Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IDU vs VPU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IDU returned −1.9% to VPU's −3.3%; 89% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $1.4bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares U.S. Utilities ETF, and $7.7bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Utilities ETF.
Pair scorecard
VPU costs 0.28 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.4 points; VPU is 5.5 times larger.
| Measure | IDU | VPU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −1.9% | −3.3% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.5%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | 8.9%, high on Feb 27, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Russell 1000 Utilities RIC 22 | MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50 |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.37% | 0.09% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $1.4bn | $7.7bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 89% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 52.2% | 52.3% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 6, 2004 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,185 weekly returnsVPU returned slightly more: +683.7% to +646.3%. IDU and VPU swung about the same: 17.3% and 17.6%. VPU fell slightly less at its worst: −44.9% to −46.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IDU | VPU | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +646.3% | +683.7% | VPU (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.2% | +9.5% | VPU (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +275.8% | +273.2% | Tie | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 17.3% | 17.6% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.3% | 12.5% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −46.4% | −44.9% | VPU (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.49 | 0.50 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.70 | 0.70 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.20 | 0.21 | VPU (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,185 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IDU and VPU hold 89% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
89% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IDU and VPU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IDU and VPU are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. IDU follows Russell 1000 Utilities RIC 22 and VPU follows MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50.
- Cost. IDU charges 0.37% of assets a year and VPU 0.09%, a gap of 0.28 points.
- Size. IDU has $1.4bn in net assets and VPU $7.7bn (net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026); VPU is 5.5 times larger.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IDU
IDU tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.9% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.37% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 93% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 47 positions, with the top ten at 52.2%. It sat 8.5% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VPU
VPU tracks an index of Utilities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.3% with distributions reinvested, against −3.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 70 positions, with the top ten at 52.3%. It sat 8.9% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IDU or VPU?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IDU returned −1.9% and VPU −3.3%.
- Which is cheaper, IDU or VPU?
- VPU is cheaper, by 0.28 percentage points a year. That is about $28 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, IDU against VPU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/idu-vs-vpu
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IDU against VPU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/idu-vs-vpu
[IDU against VPU (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/idu-vs-vpu)
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