Which returned more over the last year, PULS or VBIL?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PULS returned +4.0% and VBIL +3.7%.

Which is cheaper, PULS or VBIL?

VBIL is cheaper, by 0.09 percentage points a year. That is about $9 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

PULS vs VBIL: Differences, Returns & Fees

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PULS's duration was 0.7 years on May 29, 2026 and VBIL's 0.1 on Jun 30, 2026; VBIL charges 0.06% to PULS's 0.15%.

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Net assets: $19.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF, and $12.8bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF.

PULS on its own →VBIL on its own →

At a glance

+4.0%

PULS total return, 1 year

+3.7%

VBIL total return, 1 year

0.15%

PULS expense ratio

0.06%

VBIL expense ratio

Pair scorecard

VBIL costs 0.09 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.3 points.

PULS vs VBIL: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	PULS	VBIL
Return
Measure	PULS	VBIL
Total return, 1 year	+4.0%	+3.7%
Benchmark
Measure	PULS	VBIL
What it tracks	No index, actively managed	Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Bills 0-3 Months Index
Cost and size
Measure	PULS	VBIL
Expense ratio	0.15%	0.06%
Net assets, PULS as of Oct 27, 2026 and VBIL as of Sep 30, 2026	$19.8bn	$12.8bn
Holdings
Measure	PULS	VBIL
Holdings in common	report dates differ

Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 29, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Feb 21, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026 · 87 weekly returns

PULS VBIL

Return

Total return edge PULS +7.5% +6.7%

Annualized edge PULS +4.4% +3.9%

Price return edge VBIL −0.3% +0.8%

Risk

Volatility edge VBIL 0.4% 0.1%

Max drawdown edge VBIL −0.2% 0.0%

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge PULS 0.83 −0.64

Sortino edge PULS 1.10 −0.90

Calmar 18.16 Not measured

Reading

PULS returned more: +7.5% to +6.7%. VBIL swung less: 0.1% to 0.4%. VBIL fell less at its worst: 0.0% to −0.2%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: PULS vs VBIL: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	PULS	VBIL	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+7.5%	+6.7%	PULS	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+4.4%	+3.9%	PULS	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	−0.3%	+0.8%	VBIL	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	0.4%	0.1%	VBIL	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	0.3%	0.1%	VBIL	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−0.2%	0.0%	VBIL	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.83	−0.64	PULS	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	1.10	−0.90	PULS	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar	18.16	Not measured		Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 87 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Side by side

PULS PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF VBIL Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer PGIM Vanguard

What it is Actively managed Tracks an index of 0-3 Month Treasury Bill

Total return, 1 year +4.0% +3.7%

Expense ratio 0.15% 0.06%

Holdings 553 28

Net assets, PULS as of Oct 27, 2026 and VBIL as of Sep 30, 2026 $19.8bn $12.8bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-06DF6578AF

PULS and VBIL are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

What each follows. PULS follows No index, actively managed and VBIL follows Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Bills 0-3 Months Index.
Number of holdings. PULS holds 553 positions and VBIL holds 28.
One-year total return (similar). Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 PULS returned +4.0% and VBIL +3.7% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 0.3 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

PULS

PULS is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year.

VBIL

VBIL tracks an index of 0-3 Month Treasury Bill. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +3.7% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, PULS or VBIL?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PULS returned +4.0% and VBIL +3.7%.
Which is cheaper, PULS or VBIL?: VBIL is cheaper, by 0.09 percentage points a year. That is about $9 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

PULS vs VUSB PULS vs USFR PULS vs TFLO BSCR vs PULS BIL vs VBIL BSCR vs VBIL BILS vs VBIL SGOV vs VBIL

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

PULS filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

PULS prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

PGIM website ↗

VBIL filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

VBIL prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Vanguard page for VBIL ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, PULS against VBIL, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-vbil

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