Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
DFUS vs VUG: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, DFUS returned +13.8% to VUG's +6.6%; 50% 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 $232.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF.
Pair scorecard
VUG costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.2 points.
| Measure | DFUS | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.8% | +6.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.1%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, DFUS as of Jul 31, 2026 and VUG as of Sep 30, 2026 | $20.9bn | $232.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 50% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 34.6% | 63.1% |
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 and VUG returned about the same: +87.6% and +88.5%. DFUS swung less: 16.2% to 21.1%. DFUS fell less at its worst: −24.2% to −35.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | DFUS | VUG | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +87.6% | +88.5% | Tie | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +12.5% | +12.6% | Tie | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +76.2% | +83.2% | VUG (slight) | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.2% | 21.1% | DFUS | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 10.8% | 14.0% | DFUS | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −24.2% | −35.6% | DFUS | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.58 | 0.49 | DFUS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.87 | 0.74 | DFUS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.52 | 0.35 | DFUS | 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 VUG hold 50% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
half
50% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
DFUS and VUG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
DFUS and VUG do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. DFUS follows No index, actively managed and VUG follows Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index.
- Holdings in common. 50% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 DFUS returned +13.8% and VUG +6.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 7.2 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%.
VUG
VUG tracks an index of US growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +6.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 137 positions, with the top ten at 63.1%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, DFUS or VUG?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DFUS returned +13.8% and VUG +6.6%.
- Which is cheaper, DFUS or VUG?
- VUG 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 VUG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfus-vs-vug
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