Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VPU vs XBI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VPU returned −3.3% to XBI's +41.2%, and VPU charges 0.09% to XBI's 0.35%.
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Net assets: $7.7bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Utilities ETF, and $10.3bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF.
Pair scorecard
VPU costs 0.26 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 44.5 points; XBI is 1.4 times larger.
| Measure | VPU | XBI |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −3.3% | +41.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.9%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | |
| Below its all-time high | 8.9%, high on Feb 8, 2021 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50 | Biotech |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.35% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $7.7bn | $10.4bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 98% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 52.3% | 18% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VPU and XBI hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VPU and XBI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
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.
XBI
By weight, 13% of XBI's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 98%. The top ten holdings are 18% of the fund across 165 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +41.2% with distributions reinvested. It sits 8.9% below its all-time high of Feb 8, 2021.
Questions people ask
- Are VPU and XBI in the same category?
- VPU is a stock ETF and XBI is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, VPU or XBI?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VPU returned −3.3% and XBI +41.2%.
- Which is cheaper, VPU or XBI?
- VPU is cheaper, by 0.26 percentage points a year. That is about $26 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 XBI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vpu-vs-xbi
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VPU against XBI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vpu-vs-xbi
[VPU against XBI (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vpu-vs-xbi)
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