Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SMLF vs VTWO: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SMLF returned +14.8% to VTWO's +14.3%; 28% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about SMLF and VTWO
Net assets: $4.2bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares U.S. Small-Cap Equity Factor ETF, and $16.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Russell 2000 ETF.
Pair scorecard
VTWO costs 0.09 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.5 points; VTWO is 4.2 times larger.
| Measure | SMLF | VTWO |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +14.8% | +14.3% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 5.2%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | 7.5%, high on Aug 14, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | STOXX U.S. Small-Cap Equity Factor Index | Russell 2000 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.06% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $4.0bn | $16.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 28% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 6.4% | 5.4% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 8, 2015 to Oct 23, 2026 · 598 weekly returnsSMLF returned more: +225.7% to +163.9%. SMLF swung slightly less: 21.0% to 22.1%. SMLF and VTWO fell about the same at their worst: −40.4% and −40.2%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | SMLF | VTWO | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +225.7% | +163.9% | SMLF | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +10.8% | +8.8% | SMLF | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +183.9% | +126.6% | SMLF | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 21.0% | 22.1% | SMLF (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.6% | 15.4% | SMLF (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −40.4% | −40.2% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.49 | 0.39 | SMLF | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.70 | 0.57 | SMLF | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.27 | 0.22 | SMLF | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 598 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, SMLF and VTWO hold 28% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
28% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
SMLF and VTWO on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
SMLF and VTWO are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. SMLF follows STOXX U.S. Small-Cap Equity Factor Index and VTWO follows Russell 2000 Index.
- Holdings in common. 28% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- Size. SMLF has $4.0bn in net assets and VTWO $16.6bn (net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026); VTWO is 4.2 times larger.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.
SMLF
SMLF tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 11% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 962 positions, with the top ten at 6.4%. It sat 5.2% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VTWO
VTWO tracks the Russell 2000. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.3% with distributions reinvested, against +14.1% for its benchmark, the Russell 2000 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2,002 positions, with the top ten at 5.4%. It sat 7.5% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, SMLF or VTWO?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SMLF returned +14.8% and VTWO +14.3%.
- Which is cheaper, SMLF or VTWO?
- VTWO 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.
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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, SMLF against VTWO, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/smlf-vs-vtwo
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). SMLF against VTWO. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/smlf-vs-vtwo
[SMLF against VTWO (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/smlf-vs-vtwo)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.