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

In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VTI returned +20.0% and XAR returned +17.9%, so VTI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, VTI or XAR?

VTI charges 0.03% a year and XAR charges 0.35%, so VTI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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

By their latest filed holdings, 88% of VTI and 32% of XAR by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Are VTI and XAR the same kind of fund?

No. VTI is an index ETF and XAR is a thematic 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.

VTI vs XAR

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

Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund and State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Aerospace & Defense ETF.

VTI and XAR on the fields both publish, as of Sep 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	VTI Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund	XAR State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Aerospace & Defense ETF
Where it sits	Core fund	Themes desk
Issuer	Vanguard	State Street
What it is	US total market	Defense
Total return, 1 year	+20.0%	+17.9%
S&P 500 over the same days	+20.0%	+20.0%
Gap to the S&P 500	+0.0 pts	−2.1 pts
Expense ratio	0.03%	0.35%
Already in the S&P 500	88.3%	32.4%
Holdings	3531	48

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%.

XAR in plain words

By weight, 32% of XAR's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 98%. The top ten holdings are 30% of the fund across 48 positions, as filed for Jun 30, 2026. Over the year to Sep 4, 2026 the fund returned +17.9% with distributions reinvested against +20.0% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 2.1 pts. It sits 14.8% below its all-time high of Aug 14, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, VTI or XAR?: In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VTI returned +20.0% and XAR returned +17.9%, so VTI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, VTI or XAR?: VTI charges 0.03% a year and XAR charges 0.35%, so VTI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do VTI and XAR overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 88% of VTI and 32% of XAR by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.
Are VTI and XAR the same kind of fund?: No. VTI is an index ETF and XAR is a thematic 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, VTI against XAR, data as of Sep 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VTI-XAR.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