ESGU vs VEGN: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF

ESGUANasdaq

US Vegan Climate ETF

VEGNFCboe

Overlap

36.5%by weight

Expense ratio

ESGU −0.45pt a year

ESGU0.15%VEGN0.60%

Avg volume · 30D

ESGU 74.3×the volume

ESGU409KVEGN5.5K

5Y return · a year

VEGN +0.6pt

ESGU+10.4%VEGN+11.0%

ESGU vs VEGN Performance

Nov 9, 2021 – Nov 9, 2026

+63.8%ESGU+68.2%VEGN

Expense ratio: ESGU 0.15%, better; VEGN 0.60%
Fund size: ESGU $17.3B; VEGN $165M
1Y total return: ESGU +13.1%; VEGN +19.8%, better
Yield (12M): ESGU 0.94%, better; VEGN 0.61%
Holdings: ESGU 271; VEGN 261
Avg volume (30D): ESGU 409K sh, better; VEGN 5.5K sh
NAV per share: ESGU $160.68; VEGN $68.57
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for ESGU, VEGN, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	ESGU	VEGN
Cost30% weight	B68Higher	F6
Mission25% weight	A98	Not scored
Risk15% weight	C53Higher	F21
Tradability15% weight	A92Higher	C40
Holdings10% weight	B59Higher	C49
Durability5% weight	A94Higher	C44

Rank among US ESG & Values Index funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. ESGU and VEGN are both graded against the same 47 US ESG & Values Index funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

US ESG & Values Index⁠

Category · 47 funds

See all 47 ›

ESGU ranks 4th and VEGN 47th of 47 funds in the US ESG & Values Index Category.

Rank 1AKLMNInvesco MSCI North America Climate ETFScore 80
Rank 2AEFIVState Street SPDR S&P 500 ESG ETFScore 78
Rank 2ASNPEXtrackers S&P 500 Scored & Screened ETFScore 78
Rank 4AESGUiShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETFScore 77
Rank 5AXVViShares ESG Select Screened S&P 500 ETFScore 75
Rank 46DSTNCHennessy Sustainable ETFScore 26
Rank 47FVEGNUS Vegan Climate ETFScore 24

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

ESGUAiShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF

VEGNFUS Vegan Climate ETF

In short

ESGU Screening out companies is easy; keeping the market's shape while you do it is the hard part. ESGU's index optimizes toward stronger ESG characteristics while targeting risk and return similar to the broad MSCI USA Index.

VEGN Most ESG funds sand off the rough edges. VEGN starts from a vegan rulebook: animal-welfare, environmental and climate exclusions applied to a US stock index, replicated passively since its 2019 launch.

Stated mandate

ESGU Seeks to track an index of large- and mid-cap U.S. companies selected for favorable environmental, social and governance (ESG) characteristics while seeking risk/return similar to the MSCI USA Index.

VEGN The Fund seeks to track the Beyond Investing US Vegan Climate Index before fees and expenses. It uses passive indexing, generally replicating the Index while applying its vegan, animal-welfare, environmental, and climate-related exclusions.

Why people hold it

ESGU Not a screen-and-drop portfolio: the index optimizes toward better ESG characteristics while targeting risk and return similar to the broad MSCI USA Index.ishares.com
0.15% a year, below the typical fund in its US ESG group, spread across roughly 300 large- and mid-cap names rather than a narrow shortlist.
Running since 2016, a multi-billion-dollar iShares fund that pays quarterly and sits in the top quartile of a crowded US ESG peer group.

VEGN One rulebook, plainly stated: vegan, animal-welfare, environmental and climate exclusions, then passive replication of whatever survives the screen.
Follows a named, published benchmark (the Beyond Investing US Vegan Climate Index), so what's in and out follows written index rules rather than manager discretion.
Live since 2019, so a screen this specific has a multi-year record in a real US equity portfolio, not a backtest.

