Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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BOXX vs VBIL: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, BOXX returned +4.0% to VBIL's +3.7%, and VBIL charges 0.06% 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 $12.8bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF.

At a glance
+4.0%
BOXX total return, 1 year
+3.7%
VBIL total return, 1 year
0.19%
BOXX expense ratio
0.06%
VBIL expense ratio

Pair scorecard

VBIL costs 0.13 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.3 points.

BOXX vs VBIL: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureBOXXVBIL
Return
Total return, 1 year+4.0%+3.7%
Benchmark
What it tracksNo index, actively managedBloomberg U.S. Treasury Bills 0-3 Months Index
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.19%0.06%
Net assets, BOXX as of Oct 28, 2026 and VBIL as of Sep 30, 2026$14.5bn$12.8bn
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published

Method

Risk and return

Feb 21, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026 · 87 weekly returns
BOXX VBIL
Return
Total return edge BOXX (slight) +7.0% +6.7%
Annualized edge BOXX (slight) +4.1% +3.9%
Price return edge BOXX +7.0% +0.8%
Risk
Volatility edge VBIL 0.2% 0.1%
Max drawdown edge BOXX 0.0% 0.0%
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge BOXX 0.33 −0.64
Sortino edge BOXX 0.48 −0.90
Reading

BOXX returned slightly more: +7.0% to +6.7%. VBIL swung less: 0.1% to 0.2%. BOXX fell less at its worst: 0.0% to 0.0%.

Full scorecard

8 measures, with how each is measured
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Risk and return: BOXX vs VBIL: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureBOXXVBILEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+7.0%+6.7%BOXX (slight)Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+4.1%+3.9%BOXX (slight)Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return+7.0%+0.8%BOXXPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility0.2%0.1%VBILSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation0.1%0.1%VBILLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown0.0%0.0%BOXXDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.33−0.64BOXXReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino0.48−0.90BOXXReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 87 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Side by side

BOXX Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF VBIL Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF
Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF
What it is Actively managed Tracks an index of 0-3 Month Treasury Bill
Total return, 1 year +4.0% +3.7%
Expense ratio 0.19% 0.06%
Holdings not counted 28
Net assets, BOXX as of Oct 28, 2026 and VBIL as of Sep 30, 2026 $14.5bn $12.8bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-38636CAEC2

BOXX and VBIL are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

  1. What each follows. BOXX follows No index, actively managed and VBIL follows Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Bills 0-3 Months Index.
  2. Cost. BOXX charges 0.19% of assets a year and VBIL 0.06%, a gap of 0.13 points.
  3. One-year total return (similar). Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 BOXX returned +4.0% and VBIL +3.7% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 0.3 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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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.

VBIL

VBIL tracks an index of 0-3 Month Treasury Bill. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +3.7% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, BOXX or VBIL?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BOXX returned +4.0% and VBIL +3.7%.
Which is cheaper, BOXX or VBIL?
VBIL is cheaper, by 0.13 percentage points a year. That is about $13 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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ETFIQ, BOXX against VBIL, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/boxx-vs-vbil

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