Wealthy PotVTIAX vs VTSAX: Not Rivals, the Two Halves of One Portfolio
VTIAX and VTSAX are not two ways to buy the same thing. VTSAX owns the US stock market, 3,507 stocks. VTIAX owns everything outside the US, 8,790 stocks across developed and emerging markets. Matched against the funds' latest SEC holdings filings, they share four companies, worth about a tenth of one percent of either fund. Both are Vanguard Admiral Shares with a $3,000 minimum. VTSAX costs 0.04% a year and VTIAX 0.09%. Over the ten years to 30 September 2026 VTSAX returned 14.69% a year and VTIAX 9.16%; over the latest year VTIAX was ahead, 18.45% against 15.32%. So "which one?" is usually the wrong question. Most people who hold one of these should ask how much of each to hold.
Table of Contents
The Short Answer
- Overlap: 0.1%. Four companies listed both in North America and abroad, nothing more. Holding both adds no duplication.
- Fees: VTSAX 0.04%, VTIAX 0.09%. On the prospectus example of $10,000 over ten years, $51 against $115.
- Same account rules. Both are Admiral Shares: generally $3,000 to open, $1 to add, and a possible $25 annual account service fee on fund accounts below $5 million.
- Returns to 30 September 2026: ten years, VTSAX 14.69% and VTIAX 9.16% a year. One year, VTIAX 18.45% and VTSAX 15.32%. In calendar 2025 VTIAX returned 32.18% and VTSAX 17.12%.
- VTIAX is far less concentrated. Its ten largest holdings were 15.0% of its portfolio against 33.4% for VTSAX's (30 June 2026).
- The combined pair is the global market. Vanguard's own world fund was 62.0% US at 31 August 2026. Holding VTSAX and VTIAX in roughly that ratio costs about 0.06% a year, less than the 0.09% world fund.
Overlap: Four Companies Out of 12,000
Our Portfolio Overlap Checker matches the two funds' SEC Form N-PORT holdings reports company by company and adds up the smaller weight of every company both hold. The newest filings are dated 31 July 2026 for VTIAX's fund and 30 June 2026 for VTSAX's.
| Overlap measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Overlap (sum of the smaller weight of each shared company) | 0.1% |
| Companies in common | 4 |
| Companies in VTIAX's filing / VTSAX's filing | 8,674 / 3,159 |
| Waste Connections (VTIAX / VTSAX weight) | 0.10% / 0.06% |
| Sunbelt Rentals | 0.07% / 0.04% |
| RB Global | 0.05% / 0.03% |
| Energy Fuels | 0.01% / under 0.01% |
The four shared names sit on a border between the two indexes. Three are Canadian-incorporated companies that also trade in the US, and Sunbelt Rentals is a US-incorporated company that VTIAX's filing places in the United Kingdom. Each index claims them, and they are rounding errors. For practical purposes the two funds own nothing in common, which is exactly why investors pair them.
VTIAX vs VTSAX Side by Side
| VTIAX | VTSAX | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund Admiral Shares | Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares |
| Index | FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index | Morningstar US Total Market Index (CRSP US Total Market Index until 29 July 2026) |
| What it covers | Developed and emerging markets, excluding the US | The investable US market, large to micro cap |
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.04% |
| Prospectus cost on $10,000, 10 years | $115 | $51 |
| Minimum to open / to add | $3,000 / $1 | $3,000 / $1 |
| Account service fee | Up to $25 a year on fund accounts below $5 million (both) | |
| Stocks held (31 Aug 2026) | 8,790 | 3,507 |
| Top ten holdings (30 Jun 2026) | 15.0% | 33.4% |
| Largest holding (30 Jun 2026) | Taiwan Semiconductor, 4.3% | NVIDIA, 6.4% |
| Indexing method | Full replication | Sampling |
| Portfolio turnover | 4% | 3% |
| Admiral class net assets (31 Aug 2026) | $104.7 billion | $489.8 billion |
| Whole fund net assets (31 Aug 2026) | $665.7 billion | $2.3 trillion |
| ETF share class of the same fund | VXUS, 0.05% | VTI, 0.03% |
VTIAX's largest markets at 31 August 2026 were Japan (15.5% of its stocks), Taiwan (8.7%), the UK (8.3%), Canada (8.1%), China (7.0%) and South Korea (6.4%). Classifying each of its countries by Vanguard's own developed and emerging ETFs, about 74% sits in developed markets and 26% in emerging ones, our calculation from Vanguard's country table. If you want those two slices separately, see VEA vs VWO.
