Which returned more over the last year, FBND or VPLS?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FBND returned −1.5% and VPLS −1.0%.

Which is cheaper, FBND or VPLS?

VPLS is cheaper, by 0.16 percentage points a year. That is about $16 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

FBND vs VPLS: Differences, Returns & Fees

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FBND's duration was 5.6 years on Aug 31, 2026 and VPLS's 5.4 on Jun 30, 2026; VPLS charges 0.20% to FBND's 0.36%.

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Net assets on Sep 30, 2026: $27.9bn for Fidelity Total Bond ETF and $2.0bn for Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF.

FBND on its own →VPLS on its own →

At a glance

−1.5%

FBND total return, 1 year

−1.0%

VPLS total return, 1 year

0.36%

FBND expense ratio

0.20%

VPLS expense ratio

Pair scorecard

VPLS costs 0.16 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.5 points; FBND is 14.0 times larger.

FBND vs VPLS: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	FBND	VPLS
Return
Measure	FBND	VPLS
Total return, 1 year	−1.5%	−1.0%
Benchmark
Measure	FBND	VPLS
What it tracks	No index, actively managed	No index, actively managed
Cost and size
Measure	FBND	VPLS
Expense ratio	0.36%	0.20%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026	$27.9bn	$2.0bn
Holdings
Measure	FBND	VPLS
Holdings in common	5%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Dec 15, 2023 to Oct 23, 2026 · 149 weekly returns

FBND VPLS

Return

Total return edge VPLS +9.5% +10.7%

Annualized edge VPLS +3.2% +3.6%

Price return edge VPLS −4.0% −2.6%

Risk

Volatility edge VPLS (slight) 4.8% 4.7%

Max drawdown edge VPLS −4.7% −4.1%

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge VPLS −0.23 −0.16

Sortino edge VPLS −0.31 −0.21

Calmar edge VPLS 0.69 0.88

Reading

VPLS returned more: +10.7% to +9.5%. VPLS swung slightly less: 4.7% to 4.8%. VPLS fell less at its worst: −4.1% to −4.7%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: FBND vs VPLS: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	FBND	VPLS	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+9.5%	+10.7%	VPLS	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+3.2%	+3.6%	VPLS	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	−4.0%	−2.6%	VPLS	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	4.8%	4.7%	VPLS (slight)	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	3.6%	3.5%	VPLS (slight)	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−4.7%	−4.1%	VPLS	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	−0.23	−0.16	VPLS	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	−0.31	−0.21	VPLS	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar	0.69	0.88	VPLS	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 149 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, FBND and VPLS hold 5% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

5% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first FBND VPLS

UST NOTES 4.375% 05/15/2036, due May 15, 2036 2.73% 0.29%

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP 5.65% 07/15/2033 144A, due Jul 15, 2033 0.18% 0.20%

GNII II 3% 04/20/2052#MA7988, due Apr 20, 2052 0.16% 0.19%

GNII II 2% 11/20/2051#MA7704, due Nov 20, 2051 0.11% 0.17%

UNITED STATES TREASURY BOND 4.625% 02/15/2055, due Feb 15, 2055 0.34% 0.10%

UNITED STATES TREASURY BOND 4.125% 08/15/2053, due Aug 15, 2053 0.42% 0.10%

UNITED STATES TREASURY BOND 4.5% 11/15/2054, due Nov 15, 2054 1.12% 0.10%

BOEING CO 5.15% 05/01/2030, due May 1, 2030 0.09% 0.24%

UNITED STATES TREASURY BOND 4.25% 02/15/2054, due Feb 15, 2054 1.37% 0.09%

UNITED STATES TREASURY BOND 4.625% 11/15/2045, due Nov 15, 2045 0.09% 0.10%

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP 5.35% 07/15/2031 144A, due Jul 15, 2031 0.13% 0.09%

UNITED STATES TREASURY BOND 4.25% 08/15/2054, due Aug 15, 2054 0.66% 0.08%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in FBND

UST NOTES 4.125% 02/15/2036, due Feb 15, 2036 2.04%

UMBS 30YR 2% 09/01/2056 #TBA, due Sep 1, 2056 1.99%

UST NOTES 4.25% 08/15/2035, due Aug 15, 2035 1.97%

UNITED STATES TREASURY BOND 5% 05/15/2056, due May 15, 2056 1.36%

UST NOTES 3.875% 12/31/2032, due Dec 31, 2032 1.36%

GNII II 5.5% 09/01/2056 #TBA, due Sep 1, 2056 1.28%

UMBS 30YR 2% 10/01/2056 #TBA, due Oct 1, 2056 1.25%

UST NOTES 4% 01/31/2033, due Jan 31, 2033 1.09%

Only in VPLS

FNCL 5 7/26, due Jul 13, 2026 2.42%

PMTLT 2026-INV1 A36, due Jan 25, 2057 1.10%

FNR 2026-22 DF, due Apr 25, 2056 0.96%

FNCL 5.5 7/26, due Jul 13, 2026 0.91%

FNR 2026-33 FA, due Jul 25, 2055 0.68%

NVIDIA CORP, due Jun 15, 2028 0.66%

OBX 2026-INV2 AF, due Apr 25, 2056 0.64%

KFW, due Jul 22, 2031 0.59%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

FBND Fidelity Total Bond ETF VPLS Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer Fidelity Vanguard

What it is Actively managed Actively managed

Total return, 1 year −1.5% −1.0%

Its benchmark over the same days not measured −1.2% (IUSB)

Gap to its benchmark not measured +0.2 pts vs IUSB

Expense ratio 0.36% 0.20%

Holdings 4696 2955

Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 $27.9bn $2.0bn

FBND and VPLS on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-0D283AA63D

FBND and VPLS are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

Holdings in common. 5% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026).
Cost. FBND charges 0.36% of assets a year and VPLS 0.20%, a gap of 0.16 points.
Size. FBND has $27.9bn in net assets and VPLS $2.0bn (net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026); FBND is 14.0 times larger.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

FBND

FBND is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.36% a year.

VPLS

VPLS is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.0% with distributions reinvested, against −1.2% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Universal Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.20% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, FBND or VPLS?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FBND returned −1.5% and VPLS −1.0%.
Which is cheaper, FBND or VPLS?: VPLS is cheaper, by 0.16 percentage points a year. That is about $16 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

FBND vs SMTH EVTR vs FBND BOND vs FBND CGCP vs FBND GTO vs VPLS SYSB vs VPLS PTRB vs VPLS JCPB vs VPLS

Where to next

FBND on its own →VPLS on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →FBND dividend history →FBND holdings →VPLS dividend history →VPLS holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

FBND filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

FBND prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Fidelity website ↗

VPLS filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

VPLS prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Vanguard page for VPLS ↗

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, FBND against VPLS, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fbnd-vs-vpls

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.