Which returned more over the last year, GRID or VTI?

In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GRID returned +26.6% and VTI returned +20.0%, so GRID returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, GRID or VTI?

GRID charges 0.56% a year and VTI charges 0.03%, so VTI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do GRID and VTI overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 40% of GRID and 88% of VTI by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Are GRID and VTI the same kind of fund?

No. GRID is a thematic ETF and VTI 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 4, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

GRID vs VTI

Name: ETFIQ comparison of GRID and VTI
Creator: ETFIQ
License: https://etfiq.com/standards/

First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure Index Fund and Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund.

GRID and VTI on the fields both publish, as of Sep 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	GRID First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure Index Fund	VTI Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund
Where it sits	Themes desk	Core fund
Issuer	First Trust	Vanguard
What it is	Electrification and the grid	US total market
Total return, 1 year	+26.6%	+20.0%
S&P 500 over the same days	+20.0%	+20.0%
Gap to the S&P 500	+6.6 pts	+0.0 pts
Expense ratio	0.56%	0.03%
Already in the S&P 500	39.9%	88.3%
Holdings	121	3531

GRID in plain words

By weight, 40% of GRID's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 92%. The top ten holdings are 58% of the fund across 121 positions, as filed for Sep 3, 2026. Over the year to Sep 4, 2026 the fund returned +26.6% with distributions reinvested against +20.0% for the S&P 500, so a holder was ahead by 6.6 pts. It sits 10.1% below its all-time high of May 11, 2026.

VTI in plain words

VTI is a index equity fund tracking US total market. Over the year to Sep 4, 2026 it returned +20.0% with distributions reinvested, against +20.0% for the S&P 500 and +25.6% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 88% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3531 positions, with the top ten at 32.1%.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, GRID or VTI?: In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GRID returned +26.6% and VTI returned +20.0%, so GRID returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, GRID or VTI?: GRID charges 0.56% a year and VTI charges 0.03%, so VTI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do GRID and VTI overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 40% of GRID and 88% of VTI by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.
Are GRID and VTI the same kind of fund?: No. GRID is a thematic ETF and VTI is an index ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Other comparisons

Where to next

Cite this page. ETFIQ, GRID against VTI, data as of Sep 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/GRID-VTI.html Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. ETFIQ publishes the same fields for every fund and suggests no allocation. Standards and sources