NULG vs VUG: Differences, Returns & Fees
NULG and VUG hold 36% of their weight in the same names, and NULG returned +11.5% over the year. Net assets: $2.7bn on Jul 31, 2026 for Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF, and $232.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF.
VUG costs 0.23 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.3 points.
| NULG | VUG | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.26% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, NULG as of Jul 31, 2026 and VUG as of Sep 30, 2026 | $2.7bn | $232.9bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +11.5% | +10.2% |
| What it tracks | Nuveen ESG USA Large-Cap Growth Index | Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Holdings in common | 36% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 44.0% | 63.1% |
| Below its high | 6.1%, high on Aug 13, 2026 | 4.3%, high on Oct 6, 2026 |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
NULG and VUG are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. NULG follows Nuveen ESG USA Large-Cap Growth Index and VUG follows Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index.
- Holdings in common. 36% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- Cost. NULG charges 0.26% of assets a year and VUG 0.03%, a gap of 0.23 points.
Data as of Oct 20, 2026. The differences are picked by a fixed rule, in a fixed order; the PDF prints it. Page 2 has the returns, overlap, risks and sources.
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What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, NULG and VUG hold 36% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
half
36% in common
On the same fields
NULG and VUG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 20, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About NULG
NULG tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +11.5% with distributions reinvested, against +15.5% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.26% a year. By its holdings filed for Jul 31, 2026, 94% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 69 positions, with the top ten at 44.0%. It sat 6.1% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Oct 20, 2026.
About VUG
VUG tracks an index of US growth. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +10.2% 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 4.3% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 20, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, NULG or VUG?
- In the year to Oct 20, 2026, with distributions reinvested, NULG returned +11.5% and VUG +10.2%.
- Which is cheaper, NULG or VUG?
- VUG is cheaper, by 0.23 percentage points a year. That is about $23 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, NULG against VUG, data as of Oct 20, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/nulg-vs-vug
ETFIQ. (Oct 20, 2026). NULG against VUG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/nulg-vs-vug
[NULG against VUG (ETFIQ, Oct 20, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/nulg-vs-vug)
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