ETF Versus

BNDX vs ITOT

Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund vs iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund (BNDX) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to international bond securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.07%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 4.46%. Launched in 2013, the fund has a 13-year track record.

AUM: $76.8B ER: 0.07% Yield: 4.46% Since: Jun 4, 2013
ITOT iShares

iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares 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 1.12%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $77.6B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.12% Since: Jan 20, 2004

Quick Verdict

ITOT has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.07%), saving about $80 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, ITOT has significantly outperformed with a 17.2% return vs -1.7%. Income investors may prefer BNDX for its higher yield (4.5% vs 1.1%).

Key Metrics

Metric BNDX ITOT
Expense Ratio 0.07% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 4.5% 1.1%
Fund Family N/A iShares
Category International 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
BNDX -15.9%
ITOT +52.8%

Performance Comparison

Period BNDX ITOT Difference
1 Month -1.88% -4.55% +2.67%
3 Months -0.62% -3.83% +3.21%
6 Months -2.83% -2.08% -0.75%
YTD -0.62% -3.83% +3.21%
1 Year -1.68% +17.17% -18.85%
3 Years -1.88% +57.97% -59.85%
5 Years -15.89% +52.82% -68.71%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period BNDX Fees ITOT Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $140 $60 $80
$10.000 20 years $600 $258 $342
$10.000 30 years $1.938 $835 $1.103
$50.000 10 years $698 $299 $398
$50.000 30 years $9.692 $4.176 $5.516
$100.000 30 years $19.383 $8.352 $11.032

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric BNDX ITOT
Annualized Volatility 5.3% 17.4%
Max Drawdown -19.1% -26.2%
Sharpe Ratio -1.48 0.32

Dividend Comparison

Metric BNDX ITOT
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.14 $1.61
Dividend Yield 4.45% 1.13%
Distribution Frequency Monthly Quarterly

Top Holdings

ITOT Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA6.59%
Apple Inc.AAPL5.91%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.29%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.15%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.31%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.07%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META1.86%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.65%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.39%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose ITOT if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose ITOT if...

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

Choose BNDX if...

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

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