Worth knowing

ESGU Cheaper seats in the same row: XVV at 0.08%, ESGV at 0.09%, SNPE and EFIV at 0.10%, against 0.15% here.
Market-like risk is the stated goal, so exclusions are lighter than a purist ESG fund and the holdings end up looking a lot like the broad US market.ishares.com
MSCI's ratings decide who makes the cut, so the portfolio reflects one provider's definition of ESG, not an industry standard.ishares.com

VEGN At 0.60% a year it costs more than double the typical fund in its ESG cohort. Broad screened peers like ESGV and SNPE charge about a tenth of a percent.
Thinly traded, so limit orders matter and spreads can run wider than in the mega ESG index funds.
Screening out whole industries pulls the portfolio away from the broad US market, so its results can diverge from it in either direction.

Full ESGU profile⁠

Full VEGN profile⁠

ESGU vs VEGN Holdings

How ESGU and VEGN differ

Overlap by weight

36.5%

Shared holdings make up 87.1% of VEGN and 43.4% of ESGU.

Level by level

Holdings101 in both36.5%
Sector11 Sectors71.4%
Asset classStocks100%
Countryby domicile99.8%

Sector

Sector weights in ESGU and VEGN, widest gap first
Sector	Gap	ESGU	VEGN
Technology	VEGN +22.5 points	36.2%	58.7%
Health Care	ESGU +6.8 points	11.3%	4.5%
Consumer Discretionary	ESGU +6.8 points	8.7%	1.9%
Consumer Staples	ESGU +4.8 points	4.8%	0.0%
Financials	VEGN +4.0 points	12.5%	16.5%
Energy	ESGU +3.6 points	3.7%	0.1%
Industrials	ESGU +3.3 points	8.3%	5.0%
Real Estate	VEGN +2.2 points	2.2%	4.4%
Utilities	ESGU +1.8 points	1.9%	0.1%
Materials	ESGU +1.5 points	2.1%	0.6%
Communication	ESGU +0.1 points	8.2%	8.1%

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in ESGU and VEGN, widest gap first
Country	Gap	ESGU	VEGN
United States	Same weight	99.8%	99.8%
Brazil	ESGU +0.1 points	0.1%	0.0%
China	ESGU +0.1 points	0.1%	0.0%
Ireland	VEGN +0.1 points	0.0%	0.1%
Switzerland	VEGN +0.1 points	0.0%	0.1%
United Kingdom	VEGN +0.1 points	0.0%	0.1%

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

ESGU36.5%
VEGN38.7%

Securities held

ESGU268
VEGN260

Asset class

ESGU: Stocks
VEGN: Stocks

Holdings

Only in ESGU167
In both101
Only in VEGN159

Only in ESGU

167 securities, 56.5% of ESGU by weight

Microsoft5.97%
Amazon.com Inc3.87%
Alphabet Class C3.03%
Meta Platforms Class A1.95%
Eli Lilly1.67%
Tesla Inc1.59%
JPMorgan Chase & Co1.37%
AbbVie0.90%
Johnson & Johnson0.84%
Exxonmobil Holdings Corp0.74%
Home Depot0.71%
Costco Wholesale Corp0.70%
Procter & Gamble0.69%
Coca-Cola0.64%
Hartford Insurance Group0.62%
Merck & Co Inc0.54%
Goldman Sachs Group0.52%
Ge Aerospace0.50%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc Class B0.49%
Nisource0.48%
Rtx0.47%
Palantir Technologies Class A0.45%
Morgan Stanley0.45%
Ecolab0.44%
Caterpillar Inc0.44%
Nextera Energy0.43%
Gilead Sciences0.43%
Lowes Companies Inc0.42%
Linde PLC0.42%
Steris0.40%
Idexx Laboratories0.38%
Honeywell International Inc0.37%
Bank of America0.37%
Stryker0.36%
Amgen Inc0.36%
Exelon Corp0.36%
Crh Public Limited PLC0.34%
Netflix0.34%
Citigroup0.34%
Church and Dwight Inc0.34%
Ge Vernova0.33%
Cummins Inc0.32%
Union Pacific0.32%
Williams0.32%
Cardinal Health0.31%
Colgate-Palmolive0.30%
Conocophillips0.30%
Pnc Financial Services Group0.30%
Analog Devices0.29%
BlackRock0.29%

