ETF Versus

BND vs BNDX

Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund vs Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund

Last updated: 2026-04-02

BND Vanguard

Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund (BND) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard 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 3.93%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: $150.4B ER: 0.03% Yield: 3.93% Since: Apr 3, 2007
BNDX

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

Quick Verdict

BND has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.07%), saving about $80 per $10,000 over 10 years. BND has edged ahead over the past year (-0.0% vs -1.7%). Income investors may prefer BNDX for its higher yield (4.5% vs 3.9%).

Key Metrics

Metric BND BNDX
Expense Ratio 0.03% 0.07%
Dividend Yield 3.9% 4.5%
Fund Family Vanguard N/A
Category US Aggregate Bond International Bond

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 85 90 95 100 105 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
BND -13.3%
BNDX -15.9%

Performance Comparison

Period BND BNDX Difference
1 Month -1.63% -1.88% +0.25%
3 Months -0.84% -0.62% -0.22%
6 Months -1.20% -2.83% +1.63%
YTD -0.84% -0.62% -0.22%
1 Year -0.03% -1.68% +1.65%
3 Years -0.73% -1.88% +1.15%
5 Years -13.29% -15.89% +2.60%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

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

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric BND BNDX
Annualized Volatility 6.0% 5.3%
Max Drawdown -21.7% -19.1%
Sharpe Ratio -1.19 -1.48

Dividend Comparison

Metric BND BNDX
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.88 $2.14
Dividend Yield 3.92% 4.45%
Distribution Frequency Monthly Monthly

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose BND if...

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

Choose BNDX if...

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

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