Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
ESML vs VB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, ESML returned +17.7% to VB's +14.4%; 56% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about ESML and VB
Net assets: $2.7bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF, and $76.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF.
Pair scorecard
VB costs 0.14 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.3 points; VB is far larger, $76.9bn against $2.7bn.
| Measure | ESML | VB |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +17.7% | +14.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 5.3%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | 5.7%, high on Aug 14, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI USA Small Cap Extended ESG Focus Index | Morningstar US Small Cap Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.17% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $2.7bn | $76.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 56% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 5.2% | 5.9% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 20, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 444 weekly returnsESML returned slightly more: +126.6% to +117.3%. ESML and VB swung about the same: 22.8% and 22.4%. ESML and VB fell about the same at their worst: −40.6% and −40.0%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | ESML | VB | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +126.6% | +117.3% | ESML (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +10.1% | +9.5% | ESML (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +104.3% | +92.1% | ESML | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 22.8% | 22.4% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 16.0% | 15.7% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −40.6% | −40.0% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.41 | 0.39 | ESML (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.59 | 0.56 | ESML (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.25 | 0.24 | ESML (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 444 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, ESML and VB hold 56% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
56% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
ESML and VB on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
ESML and VB 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 VB follows Morningstar US Small Cap Index.
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 ESML returned +17.7% and VB +14.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.3 points.
- Cost. ESML charges 0.17% of assets a year and VB 0.03%, a gap of 0.14 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.
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.
VB
VB tracks an index of Small-Cap. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,303 positions, with the top ten at 5.9%. It sat 5.7% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, ESML or VB?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ESML returned +17.7% and VB +14.4%.
- Which is cheaper, ESML or VB?
- VB 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, ESML against VB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/esml-vs-vb
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). ESML against VB. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/esml-vs-vb
[ESML against VB (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/esml-vs-vb)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.