Only in VEGN

159 securities, 12.9% of VEGN by weight

Comcast Corp0.32%
United Parcel Service Inc0.29%
T-Mobile US Inc0.28%
O'Reilly Automotive Inc0.27%
Simon Property Group Inc0.27%
Arthur J Gallagher & Co0.26%
FedEx Corp0.25%
Allstate Corp/The0.24%
Aon PLC0.24%
Vertiv Holdings Co0.23%
DoorDash Inc0.23%
Fastenal Co0.22%
Aflac Inc0.21%
Realty Income Corp0.20%
eBay Inc0.20%
Public Storage0.19%
PACCAR Inc0.19%
Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp0.17%
Vivmark Residential0.17%
Block Inc0.17%
Ameriprise Financial Inc0.17%
MSCI Inc0.16%
Natera Inc0.15%
Ventas Inc0.15%
Strategy Inc0.15%
Paychex Inc0.14%
Take-Two Interactive Software Inc0.14%
First American Government Obligations Fund 12/01/20310.13%
Teradyne Inc0.12%
Centene Corp0.12%
Fiserv Inc0.12%
Extra Space Storage Inc0.12%
M&T Bank Corp0.12%
Interactive Brokers Group Inc0.12%
Huntington Bancshares Inc/OH0.11%
ROBLOX Corp0.11%
Microchip Technology Inc0.11%
Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp0.11%
Otis Worldwide Corp0.11%
Expedia Group Inc0.11%
Everpure Inc0.11%
American Water Works Co Inc0.11%
Cincinnati Financial Corp0.10%
Live Nation Entertainment Inc0.10%
Copart Inc0.10%
Dover Corp0.10%
AerCap Holdings NV0.10%
Verisk Analytics Inc0.10%
Atlassian Corp0.10%
Astera Labs Inc0.09%

Weight gaps

The 100 widest of 101 Holdings in both funds.

