Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IBB vs VBIL: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IBB returned +37.5% to VBIL's +3.7%, and VBIL charges 0.06% to IBB's 0.44%.
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Net assets: $11.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Biotechnology ETF, and $12.8bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF.
Pair scorecard
VBIL costs 0.38 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 33.8 points; VBIL is 1.1 times larger.
| Measure | IBB | VBIL |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +37.5% | +3.7% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Biotech | Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Bills 0-3 Months Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.44% | 0.06% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $11.2bn | $12.8bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 99% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 40% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 50% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 21, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026 · 87 weekly returnsIBB returned more: +50.1% to +6.7%. VBIL swung less: 0.1% to 21.8%. VBIL fell less at its worst: 0.0% to −16.0%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IBB | VBIL | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +50.1% | +6.7% | IBB | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +27.5% | +3.9% | IBB | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +49.6% | +0.8% | IBB | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 21.8% | 0.1% | VBIL | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.6% | 0.1% | VBIL | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −16.0% | 0.0% | VBIL | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 1.04 | −0.64 | IBB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.67 | −0.90 | IBB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 1.72 | Not measured | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. | |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 87 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IBB and VBIL hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IBB and VBIL on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IBB and VBIL do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IBB follows Biotech and VBIL follows Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Bills 0-3 Months Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% 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 IBB returned +37.5% and VBIL +3.7% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 33.8 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IBB
By weight, 40% of IBB's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 99%. The top ten holdings are 50% of the fund across 245 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +37.5% with distributions reinvested.
VBIL
VBIL tracks an index of 0-3 Month Treasury Bill. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +3.7% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year.
Questions people ask
- Are IBB and VBIL in the same category?
- IBB is a thematic ETF and VBIL is a bond ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, IBB or VBIL?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +37.5% and VBIL +3.7%.
- Which is cheaper, IBB or VBIL?
- VBIL is cheaper, by 0.38 percentage points a year. That is about $38 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, IBB against VBIL, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-vbil
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IBB against VBIL. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-vbil
[IBB against VBIL (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-vbil)
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