Which returned more over the last year, AGG or BND?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AGG returned −1.4% and BND −1.3%.

Which is cheaper, AGG or BND?

Neither: AGG and BND both charge 0.03% a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

AGG vs BND: Differences, Returns & Fees

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AGG's duration was 5.8 years on Aug 31, 2026 and BND's 5.7 on Jun 30, 2026; both charge 0.03%.

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Net assets: $139.4bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF, and $161.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF.

AGG on its own →BND on its own →

At a glance

−1.4%

AGG total return, 1 year

−1.3%

BND total return, 1 year

0.03%

AGG expense ratio

0.03%

BND expense ratio

Pair scorecard

Both cost 0.03% a year; their one-year returns differ by 0.1 points; BND is 1.2 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

AGG vs BND: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	AGG	BND
Return
Measure	AGG	BND
Total return, 1 year	−1.4%	−1.3%
Drawdown
Measure	AGG	BND
Below its high	3.4%, high on Aug 4, 2020	3.5%, high on Aug 6, 2020
Benchmark
Measure	AGG	BND
What it tracks	Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index	Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index
Cost and size
Measure	AGG	BND
Expense ratio	0.03%	0.03%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026	$135.7bn	$161.4bn
Holdings
Measure	AGG	BND
Holdings in common	65%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Apr 20, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,018 weekly returns

AGG BND

Return

Total return edge BND (slight) +73.7% +75.5%

Annualized edge Tie +2.9% +2.9%

Price return edge AGG −4.2% −5.4%

Risk

Volatility edge BND (slight) 5.4% 5.0%

Max drawdown edge Tie −18.2% −18.4%

Downside capture 97.5% 95.6%

Beta 0.94 0.91

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge BND (slight) 0.26 0.29

Sortino edge BND 0.35 0.39

Treynor 0.004 0.016

Calmar edge Tie 0.16 0.16

Against the benchmark

Alpha +0.1% a year +0.2% a year

Alpha t-stat 0.23 0.59

Information ratio 0.04 0.03

Tracking error 1.1% 1.3%

Each against its own benchmark: AGG against SCHZ, Jul 22, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026; BND against AGG, Apr 20, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026.

Reading

BND returned slightly more: +75.5% to +73.7%. BND swung slightly less: 5.0% to 5.4%. AGG and BND fell about the same at their worst: −18.2% and −18.4%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: AGG vs BND: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	AGG	BND	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+73.7%	+75.5%	BND (slight)	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+2.9%	+2.9%	Tie	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	−4.2%	−5.4%	AGG	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	5.4%	5.0%	BND (slight)	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	4.0%	3.7%	BND (slight)	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−18.2%	−18.4%	Tie	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	97.5%	95.8%		Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	97.5%	95.6%		Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	0.94	0.91	Not an edge	How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared	0.95	0.94	Not an edge	Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.26	0.29	BND (slight)	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.35	0.39	BND	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	0.004	0.016		Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	0.16	0.16	Tie	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	SCHZ	AGG		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	+0.1% a year	+0.2% a year	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	0.23	0.59	Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−0.4% to +0.6%	−0.4% to +0.7%	Includes zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	0.04	0.03		Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	1.1%	1.3%	Not an edge	How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,018 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

65%

By the books each fund has filed, AGG and BND hold 65% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

65% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first AGG BND

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2035 0.41% 0.41%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 15, 2034 0.40% 0.41%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2034 0.40% 0.41%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Aug 15, 2034 0.39% 0.41%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2036 0.39% 0.41%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 15, 2033 0.38% 0.39%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Aug 15, 2035 0.38% 0.39%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2034 0.37% 0.40%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2035 0.39% 0.36%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 28, 2030 0.40% 0.34%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Aug 15, 2033 0.34% 0.36%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2032 0.32% 0.35%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in AGG

Ginnie Mae, due Sep 1, 2056 0.20%

Uniform Mortgage-Backed Security, TBA, due Sep 1, 2056 0.17%

Ginnie Mae, due Sep 1, 2056 0.16%

Uniform Mortgage-Backed Security, TBA, due Sep 1, 2041 0.15%

Uniform Mortgage-Backed Security, TBA, due Sep 1, 2056 0.15%

Ginnie Mae, due Sep 1, 2056 0.15%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jan 15, 2029 0.14%

Uniform Mortgage-Backed Security, TBA, due Sep 1, 2056 0.13%

Only in BND

US TREASURY N/B, due Jul 31, 2027 0.22%

US TREASURY N/B, due Jul 31, 2027 0.21%

US TREASURY N/B, due Jun 30, 2027 0.19%

US TREASURY N/B, due Jul 31, 2027 0.18%

US TREASURY N/B, due Jun 15, 2027 0.16%

US TREASURY N/B, due Jul 15, 2027 0.16%

US TREASURY N/B, due Jun 30, 2027 0.15%

US TREASURY N/B, due Jun 30, 2027 0.12%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

AGG iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF BND Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer iShares Vanguard

What it is Tracks an index of US aggregate bonds Tracks an index of US aggregate bonds

Total return, 1 year −1.4% −1.3%

Its benchmark over the same days −1.3% (SCHZ) −1.4% (AGG)

Gap to its benchmark −0.1 pts vs SCHZ +0.1 pts vs AGG

Expense ratio 0.03% 0.03%

Holdings 13469 16301

Net assets, AGG as of Oct 27, 2026 and BND as of Sep 30, 2026 $139.4bn $161.4bn

AGG and BND on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-E270395749

AGG and BND are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

What each follows. AGG follows Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index and BND follows Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index.
Holdings in common (similar). 65% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026).
One-year total return (similar). Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 AGG returned −1.4% and BND −1.3% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 0.1 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

AGG

AGG tracks an index of US aggregate bonds. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.4% with distributions reinvested, against −1.3% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. It sat 3.4% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Oct 28, 2026.

BND

BND tracks an index of US aggregate bonds. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.3% with distributions reinvested, against −1.4% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index, measured by the closely related Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. It sat 3.5% below its high of Aug 6, 2020 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, AGG or BND?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AGG returned −1.4% and BND −1.3%.
Which is cheaper, AGG or BND?: Neither: AGG and BND both charge 0.03% a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

AGG vs BIV AGG vs VCRB AGG vs CGCB AGG vs EAGG BND vs DFCF BND vs SCHZ BND vs SPAB BND vs JBND

Where to next

AGG on its own →BND on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →AGG dividend history →AGG holdings →BND dividend history →BND holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

AGG filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

AGG prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for AGG ↗

BND filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

BND prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Vanguard page for BND ↗

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, AGG against BND, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/agg-vs-bnd

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.