ESGU vs VTI: Differences, Returns & Fees
ESGU and VTI hold 72% of their weight in the same names. Net assets: $18.3bn on Oct 9, 2026 for iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF, and $689.2bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF.
VTI costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.5 points; VTI is far larger, $689.2bn against $17.9bn.
| ESGU | VTI | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $17.9bn | $689.2bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +17.3% | +16.8% |
| What it tracks | MSCI USA Extended ESG Focus Index | CRSP US Total Market Index |
| Holdings in common | 72% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 37.8% | 33.5% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Oct 9, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, ESGU and VTI hold 72% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Oct 9, 2026.
half
72% in common
On the same fields
ESGU and VTI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About ESGU
ESGU tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +17.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 9, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 269 positions, with the top ten at 37.8%.
About VTI
VTI tracks an index of US total market. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +16.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Aug 31, 2026, 88% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3,509 positions, with the top ten at 33.5%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, ESGU or VTI?
- In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ESGU returned +17.3% and VTI +16.8%.
- Which is cheaper, ESGU or VTI?
- VTI is cheaper, by 0.12 percentage points a year. That is about $12 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. 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, ESGU against VTI, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/esgu-vs-vti
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). ESGU against VTI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/esgu-vs-vti
[ESGU against VTI (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/esgu-vs-vti)
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