Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
ACWX vs VXUS: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, ACWX returned +14.3% to VXUS's +13.8%; 74% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $17.9bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF, and $163.2bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Total International Stock ETF.
Pair scorecard
VXUS costs 0.27 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.5 points; VXUS is 9.4 times larger.
| Measure | ACWX | VXUS |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +14.3% | +13.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.9%, high on Sep 4, 2026 | 5.1%, high on Sep 4, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI ACWI ex USA Index | FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.05% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $17.3bn | $163.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 74% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 15.6% | 14.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 4, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026 · 820 weekly returnsVXUS returned slightly more: +158.2% to +147.5%. ACWX and VXUS swung about the same: 16.8% and 16.5%. ACWX and VXUS fell about the same at their worst: −34.2% and −34.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | ACWX | VXUS | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +147.5% | +158.2% | VXUS (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +5.9% | +6.2% | VXUS (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +62.2% | +62.6% | Tie | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.8% | 16.5% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.0% | 11.8% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −34.2% | −34.6% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.33 | 0.35 | VXUS (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.46 | 0.49 | VXUS (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.17 | 0.18 | VXUS (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 820 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, ACWX and VXUS hold 74% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
74% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
ACWX and VXUS on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
ACWX and VXUS are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. ACWX follows MSCI ACWI ex USA Index and VXUS follows FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index.
- Number of holdings. ACWX holds 1,939 positions and VXUS holds 8913.
- Cost. ACWX charges 0.32% of assets a year and VXUS 0.05%, a gap of 0.27 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
VXUS
VXUS tracks an index of Total International Stock. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 8,913 positions, with the top ten at 14.6%. It sat 5.1% below its high of Sep 4, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, ACWX or VXUS?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ACWX returned +14.3% and VXUS +13.8%.
- Which is cheaper, ACWX or VXUS?
- VXUS is cheaper, by 0.27 percentage points a year. That is about $27 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.
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ETFIQ, ACWX against VXUS, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwx-vs-vxus
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). ACWX against VXUS. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwx-vs-vxus
[ACWX against VXUS (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwx-vs-vxus)
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