Compare/Updated Oct 26, 2026, refreshed every trading day
DFUS vs VTI
Dimensional U.S. Equity ETF against Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF: 4 years of returns, risk and today’s technical read, from Kavout’s own data.
DFUS did slightly better over the period: $1,000 invested on Oct 28, 2022 grew to $2,048, versus $2,017 for VTI, a total-return advantage of 3.1 percentage points. DFUS also led over the 3-month, 6-month, YTD, 1-year, and 3-year periods, although the differences were small. The funds moved almost identically, with 0.997 daily correlation and DFUS moving 0.99% for each 1% move in VTI. Risk was similarly close: DFUS had 13.1% trailing 12-month volatility versus 12.9% for VTI, while maximum drawdowns were -19.4% and -19.3%, respectively. VTI’s main advantage is its lower 0.03% expense ratio versus 0.09% for DFUS and much larger $2,263B asset base. DFUS’s modest outperformance came with nearly identical risk but higher fees.
- Price is above its 200-day average ($79); 50-day at $84.
- RSI 42, neutral. Supertrend says sell. ADX 15, so the trend is weak.
- Price is above its 200-day average ($357); 50-day at $377.
- RSI 42, neutral. Supertrend says sell. ADX 14, so the trend is weak.
Head to head
Which has returned more, DFUS or VTI?
DFUS beat VTI in 27 of the last 48 months; VTI won the other 21. The typical monthly gap was 0.10 points.
Total return by period
Which is riskier?
Both: Feb 19, 2025 to Apr 8, 2025
- 0.997
- correlation of daily moves, 4 years
- 0.99
- DFUS move per 1% in VTI
- 0.999
- correlation, last 12 months
Month by month
Of the last 48 months. The typical gap was 0.10 points.
When did they diverge?
| Month | DFUS | VTI | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2023 | +6.3% | +6.9% | -0.58 pts |
| May 2025 | +6.6% | +6.3% | +0.35 pts |
| March 2023 | +3.0% | +2.7% | +0.31 pts |
| April 2024 | -4.0% | -4.3% | +0.30 pts |
Where the numbers come from. 1000 daily adjusted closes per fund from the Kavout market-data API, dividends included. Signals and indicators are Kavout’s own, refreshed nightly. Every figure is calculated from those adjusted closes.
Holdings and fees
What do you actually own with DFUS and VTI?
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