.25%
BWX TECHNOLOGIES INC	2.97%	0.22%
DYCOM INDUSTRIES INC	3.76%	0.18%
CLEAN HARBORS INC	2.44%	0.17%
MUELLER INDUSTRIES INC	1.37%	0.17%
OWENS CORNING	3.90%	0.16%
APPLIED INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES INC	1.80%	0.15%
SPX TECHNOLOGIES INC	1.69%	0.15%

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in AIRR	Only in VB
COMFORT SYSTEMS USA INC 4.42%	Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd 0.55%
TUTOR PERINI CORP 0.71%	Jabil Inc 0.49%
	REVOLUTION Medicines Inc 0.46%
	Astera Labs Inc 0.45%
	Natera Inc 0.45%
	Twilio Inc 0.38%
	NRG Energy Inc 0.38%
	MKS Instruments Inc 0.37%

Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026.

AIRR and VB on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	AIRR First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF	VB Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund
Where it sits	Thematic ETF	Core index fund
Issuer	First Trust	Vanguard
What it is	Reshoring and manufacturing	Small-Cap
Total return, 1 year	+15.0%	+15.2%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−2.5 pts	−2.3 pts
Expense ratio	0.69%	0.03%
Already in the S&P 500	5.5%	21.7%
Holdings	58	1311

AIRR in plain words

By weight, 6% of AIRR's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 100%. The top ten holdings are 30% of the fund across 58 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 10, 2026. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 the fund returned +15.0% with distributions reinvested against +17.5% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 2.5 pts. It sits 19.5% below its all-time high of Jun 22, 2026.

VB in plain words

VB is an index equity fund tracking the Small-Cap. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +15.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1311 positions, with the top ten at 4.3%. It sat 5.1% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, AIRR or VB?: In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AIRR returned +15.0% and VB returned +15.2%, so VB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, AIRR or VB?: AIRR charges 0.69% a year and VB charges 0.03%, so VB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do AIRR and VB overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 6% of AIRR and 22% of VB by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 6% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Are AIRR and VB the same kind of fund?: No. AIRR is a thematic ETF and VB is an index ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

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Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

AIRR against VB, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 12, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, AIRR against VB, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/AIRR-VB Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources