Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
BND vs BOXX: how they differ
BND is a bond index fund and BOXX a short-term Treasury fund, and over the year BOXX returned more, +4.0% against −0.7%.
Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund and Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF.
| BND Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund | BOXX Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Vanguard | Alpha |
| What it is | US aggregate bonds | 1-3 Month Box |
| Total return, 1 year | −0.7% | +4.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −18.2 pts | −13.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.19% |
BND in plain words
BND is a bond fund tracking the US aggregate bonds. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −0.7% 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. It sat 3.8% below its high of Aug 6, 2020 on Sep 11, 2026.
BOXX in plain words
BOXX is a cash and treasury bills tracking the 1-3 Month Box. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +4.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.19% a year.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, BND or BOXX?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BND returned −0.7% and BOXX returned +4.0%, so BOXX returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, BND or BOXX?
- BND charges 0.03% a year and BOXX charges 0.19%, so BND is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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Where these figures came from
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Cite this page. ETFIQ, BND against BOXX, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/BND-BOXX Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources