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Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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BOXX vs VDE: Differences, Returns & Fees

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BOXX is an actively managed short-term fund and VDE an equity index fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VDE returned +58.8% against +4.0%.

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Net assets: $14.5bn on Oct 28, 2026 for Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF, and $10.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Energy ETF.

BOXX on its own →VDE on its own →
At a glance
+4.0%
BOXX total return, 1 year
+58.8%
VDE total return, 1 year
0.19%
BOXX expense ratio
0.09%
VDE expense ratio

Pair scorecard

VDE costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 54.8 points.

BOXX vs VDE: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureBOXXVDE
Return
Total return, 1 year+4.0%+58.8%
Benchmark
What it tracksNo index, actively managedMSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Energy 25/50
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.19%0.09%
Net assets, BOXX as of Oct 28, 2026 and VDE as of Sep 30, 2026$14.5bn$10.4bn
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
In the S&P 500, by weight81%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund67.1%

Method

Side by side

BOXX Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF VDE Vanguard Energy ETF
Where it sits Bond ETF Stock ETF
Issuer Alpha Architect Vanguard
What it is Actively managed Tracks an index of Energy
Total return, 1 year +4.0% +58.8%
Its benchmark over the same days not measured +59.0% (FENY)
Gap to its benchmark not measured −0.2 pts vs FENY
Expense ratio 0.19% 0.09%
Holdings not counted 113
Net assets, BOXX as of Oct 28, 2026 and VDE as of Sep 30, 2026 $14.5bn $10.4bn

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

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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.

VDE

VDE tracks an index of Energy. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +58.8% with distributions reinvested, against +59.0% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Energy 25/50. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 81% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 113 positions, with the top ten at 67.1%.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, BOXX or VDE?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BOXX returned +4.0% and VDE +58.8%.
Which is cheaper, BOXX or VDE?
VDE is cheaper, by 0.10 percentage points a year. That is about $10 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
BOXX vs IYEBOXX vs XOPBOXX vs XLEBOXX vs XLUVBIL vs VDEMINT vs VDEUSFR vs VDEPULS vs VDE
Where to next
BOXX on its own →VDE on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →BOXX dividend history →VDE dividend history →VDE holdings →Standards and sources →
Sources and dates
BOXX filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
BOXX prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗
Alpha Architect website ↗
VDE filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
VDE prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗
Vanguard page for VDE ↗

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

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

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