Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
FNX vs VB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, FNX returned +12.4% to VB's +14.4%; 38% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $1.4bn on Oct 27, 2026 for First Trust Mid Cap Core AlphaDEX Fund, and $76.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF.
Pair scorecard
VB costs 0.59 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.0 points.
| Measure | FNX | VB |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +12.4% | +14.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.9%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | 5.7%, high on Aug 14, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Nasdaq AlphaDEX Mid Cap Core Index | Morningstar US Small Cap Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.62% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, FNX as of Oct 27, 2026 and VB as of Sep 30, 2026 | $1.4bn | $76.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 38% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 4.4% | 5.9% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 18, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,014 weekly returnsFNX returned slightly more: +455.7% to +420.6%. FNX and VB swung about the same: 22.8% and 22.4%. FNX fell slightly less at its worst: −57.0% to −58.8%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | FNX | VB | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +455.7% | +420.6% | FNX (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.2% | +8.8% | FNX (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +360.2% | +289.5% | FNX | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 22.8% | 22.4% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 16.2% | 15.8% | VB (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −57.0% | −58.8% | FNX (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.43 | 0.42 | FNX (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.61 | 0.60 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.16 | 0.15 | FNX (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,014 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, FNX and VB hold 38% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
38% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
FNX and VB on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
FNX and VB are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. FNX follows Nasdaq AlphaDEX Mid Cap Core Index and VB follows Morningstar US Small Cap Index.
- Holdings in common. 38% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 FNX returned +12.4% and VB +14.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.0 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +12.4% with distributions reinvested, against +13.3% for its benchmark, the Russell 3000 Index.
FNX tracks an index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.62% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 8% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 451 positions, with the top ten at 4.4%. It sat 4.9% 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, FNX or VB?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FNX returned +12.4% and VB +14.4%.
- Which is cheaper, FNX or VB?
- VB is cheaper, by 0.59 percentage points a year. That is about $59 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, FNX against VB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fnx-vs-vb
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). FNX against VB. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fnx-vs-vb
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