Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VEA vs VOX: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VEA returned +17.1% to VOX's −5.7%; 1% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Sep 30, 2026: $231.6bn for Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF and $6.0bn for Vanguard Communication Services ETF.
Pair scorecard
VEA costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 22.8 points; VEA is far larger, $231.6bn against $6.0bn.
| Measure | VEA | VOX |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +17.1% | −5.7% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.4%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | 10.8%, high on Jan 29, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index | MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Communication Services 25/50 |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.09% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $231.6bn | $6.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 1% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 13.6% | 71.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Aug 3, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,003 weekly returnsVOX returned more: +253.2% to +160.9%. VEA swung slightly less: 19.5% to 20.5%. VOX fell slightly less at its worst: −54.5% to −59.0%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VEA | VOX | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +160.9% | +253.2% | VOX | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +5.1% | +6.8% | VOX | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +46.4% | +125.9% | VOX | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.5% | 20.5% | VEA (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.2% | 14.3% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −59.0% | −54.5% | VOX (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.28 | 0.35 | VOX | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.38 | 0.50 | VOX | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.09 | 0.12 | VOX | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,003 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VEA and VOX hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026.
half
1% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VEA and VOX on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VEA and VOX do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VEA follows FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index and VOX follows MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Communication Services 25/50.
- Holdings in common. 1% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VEA returned +17.1% and VOX −5.7% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 22.8 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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VEA
VEA tracks an index of Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.1% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% 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 3,906 positions, with the top ten at 13.6%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VOX
VOX tracks an index of Communication Services. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −5.7% with distributions reinvested, against −5.9% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Communication Services 25/50. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 84% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 113 positions, with the top ten at 71.1%. It sat 10.8% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VEA or VOX?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VEA returned +17.1% and VOX −5.7%.
- Which is cheaper, VEA or VOX?
- VEA 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.
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ETFIQ, VEA against VOX, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vea-vs-vox
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