ETF Versus

VB vs VTWO

Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares vs Vanguard Russell 2000 Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-08

VB

Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares (VB) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to small-cap U.S. equities with higher growth potential and volatility. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.28%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $71.5B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.28% Since: Jan 26, 2004

Vanguard Russell 2000 Index Fund ETF Shares (VTWO) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to small-cap U.S. equities with higher growth potential and volatility. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.06%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.19%. Launched in 2010, the fund has a 16-year track record.

AUM: $14.1B ER: 0.06% Yield: 1.19% Since: Sep 20, 2010

Quick Verdict

VB has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.06%), saving about $60 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, VTWO has significantly outperformed with a 49.4% return vs 41.2%.

Key Metrics

Metric VB VTWO
Expense Ratio 0.03% 0.06%
Dividend Yield 1.3% 1.2%
Fund Family N/A N/A
Category US Small Cap US Small Cap

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

70 82 94 106 118 130 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
VB +25.8%
VTWO +17.2%

Performance Comparison

Period VB VTWO Difference
1 Month +2.13% +2.81% -0.68%
3 Months +1.63% +0.95% +0.68%
6 Months +10.29% +9.63% +0.66%
YTD +4.62% +4.82% -0.20%
1 Year +41.24% +49.36% -8.12%
3 Years +46.43% +48.44% -2.01%
5 Years +25.54% +17.23% +8.31%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period VB Fees VTWO Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $60 $120 $60
$10,000 20 years $258 $515 $257
$10,000 30 years $835 $1,664 $828
$50,000 10 years $299 $598 $299
$50,000 30 years $4,176 $8,318 $4,142
$100,000 30 years $8,352 $16,637 $8,285

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric VB VTWO
Annualized Volatility 20.8% 22.5%
Max Drawdown -28.8% -33.0%
Sharpe Ratio 0.11 0.05

Dividend Comparison

Metric VB VTWO
Annual Dividend (per share) $3.50 $1.26
Dividend Yield 1.28% 1.19%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

1 of top 9 holdings overlap (11% overlap in top holdings)

VB Top Holdings

NameWeight
Sandisk CorporationSNDK1.21%
Comfort Systems USA, Inc.FIX0.65%
Lumentum Holdings Inc.LITE0.64%
Ciena CorporationCIEN0.64%
Coherent Corp.COHR0.53%
Rocket Lab CorporationRKLB0.48%
NRG Energy, Inc.NRG0.44%
Bloom Energy CorporationBE0.43%
EMCOR Group, Inc.EME0.42%

VTWO Top Holdings

NameWeight
Bloom Energy CorporationBE1.09%
FabrinetFN0.63%
Coeur Mining, Inc.CDE0.56%
Credo Technology Group Holding LtdCRDO0.55%
Hecla Mining CompanyHL0.51%
EchoStar CorporationSATS0.50%
Nextpower Inc.NXT0.49%
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.KTOS0.48%
IonQ, Inc.IONQ0.42%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VB if...

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

Choose VTWO if...

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

Either works if...

you just need broad us small cap exposure. Both are solid options — pick whichever your brokerage offers commission-free.

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