ETF Versus

IJR vs VTI

iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF vs Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-02

IJR iShares

iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares 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 1.28%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $90.2B ER: 0.06% Yield: 1.28% Since: May 22, 2000
VTI Vanguard

Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares (VTI) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard 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 1.17%. Launched in 2001, the fund has a 25-year track record.

AUM: $546.0B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.17% Since: May 24, 2001

Quick Verdict

VTI has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.06%), saving about $60 per $10,000 over 10 years. IJR has edged ahead over the past year (19.2% vs 17.2%).

Key Metrics

Metric IJR VTI
Expense Ratio 0.06% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 1.3% 1.2%
Fund Family iShares Vanguard
Category US Small Cap US Total Market

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 93 111 129 147 165 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
IJR +13.0%
VTI +52.7%

Performance Comparison

Period IJR VTI Difference
1 Month -4.33% -4.68% +0.35%
3 Months +2.92% -3.89% +6.81%
6 Months +4.03% -2.04% +6.07%
YTD +2.92% -3.89% +6.81%
1 Year +19.20% +17.21% +1.99%
3 Years +29.06% +57.96% -28.90%
5 Years +12.98% +52.67% -39.69%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IJR Fees VTI Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $120 $60 $60
$10.000 20 years $515 $258 $257
$10.000 30 years $1.664 $835 $828
$50.000 10 years $598 $299 $299
$50.000 30 years $8.318 $4.176 $4.142
$100.000 30 years $16.637 $8.352 $8.285

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IJR VTI
Annualized Volatility 21.6% 17.4%
Max Drawdown -28.9% -26.2%
Sharpe Ratio 0.01 0.32

Dividend Comparison

Metric IJR VTI
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.60 $3.77
Dividend Yield 1.28% 1.17%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

IJR Top Holdings

NameWeight
BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCYXTSLA1.37%
Eastman Chemical CompanyEMN0.54%
Viavi Solutions Inc.VIAV0.53%
Argan, Inc.AGX0.52%
Primoris Services CorporationPRIM0.52%
FormFactor, Inc.FORM0.51%
Element Solutions IncESI0.51%
LKQ CorporationLKQ0.50%
SM Energy CompanySM0.49%
ESCO Technologies Inc.ESE0.48%

VTI Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA6.17%
Apple Inc.AAPL5.89%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.40%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.05%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.28%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.16%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.13%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.72%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.37%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VTI if...

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

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