AVSC vs SSCP

AVSCAAvantis U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF

SSCPDSMART Small Cap ETF

In short

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.

SSCP A 2026-vintage active small-cap fund with an unusually wide passport: it can own U.S. and international small caps, as long as the shares list on a U.S. exchange. Stock picking with a growth lean, not index ownership.

Stated mandate

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.

SSCP The fund is actively managed and invests primarily in equity securities of U.S. and international small-capitalization companies whose shares are listed on U.S. exchanges.

Why people hold it

• 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.

• SSCP Active by design: a sub-adviser runs a growth-oriented selection process instead of buying the small-cap index wholesale.
• The passport is wide. U.S. and international small caps both qualify, provided the shares list on a U.S. exchange, so foreign names arrive without offshore settlement.
• Plain plumbing: a registered 1940 Act ETF whose mandate centers on equity securities, not swaps or notes.

Worth knowing

• 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.

• SSCP The fee is 0.79% a year, above the median for active small-cap ETFs. Systematic peers such as AVSC (0.25%) and DFSV (0.30%) charge a fraction of that.
• It launched in 2026 and starts from a small asset base, so the record is short and trading can be light. Check the spread before placing an order.
• No declared index sits behind it, so outcomes ride on the sub-adviser's picks rather than a published rules-based recipe.

Full AVSC profile⁠

Full SSCP profile⁠