Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
PSC vs VB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, PSC returned +21.0% to VB's +14.4%; 14% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $2.7bn on Oct 26, 2026 for Principal U.S. Small-Cap ETF, and $76.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF.
Pair scorecard
VB costs 0.35 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.6 points.
| Measure | PSC | VB |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +21.0% | +14.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 5.7%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | Morningstar US Small Cap Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.38% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, PSC as of Oct 26, 2026 and VB as of Sep 30, 2026 | $2.7bn | $76.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 14% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 11.2% | 5.9% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Sep 30, 2016 to Oct 23, 2026 · 525 weekly returnsPSC returned more: +204.6% to +172.1%. VB swung slightly less: 21.3% to 23.2%. VB fell less at its worst: −40.0% to −44.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | PSC | VB | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +204.6% | +172.1% | PSC | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +11.7% | +10.4% | PSC | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +170.5% | +135.1% | PSC | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 23.2% | 21.3% | VB (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 16.0% | 14.8% | VB (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −44.9% | −40.0% | VB | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.49 | 0.46 | PSC (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.70 | 0.65 | PSC (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.26 | 0.26 | Tie | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 525 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, PSC and VB hold 14% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
half
14% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
PSC and VB on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
PSC and VB are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. PSC follows No index, actively managed and VB follows Morningstar US Small Cap Index.
- Holdings in common. 14% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 PSC returned +21.0% and VB +14.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 6.6 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +21.0% with distributions reinvested, against +14.1% for its benchmark, the Russell 2000 Index.
PSC is actively managed and tracks no index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.38% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 506 positions, with the top ten at 11.2%.
VB
VB tracks an index of Small-Cap. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,303 positions, with the top ten at 5.9%. It sat 5.7% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, PSC or VB?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PSC returned +21.0% and VB +14.4%.
- Which is cheaper, PSC or VB?
- VB is cheaper, by 0.35 percentage points a year. That is about $35 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, PSC against VB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/psc-vs-vb
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). PSC against VB. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/psc-vs-vb
[PSC against VB (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/psc-vs-vb)
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