Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VCLT vs VPU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VCLT returned −5.9% to VPU's −3.3%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about VCLT and VPU
Net assets on Sep 30, 2026: $7.5bn for Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF and $7.7bn for Vanguard Utilities ETF.
Pair scorecard
VCLT costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.6 points.
| Measure | VCLT | VPU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −5.9% | −3.3% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 17.8%, high on Sep 22, 2021 | 8.9%, high on Feb 27, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Bloomberg U.S. 10+ Year Corporate Bond Index | MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50 |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.09% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $7.5bn | $7.7bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 90% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 52.3% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 4, 2009 to Oct 23, 2026 · 881 weekly returnsVPU returned more: +404.8% to +101.2%. VCLT swung less: 12.5% to 17.1%. VPU fell slightly less at its worst: −32.4% to −34.0%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VCLT | VPU | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +101.2% | +404.8% | VPU | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.2% | +10.0% | VPU | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −6.3% | +187.2% | VPU | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 12.5% | 17.1% | VCLT | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 8.7% | 11.7% | VCLT | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −34.0% | −32.4% | VPU (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.27 | 0.56 | VPU | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.39 | 0.81 | VPU | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.12 | 0.31 | VPU | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 881 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VCLT and VPU hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VCLT and VPU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VCLT and VPU do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VCLT follows Bloomberg U.S. 10+ Year Corporate Bond Index and VPU follows MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VCLT returned −5.9% and VPU −3.3% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.6 points.
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.
VCLT
VCLT tracks an index of Long-Term Corporate Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −5.9% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. It sat 17.8% below its high of Sep 22, 2021 on Oct 28, 2026.
VPU
VPU tracks an index of Utilities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.3% with distributions reinvested, against −3.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 70 positions, with the top ten at 52.3%. It sat 8.9% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VCLT or VPU?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VCLT returned −5.9% and VPU −3.3%.
- Which is cheaper, VCLT or VPU?
- VCLT is cheaper, by 0.06 percentage points a year. That is about $6 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, VCLT against VPU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vclt-vs-vpu
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VCLT against VPU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vclt-vs-vpu
[VCLT against VPU (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vclt-vs-vpu)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.