Get the weekly note

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

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

BND vs VCLT: how they differ

BND and VCLT are both bond index funds, and over the year BND returned more, −0.7% against −4.8%.

Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund and Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund.

BND and VCLT on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
BND
Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund
VCLT
Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund
Where it sitsCore index fundCore index fund
IssuerVanguardVanguard
What it isUS aggregate bondsLong-Term Corporate Bond
Total return, 1 year−0.7%−4.8%
S&P 500 over the same days+17.5%+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500−18.2 pts−22.3 pts
Expense ratio0.03%0.03%
Holdingsnot filed2775

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.

VCLT in plain words

VCLT is a bond fund tracking the Long-Term Corporate Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −4.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. It sat 18.1% below its high of Sep 22, 2021 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, BND or VCLT?
In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BND returned −0.7% and VCLT returned −4.8%, so BND returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, BND or VCLT?
BND charges 0.03% a year and VCLT charges 0.03%, so BND is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

Where to next

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.

BND against VCLT, 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, BND against VCLT, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/BND-VCLT Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources