Which returned more over the last year, IUSB or VUSB?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IUSB returned −1.2% and VUSB +3.5%.

Which is cheaper, IUSB or VUSB?

IUSB is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

IUSB vs VUSB: Differences, Returns & Fees

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IUSB's duration was 5.5 years on Jul 31, 2026 and VUSB's 1.0 on Jun 30, 2026; IUSB charges 0.06% to VUSB's 0.10%.

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Net assets: $49.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Core Universal USD Bond ETF, and $9.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF.

IUSB on its own →VUSB on its own →

At a glance

−1.2%

IUSB total return, 1 year

+3.5%

VUSB total return, 1 year

0.06%

IUSB expense ratio

0.10%

VUSB expense ratio

Pair scorecard

IUSB costs 0.04 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.7 points; IUSB is 4.9 times larger.

IUSB vs VUSB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IUSB	VUSB
Return
Measure	IUSB	VUSB
Total return, 1 year	−1.2%	+3.5%
Benchmark
Measure	IUSB	VUSB
What it tracks	Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index	No index, actively managed
Cost and size
Measure	IUSB	VUSB
Expense ratio	0.06%	0.10%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026	$48.1bn	$9.9bn
Holdings
Measure	IUSB	VUSB
Holdings in common	2%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026. Method

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, IUSB and VUSB hold 2% 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

2% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first IUSB VUSB

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jun 30, 2028 0.19% 0.52%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jul 31, 2027 0.12% 0.67%

Bank of America Corp., due Dec 20, 2028 0.02% 0.19%

Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The), due Jan 21, 2029 0.02% 0.35%

Wells Fargo & Co., due May 20, 2029 0.02% 0.20%

Synchrony Card Funding LLC, Series 2025-A2, Class A, due May 15, 2031 0.01% 0.11%

Cigna Group (The), due Oct 15, 2028 0.01% 0.07%

Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The), due May 1, 2029 0.01% 0.22%

Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The), due Apr 23, 2029 0.01% 0.28%

Bank of America Corp., due May 9, 2029 0.01% 0.15%

Bank of America Corp., due Apr 25, 2029 0.01% 0.37%

US Bank NA, due May 20, 2029 0.01% 0.13%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in IUSB

Uniform Mortgage-Backed Securities, due Aug 25, 2056 0.41%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Dec 31, 2029 0.37%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2036 0.37%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2034 0.36%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2035 0.35%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Aug 15, 2035 0.34%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2034 0.34%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 15, 2034 0.34%

Only in VUSB

TREASURY BILL, due Jun 10, 2027 4.19%

CHARLES SCHWAB, due Jul 27, 2029 0.49%

WFLOOR 2025-1A A, due Oct 15, 2029 0.44%

DLLAD 2024-1A A3, due Jul 20, 2029 0.43%

UBS GROUP, due Apr 10, 2030 0.41%

BANK OF MONTREAL, due Sep 22, 2028 0.40%

TOYOTA MTR CRED, due Sep 5, 2028 0.37%

RKTL 2026-2A A, due May 25, 2035 0.37%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

IUSB iShares Core Universal USD Bond ETF VUSB Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer iShares Vanguard

What it is Tracks an index of Universal USD Bond Actively managed

Total return, 1 year −1.2% +3.5%

Its benchmark over the same days not measured −1.4% (AGG)

Gap to its benchmark not measured +4.9 pts vs AGG

Expense ratio 0.06% 0.10%

Holdings 18338 1344

Net assets, IUSB as of Oct 27, 2026 and VUSB as of Sep 30, 2026 $49.8bn $9.9bn

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

Alert

About each fund

IUSB

IUSB tracks an index of Universal USD Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.2% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year.

VUSB

VUSB is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +3.5% with distributions reinvested, against −1.4% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.10% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, IUSB or VUSB?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IUSB returned −1.2% and VUSB +3.5%.
Which is cheaper, IUSB or VUSB?: IUSB is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

IUSB vs VBIL BOXX vs IUSB IUSB vs MINT IUSB vs USFR BOND vs VUSB TLT vs VUSB MBB vs VUSB JAAA vs VUSB

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

IUSB filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IUSB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IUSB ↗

VUSB filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

VUSB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Vanguard page for VUSB ↗

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, IUSB against VUSB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iusb-vs-vusb

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