PABU vs VUG: Differences, Returns & Fees
PABU and VUG hold 55% of their weight in the same names. Net assets: $2.5bn on Oct 20, 2026 for iShares Paris-Aligned Climate Optimized MSCI USA ETF, and $232.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF.
VUG costs 0.07 points a year less; both returned +10.2% over a year; VUG is far larger, $232.9bn against $2.5bn.
| PABU | VUG | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.10% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $2.5bn | $232.9bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +10.2% | +10.2% |
| What it tracks | MSCI USA Climate Paris Aligned Benchmark Extended Select Index | Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Holdings in common | 55% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 48.9% | 63.1% |
| Below its high | 4.3%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 19, 2026.
PABU and VUG are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. PABU follows MSCI USA Climate Paris Aligned Benchmark Extended Select Index and VUG follows Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index.
- Size. PABU has $2.5bn in net assets and VUG $232.9bn (net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026); VUG is 93.2 times larger.
- Holdings in common (similar). 55% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 19, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
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, PABU and VUG hold 55% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 19, 2026.
half
55% in common
On the same fields
PABU and VUG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 20, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About PABU
PABU tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +10.2% with distributions reinvested, against +15.4% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.10% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 19, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 88 positions, with the top ten at 48.9%.
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, PABU or VUG?
- In the year to Oct 20, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PABU returned +10.2% and VUG +10.2%.
- Which is cheaper, PABU or VUG?
- VUG is cheaper, by 0.07 percentage points a year. That is about $7 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, PABU against VUG, data as of Oct 20, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pabu-vs-vug
ETFIQ. (Oct 20, 2026). PABU against VUG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pabu-vs-vug
[PABU against VUG (ETFIQ, Oct 20, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pabu-vs-vug)
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