ETF Versus

SIZE vs VB

iShares MSCI USA Size Factor ETF vs Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-10

SIZE iShares

iShares MSCI USA Size Factor ETF (SIZE) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to us factor - size securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.15%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.52%. Launched in 2013, the fund has a 13-year track record.

AUM: $395M ER: 0.15% Yield: 1.52% Since: Apr 16, 2013
VB Vanguard

Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares (VB) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard 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: $73.4B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.28% Since: Jan 26, 2004

Quick Verdict

VB is significantly cheaper at 0.03% vs 0.15% expense ratio, saving you approximately $238 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, VB has significantly outperformed with a 34.1% return vs 24.0%.

Key Metrics

Metric SIZE VB
Expense Ratio 0.15% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 1.5% 1.3%
Fund Family iShares Vanguard
Category US Factor - Size US Small Cap

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 88 101 114 127 140 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
SIZE +33.9%
VB +24.8%

Performance Comparison

Period SIZE VB Difference
1 Month +1.44% +2.18% -0.74%
3 Months -1.07% +0.01% -1.08%
6 Months +4.24% +7.58% -3.34%
YTD +1.47% +4.09% -2.62%
1 Year +24.04% +34.10% -10.06%
3 Years +40.62% +44.44% -3.82%
5 Years +33.90% +24.76% +9.14%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SIZE Fees VB Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $298 $60 $238
$10,000 20 years $1,278 $258 $1,020
$10,000 30 years $4,109 $835 $3,274
$50,000 10 years $1,490 $299 $1,190
$50,000 30 years $20,547 $4,176 $16,371
$100,000 30 years $41,094 $8,352 $32,742

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric SIZE VB
Annualized Volatility 17.5% 20.8%
Max Drawdown -25.2% -28.8%
Sharpe Ratio 0.17 0.10

Dividend Comparison

Metric SIZE VB
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.49 $3.50
Dividend Yield 1.51% 1.29%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

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

SIZE Top Holdings

NameWeight
Ciena CorporationCIEN0.44%
Teradyne, Inc.TER0.37%
Western Digital CorporationWDC0.37%
Dow Inc.DOW0.34%
EchoStar CorporationSATS0.33%
Corning IncorporatedGLW0.33%
LyondellBasell Industries N.V.LYB0.33%
Keysight Technologies, Inc.KEYS0.32%
Seagate Technology Holdings plcSTX0.32%
Entegris, Inc.ENTG0.30%

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%

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 VB if...

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

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