Which returned more over the last year, BOXX or IEF?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BOXX returned +4.0% and IEF −3.2%.

Which is cheaper, BOXX or IEF?

IEF is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

BOXX vs IEF: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, BOXX returned +4.0% to IEF's −3.2%, and IEF charges 0.15% to BOXX's 0.19%.

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Net assets: $14.5bn on Oct 28, 2026 for Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF, and $43.5bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF.

BOXX on its own →IEF on its own →

At a glance

+4.0%

BOXX total return, 1 year

−3.2%

IEF total return, 1 year

0.19%

BOXX expense ratio

0.15%

IEF expense ratio

Pair scorecard

IEF costs 0.04 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.2 points; IEF is 3.0 times larger.

BOXX vs IEF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	BOXX	IEF
Return
Measure	BOXX	IEF
Total return, 1 year	+4.0%	−3.2%
Drawdown
Measure	BOXX	IEF
Below its high		13.1%, high on Aug 4, 2020
Benchmark
Measure	BOXX	IEF
What it tracks	No index, actively managed	ICE U.S. Treasury 7-10 Year Bond Index
Cost and size
Measure	BOXX	IEF
Expense ratio	0.19%	0.15%
Net assets, as of Oct 26, 2026	$14.4bn	$43.4bn
Holdings
Measure	BOXX	IEF
Holdings in common	not published

Method

Side by side

BOXX Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF IEF iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer Alpha Architect iShares

What it is Actively managed Tracks an index of 7-10 Year Treasury Bond

Total return, 1 year +4.0% −3.2%

Expense ratio 0.19% 0.15%

Holdings not counted 17

Net assets, BOXX as of Oct 28, 2026 and IEF as of Oct 27, 2026 $14.5bn $43.5bn

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

Alert

About each fund

BOXX

BOXX is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.19% a year.

IEF

IEF tracks an index of 7-10 Year Treasury Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.2% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. It sat 13.1% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, BOXX or IEF?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BOXX returned +4.0% and IEF −3.2%.
Which is cheaper, BOXX or IEF?: IEF is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

BOXX vs GOVT BOXX vs VGIT BOXX vs BSV BOXX vs MBB IEF vs VBIL IEF vs MINT IEF vs USFR IEF vs VUSB

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

BOXX filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

BOXX prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Alpha Architect website ↗

IEF filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IEF prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IEF ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, BOXX against IEF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/boxx-vs-ief

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