Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
IWM vs VB: how they differ
IWM and VB hold 25% of their weight in the same names, and IWM returned more over the year.
iShares Russell 2000 ETF and Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, IWM and VB hold 25% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | IWM | VB |
|---|---|---|
| Moog, Inc. | 0.38% | 0.15% |
| Hut 8 Corp. | 0.37% | 0.14% |
| Cytokinetics, Inc. | 0.35% | 0.14% |
| Viasat, Inc. | 0.35% | 0.14% |
| BrightSpring Health Services, Inc. | 0.35% | 0.14% |
| MaxLinear, Inc. | 0.34% | 0.13% |
| Argan, Inc. | 0.34% | 0.13% |
| Krystal Biotech, Inc. | 0.30% | 0.13% |
| UMB Financial Corp. | 0.33% | 0.12% |
| CareTrust REIT, Inc. | 0.28% | 0.12% |
| Cipher Digital, Inc. | 0.26% | 0.12% |
| Praxis Precision Medicines, Inc. | 0.26% | 0.11% |
| Only in IWM | Only in VB |
|---|---|
| JFrog Ltd. 0.31% | Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd 0.55% |
| Alkermes plc 0.27% | Jabil Inc 0.49% |
| Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Inc. 0.21% | REVOLUTION Medicines Inc 0.46% |
| Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc. 0.20% | Astera Labs Inc 0.45% |
| Garrett Motion, Inc. 0.20% | Natera Inc 0.45% |
| SSR Mining, Inc. 0.20% | EMCOR Group Inc 0.45% |
| Scholar Rock Holding Corp. 0.19% | Twilio Inc 0.38% |
| Definium Therapeutics, Inc. 0.19% | NRG Energy Inc 0.38% |
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.
| IWM iShares Russell 2000 ETF | VB Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | Russell 2000 | Small-Cap |
| Total return, 1 year | +21.2% | +15.2% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +3.7 pts | −2.3 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.19% | 0.03% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 21.7% |
| Holdings | 2014 | 1311 |
IWM in plain words
IWM is an index equity fund tracking the Russell 2000. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +21.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.19% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2014 positions, with the top ten at 3.4%. It sat 5.3% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Sep 11, 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, IWM or VB?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWM returned +21.2% and VB returned +15.2%, so IWM returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, IWM or VB?
- IWM charges 0.19% a year and VB charges 0.03%, so VB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do IWM and VB overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of IWM and 22% of VB by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 25% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
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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.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, IWM against VB, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/IWM-VB Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources