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

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AGG returned −1.4% and VCIT −1.8%.

Which is cheaper, AGG or VCIT?

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

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

AGG vs VCIT: Differences, Returns & Fees

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AGG's duration was 5.8 years on Aug 31, 2026 and VCIT's 6.0 on May 31, 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 $66.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond ETF.

AGG on its own →VCIT on its own →

At a glance

−1.4%

AGG total return, 1 year

−1.8%

VCIT total return, 1 year

0.03%

AGG expense ratio

0.03%

VCIT expense ratio

Pair scorecard

Both cost 0.03% a year; their one-year returns differ by 0.4 points; AGG is 2.0 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

AGG vs VCIT: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	AGG	VCIT
Return
Measure	AGG	VCIT
Total return, 1 year	−1.4%	−1.8%
Drawdown
Measure	AGG	VCIT
Below its high	3.4%, high on Aug 4, 2020	3.2%, high on Feb 27, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	AGG	VCIT
What it tracks	Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index	Bloomberg U.S. 5-10 Year Corporate Bond Index
Cost and size
Measure	AGG	VCIT
Expense ratio	0.03%	0.03%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026	$135.7bn	$66.6bn
Holdings
Measure	AGG	VCIT
Holdings in common	7%

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

Risk and return

Dec 4, 2009 to Oct 23, 2026 · 881 weekly returns

AGG VCIT

Return

Total return edge VCIT +47.2% +96.4%

Annualized edge VCIT +2.3% +4.1%

Price return edge VCIT −8.5% +5.1%

Risk

Volatility edge AGG 4.5% 6.4%

Max drawdown edge AGG (slight) −18.2% −20.0%

Downside capture 97.5% 99.6%

Beta 0.94 1.00

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge VCIT 0.19 0.42

Sortino edge VCIT 0.26 0.57

Treynor 0.004 −0.008

Calmar edge VCIT 0.13 0.20

Against the benchmark

Alpha +0.1% a year 0.0% a year

Alpha t-stat 0.23 −0.22

Information ratio 0.04 −0.08

Tracking error 1.1% 0.5%

Each against its own benchmark: AGG against SCHZ, Jul 22, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026; VCIT against SCHI, Oct 18, 2019 to Oct 23, 2026.

Reading

VCIT returned more: +96.4% to +47.2%. AGG swung less: 4.5% to 6.4%. AGG fell slightly less at its worst: −18.2% to −20.0%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: AGG vs VCIT: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	AGG	VCIT	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+47.2%	+96.4%	VCIT	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+2.3%	+4.1%	VCIT	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	−8.5%	+5.1%	VCIT	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	4.5%	6.4%	AGG	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	3.2%	4.7%	AGG	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−18.2%	−20.0%	AGG (slight)	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	97.5%	99.2%		Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	97.5%	99.6%		Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	0.94	1.00	Not an edge	How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared	0.95	1.00	Not an edge	Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.19	0.42	VCIT	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.26	0.57	VCIT	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	0.004	−0.008		Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	0.13	0.20	VCIT	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	SCHZ	SCHI		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	+0.1% a year	0.0% a year	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	0.23	−0.22	Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−0.4% to +0.6%	−0.4% to +0.3%	Includes zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	0.04	−0.08		Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	1.1%	0.5%	Not an edge	How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 881 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, AGG and VCIT hold 7% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

7% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first AGG VCIT

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Apr 30, 2031 0.31% 0.18%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Apr 30, 2033 0.14% 0.03%

Meta Platforms Inc, due Nov 15, 2035 0.02% 0.27%

Amazon.com Inc, due Mar 13, 2036 0.02% 0.30%

Bank of America Corp, due Apr 25, 2034 0.02% 0.14%

Bank of America Corp, due Jan 23, 2035 0.02% 0.20%

Meta Platforms Inc, due May 15, 2036 0.02% 0.15%

Wells Fargo & Co, due Jul 25, 2034 0.02% 0.18%

Anheuser-Busch Cos LLC / Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc, due Feb 1, 2036 0.02% 0.27%

Goldman Sachs Group Inc/The, due Feb 24, 2033 0.02% 0.18%

Pfizer Investment Enterprises Pte Ltd, due May 19, 2033 0.02% 0.27%

Bank of America Corp, due Jul 22, 2033 0.02% 0.27%

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 VCIT

HONEYWELL AEROSP, due Mar 16, 2036 0.17%

BROADCOM INC, due Nov 15, 2035 0.14%

BLACKROCK INC, due May 25, 2033 0.07%

HONEYWELL AEROSP, due Mar 16, 2033 0.06%

BROADCOM INC, due Apr 15, 2032 0.06%

BLACKROCK INC, due Feb 25, 2032 0.06%

CHARTER COMM OPT, due Feb 1, 2032 0.05%

COTERRA ENERGY, due Feb 15, 2035 0.04%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

AGG iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF VCIT Vanguard Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond 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 Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond

Total return, 1 year −1.4% −1.8%

Its benchmark over the same days −1.3% (SCHZ) −1.8% (SCHI)

Gap to its benchmark −0.1 pts vs SCHZ 0.0 pts vs SCHI

Expense ratio 0.03% 0.03%

Holdings 13469 2340

Net assets, AGG as of Oct 27, 2026 and VCIT as of Sep 30, 2026 $139.4bn $66.6bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-D0426F74FC

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

What each follows. AGG follows Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index and VCIT follows Bloomberg U.S. 5-10 Year Corporate Bond Index.
Holdings in common. 7% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and May 31, 2026).
Number of holdings. AGG holds 13,469 positions and VCIT holds 2340.

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.

VCIT

VCIT tracks an index of Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.8% with distributions reinvested, against −1.8% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. 5-10 Year Corporate Bond Index. It sat 3.2% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, AGG or VCIT?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AGG returned −1.4% and VCIT −1.8%.
Which is cheaper, AGG or VCIT?: Neither: AGG and VCIT both charge 0.03% a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

AGG vs LQD AGG vs IGIB AGG vs BNDX AGG vs TLT BND vs VCIT BIV vs VCIT VCIT vs VCSH VCIT vs VGIT

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

AGG filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

AGG prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for AGG ↗

VCIT filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

VCIT prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Vanguard page for VCIT ↗

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

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