Which returned more over the last year, ISTB or VSDB?

In the year to Nov 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ISTB returned +1.0% and VSDB +1.7%.

Which is cheaper, ISTB or VSDB?

ISTB is cheaper, by 0.09 percentage points a year. That is about $9 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 12, 2026.

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ISTB vs VSDB: Differences, Returns & Fees

Return, fees and overlap, side by side.

Return gap

+0.7 pts

1 year to Nov 12, 2026: VSDB ahead, total return

Fee gap

0.09 pts

A year: ISTB 0.06%, VSDB 0.15%, per filings dated Jan 28, 2026 and Feb 23, 2026

Overlap

17%

Share of the two books held in common, holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026

Net flow

–

Needs daily flows for both funds

Risk and return

Apr 11, 2025 to Nov 6, 2026 · 82 weekly returns

ISTB VSDB

Return

Total return edge VSDB +6.2% +7.7%

Annualized edge VSDB +3.9% +4.8%

Price return edge VSDB −0.7% +0.7%

Risk

Volatility edge Tie 1.8% 1.8%

Max drawdown edge ISTB (slight) −1.3% −1.4%

Downside capture 39.1% 27.1%

Beta 0.46 0.43

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge VSDB −0.06 0.43

Sortino edge VSDB −0.09 0.61

Treynor 0.002 0.018

Calmar edge VSDB 3.01 3.39

Against the benchmark

Alpha 0.0% a year +0.8% a year

Alpha t-stat 0.14 1.18

Information ratio −0.01 0.39

Tracking error 2.9% 2.3%

Each against its own benchmark: ISTB against IUSB, Jun 20, 2014 to Nov 6, 2026; VSDB against AGG, Apr 11, 2025 to Nov 5, 2026.

Reading

From Apr 2025 to Nov 2026, VSDB returned more: +7.7% to +6.2%. ISTB and VSDB swung about the same: 1.8% and 1.8%. ISTB fell slightly less at its worst: −1.3% to −1.4%.

Full scorecard

19 measures Open ↓

Risk and return: ISTB vs VSDB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	ISTB	VSDB	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+6.2%	+7.7%	VSDB	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+3.9%	+4.8%	VSDB	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	−0.7%	+0.7%	VSDB	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	1.8%	1.8%	Tie	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	1.3%	1.3%	Tie	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−1.3%	−1.4%	ISTB (slight)	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	43.7%	50.5%		Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	39.1%	27.1%		Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	0.46	0.43	Not an edge	How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared	0.84	0.76	Not an edge	Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	−0.06	0.43	VSDB	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	−0.09	0.61	VSDB	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	0.002	0.018		Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	3.01	3.39	VSDB	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	IUSB	AGG		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	0.0% a year	+0.8% a year	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	0.14	1.18	Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−0.5% to +0.6%	−0.6% to +2.2%	Includes zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	−0.01	0.39		Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	2.9%	2.3%	Not an edge	How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 82 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Pair scorecard

ISTB costs 0.09 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.7 points.

ISTB vs VSDB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	ISTB	VSDB
Return
Measure	ISTB	VSDB
Total return, 1 year	+1.0%	+1.7%
Benchmark
Measure	ISTB	VSDB
What it tracks	Bloomberg U.S. Universal 1-5 Year Index	No index, actively managed
Cost and size
Measure	ISTB	VSDB
Expense ratio	0.06%	0.15%
Net assets, ISTB as of Nov 12, 2026 and VSDB as of Oct 31, 2026	$5.3bn	$1.2bn
Holdings
Measure	ISTB	VSDB
Holdings in common	17%

Method

Key numbers

+1.0%

ISTB total return, 1 year

+1.7%

VSDB total return, 1 year

0.06%

ISTB expense ratio

0.15%

VSDB expense ratio

What they share

17%

By the books each fund has filed, ISTB and VSDB hold 17% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

17% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first ISTB VSDB

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jul 31, 2029 0.73% 0.74%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 31, 2029 0.65% 1.50%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jun 30, 2029 0.65% 1.66%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Dec 31, 2030 0.61% 0.70%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jul 15, 2028 0.74% 0.59%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 30, 2030 0.83% 0.55%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jan 31, 2029 0.46% 0.54%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 31, 2030 0.75% 0.46%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 30, 2027 0.44% 1.55%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Sep 30, 2029 0.49% 0.41%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 30, 2027 0.37% 1.90%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jul 31, 2030 0.36% 0.41%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in ISTB

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jun 15, 2028 1.08%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 28, 2030 0.90%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Oct 31, 2030 0.88%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jan 31, 2031 0.81%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Sep 30, 2030 0.79%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Aug 31, 2030 0.78%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Oct 31, 2029 0.74%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jan 31, 2030 0.62%

Only in VSDB

TREASURY BILL, due Jun 10, 2027 1.16%

GNR 2026-25 QA, due Dec 20, 2051 0.81%

FNR 2026-33 FA, due Jul 25, 2055 0.70%

G2SF 5.5 7/26, due Jul 20, 2026 0.65%

FNR 2026-46 FJ, due Jun 25, 2056 0.52%

US TREASURY N/B, due Aug 15, 2030 0.52%

CHASE 2026-AGY1 A4, due Feb 25, 2057 0.49%

GNR 2026-61 VB, due Apr 20, 2037 0.47%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

ISTB iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF VSDB Vanguard Short Duration Bond ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer iShares Vanguard

What it is Tracks an index Actively managed

Total return, 1 year +1.0% +1.7%

Its benchmark over the same days −1.0% (IUSB) −1.3% (AGG)

Gap to its benchmark +2.0 pts vs IUSB +3.0 pts vs AGG

Expense ratio 0.06% 0.15%

Holdings 7602 1522

Net assets, ISTB as of Nov 12, 2026 and VSDB as of Oct 31, 2026 $5.3bn $1.2bn

ISTB and VSDB on the fields both publish, as of Nov 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Client brief:

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About each fund

ISTB

ISTB tracks an index. Over the year to Nov 12, 2026 it returned +1.0% with distributions reinvested, against −1.0% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year.

VSDB

VSDB is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Nov 12, 2026 it returned +1.7% with distributions reinvested, against −1.3% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, ISTB or VSDB?: In the year to Nov 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ISTB returned +1.0% and VSDB +1.7%.
Which is cheaper, ISTB or VSDB?: ISTB is cheaper, by 0.09 percentage points a year. That is about $9 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

ISTB vs SUSB APCB vs ISTB ISTB vs VCSH EVSD vs ISTB NEAR vs VSDB DFSD vs VSDB BSCS vs VSDB BSCT vs VSDB

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

ISTB filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

ISTB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for ISTB ↗

VSDB filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

VSDB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Vanguard page for VSDB ↗

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, ISTB against VSDB, data as of Nov 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/istb-vs-vsdb

Open data →

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

Net assets: $5.3bn on Nov 12, 2026 for iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF, and $1.2bn on Oct 31, 2026 for Vanguard Short Duration Bond ETF.

ISTB on its own →VSDB on its own →

Growth of 100

ISTB and VSDB

Total return, distributions reinvested, 1 year.

ISTB +1.0%VSDB +1.7%

Nov 12, 2025Nov 12, 2026

ISTB +1.0%, VSDB +1.7%: VSDB +0.7 pts ahead, 1 year, Nov 12, 2025 to Nov 12, 2026.