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IUSB vs VBND

iShares Core Universal USD Bond ETF

IUSBANasdaq

Vident U.S. Bond Strategy ETF

VBNDCNYSE Arca

Overlap

No data

Expense ratio

IUSB −0.35pt a year

IUSB0.06%VBND0.41%

Avg volume · 30D

IUSB 197.3×the volume

IUSB6.13MVBND31K

10Y return · a year

IUSB +0.4pt

IUSB+1.7%VBND+1.3%

IUSB vs VBND Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

+0.9%IUSB+0.3%VBND

Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. IUSB +0.9%. VBND +0.3%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−15%−10%−5%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026
Expense ratio
IUSB 0.06%, better
VBND 0.41%
Fund size
IUSB $50.2B
VBND $525M
1Y total return
IUSB 0.0%
VBND 0.0%
Yield (12M)
IUSB 4.32%
VBND 4.48%, better
Holdings
IUSB 18280
VBND 181
Avg volume (30D)
IUSB 6.13M sh, better
VBND 31K sh
NAV per share
IUSB $44.91
VBND $42.30
52W range

ETF.net Grade

IUSB: Cost 92, Risk 54, Mission 100, Tradability 89, Holdings 76, Durability 94. VBND: Cost 29, Risk 54, Mission 93, Tradability 48, Holdings 39, Durability 56.
Pillar letters and Scores for IUSB, VBND, with each pillar’s weight
PillarIUSBVBND
Cost30% weightA92HigherD29
Mission25% weightA100HigherA93
Risk15% weightC54C54
Tradability15% weightA89HigherC48
Holdings10% weightA76HigherD39
Durability5% weightA94HigherB56

Rank among US Aggregate Bond funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. IUSB and VBND are both graded against the same 114 US Aggregate Bond funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

US Aggregate Bond⁠

Category · 114 funds
See all 114 ›

IUSB ranks 2nd and VBND 71st of 114 funds in the US Aggregate Bond Category.

  1. Rank 1AAGGiShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETFScore 87
  2. Rank 2AIUSBiShares Core Universal USD Bond ETFScore 86
  3. Rank 2ASCHZSchwab U.S. Aggregate Bond ETFScore 86
  4. Rank 71CUCONFirst Trust Smith Unconstrained Bond ETFScore 54
  5. Rank 71CVBNDVident U.S. Bond Strategy ETFScore 54
  6. Rank 71BWCPBWeitz Core Plus Bond ETFScore 54

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

IUSBAiShares Core Universal USD Bond ETF

VBNDCVident U.S. Bond Strategy ETF

In short

IUSB Most core bond funds stop at investment grade. IUSB keeps going, folding high-yield USD debt into the same wrapper across roughly 18,000 bonds, for 0.06% a year.

VBND An actively managed core bond fund that refuses to clone the Agg. Vident bolts high yield, TIPS, dollar-denominated foreign bonds and private credit onto a US investment-grade core, steered by its own governance-and-value scoring. Running since 2014.

Stated mandate

IUSB The Fund seeks to track an index of U.S.-dollar-denominated bonds spanning investment-grade and high-yield sectors.

VBND The Fund seeks current income and long-term capital appreciation.

Why people hold it

  • IUSB 0.06% a year, a fraction of what the typical broad bond fund in its category charges, and iShares has run it since 2014.
  • Roughly 18,000 bonds spanning investment-grade and high-yield sectors, so one ticker covers ground a plain Agg tracker leaves on the table.ishares.com
  • Tracks its index closely, trades heavily, and sits on a multi-billion-dollar asset base. Income is paid monthly.
  • Among the strongest implementations in a crowded field of nearly 200 core bond funds.
  • VBND Core-plus with a real 'plus': the mandate allows high yield corporates, TIPS, private credit and dollar-denominated international bonds around a US investment-grade core, within stated limits.
  • Vident applies its own scorecard rather than hunches: international bonds are drawn only from countries in the top half of its Country Opportunity Score.videntam.com
  • Pays income monthly and has been trading since 2014, so there is a decade-plus of live operating history behind the strategy, not a backtest.

Worth knowing

  • IUSB That high-yield sleeve is the trade-off: more credit risk than an investment-grade-only fund, and more movement when spreads widen.
  • BND, SPAB and SCHZ charge 0.03%, half IUSB's fee, but they stay inside investment grade.
  • Payouts land monthly, but the amount floats with the coupons underneath. Nothing about the income stream is fixed.
  • VBND At 0.41% it costs real money beside index core-bond giants like BND, SPAB and SCHZ at 0.03%. The active sleeves carry the job of justifying that gap.
  • High yield and private credit exposure brings credit and liquidity risk a plain aggregate-bond tracker does not carry.
  • Thinly traded for its category, so bid-ask spreads and fill quality matter more here than with the mega-sized bond funds.

Full IUSB profile⁠

Full VBND profile⁠

IUSB vs VBND 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.

