ILOW vs VXUS: Differences, Returns & Fees
ILOW and VXUS hold 16% of their weight in the same names, and VXUS returned +17.8% over the year. Net assets: $1.8bn on Oct 8, 2026 for AB International Low Volatility Equity ETF, and $163.2bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Total International Stock ETF.
VXUS costs 0.45 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 8.8 points.
| ILOW | VXUS | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.50% | 0.05% |
| Net assets, ILOW as of Oct 8, 2026 and VXUS as of Sep 30, 2026 | $1.8bn | $163.2bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +9.0% | +17.8% |
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index |
| Holdings in common | 16% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 20.7% | 14.1% |
| Below its high | 4.9%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | 3.9%, high on Sep 4, 2026 |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, ILOW and VXUS hold 16% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.
half
16% in common
On the same fields
ILOW and VXUS on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
ILOW in plain words
ILOW is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +9.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.3% for the S&P 500. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.50% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 1% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 84 positions, with the top ten at 20.7%. It sat 4.9% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.
VXUS in plain words
VXUS tracks an index of Total International Stock. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +17.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.3% for the S&P 500. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Aug 31, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 8,802 positions, with the top ten at 14.1%. It sat 3.9% below its high of Sep 4, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, ILOW or VXUS?
- In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ILOW returned +9.0% and VXUS +17.8%.
- Which is cheaper, ILOW or VXUS?
- VXUS is cheaper, by 0.45 percentage points a year. That is about $45 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. 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, ILOW against VXUS, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ilow-vs-vxus
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[ILOW against VXUS (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ilow-vs-vxus)
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