Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
MOAT vs VUG: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, MOAT returned +10.3% to VUG's +6.6%; 16% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $11.6bn on Oct 27, 2026 for VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF, and $232.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF.
Pair scorecard
VUG costs 0.43 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.7 points.
| Measure | MOAT | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +10.3% | +6.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.7%, high on Aug 27, 2026 | 4.1%, high on Oct 6, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index | Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.46% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, MOAT as of Oct 27, 2026 and VUG as of Sep 30, 2026 | $11.6bn | $232.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 16% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 26.5% | 63.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 4, 2012 to Oct 23, 2026 · 755 weekly returnsVUG returned more: +767.2% to +559.2%. MOAT swung slightly less: 17.1% to 18.3%. MOAT fell less at its worst: −30.8% to −35.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | MOAT | VUG | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +559.2% | +767.2% | VUG | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.9% | +16.0% | VUG | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +453.0% | +653.9% | VUG | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 17.1% | 18.3% | MOAT (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.6% | 12.3% | MOAT (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −30.8% | −35.6% | MOAT | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.74 | 0.81 | VUG (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.10 | 1.21 | VUG (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.45 | 0.45 | Tie | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 755 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, MOAT and VUG hold 16% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
16% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
MOAT and VUG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
MOAT and VUG do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. MOAT follows Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index and VUG follows Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index.
- Holdings in common. 16% 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 MOAT returned +10.3% and VUG +6.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.7 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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MOAT
MOAT tracks the Morningstar Wide Moat. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +10.3% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.46% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 92% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 54 positions, with the top ten at 26.5%. It sat 3.7% below its high of Aug 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VUG
VUG tracks an index of US growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +6.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 137 positions, with the top ten at 63.1%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, MOAT or VUG?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, MOAT returned +10.3% and VUG +6.6%.
- Which is cheaper, MOAT or VUG?
- VUG is cheaper, by 0.43 percentage points a year. That is about $43 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.
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ETFIQ, MOAT against VUG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/moat-vs-vug
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). MOAT against VUG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/moat-vs-vug
[MOAT against VUG (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/moat-vs-vug)
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