Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VPU vs VUG: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VPU returned −3.3% to VUG's +6.6%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Sep 30, 2026: $7.7bn for Vanguard Utilities ETF and $232.9bn for Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF.
Pair scorecard
VUG costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 9.9 points; VUG is far larger, $232.9bn against $7.7bn.
| Measure | VPU | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −3.3% | +6.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.9%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | 4.1%, high on Oct 6, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50 | Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $7.7bn | $232.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 52.3% | 63.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 6, 2004 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,185 weekly returnsVUG returned more: +1,211.3% to +683.7%. VPU swung slightly less: 17.6% to 18.6%. VPU fell slightly less at its worst: −44.9% to −49.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VPU | VUG | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +683.7% | +1,211.3% | VUG | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.5% | +12.0% | VUG | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +273.2% | +938.6% | VUG | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 17.6% | 18.6% | VPU (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.5% | 12.8% | VPU (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −44.9% | −49.9% | VPU (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.50 | 0.60 | VUG | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.70 | 0.87 | VUG | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.21 | 0.24 | VUG | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,185 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VPU and VUG 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
VPU and VUG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VPU and VUG do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VPU follows MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50 and VUG follows Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index.
- 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 VPU returned −3.3% and VUG +6.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 9.9 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
VUG
VUG tracks an index of US growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +6.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 137 positions, with the top ten at 63.1%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VPU or VUG?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VPU returned −3.3% and VUG +6.6%.
- Which is cheaper, VPU or VUG?
- VUG 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, VPU against VUG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vpu-vs-vug
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