Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
ACWX vs VUG: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, ACWX returned +14.3% to VUG's +6.6%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about ACWX and VUG
Net assets: $17.9bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF, and $232.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF.
Pair scorecard
VUG costs 0.29 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.7 points; VUG is 13.5 times larger.
| Measure | ACWX | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +14.3% | +6.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.9%, high on Sep 4, 2026 | 4.1%, high on Oct 6, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI ACWI ex USA Index | Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $17.3bn | $232.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 15.6% | 63.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 11, 2008 to Oct 23, 2026 · 967 weekly returnsVUG returned more: +968.1% to +129.8%. ACWX and VUG swung about the same: 19.8% and 19.7%. VUG fell less at its worst: −48.2% to −59.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | ACWX | VUG | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +129.8% | +968.1% | VUG | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.6% | +13.6% | VUG | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +42.8% | +782.8% | VUG | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.8% | 19.7% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.4% | 13.5% | VUG (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −59.4% | −48.2% | VUG | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.25 | 0.67 | VUG | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.35 | 0.98 | VUG | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.08 | 0.28 | VUG | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 967 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, ACWX and VUG hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
ACWX and VUG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
ACWX and VUG do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. ACWX follows MSCI ACWI ex USA Index and VUG follows Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 ACWX returned +14.3% and VUG +6.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 7.7 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.
ACWX
ACWX tracks the MSCI ACWI ex U.S.. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,939 positions, with the top ten at 15.6%. It sat 4.9% below its high of Sep 4, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VUG
VUG tracks an index of US growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +6.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 137 positions, with the top ten at 63.1%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, ACWX or VUG?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ACWX returned +14.3% and VUG +6.6%.
- Which is cheaper, ACWX or VUG?
- VUG is cheaper, by 0.29 percentage points a year. That is about $29 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, ACWX against VUG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwx-vs-vug
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). ACWX against VUG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwx-vs-vug
[ACWX against VUG (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwx-vs-vug)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.