ACSG vs AVSC

ACSGCAmerican Century Small Cap Growth Insights ETF

AVSCAAvantis U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF

In short

ACSG American Century's 2025 entry in active small-cap growth: it hunts U.S. small companies whose businesses are visibly improving, then spreads the bet across roughly 300 names instead of a concentrated few.

AVSC Avantis's whole-field small cap fund: roughly 1,500 US small companies in one ticker, run by the manager's own rules rather than a published index, at 0.25% a year.

Stated mandate

ACSG The fund is an actively managed ETF seeking to outperform its benchmark over full market cycles by investing primarily in U.S. small-cap companies showing accelerating and sustainable business improvement.

AVSC The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation and invests primarily in a diversified group of U.S. small-cap companies across market sectors and industries, with at least 80% of assets normally invested in U.S. small-cap equity securities.

Why people hold it

• ACSG A clear thesis, actively run: U.S. small caps showing accelerating, sustainable business improvement, judged against the benchmark over full market cycles rather than quarter to quarter.americancentury.com
• 0.49% a year, a shade under the median active U.S. small-cap fund in its peer group. Active stock selection without the classic active price tag.
• Roughly 300 holdings, so no single small-cap blowup runs the show. Breadth closer to an index fund than to a concentrated stock picker.
• Sits in the upper half of its active U.S. small-cap peer group, with how the portfolio is built among its stronger points.

• AVSC 0.25% a year versus a 0.52% median for active US small-cap funds. Less than half the going rate for a hands-on manager.
• Roughly 1,500 holdings spread across sectors and industries, so one small-cap blowup barely dents the fund.
• One of the strongest all-round implementations in the active US small-cap group on cost, portfolio build and ease of trading.
• Pays quarterly, trades with steady daily volume, and pulled in over a billion dollars since its 2022 launch.

Worth knowing

• ACSG Launched in October 2025, so the track record is short and any risk read rests on a thin slice of history.
• Small asset base and light trading mean wider bid-ask spreads than the giant small-cap index funds. Limit orders matter more here.
• Systematic peers cost less: AVSC at 0.25%, DUHP at 0.20%. The fee gap is what active selection costs versus a rules-based portfolio.

• AVSC Undiluted small-cap equity, kept at least 80% invested in the asset class. It rides the small-cap cycle with deeper swings than a large-cap fund.
• No declared index to check it against. The manager's stock-selection rules are the product, so you are buying a process, not a published benchmark.
• Its sibling AVUV works the value slice of the same universe at the same 0.25%. Own both and you are doubling up on overlapping small-cap names.

Full ACSG profile⁠

Full AVSC profile⁠