Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
BAI vs VUG: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, BAI returned +19.6% to VUG's +6.6%, and VUG charges 0.03% to BAI's 0.55%.
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Net assets: $13.6bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares A.I. Innovation and Tech Active ETF, and $232.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF.
Pair scorecard
VUG costs 0.52 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 13.0 points; VUG is 16.2 times larger.
| Measure | BAI | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +19.6% | +6.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 19.6%, high on Jun 22, 2026 | |
| Below its high | 4.1%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Artificial intelligence | Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Against its benchmark, 1 year | behind by 28.2 pts | |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.55% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $14.4bn | $232.9bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 76% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 28% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 42% | 63.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Nov 1, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026 · 103 weekly returnsBAI returned more: +67.0% to +36.1%. VUG swung less: 20.2% to 34.4%. VUG fell less at its worst: −21.8% to −33.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | BAI | VUG | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +67.0% | +36.1% | BAI | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +29.5% | +16.8% | BAI | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +64.0% | +34.9% | BAI | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 34.4% | 20.2% | VUG | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 23.4% | 12.9% | VUG | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −33.3% | −21.8% | VUG | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.81 | 0.67 | BAI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.19 | 1.05 | BAI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.89 | 0.77 | BAI | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 103 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, BAI and VUG hold 28% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
28% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
BAI and VUG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
BAI and VUG do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. BAI follows Artificial intelligence and VUG follows Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index.
- Holdings in common. 28% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 BAI returned +19.6% and VUG +6.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 13.0 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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BAI
By weight, 55% of BAI's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 76%. The top ten holdings are 42% of the fund across 49 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +19.6% with distributions reinvested against +47.8% for its benchmark, the Morningstar Global Artificial Intelligence Select Index, so a holder was behind by 28.2 pts. It sits 19.6% below its all-time high of Jun 22, 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 BAI and VUG in the same category?
- BAI 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, BAI or VUG?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BAI returned +19.6% and VUG +6.6%.
- Which is cheaper, BAI or VUG?
- VUG is cheaper, by 0.52 percentage points a year. That is about $52 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, BAI against VUG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bai-vs-vug
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