Holding weights in ESGU and VEGN, widest gap first
Holding	Gap	ESGU	VEGN
Visa Class AV	VEGN +3.20 points	1.39%	4.59%
Mastercard Class AMA	VEGN +3.13 points	0.78%	3.91%
Advanced Micro DevicesAMD	VEGN +3.10 points	1.18%	4.28%
Micron TechnologyMU	VEGN +3.01 points	1.20%	4.21%
NVIDIANVDA	ESGU +2.80 points	6.80%	4.00%
AppleAAPL	ESGU +2.40 points	7.82%	5.42%
UnitedHealth GroupUNH	VEGN +2.38 points	0.46%	2.84%
Cisco Systems IncCSCO	VEGN +2.01 points	0.63%	2.64%
Palo Alto NetworksPANW	VEGN +1.96 points	0.48%	2.44%
Alphabet Class AGOOGL	VEGN +1.81 points	1.66%	3.47%
Texas InstrumentTXN	VEGN +1.82 points	0.39%	2.21%
International Business Machines CoIBM	VEGN +1.80 points	0.39%	2.19%
Crowdstrike Holdings Class ACRWD	VEGN +1.71 points	0.26%	1.97%
Applied Material IncAMAT	VEGN +1.67 points	0.51%	2.18%
Lam ResearchLRCX	VEGN +1.54 points	0.48%	2.02%
SalesforceCRM	VEGN +1.52 points	0.33%	1.85%
KlaKLAC	VEGN +1.45 points	0.24%	1.69%
OracleORCL	VEGN +1.33 points	0.32%	1.65%
Intel CorporationINTC	VEGN +1.31 points	0.40%	1.71%
WelltowerWELL	VEGN +1.29 points	0.25%	1.54%
Verizon Communications IncVZ	VEGN +1.28 points	0.57%	1.85%
American ExpressAXP	VEGN +1.27 points	0.41%	1.68%
Arista NetworksANET	VEGN +1.27 points	0.29%	1.56%
Broadcom IncAVGO	VEGN +1.26 points	2.12%	3.38%
AT&TT	VEGN +1.23 points	0.24%	1.47%
Marvell TechnologyMRVL	VEGN +0.94 points	0.21%	1.15%
SandiskSNDK	VEGN +0.93 points	0.17%	1.10%
Seagate Technology Holdings PLCSTX	VEGN +0.79 points	0.17%	0.96%
Western Digital CorpWDC	VEGN +0.66 points	0.18%	0.84%
DeereDE	VEGN +0.38 points	0.23%	0.61%
Cme Group Class ACME	VEGN +0.28 points	0.12%	0.40%
Booking HoldingsBKNG	VEGN +0.27 points	0.19%	0.46%
MarshMRSH	VEGN +0.25 points	0.11%	0.36%
ProgressivePGR	VEGN +0.25 points	0.24%	0.49%
Applovin Class AAPP	VEGN +0.23 points	0.13%	0.36%
Accenture PLC Class AACN	VEGN +0.22 points	0.36%	0.58%
SnowflakeSNOW	VEGN +0.21 points	0.13%	0.34%
Dell Technologies Inc Class CDELL	VEGN +0.19 points	0.15%	0.34%
Johnson Controls International PLCJCI	VEGN +0.18 points	0.12%	0.30%
Cloudflare Class ANET	VEGN +0.17 points	0.14%	0.31%
MetlifeMET	ESGU +0.16 points	0.36%	0.20%
FortinetFTNT	VEGN +0.16 points	0.11%	0.27%
Prologis ReitPLD	VEGN +0.14 points	0.29%	0.43%
IntuitINTU	VEGN +0.15 points	0.19%	0.34%
Mckesson CorpMCK	VEGN +0.14 points	0.33%	0.47%
United RentalsURI	VEGN +0.13 points	0.11%	0.24%
Raymond JamesRJF	ESGU +0.13 points	0.24%	0.11%
Datadog Inc Class ADDOG	VEGN +0.13 points	0.08%	0.21%
Prudential Financial IncPRU	ESGU +0.13 points	0.28%	0.15%
ServicenowNOW	VEGN +0.12 points	0.27%	0.39%
Monolithic Power Systems IncMPWR	VEGN +0.11 points	0.10%	0.21%
Moodys CorpMCO	VEGN +0.11 points	0.17%	0.28%
S&P GlobalSPGI	VEGN +0.11 points	0.41%	0.52%
Arch Capital GroupACGL	ESGU +0.11 points	0.24%	0.13%
Mettler ToledoMTD	ESGU +0.10 points	0.23%	0.13%
Broadridge Financial Solutions IncBR	ESGU +0.10 points	0.18%	0.08%
Adobe IncADBE	VEGN +0.10 points	0.25%	0.35%
Ww Grainger IncGWW	ESGU +0.10 points	0.32%	0.22%
Nxp Semiconductors NVNXPI	VEGN +0.09 points	0.14%	0.23%
Crown Castle IncCCI	ESGU +0.09 points	0.23%	0.14%
Expeditors International of WashinEXPD	ESGU +0.09 points	0.18%	0.09%
Sba Communications Reit Corp ClassSBAC	ESGU +0.09 points	0.16%	0.07%
American Tower ReitAMT	ESGU +0.08 points	0.40%	0.32%
Bank of New York Mellon CorpBNY	ESGU +0.07 points	0.44%	0.37%
Lumentum HoldingsLITE	VEGN +0.07 points	0.07%	0.14%
HumanaHUM	VEGN +0.07 points	0.12%	0.19%
CignaCI	VEGN +0.07 points	0.21%	0.28%
CoherentCOHR	VEGN +0.07 points	0.07%	0.14%
AutodeskADSK	ESGU +0.07 points	0.27%	0.20%
Comfort Systems UsaFIX	VEGN +0.07 points	0.06%	0.13%
Rockwell Automation IncROK	VEGN +0.06 points	0.09%	0.15%
CienaCIEN	VEGN +0.06 points	0.06%	0.12%
SynopsysSNPS	VEGN +0.06 points	0.25%	0.31%
Cadence Design SystemsCDNS	VEGN +0.06 points	0.26%	0.32%
Ferguson EnterprisesFERG	VEGN +0.06 points	0.10%	0.16%
Rivian Automotive Class ARIVN	ESGU +0.05 points	0.09%	0.04%
Lennox InternationalLII	ESGU +0.05 points	0.09%	0.04%
Citizens Financial Group IncCFG	ESGU +0.04 points	0.14%	0.10%
Workday Class AWDAY	VEGN +0.05 points	0.10%	0.15%
Nasdaq IncNDAQ	ESGU +0.04 points	0.21%	0.17%
ZscalerZS	ESGU +0.04 points	0.11%	0.07%
Cboe Global MarketsCBOE	ESGU +0.04 points	0.17%	0.13%
D R HortonDHI	VEGN +0.04 points	0.10%	0.14%
Iqvia Holdings IncIQV	VEGN +0.03 points	0.14%	0.17%
Trane Technologies PLCTT	ESGU +0.03 points	0.35%	0.32%
Automatic Data Processing IncADP	VEGN +0.03 points	0.42%	0.45%
Iron Mountain IncIRM	VEGN +0.02 points	0.09%	0.11%
XpoXPO	ESGU +0.03 points	0.10%	0.07%
Coeur MiningCDE	ESGU +0.02 points	0.08%	0.06%
First SolarFSLR	ESGU +0.02 points	0.09%	0.07%
Fifth Third BancorpFITB	VEGN +0.01 points	0.16%	0.17%
Emcor GroupEME	VEGN +0.02 points	0.08%	0.10%
Veeva Systems Class AVEEV	ESGU +0.01 points	0.18%	0.17%
Mongodb Class AMDB	VEGN +0.02 points	0.07%	0.09%
Willis Towers WatsonWTW	VEGN +0.01 points	0.10%	0.11%
Twilio Class ATWLO	VEGN +0.01 points	0.10%	0.11%
Sunbelt Rentals Holdings IncSUNB	VEGN +0.01 points	0.11%	0.12%
Netapp IncNTAP	VEGN +0.01 points	0.11%	0.12%
Cbre Group Class ACBRE	Same weight	0.14%	0.14%
Equinix ReitEQIX	ESGU +0.01 points	0.37%	0.36%

