Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SCHA vs VBR: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SCHA returned +17.8% to VBR's +17.6%; 40% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $22.6bn on Aug 31, 2026 for Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF, and $35.1bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap Value ETF.
Pair scorecard
SCHA costs 0.02 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.2 points.
| Measure | SCHA | VBR |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +17.8% | +17.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 7.9%, high on Jun 30, 2026 | 3.9%, high on Aug 14, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Dow Jones U.S. Small-Cap Total Stock Market Index | Morningstar US Small Cap Value Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.05% |
| Net assets, SCHA as of Aug 31, 2026 and VBR as of Sep 30, 2026 | $22.6bn | $35.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 40% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 10.1% | 5.9% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Nov 13, 2009 to Oct 23, 2026 · 884 weekly returnsSCHA and VBR returned about the same: +545.8% and +555.7%. VBR swung slightly less: 20.4% to 21.0%. SCHA fell slightly less at its worst: −40.9% to −43.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | SCHA | VBR | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +545.8% | +555.7% | Tie | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +11.6% | +11.7% | Tie | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +410.7% | +357.5% | SCHA | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 21.0% | 20.4% | VBR (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.5% | 14.2% | VBR (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −40.9% | −43.3% | SCHA (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.56 | 0.57 | VBR (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.80 | 0.82 | VBR (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.28 | 0.27 | SCHA (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 884 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, SCHA and VBR hold 40% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
half
40% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
SCHA and VBR on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
SCHA and VBR do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. SCHA follows Dow Jones U.S. Small-Cap Total Stock Market Index and VBR follows Morningstar US Small Cap Value Index.
- Holdings in common. 40% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return (similar). Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 SCHA returned +17.8% and VBR +17.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 0.2 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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SCHA
SCHA tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.8% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Aug 31, 2026, 7% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,705 positions, with the top ten at 10.1%. It sat 7.9% below its high of Jun 30, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VBR
VBR tracks an index of Small-Cap Value. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 30% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 822 positions, with the top ten at 5.9%. It sat 3.9% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, SCHA or VBR?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SCHA returned +17.8% and VBR +17.6%.
- Which is cheaper, SCHA or VBR?
- SCHA is cheaper, by 0.02 percentage points a year. That is about $2 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, SCHA against VBR, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/scha-vs-vbr
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). SCHA against VBR. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/scha-vs-vbr
[SCHA against VBR (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/scha-vs-vbr)
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