Wealthy PotVTI vs VTIAX: Zero Overlap, So the Question Is How Much of Each
VTI and VTIAX do not compete. They are the two halves of the world stock market. VTI is Vanguard's Total Stock Market ETF: about 3,500 US companies for 0.03%. VTIAX is Vanguard's Total International Stock Index Fund in Admiral Shares: about 8,800 companies outside the US for 0.09%, as a mutual fund with a $3,000 minimum. Matching their latest SEC holdings filings, they shared four companies, about 0.1% of either fund. So "VTI or VTIAX" is really "how much US and how much international", and then a smaller question about ETF versus mutual fund.
Table of Contents
The Short Answer
- Fees: 0.03% vs 0.09%. $3 against $9 a year per $10,000.
- Overlap: 0.1%. Four shared companies, from VTI's 30 June 2026 and VTIAX's 31 July 2026 N-PORT filings. Holding both adds no duplication.
- Coverage: VTI is the US market (3,507 stocks); VTIAX is the developed and emerging world outside the US (8,790 stocks), both as of 31 August 2026.
- Returns to 30 September 2026: VTI 14.70% a year over 10 years, VTIAX 9.16%. Over the latest year VTIAX led, 18.45% to 15.33%.
- Wrapper: VTI is an ETF with no fund minimum. VTIAX is a mutual fund needing generally $3,000 to open. VTIAX's ETF twin is VXUS (0.05%); VTI's mutual-fund twin is VTSAX (0.04%).
- Combining: at world market weight (about 62% US), a VTI/VTIAX mix costs about 0.05% a year, against 0.06% for the all-in-one VT.
Overlap: Four Companies
VTI's index covers the investable US market. VTIAX's index, the FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index, covers developed and emerging markets "excluding the U[nited States]". The only names in both were four small North American companies, including Waste Connections and RB Global, each under 0.1% of either fund.
| Portfolios in the latest N-PORT filings | VTI (30 Jun 2026) | VTIAX (31 Jul 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Companies in the filing | 3,159 | 8,674 |
| Held by both funds | 4 | 4 |
| Share of the fund in those shared companies | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Overlap, sum of the smaller weight in each shared stock | 0.1% | |
VTI vs VTIAX Side by Side
| VTI | VTIAX | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF | Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund Admiral Shares |
| Index | Morningstar US Total Market Index (CRSP US Total Market Index until 29 Jul 2026) | FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index |
| Method | Sampling | Replication |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.09% |
| Cost on $10,000 over 10 years (prospectus example) | $39 | $115 |
| Minimum | None set by the fund | Generally $3,000 to open, $1 to add |
| Stocks held (31 Aug 2026) | 3,507 | 8,790 |
| Top-ten weight (30 Jun 2026) | 33.4% | 15.0% (fund-level, from VXUS fact sheet) |
| Largest countries | US only | Japan 15.5%, Taiwan 8.7%, UK 8.3%, Canada 8.1%, China 7.0% (31 Aug 2026) |
| Portfolio turnover, latest fiscal year | 3% | 4% |
| Fund size, all share classes (31 Aug 2026) | $2.3 trillion | $665.7 billion |
| Fund type | ETF, trades all day | Mutual fund, priced once a day |
| Inception | 24 May 2001 | 29 Nov 2010 |
Returns: The US Won the Decade, Not the Year
| Average annual return to 30 Sep 2026 | 1 year | 3 years | 5 years | 10 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VTI (NAV) | 15.33% | 22.32% | 12.56% | 14.70% |
| VTIAX | 18.45% | 20.10% | 9.31% | 9.16% |
| FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index (VTIAX benchmark) | 19.02 | 20.17 | 9.34 | 9.30 |
| VTI minus VTIAX | -3.12 | +2.22 | +3.25 | +5.54 |
Over ten years, US stocks beat international stocks by more than five points a year. In 2025 the order flipped hard: VTIAX's prospectus shows 32.18% for the year against 17.14% for VTI. Ten-year figures in the prospectuses, to 31 December 2025, were 14.25% for VTI and 8.51% for VTIAX.
| Hypothetical $10,000 held 10 years | Ending value |
|---|---|
| At VTI's 10-year return (14.70%) | $39,413 |
| At VTIAX's 10-year return (9.16%) | $24,023 |
A decade like that tempts people to drop international stocks. That is a bet that the next decade looks like the last one. Owning both is a way to avoid making that bet, at the cost of trailing whichever half leads.
This is educational information, not personalized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results, and all investing carries the risk of loss.
How Investors Combine Them
There is no correct split, but there are three common reference points.
| Split (VTI / VTIAX) | Why people choose it | Blended expense ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 62 / 38 | Matches the world market. Vanguard's Total World fund (VT) was 62.0% US on 31 Aug 2026. | 0.053% |
| 70 / 30 | Some international, with a home-country tilt | 0.048% |
| 80 / 20 | Mostly US, a smaller international slice | 0.042% |
| Single fund: VT | Market weight, no rebalancing between two funds | 0.06% |
A two-fund build is cheaper than VT and lets you pick the split, and it lets you place each fund where it suits you, for example international in a taxable account where a foreign tax credit can be used. The cost is that you rebalance yourself. If you would rather never think about it, VT vs VTI covers the one-fund route.
