Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
DFUS vs VTI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, DFUS returned +13.8% to VTI's +13.5%; 87% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $20.9bn on Jul 31, 2026 for Dimensional U.S. Equity Market ETF, and $689.2bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF.
Pair scorecard
VTI costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.3 points.
| Measure | DFUS | VTI |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.8% | +13.5% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | Morningstar US Total Market Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, DFUS as of Jul 31, 2026 and VTI as of Sep 30, 2026 | $20.9bn | $689.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 87% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 34.6% | 34.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 25, 2021 to Oct 23, 2026 · 278 weekly returnsDFUS returned slightly more: +87.6% to +80.3%. DFUS and VTI swung about the same: 16.2% and 16.2%. DFUS fell slightly less at its worst: −24.2% to −24.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | DFUS | VTI | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +87.6% | +80.3% | DFUS (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +12.5% | +11.7% | DFUS (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +76.2% | +67.6% | DFUS | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.2% | 16.2% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 10.8% | 10.9% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −24.2% | −24.9% | DFUS (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.58 | 0.53 | DFUS (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.87 | 0.79 | DFUS (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.52 | 0.47 | DFUS (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 278 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, DFUS and VTI hold 87% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
half
87% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
DFUS and VTI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
DFUS and VTI are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. DFUS follows No index, actively managed and VTI follows Morningstar US Total Market Index.
- Holdings in common (similar). 87% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return (similar). Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 DFUS returned +13.8% and VTI +13.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 0.3 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.8% with distributions reinvested, against +13.3% for its benchmark, the Russell 3000 Index.
DFUS is actively managed and tracks no index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings filed for Jul 31, 2026, 89% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2,236 positions, with the top ten at 34.6%.
VTI
VTI tracks an index of US total market. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 88% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3,521 positions, with the top ten at 34.7%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, DFUS or VTI?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DFUS returned +13.8% and VTI +13.5%.
- Which is cheaper, DFUS or VTI?
- VTI 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.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, DFUS against VTI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfus-vs-vti
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). DFUS against VTI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfus-vs-vti
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