Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
BOXX vs PULS: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, BOXX and PULS finished level, +4.0% against +4.0%, and PULS 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 $19.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF.
Pair scorecard
PULS costs 0.04 points a year less; both returned +4.0% over a year; PULS is 1.4 times larger.
| Measure | BOXX | PULS |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +4.0% | +4.0% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | No index, actively managed |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.19% | 0.15% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 26, 2026 | $14.4bn | $19.8bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | report dates differ | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 29, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jan 6, 2023 to Oct 23, 2026 · 198 weekly returnsPULS returned more: +21.9% to +18.9%. BOXX swung less: 0.2% to 0.5%. BOXX fell less at its worst: −0.1% to −0.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | BOXX | PULS | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +18.9% | +21.9% | PULS | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.6% | +5.3% | PULS | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +18.6% | +0.8% | BOXX | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 0.2% | 0.5% | BOXX | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 0.2% | 0.3% | BOXX | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −0.1% | −0.3% | BOXX | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | −0.25 | 1.32 | PULS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | −0.35 | 1.84 | PULS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | Not measured | 17.58 | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. | |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 198 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
Side by side
BOXX and PULS on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
BOXX and PULS are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows (similar). Both follow No index, actively managed.
- One-year total return (similar). Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 BOXX returned +4.0% and PULS +4.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 0.0 points.
- Cost (similar). BOXX charges 0.19% of assets a year and PULS 0.15%, a gap of 0.04 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
PULS
PULS is actively managed and tracks no index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, BOXX or PULS?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BOXX returned +4.0% and PULS +4.0%.
- Which is cheaper, BOXX or PULS?
- PULS 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.
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ETFIQ, BOXX against PULS, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/boxx-vs-puls
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). BOXX against PULS. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/boxx-vs-puls
[BOXX against PULS (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/boxx-vs-puls)
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