Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
BOXX vs VNQ: Differences, Returns & Fees
BOXX is an actively managed short-term fund and VNQ an equity index fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VNQ returned +4.8% against +4.0%.
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Net assets: $14.5bn on Oct 28, 2026 for Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF, and $35.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Real Estate ETF.
Pair scorecard
VNQ costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.8 points.
| Measure | BOXX | VNQ |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +4.0% | +4.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.3%, high on Jul 28, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | MSCI US Investable Market Real Estate 25/50 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.19% | 0.13% |
| Net assets, BOXX as of Oct 28, 2026 and VNQ as of Sep 30, 2026 | $14.5bn | $35.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 63% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 55.8% | |
Side by side
BOXX and VNQ on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
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.
VNQ
VNQ tracks an index of US real estate. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.13% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 63% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 141 positions, with the top ten at 55.8%. It sat 8.3% below its high of Jul 28, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, BOXX or VNQ?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BOXX returned +4.0% and VNQ +4.8%.
- Which is cheaper, BOXX or VNQ?
- VNQ is cheaper, by 0.06 percentage points a year. That is about $6 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.
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ETFIQ, BOXX against VNQ, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/boxx-vs-vnq
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). BOXX against VNQ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/boxx-vs-vnq
[BOXX against VNQ (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/boxx-vs-vnq)
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