VT vs VTILX

VT vs VTILX

Which is better, VT or VTILX?

VT costs less.

VT has a lower expense ratio.

Lower Fees: VT

MarketXLS is not an investment adviser. This comparison is generated automatically from market data and is for information only. A Best mark means the better reading on that one measure, not a recommendation to buy.

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricVTVTILX
Expense Ratio0.06%Best0.07%
AUM$97.9B$141.9B
Dividend Yield1.55%4.23%
Holdings10,1337,415
YTD Price Return+13.22%-2.61%
1Y Price Return+16.56%-4.67%
3Y Price Return (annualized)+19.63%-0.73%
5Y Price Return (annualized)+9.31%-3.10%
Volatility (annualized)15.1%6.0%Best
Max Drawdown-28.0%-15.3%Best
Fund FamilyVanguard (US)Vanguard (US)
CategoryEquityFixed Income
StyleLarge Cap Blend-
InceptionJun 24, 2008Feb 17, 2021

Not shown on this pair: $10,000 over 5 years, Top 10 Weight.

A price return is not the return of a fund that pays its income out. The coupon or distribution never appears in the price, so the return rows carry no winner here. VT currently yields 1.55% and VTILX 4.23%.

Volatility and max drawdown are measured over the window both funds cover: Oct 25, 2021 to Sep 18, 2026 (4.9 years).

VT vs VTILX Performance

Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (VT) is an ETF from Vanguard (US) and Vanguard Total International Bond II Index Fund Class Institutional (VTILX) is a mutual fund from Vanguard (US). Over the past year VT's price moved +16.56% and VTILX's -4.67%, before the income each one paid out.

Over three years, VT compounded at +19.63% per year against -0.73% for VTILX; over five years the annualized figures are +9.31% and -3.10% respectively.

Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Risk: Volatility and Drawdowns

VT has been the more volatile fund, with annualized monthly volatility of 15.1% compared with 6.0% for VTILX. Lower volatility generally means a smoother ride, though it often comes with lower long-run returns.

The deepest peak-to-trough decline in our data was -28.0% for VT and -15.3% for VTILX. Drawdown depth is what each fund did in the worst stretch of the window measured above.

The two funds' monthly returns correlate at 0.69. They move together some of the time, and apart the rest.

Fees and Cost Over Time

VT charges 0.06% per year while VTILX charges 0.07%. On a $10,000 position that is $6 vs $7 annually, a gap of $1 per year that compounds over a long holding period. On income, VT currently yields 1.55% against 4.23% for VTILX.

Structure and taxes

VTILX is a mutual fund and VT is an ETF. A mutual fund prices once a day at net asset value and may carry a purchase minimum. An ETF trades through the day at whatever the market pays for it.

In a taxable account the difference that usually matters is distributions. An ETF can meet redemptions in kind, so it rarely has to sell holdings and rarely passes a capital gain to the people who held it; a mutual fund that sells holdings to meet redemptions can distribute a realised gain at year end to everyone still in the fund, whether or not they sold anything themselves. In a tax-deferred account that difference largely disappears. Both are descriptions of how the two wrappers work, not a recommendation.

Tax-loss harvesting works on either wrapper.

Holdings Overlap

We hold position weights for 9,272 holdings in VT and 1,459 in VTILX, totalling 90.1% and 7.1% of the two funds. Neither is a share of a fund we can divide by, so no overlap percentage is shown here. Within what we can see, 35 positions appear in both.

The two holdings books were reported 273 days apart, VT as of Jul 31, 2026 and VTILX as of Oct 31, 2025, so some of the difference between them is the time between the two reports rather than the funds.

35 positions in common, counted across the 9,272 positions we hold weights for in VT and 1,459 in VTILX, against full books of 10,133 and 7,415.

Top Shared Holdings

StockWeight in VTWeight in VTILXDifference
AAPLApple, Inc3.84%0.00%3.84%
MSFTMicrosoft Corp2.97%0.00%2.97%
JPMJpmorgan Chase0.81%0.01%0.80%
ASML:ASAsml Holding Nv0.55%0.00%0.55%
WMTWalmart, Inc.0.42%0.00%0.42%
ABBVAbbvie Inc.0.38%0.00%0.38%
PGProcter & Gamble Company0.29%0.00%0.29%
GSGoldman Sachs Group Inc/The0.24%0.00%0.24%
CCitigroup Inc.0.19%0.00%0.19%
SAN:MABanco Santander0.18%0.00%0.18%

You are not choosing between two funds in isolation.

Whichever of VT and VTILX you pick has to sit alongside everything else you own. Add the rest and see what the combination actually holds.

VTVTILX

Free for up to 10 holdings. No account needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is cheaper, VT or VTILX?

VT has an expense ratio of 0.06% while VTILX charges 0.07%. VT is the cheaper option, by $1 a year on a $10,000 investment.

Which is riskier, VT or VTILX?

VT has been the more volatile fund at 15.1% annualized versus 6.0% for VTILX. Worst drawdown: VT -28.0% vs VTILX -15.3%.

Should I hold both VT and VTILX?

VT and VTILX have a monthly-return correlation of 0.69, so their returns are far enough apart for the mix to behave differently from either one alone. This is information, not a recommendation.

Which pays a higher dividend, VT or VTILX?

VT yields 1.55% while VTILX yields 4.23%, so VTILX currently pays the higher dividend yield.

Is it better to hold VTILX or VT in a taxable account?

VT is an ETF and VTILX is a mutual fund. An ETF can meet redemptions in kind, so it rarely distributes a capital gain to the people holding it. A mutual fund that sells holdings to meet redemptions can pass a realised gain to every holder at year end. In a tax-deferred account that difference largely disappears. This is information, not a recommendation.

Is VTILX better than VT?

VT has a lower expense ratio. Which one suits a particular account depends on what it is for. This is information, not a recommendation.