Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
AIQ vs VUG: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, AIQ returned +21.3% to VUG's +6.6%, and VUG charges 0.03% to AIQ's 0.68%.
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Net assets: $10.6bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF, and $232.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF.
Pair scorecard
VUG costs 0.65 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 14.7 points.
| Measure | AIQ | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +21.3% | +6.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 8.2%, high on Jun 2, 2026 | |
| Below its high | 4.1%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Artificial intelligence | Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.68% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, AIQ as of Oct 12, 2026 and VUG as of Sep 30, 2026 | $10.6bn | $232.9bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 70% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 31% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 43% | 63.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 25, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 439 weekly returnsAIQ returned more: +326.5% to +271.7%. VUG swung less: 21.5% to 24.3%. VUG fell less at its worst: −35.6% to −44.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | AIQ | VUG | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +326.5% | +271.7% | AIQ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +18.7% | +16.8% | AIQ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +314.4% | +250.2% | AIQ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 24.3% | 21.5% | VUG | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 16.0% | 14.4% | VUG (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −44.1% | −35.6% | VUG | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.72 | 0.70 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.09 | 1.05 | AIQ (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.42 | 0.47 | VUG | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 439 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, AIQ and VUG hold 31% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
half
31% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
AIQ and VUG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
AIQ
By weight, 65% of AIQ's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 70%. The top ten holdings are 43% of the fund across 84 positions, as filed for May 31, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +21.3% with distributions reinvested. It sits 8.2% below its all-time high of Jun 2, 2026.
VUG
VUG tracks an index of US growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +6.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 137 positions, with the top ten at 63.1%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Are AIQ and VUG in the same category?
- AIQ is a thematic ETF and VUG is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, AIQ or VUG?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AIQ returned +21.3% and VUG +6.6%.
- Which is cheaper, AIQ or VUG?
- VUG is cheaper, by 0.65 percentage points a year. That is about $65 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, AIQ against VUG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/aiq-vs-vug
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). AIQ against VUG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/aiq-vs-vug
[AIQ against VUG (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/aiq-vs-vug)
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