Which returned more over the last year, TLT or VCLT?

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, TLT returned −6.4% and VCLT returned −4.8%, so VCLT returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, TLT or VCLT?

TLT charges 0.15% a year and VCLT charges 0.03%, so VCLT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

TLT vs VCLT: how they differ

TLT and VCLT hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and VCLT returned more over the year.

iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF and Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, TLT and VCLT hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in TLT	Only in VCLT
TREASURY BOND (2OLD) 4.16%	Anheuser-Busch Cos LLC / Anheuser-Busch 0.38%
TREASURY BOND (OLD) 4.05%	CVS Health Corp 0.34%
TREASURY BOND (OTR) 1.03%	Meta Platforms Inc 0.29%
TREASURY BOND 0.02%	Boeing Co/The 0.27%
	Pfizer Investment Enterprises Pte Ltd 0.27%
	Amazon.com Inc 0.26%
	Oracle Corp 0.24%
	AT&T Inc 0.24%

Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Sep 10, 2026.

TLT and VCLT on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF	VCLT Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	iShares	Vanguard
What it is	20+ year Treasuries	Long-Term Corporate Bond
Total return, 1 year	−6.4%	−4.8%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−23.9 pts	−22.3 pts
Expense ratio	0.15%	0.03%
Holdings	41	2775

TLT in plain words

TLT is a bond fund tracking the 20+ year Treasuries. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −6.4% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. It sat 42.9% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Sep 11, 2026.

VCLT in plain words

VCLT is a bond fund tracking the Long-Term Corporate Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −4.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. It sat 18.1% below its high of Sep 22, 2021 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, TLT or VCLT?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, TLT returned −6.4% and VCLT returned −4.8%, so VCLT returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, TLT or VCLT?: TLT charges 0.15% a year and VCLT charges 0.03%, so VCLT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

TLT against VCLT, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 13, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, TLT against VCLT, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/tlt-vs-vclt Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources