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

In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AGG returned −1.6% and VCRB −1.3%.

Which is cheaper, AGG or VCRB?

AGG is cheaper, by 0.07 percentage points a year. That is about $7 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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AGG vs VCRB: Differences, Returns & Fees

AGG's duration was 5.8 years on May 31, 2026 and VCRB's 5.6 on Jun 30, 2026; AGG charges 0.03% to VCRB's 0.10%. Net assets: $137.1bn on Oct 9, 2026 for iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF, and $7.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Core Bond ETF.

AGG costs 0.07 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.3 points; AGG is 17.8 times larger.

	AGG	VCRB
Expense ratio	0.03%	0.10%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026	$135.7bn	$7.6bn
Total return, 1 year	−1.6%	−1.3%
What it tracks	Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index	No index, actively managed
Holdings in common	15%
Below its high	4.7%, high on Aug 4, 2020	4.0%, high on Feb 27, 2026

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

−1.6%

AGG total return, 1 year

−1.3%

VCRB total return, 1 year

0.03%

AGG expense ratio

0.10%

VCRB expense ratio

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, AGG and VCRB hold 15% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026.

50%

half

15% in common

Positions both hold, largest shared weight first

Holding AGG VCRB

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2035 0.42% 0.52%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2034 0.38% 0.51%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2036 0.37% 0.41%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2032 0.33% 0.43%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jan 31, 2030 0.24% 0.54%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Apr 30, 2029 0.21% 1.02%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Aug 31, 2028 0.19% 0.27%

U.S. Treasury Bonds, due Nov 15, 2053 0.21% 0.18%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 28, 2029 0.18% 0.65%

U.S. Treasury Bonds, due Aug 15, 2053 0.18% 0.16%

U.S. Treasury Bonds, due May 15, 2054 0.21% 0.16%

U.S. Treasury Bonds, due May 15, 2055 0.21% 0.16%

Only in AGG

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

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 28, 2030 0.41%

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

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 15, 2033 0.40%

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

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

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

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jun 15, 2028 0.35%

Only in VCRB

FNCL 5 7/26, due Jul 13, 2026 2.33%

NVIDIA CORP, due Jun 15, 2028 0.97%

NVIDIA CORP, due Jun 15, 2029 0.75%

FNCL 5.5 7/26, due Jul 13, 2026 0.68%

KFW, due Jul 22, 2031 0.60%

FNR 2026-46 FL, due Jun 25, 2056 0.59%

OBX 2026-INV2 AF, due Apr 25, 2056 0.57%

G2SF 5 7/26, due Jul 20, 2026 0.56%

Check overlap with more funds →

On the same fields

AGG

iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF

VCRB

Vanguard Core Bond ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer iShares Vanguard

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

Total return, 1 year −1.6% −1.3%

S&P 500 over the same days +17.3% +17.3%

Gap to the S&P 500 −18.8 pts −18.6 pts

Expense ratio 0.03% 0.10%

Holdings 13402 3418

Net assets, AGG as of Oct 9, 2026 and VCRB as of Sep 30, 2026 $137.1bn $7.6bn

AGG and VCRB on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

AGG in plain words

AGG tracks an index of US aggregate bonds. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned −1.6% with distributions reinvested, against −1.6% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. It sat 4.7% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Oct 9, 2026.

VCRB in plain words

VCRB is actively managed and tracks no index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.10% a year. It sat 4.0% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.

Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned −1.3% with distributions reinvested, against −1.5% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, AGG or VCRB?: In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AGG returned −1.6% and VCRB −1.3%.
Which is cheaper, AGG or VCRB?: AGG is cheaper, by 0.07 percentage points a year. That is about $7 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

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

AGG on its own →VCRB on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

AGG filings on SEC EDGAR ↗AGG prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗iShares page for AGG ↗VCRB filings on SEC EDGAR ↗VCRB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗Vanguard page for VCRB ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. 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 VCRB, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/agg-vs-vcrb

Open data

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