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

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AGG returned −1.4% and PFF −4.2%.

Which is cheaper, AGG or PFF?

AGG is cheaper, by 0.42 percentage points a year. That is about $42 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

AGG vs PFF: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, AGG returned −1.4% to PFF's −4.2%, and AGG charges 0.03% to PFF's 0.45%.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $139.4bn for iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF and $11.8bn for iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF.

AGG on its own →PFF on its own →

At a glance

−1.4%

AGG total return, 1 year

−4.2%

PFF total return, 1 year

0.03%

AGG expense ratio

0.45%

PFF expense ratio

Pair scorecard

AGG costs 0.42 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.8 points; AGG is 11.8 times larger.

AGG vs PFF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	AGG	PFF
Return
Measure	AGG	PFF
Total return, 1 year	−1.4%	−4.2%
Drawdown
Measure	AGG	PFF
Below its high	3.4%, high on Aug 4, 2020	7.1%, high on May 8, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	AGG	PFF
What it tracks	Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index	ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index
Cost and size
Measure	AGG	PFF
Expense ratio	0.03%	0.45%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$139.4bn	$11.8bn
Holdings
Measure	AGG	PFF
Holdings in common	0%
In the S&P 500, by weight		0%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund		22.7%

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

Risk and return

Apr 5, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,020 weekly returns

AGG PFF

Return

Total return edge PFF +74.1% +94.0%

Annualized edge PFF +2.9% +3.4%

Price return edge AGG −4.0% −42.8%

Risk

Volatility edge AGG 5.4% 20.9%

Max drawdown edge AGG −18.2% −65.4%

Downside capture 97.5% 63.8%

Beta 0.94 0.70

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge AGG 0.26 0.19

Sortino edge AGG 0.35 0.28

Treynor 0.004 0.056

Calmar edge AGG 0.16 0.05

Against the benchmark

Alpha +0.1% a year −3.5% a year

Alpha t-stat 0.23 −0.90

Information ratio 0.04 −0.37

Tracking error 1.1% 17.7%

Each against its own benchmark: AGG against SCHZ, Jul 22, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026; PFF against MLRG, Apr 5, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026.

Reading

PFF returned more: +94.0% to +74.1%. AGG swung less: 5.4% to 20.9%. AGG fell less at its worst: −18.2% to −65.4%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: AGG vs PFF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	AGG	PFF	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+74.1%	+94.0%	PFF	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+2.9%	+3.4%	PFF	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	−4.0%	−42.8%	AGG	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	5.4%	20.9%	AGG	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	4.0%	14.0%	AGG	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−18.2%	−65.4%	AGG	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	97.5%	37.7%		Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	97.5%	63.8%		Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	0.94	0.70	Not an edge	How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared	0.95	0.34	Not an edge	Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.26	0.19	AGG	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.35	0.28	AGG	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	0.004	0.056		Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	0.16	0.05	AGG	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	SCHZ	MLRG		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	+0.1% a year	−3.5% a year	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	0.23	−0.90	Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−0.4% to +0.6%	−11.0% to +4.0%	Includes zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	0.04	−0.37		Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	1.1%	17.7%	Not an edge	How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,020 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, AGG and PFF hold 0% 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

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first AGG PFF

Only in one fund ↓

Only in AGG

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Only in PFF

BOEING COMPANY (THE) 6% SER A DEP SHS REPSTG 1/20TH INT MANDATORY CONV PFD 3.93%

STRATEGY INC VARIABLE RATE SERIES A PERPETUAL STRETCH PREFERRED STOCK 2.95%

WELLS FARGO & COMPANY 7.5% NON-CUMULATIVE PERPETUAL CONVERTIBLE CLASS A PREFERRED STOCK, SERIES L 2.33%

ORACLE CORP DEPOSITARY SHARES EACH REPRESENTING A 1/2,000TH INTEREST IN A SHARE OF 6.50% SERIES D MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 2.28%

HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE COMPANY 7.625% SERIES C MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 1.76%

BANK OF AMERICA CORP 7.25% NON-CUMULATIVE PERPETUAL CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK SERIES L 1.45%

CITIGROUP CAPITAL XIII FIXED/FLOAT TRUST PREFERRED SECURITIES 1.31%

ALBEMARLE CORP DEPOSITARY SHARES EACH REPRESENTING A 1/20TH INTEREST IN A SHARE OF 7.25% SERIES A MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 1.29%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

AGG iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF PFF iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer iShares iShares

What it is Tracks an index of US aggregate bonds Tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities

Total return, 1 year −1.4% −4.2%

Its benchmark over the same days −1.3% (SCHZ) +13.6% (MLRG)

Gap to its benchmark −0.1 pts vs SCHZ −17.8 pts vs MLRG

Expense ratio 0.03% 0.45%

Holdings 13469 453

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $139.4bn $11.8bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-A5EE408D08

AGG and PFF do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

What each follows. AGG follows Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index and PFF follows ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index.
Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026).
One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 AGG returned −1.4% and PFF −4.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.8 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.

PFF

PFF tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −4.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.45% 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 453 positions, with the top ten at 22.7%. It sat 7.1% below its high of May 8, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, AGG or PFF?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AGG returned −1.4% and PFF −4.2%.
Which is cheaper, AGG or PFF?: AGG is cheaper, by 0.42 percentage points a year. That is about $42 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

AGG vs VGLT AGG vs SPSB AGG vs VBIL AGG vs EMB BND vs PFF PFF vs SGOV BNDX vs PFF PFF vs VCIT

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

AGG and PFF filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

AGG prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for AGG ↗

PFF prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for PFF ↗

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 PFF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/agg-vs-pff

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