ETF vs Admiral Mutual Fund
Minimums. VTI has no fund minimum; you buy shares, or fractions where your broker allows. VTIAX Admiral Shares need generally $3,000 to open, and the fee table lists a $25 annual account service fee "for certain fund account balances below $5,000,000". Check how Vanguard applies it to your account.
Buying. VTIAX is bought in exact dollar amounts at the day's closing price, which suits automatic investing at Vanguard. VTI trades at a market price during the day at any brokerage.
Mixing wrappers is fine. Nothing stops you pairing an ETF with a mutual fund. If you want matching wrappers, pair VTI with VXUS, or VTSAX with VTIAX; see VTI vs VXUS and VTIAX vs VTSAX.
Switching later. Vanguard's prospectus says "any conversion between classes of shares of the same fund is a nontaxable event", so VTIAX can generally be converted to VXUS, its own ETF class, without a sale. Moving from VTIAX to a different fund is an exchange, which is taxable in a brokerage account.
Foreign tax credit. VTIAX's prospectus says that if more than 50% of the fund is in foreign companies and the fund makes a special election, shareholders include their share of foreign taxes paid and "may qualify for an offsetting credit". VTIAX was 99.0% foreign on 31 August 2026. A credit needs a US tax bill to offset, so in our reading it helps in a taxable account and not inside an IRA. There is no assurance the fund makes the election in a given year.
Which One Fits You
You want the US market only: VTI. That is a legitimate choice, and it has been the winning one for a decade, but it is a bet on one country.
You want international stocks: VTIAX, alongside a US fund. VTIAX alone is not a full portfolio for most US investors; it leaves out the largest market in the world.
You already hold VTI and want to add international: VTIAX works if you invest at Vanguard and can meet $3,000. Otherwise VXUS does the same job as an ETF for 0.05%.
Starting with less than $3,000: VTI plus VXUS, or the single fund VT.
Taxable account: both are index funds with low turnover. Holding the international fund in the taxable account lets you use the foreign tax credit if Vanguard makes the election.
Sources & Methodology
- VTI summary prospectus, 28 April 2026: fee table, index, method, minimum, returns to 2025.
- VTIAX summary prospectus, 27 February 2026: fee table, index, method, minimums, returns to 2025.
- VXUS summary prospectus, 27 February 2026: 0.05% fee.
- Vanguard STAR Funds prospectus (485BPOS), 27 February 2026: foreign tax credit and share-class conversion wording.
- Vanguard supplement dated 29 July 2026: CRSP to Morningstar rename.
- Total Stock Market Index Fund Form N-PORT, 30 June 2026 and Total International Stock Index Fund Form N-PORT, 31 July 2026: holdings behind the overlap.
- Vanguard VTI and VTIAX profiles; VTI and VXUS fact sheets (30 June 2026): returns, holdings, countries, top-ten weights.
How the overlap was computed. For each company both funds held we took the smaller of its two weights and summed them, the same method and N-PORT data the Portfolio Overlap Checker uses. Each filing covers every share class of its fund.
This article is for general education and is not investment, tax or legal advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results, and all investing carries the risk of loss. Figures were checked against the sources above on 5 October 2026; confirm current details with Vanguard before acting.
FAQ: VTI vs VTIAX
Is VTI or VTIAX better?
Neither replaces the other. VTI holds US stocks for 0.03%; VTIAX holds non-US stocks for 0.09%. VTI returned 14.70% a year over the 10 years to 30 September 2026 and VTIAX 9.16%, but VTIAX led over the latest year. Most investors who use them hold both.
Do VTI and VTIAX overlap?
Barely. They shared four companies, about 0.1% of each fund, in their June and July 2026 SEC filings.
What split of VTI and VTIAX should I use?
That is a personal choice. Market weight was about 62% US and 38% international on 31 August 2026; plenty of investors hold less international than that, and some hold more. Pick a split you will keep through a bad decade for either half.
Can I pair an ETF with a mutual fund?
Yes. VTI with VTIAX works fine. If you want matching wrappers, VTIAX's ETF class is VXUS and VTI's Admiral mutual-fund class is VTSAX.
Is VTI plus VTIAX cheaper than VT?
Yes, slightly. At a 62/38 split the blend costs about 0.053% against VT's 0.06%: about $53 versus $60 a year per $100,000.
Can I convert VTIAX to VXUS without paying tax?
Vanguard's prospectus says a conversion between share classes of the same fund is a nontaxable event, and VXUS is VTIAX's ETF class. Check the conversion terms with Vanguard or your broker first.
Why does VTIAX cost more than VTI?
International funds hold thousands of companies across many markets, and Vanguard's fee table for VTIAX includes 0.07% management fees and 0.02% other expenses. VTI's is 0.03% in total.
Cite This Page
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"VTI vs VTIAX: Zero Overlap, So the Question Is How Much of Each." Wealthy Pot, 2026. https://wealthypot.com/vti-vs-vtiax/
Related comparisons: VTI vs VXUS · VTIAX vs VTSAX · VTIAX vs VXUS · VT vs VTI · VT vs VXUS · All ETF comparisons