IUSB vs VBND Cost

Overpaying VBND vs IUSB

$7,011

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

  • IUSB 0.06%

    $1,270

  • VBND 0.41%

    $8,281

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • IUSB 0.06%
  • VBND 0.41%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2K$4K$6K$8K$10K051015202530VBND $8,281IUSB $1,270

Year by year

YearIUSBVBNDOverpaying
10$110$741$631
20$432$2,860$2,428
30$1,270$8,281$7,011

Expense ratio

  • 0.06%IUSB, cheaper
  • 0.41%VBND
  • Middle half of US Aggregate Bond funds
  • Median 0.34%

IUSB 10th cheapest of 114 funds

VBND 80th cheapest of 114 funds

IUSB vs VBND Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
IUSB 4.32%
VBND 4.48%, better
Payout (12M)
IUSB $1.94
VBND $1.90
Last payment
IUSB $0.15
VBND $0.17
Ex-dividend
IUSB Oct 1, 2026
VBND Oct 20, 2026
Paid on
IUSB Oct 6, 2026
VBND Oct 21, 2026
Frequency
IUSB Monthly
VBND Monthly

Distribution history

Per share, 2023 to 2026, same scale for both

IUSBMonthly · 45 paymentsAll IUSB payments⁠
One bar per payment. 45 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Feb 1, 2023 $0.12; Mar 1, 2023 $0.12; Apr 3, 2023 $0.12; May 1, 2023 $0.13; Jun 1, 2023 $0.14; Jul 3, 2023 $0.13; Aug 1, 2023 $0.14; Sep 1, 2023 $0.13; Oct 2, 2023 $0.13; Nov 1, 2023 $0.14; Dec 1, 2023 $0.14; Dec 14, 2023 $0.15; Feb 1, 2024 $0.13; Mar 1, 2024 $0.15; Apr 1, 2024 $0.15; May 1, 2024 $0.15; Jun 3, 2024 $0.15; Jul 1, 2024 $0.15; Aug 1, 2024 $0.16; Sep 3, 2024 $0.16; Oct 1, 2024 $0.15; Nov 1, 2024 $0.16; Dec 2, 2024 $0.16; Dec 18, 2024 $0.16; Feb 3, 2025 $0.15; Mar 3, 2025 $0.16; Apr 1, 2025 $0.16; May 1, 2025 $0.16; Jun 2, 2025 $0.17; Jul 1, 2025 $0.16; Aug 1, 2025 $0.17; Sep 2, 2025 $0.16; Oct 1, 2025 $0.17; Nov 3, 2025 $0.16; Dec 1, 2025 $0.16; Dec 19, 2025 $0.16; Feb 2, 2026 $0.17; Mar 2, 2026 $0.16; Apr 1, 2026 $0.16; May 1, 2026 $0.16; Jun 1, 2026 $0.15; Jul 1, 2026 $0.16; Aug 3, 2026 $0.17; Sep 1, 2026 $0.17; Oct 1, 2026 $0.15. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.2020232026YTD
VBNDMonthly · 46 paymentsAll VBND payments⁠
One bar per payment. 46 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Jan 18, 2023 $0.16; Feb 14, 2023 $0.10; Mar 14, 2023 $0.12; Apr 11, 2023 $0.14; May 16, 2023 $0.17; Jun 13, 2023 $0.13; Jul 11, 2023 $0.14; Aug 15, 2023 $0.16; Sep 12, 2023 $0.13; Oct 17, 2023 $0.17; Nov 14, 2023 $0.14; Dec 15, 2023 $0.16; Jan 23, 2024 $0.19; Feb 13, 2024 $0.10; Mar 12, 2024 $0.14; Apr 16, 2024 $0.20; May 14, 2024 $0.16; Jun 11, 2024 $0.15; Jul 16, 2024 $0.19; Aug 13, 2024 $0.14; Sep 17, 2024 $0.15; Oct 16, 2024 $0.17; Nov 13, 2024 $0.14; Dec 17, 2024 $0.17; Jan 22, 2025 $0.17; Feb 19, 2025 $0.14; Mar 18, 2025 $0.14; Apr 16, 2025 $0.15; May 20, 2025 $0.15; Jun 17, 2025 $0.14; Jul 17, 2025 $0.16; Aug 19, 2025 $0.16; Sep 17, 2025 $0.15; Oct 21, 2025 $0.17; Nov 18, 2025 $0.15; Dec 17, 2025 $0.19; Jan 21, 2026 $0.12; Feb 18, 2026 $0.12; Mar 17, 2026 $0.16; Apr 16, 2026 $0.17; May 19, 2026 $0.17; Jun 16, 2026 $0.15; Jul 16, 2026 $0.17; Aug 18, 2026 $0.16; Sep 17, 2026 $0.17; Oct 20, 2026 $0.17. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.2020232026YTD

IUSB vs VBND Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • IUSB
  • VBND
Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. Worst fall: VBND −18.6% · Oct 2022. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−15%−10%−5%0%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
IUSB 5.5%, betterVBND 5.6%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
IUSB 0.25, betterVBND 0.20
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
IUSB −17.4%, betterVBND −18.6%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
IUSB 0.96VBND 0.97

IUSB and VBND in the news

All news⁠

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