Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IJR vs VB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IJR returned +17.5% to VB's +14.4%; 18% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $104.6bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF, and $76.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF.
Pair scorecard
VB costs 0.03 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.1 points; IJR is 1.3 times larger.
| Measure | IJR | VB |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +17.5% | +14.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 6.8%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | 5.7%, high on Aug 14, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P SmallCap 600 | Morningstar US Small Cap Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $102.6bn | $76.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 18% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 5.3% | 5.9% |
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 returnsIJR and VB returned about the same: +702.4% and +705.5%. VB swung slightly less: 21.5% to 22.1%. IJR fell slightly less at its worst: −57.3% to −58.8%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IJR | VB | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +702.4% | +705.5% | Tie | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.6% | +9.6% | Tie | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +497.1% | +482.0% | IJR (slight) | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 22.1% | 21.5% | VB (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 15.3% | 15.1% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −57.3% | −58.8% | IJR (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.44 | 0.45 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.64 | 0.64 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.17 | 0.16 | IJR (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, IJR and VB hold 18% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
18% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IJR and VB on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IJR and VB are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. IJR follows S&P SmallCap 600 and VB follows Morningstar US Small Cap Index.
- Holdings in common. 18% 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 IJR returned +17.5% and VB +14.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.1 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IJR
IJR tracks the S&P SmallCap 600. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.6% for its benchmark, the S&P SmallCap 600. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 642 positions, with the top ten at 5.3%. It sat 6.8% 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, IJR or VB?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IJR returned +17.5% and VB +14.4%.
- Which is cheaper, IJR or VB?
- VB is cheaper, by 0.03 percentage points a year. That is about $3 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, IJR against VB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ijr-vs-vb
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IJR against VB. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ijr-vs-vb
[IJR against VB (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ijr-vs-vb)
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