ETF Versus

AGG vs VTI

iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF vs Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-02

AGG iShares

iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to the broad U.S. investment-grade bond market. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.94%. Launched in 2003, the fund has a 23-year track record.

AUM: $137.9B ER: 0.03% Yield: 3.94% Since: Sep 22, 2003
VTI Vanguard

Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares (VTI) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to the total U.S. stock market across all capitalizations. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.17%. Launched in 2001, the fund has a 25-year track record.

AUM: $546.0B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.17% Since: May 24, 2001

Quick Verdict

Over the past year, VTI has significantly outperformed with a 17.2% return vs 0.0%. Income investors may prefer AGG for its higher yield (3.9% vs 1.2%).

Key Metrics

Metric AGG VTI
Expense Ratio 0.03% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 3.9% 1.2%
Fund Family iShares Vanguard
Category US Aggregate Bond US Total Market

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 97 114 131 148 165 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
AGG -13.0%
VTI +52.7%

Performance Comparison

Period AGG VTI Difference
1 Month -1.67% -4.68% +3.01%
3 Months -0.85% -3.89% +3.04%
6 Months -1.18% -2.04% +0.86%
YTD -0.85% -3.89% +3.04%
1 Year +0.04% +17.21% -17.17%
3 Years -0.82% +57.96% -58.78%
5 Years -13.01% +52.67% -65.68%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period AGG Fees VTI Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $60 $60 $0
$10.000 20 years $258 $258 $0
$10.000 30 years $835 $835 $0
$50.000 10 years $299 $299 $0
$50.000 30 years $4.176 $4.176 $0
$100.000 30 years $8.352 $8.352 $0

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric AGG VTI
Annualized Volatility 6.1% 17.4%
Max Drawdown -21.4% -26.2%
Sharpe Ratio -1.17 0.32

Dividend Comparison

Metric AGG VTI
Annual Dividend (per share) $3.90 $3.77
Dividend Yield 3.94% 1.17%
Distribution Frequency Monthly Quarterly

Top Holdings

VTI Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA6.17%
Apple Inc.AAPL5.89%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.40%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.05%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.28%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.16%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.13%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.72%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.37%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VTI if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose AGG if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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