VSMAX vs VB (2026)
Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund Admiral Shares and Vanguard Small-Cap ETF side by side. VSMAX and VB are share classes of one fund, Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund: one portfolio, filed with the SEC as one, so the holdings, overlap and flows below are the fund's, the same for both. What differs is the fee, how each is bought (a mutual fund once a day at its closing price, an ETF on an exchange through the day) and the small gap in returns that follows. VB is the cheaper fund (0.03% vs 0.05% expense ratio). Five-year total returns are effectively tied. Their portfolios overlap by about 100% of weight. Not investment advice.
Fund facts#
Data provided bySource: Twelve DataReturns as of market close, Oct 30, 2026. The charts run through the Oct 30 close.
| VSMAX | VB | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | US Stock Index Funds | Small Cap |
| Expense ratio | 0.05% | 0.03% |
| AUM | $188.7B | $78.4B |
| Distribution yield | — | 1.25% |
| Holdings | 1299 | 1299 |
| 1M total | +2.1% | +2.0% |
| YTD total | +13.7% | +13.5% |
| 1Y total | +16.2% | +16.1% |
| 3Y total | +71.6% | +71.4% |
| 5Y total | +36.2% | +36.2% |
| 10Y total | — | +188% |
| 3Y total CAGR | +19.7%/yr | +19.7%/yr |
| 5Y total CAGR | +6.4%/yr | +6.4%/yr |
| 10Y total CAGR | — | +11.1%/yr |
| Issuer | Vanguard | Vanguard |
| Inception | — | 2004-01-26 |
All returns are total returns (dividends reinvested), through the latest price during the session. CAGR = compound annual growth rate. '—' means the fund's history doesn't span the horizon. A mutual fund's AUM is its whole fund's, every share class together (its SEC filing); an ETF's is its own. Returns run to Oct 30, 2026, the last month-end, as fund companies report a mutual fund's: a fund that pays monthly books each month's income on its last business day, so a return to a later day would leave that month's income out.
Annualized returns (CAGR)#
Data provided bySource: Twelve DataCompound annual growth rate per holding period, total return, from weekly adjusted closes. Horizons a fund's history can't span show no bar; horizons no fund spans are omitted.
Performance, rebased#
Data provided bySource: Twelve DataReturns by year#
Data provided bySource: Twelve Data| Year | VSMAX | VB |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | — | +16.3% |
| 2018 | — | -9.3% |
| 2019 | — | +27.3% |
| 2020 | +19.1% | +19.2% |
| 2021 | +17.7% | +17.6% |
| 2022 | -17.6% | -17.5% |
| 2023 | +18.2% | +18.2% |
| 2024 | +14.2% | +14.2% |
| 2025 | +8.8% | +8.9% |
| 2026 YTD | +13.7% | +13.5% |
Total returns (dividends reinvested), calendar years.
Returns by year, charted#
Holdings overlap#
VSMAX and VB overlap by about 100% of portfolio weight — 1299 shared holdings out of 1299 in VSMAX and 1299 in VB, from each fund's latest SEC filing (Jun 30, 2026 / Jun 30, 2026).
Only in VSMAX
None — every VSMAX holding is also in the other fund.
Only in VB
None — every VB holding is also in the other fund.
Top 10 holdings, side by side#
Merged top 10 across the funds — each column is the holding's % of that fund.
Sector weights#
| Sector | VSMAX | VB |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer Discretionary | 17.3% | 17.3% |
| Industrials | 16.3% | 16.3% |
| Technology | 14.9% | 14.9% |
| Healthcare | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| Financials | 12.8% | 12.8% |
| Real Estate | 6.7% | 6.7% |
| Utilities | 3.7% | 3.7% |
| Energy | 3.6% | 3.6% |
| Materials | 2.6% | 2.6% |
| Consumer Staples | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| Communication Services | 1.1% | 1.1% |
| Not on ChartRow | 5.2% | 5.2% |
Sector weights, charted#
Estimated portfolio characteristics#
Data provided bySource: Twelve Data| VSMAX | VB | |
|---|---|---|
| P/E (trailing) | — | — |
| P/B | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| Dividend yield | 1.33% | 1.33% |
| Earnings growth (TTM) | +39.1% | +39.1% |
Weighted by each fund's filed holdings, over the members we track. Shown only when every fund's tracked coverage is high enough for the average to mean something.
Growth from any starting date#
Data provided bySource: Twelve DataHover to move the starting point — every fund rebases to 1× at that date, so the comparison holds from any entry point back to 2019 (the earliest date all 2 funds existed). Log scale, weekly total returns.
Fund flows#
| Period | VSMAX | VB |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | +$97.6M | +$97.6M |
| May 2026 | −$326.8M | −$326.8M |
| Apr 2026 | −$1.3B | −$1.3B |
| Mar 2026 | — | +$554.4M |
| Feb 2026 | — | −$223.2M |
| Jan 2026 | — | −$907.6M |
Net creations minus redemptions, derived from consecutive SEC N-PORT filings. The form only exists since mid-2019.
Fund flows, charted#
Methodology#
Returns are total returns (dividends reinvested) from daily adjusted closes. Holdings, overlap, sector weights and flows derive from each fund's public SEC filings (Form N-PORT), anchored on the latest filing and rolled forward daily by price moves. Overlap is the sum of the smaller weight across shared holdings. See each fund's full holdings: VSMAX holdings · VB holdings. Past performance does not predict future returns; not investment advice.
FAQ#
- VSMAX or VB — which is better?
- VB is the cheaper fund (0.03% vs 0.05% expense ratio). Five-year total returns are effectively tied. Their portfolios overlap by about 100% of weight. One Vanguard portfolio in two wrappers — VSMAX, the Admiral mutual fund shares priced once a day after the close, and VB, the ETF traded all day.
- How much do VSMAX and VB overlap?
- VSMAX and VB overlap by about 100% of portfolio weight, sharing 1299 holdings (per each fund's latest SEC N-PORT filing, weights rolled forward to today).
- Is ChartRow affiliated with any of these funds?
- No. ChartRow is independent and not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Vanguard. Comparisons are derived independently from public SEC filings and market data; not investment advice.