Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
ESML vs SCHA: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, ESML returned +17.7% to SCHA's +17.8%; 44% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $2.7bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF, and $22.6bn on Aug 31, 2026 for Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF.
Pair scorecard
SCHA costs 0.14 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.1 points.
| Measure | ESML | SCHA |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +17.7% | +17.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 5.3%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | 7.9%, high on Jun 30, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI USA Small Cap Extended ESG Focus Index | Dow Jones U.S. Small-Cap Total Stock Market Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.17% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, ESML as of Oct 27, 2026 and SCHA as of Aug 31, 2026 | $2.7bn | $22.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 44% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 5.2% | 10.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, ESML and SCHA hold 44% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
44% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
ESML and SCHA on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
ESML and SCHA are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. ESML follows MSCI USA Small Cap Extended ESG Focus Index and SCHA follows Dow Jones U.S. Small-Cap Total Stock Market Index.
- Holdings in common. 44% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026).
- Cost. ESML charges 0.17% of assets a year and SCHA 0.03%, a gap of 0.14 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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ESML
ESML tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.7% with distributions reinvested, against +13.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.17% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 12% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 903 positions, with the top ten at 5.2%. It sat 5.3% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
SCHA
SCHA tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.8% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Aug 31, 2026, 7% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,705 positions, with the top ten at 10.1%. It sat 7.9% below its high of Jun 30, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, ESML or SCHA?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ESML returned +17.7% and SCHA +17.8%.
- Which is cheaper, ESML or SCHA?
- SCHA is cheaper, by 0.14 percentage points a year. That is about $14 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, ESML against SCHA, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/esml-vs-scha
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). ESML against SCHA. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/esml-vs-scha
[ESML against SCHA (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/esml-vs-scha)
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