Which returned more over the last year, IEI or VGIT?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEI returned −1.1% and VGIT −1.5%.

Which is cheaper, IEI or VGIT?

VGIT is cheaper, by 0.12 percentage points a year. That is about $12 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

IEI vs VGIT: Differences, Returns & Fees

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IEI's duration was 4.3 years on Aug 31, 2026 and VGIT's 4.7 on May 31, 2026; VGIT charges 0.03% to IEI's 0.15%.

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Net assets: $17.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF, and $39.7bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF.

IEI on its own →VGIT on its own →

At a glance

−1.1%

IEI total return, 1 year

−1.5%

VGIT total return, 1 year

0.15%

IEI expense ratio

0.03%

VGIT expense ratio

Pair scorecard

VGIT costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.4 points; VGIT is 2.4 times larger.

IEI vs VGIT: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IEI	VGIT
Return
Measure	IEI	VGIT
Total return, 1 year	−1.1%	−1.5%
Drawdown
Measure	IEI	VGIT
Below its high		3.5%, high on Aug 4, 2020
Benchmark
Measure	IEI	VGIT
What it tracks	ICE U.S. Treasury 3-7 Year Bond Index	Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 3-10 Year Index
Cost and size
Measure	IEI	VGIT
Expense ratio	0.15%	0.03%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026	$16.8bn	$39.7bn
Holdings
Measure	IEI	VGIT
Holdings in common	66%

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

Risk and return

Dec 4, 2009 to Oct 23, 2026 · 881 weekly returns

IEI VGIT

Return

Total return edge VGIT (slight) +38.3% +41.4%

Annualized edge VGIT (slight) +1.9% +2.1%

Price return edge IEI +2.4% −4.2%

Risk

Volatility edge IEI 3.6% 4.2%

Max drawdown edge IEI (slight) −14.1% −15.6%

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge VGIT 0.13 0.15

Sortino edge VGIT 0.18 0.21

Calmar edge IEI (slight) 0.14 0.13

Reading

VGIT returned slightly more: +41.4% to +38.3%. IEI swung less: 3.6% to 4.2%. IEI fell slightly less at its worst: −14.1% to −15.6%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: IEI vs VGIT: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IEI	VGIT	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+38.3%	+41.4%	VGIT (slight)	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+1.9%	+2.1%	VGIT (slight)	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	+2.4%	−4.2%	IEI	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	3.6%	4.2%	IEI	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	2.6%	2.9%	IEI	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−14.1%	−15.6%	IEI (slight)	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.13	0.15	VGIT	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.18	0.21	VGIT	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar	0.14	0.13	IEI (slight)	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 881 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

66%

By the books each fund has filed, IEI and VGIT hold 66% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

66% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first IEI VGIT

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 28, 2030 2.29% 1.65%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Aug 15, 2031 2.11% 1.60%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 15, 2032 1.93% 1.58%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 15, 2031 2.26% 1.56%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2032 2.09% 1.53%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2033 2.10% 1.52%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2033 2.17% 1.50%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2031 2.10% 1.48%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2032 2.30% 1.47%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Aug 15, 2032 2.08% 1.45%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Aug 15, 2030 1.83% 1.42%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2031 1.93% 1.36%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in IEI

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jun 30, 2031 0.98%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jul 31, 2033 0.98%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 31, 2033 0.98%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jun 30, 2033 0.37%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 31, 2031 0.33%

Only in VGIT

US TREASURY N/B, due Feb 15, 2035 1.94%

US TREASURY N/B, due May 15, 2034 1.92%

US TREASURY N/B, due Nov 15, 2034 1.90%

US TREASURY N/B, due Aug 15, 2035 1.89%

US TREASURY N/B, due May 15, 2035 1.89%

US TREASURY N/B, due Aug 15, 2034 1.87%

US TREASURY N/B, due Feb 15, 2034 1.87%

US TREASURY N/B, due Nov 15, 2033 1.84%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

IEI iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF VGIT Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer iShares Vanguard

What it is Tracks an index of 3-7 Year Treasury Bond Tracks an index of Intermediate-Term Treasury

Total return, 1 year −1.1% −1.5%

Its benchmark over the same days not measured −1.5% (SCHR)

Gap to its benchmark not measured 0.0 pts vs SCHR

Expense ratio 0.15% 0.03%

Holdings 82 103

Net assets, IEI as of Oct 27, 2026 and VGIT as of Sep 30, 2026 $17.0bn $39.7bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-E11DF3B749

IEI and VGIT do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

What each follows. IEI follows ICE U.S. Treasury 3-7 Year Bond Index and VGIT follows Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 3-10 Year Index.
Cost. IEI charges 0.15% of assets a year and VGIT 0.03%, a gap of 0.12 points.
Holdings in common (similar). 66% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and May 31, 2026).

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

IEI

IEI tracks an index of 3-7 Year Treasury Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.1% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year.

VGIT

VGIT tracks an index of Intermediate-Term Treasury. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.5% with distributions reinvested, against −1.5% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 3-10 Year Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. It sat 3.5% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, IEI or VGIT?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEI returned −1.1% and VGIT −1.5%.
Which is cheaper, IEI or VGIT?: VGIT is cheaper, by 0.12 percentage points a year. That is about $12 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

GOVT vs IEI IEF vs IEI IEI vs VCSH IEI vs MBB SHY vs VGIT VGIT vs VGSH SHV vs VGIT BIV vs VGIT

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

IEI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IEI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IEI ↗

VGIT filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

VGIT prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Vanguard page for VGIT ↗

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, IEI against VGIT, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iei-vs-vgit

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