All 268 ESGU holdings⁠All VEGN holdings⁠

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

ESGU vs VEGN Cost

Overpaying VEGN vs ESGU

$8,680

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

ESGU 0.15%
$3,137
VEGN 0.60%
$11,817

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

ESGU 0.15%
VEGN 0.60%
Overpaying

Year by year

Year	ESGU	VEGN	Overpaying
10	$274	$1,076	$802
20	$1,071	$4,116	$3,045
30	$3,137	$11,817	$8,680

Expense ratio

0.15%ESGU, cheaper
0.60%VEGN

ESGU0.15%VEGN0.60%

0.08%0.95%

Middle half of US ESG & Values Index funds
Median 0.25%

ESGU 13th cheapest of 47 funds

VEGN 44th cheapest of 47 funds

ESGU vs VEGN Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 9, 2026

Yield (12M): ESGU 0.94%, better; VEGN 0.61%
Payout (12M): ESGU $1.55; VEGN $0.44
Last payment: ESGU $0.38; VEGN $0.06
Ex-dividend: ESGU Sep 15, 2026; VEGN Sep 15, 2026
Paid on: ESGU Sep 18, 2026; VEGN Sep 16, 2026
Frequency: ESGU Quarterly; VEGN Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

ESGUQuarterly · 41 paymentsAll ESGU payments⁠

VEGNQuarterly · 28 paymentsAll VEGN payments⁠

ESGU vs VEGN Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

ESGU
VEGN

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: ESGU 12.8%, betterVEGN 20.1%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: ESGU 1.35, betterVEGN 1.06
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: ESGU −26.1%, betterVEGN −32.7%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: ESGU 1.04VEGN 1.23; Market = 1

ESGU and VEGN in the news

All news⁠

ETF Filings
iShares files for a screened MSCI USA ETF that omits ESG from the name
Sep 4, 2026ESGU

Popular comparisons

ESGUAvsESGVA
iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF · Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF
Expense ratio
0.15% · 0.09%
Category
VEGNFvsKLMNA
US Vegan Climate ETF · Invesco MSCI North America Climate ETF
Expense ratio
0.60% · 0.09%
Category
ESGUAvsKLMNA
iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF · Invesco MSCI North America Climate ETF
Expense ratio
0.15% · 0.09%
Category
VEGNFvsEFIVA
US Vegan Climate ETF · State Street SPDR S&P 500 ESG ETF
Expense ratio
0.60% · 0.10%
Category
ESGUAvsEFIVA
iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF · State Street SPDR S&P 500 ESG ETF
Expense ratio
0.15% · 0.10%
Category
VEGNFvsSNPEA
US Vegan Climate ETF · Xtrackers S&P 500 Scored & Screened ETF
Expense ratio
0.60% · 0.10%
Category