What Each Has Returned
| Annualized, as of 30 September 2026 | 1 year | 3 years | 5 years | 10 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VTIAX | 18.45% | 20.10% | 9.31% | 9.16% |
| FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index | 19.02 | 20.17 | 9.34 | 9.30 |
| VTSAX | 15.32% | 22.31% | 12.55% | 14.69% |
| Morningstar US Total Market Index | 15.33 | 22.33 | 12.56 | 14.70 |
| VTIAX minus VTSAX | +3.13 | -2.21 | -3.24 | -5.53 |
The ten-year column is the one most people quote, and it is large: US stocks beat international stocks by more than five points a year over that decade. The one-year column shows how quickly that can turn. In calendar 2025, per the two prospectuses, VTIAX returned 32.18% and VTSAX 17.12%, a gap of 15 points in the international fund's favour.
Neither number tells you which fund will do better next. Each fund tracked its own index closely. The gap between them is the gap between US and non-US markets, and that gap has changed direction before. That is the case for owning both.
Taxes: Which One Goes Where
Both prospectuses print the SEC's standard after-tax returns for periods to 31 December 2025. The difference between before-tax and after-tax-on-distributions returns is the drag from taxes on what each fund paid out.
| To 31 Dec 2025 | 1 year | 5 years | 10 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| VTIAX, before taxes | 32.18% | 7.93% | 8.51% |
| VTIAX, after taxes on distributions | 31.03 | 7.05 | 7.68 |
| VTSAX, before taxes | 17.12% | 13.06% | 14.24% |
| VTSAX, after taxes on distributions | 16.78 | 12.68 | 13.78 |
| Tax drag, VTIAX | 1.15 | 0.88 | 0.83 |
| Tax drag, VTSAX | 0.34 | 0.38 | 0.46 |
VTIAX lost roughly twice as much to taxes on distributions over ten years. That would argue for keeping it in a tax-advantaged account, except for one detail in its prospectus: when more than half of a fund's assets are foreign companies and the fund makes a special election, the foreign taxes it paid are passed through to you, and you "may qualify for an offsetting credit or deduction under U.S. tax laws." A credit only helps if you have a US tax bill to set it against, and inside an IRA you do not. That is why many investors hold the international fund in a taxable account when they have the room. If all your money is in a 401(k) or IRA, the question does not arise.
How Investors Combine Them
Because they share almost nothing, VTSAX plus VTIAX gives you every listed stock in the world that the two indexes cover, at a weight you choose. Three common ways to set that weight:
- Global market weight. Vanguard's Total World Stock fund, VTWAX, was 62.0% US at 31 August 2026. Holding about 62% VTSAX and 38% VTIAX copies that. The blended fee works out to about 0.06% a year, against 0.09% for VTWAX itself, which is $59 against $90 per $100,000. The trade-off is that you rebalance; VTWAX does it for you. Our VTSAX vs VTWAX page covers that choice.
- A home tilt. Many investors hold 70% to 80% US because they spend dollars and want less currency risk. At 80/20 the blended fee is 0.05%.
- The three-fund portfolio. VTSAX and VTIAX plus a bond fund, the classic Vanguard-investor setup. The stock split is the same decision as above.
Whatever split you pick, write it down and rebalance back to it, either on a schedule or when it drifts by a set amount. The case for owning both rests on not guessing which market leads next, so moving the split after a strong year defeats the point. Our guide to rebalancing covers the mechanics.
Which One Fits You
If you hold only VTSAX now, you have no international stocks at all. That is a legitimate choice; some investors decide the US market's own multinationals are enough. Make it on purpose, knowing that over 2025 it cost you 15 points and over the prior decade it paid you five a year.
If you hold only VTIAX, you have left out the largest stock market in the world. Almost nobody intends that. Add VTSAX or its ETF twin.
If you want both and the $3,000 minimum is in the way, buy the ETF classes of the same funds instead: VTI and VXUS have no minimum beyond one share and lower fees, 0.03% and 0.05%. Vanguard's prospectus says conventional shares are generally eligible to convert to the ETF class of the same fund, and a conversion within one fund is not taxable.
If your 401(k) menu offers only one of them, hold that fund there and buy the other half in an IRA or taxable account, sized so the total matches your target split.
If you would rather not rebalance at all, a single world fund such as VT or VTWAX does the job at a slightly higher fee.
This is educational information, not personalized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results, and the splits above are illustrations, not recommendations.
Sources & Methodology
Every figure on this page was read from a Vanguard SEC filing or from Vanguard's own published fund data.
- VTIAX summary prospectus, Form 497K dated 27 February 2026: 0.09% fee table, cost example, $25 account service fee, $3,000 minimum, replication method, turnover, and returns to 31 December 2025.
- VTSAX summary prospectus, Form 497K dated 28 April 2026: 0.04% fee table, cost example, $25 account service fee, $3,000 minimum, turnover, and returns to 31 December 2025.
- Vanguard STAR Funds, Form 485BPOS filed 27 February 2026: VTIAX's share classes, the foreign tax pass-through language, and the rule that exchanges between different funds are taxable.
- Vanguard Form 497 supplement dated 29 July 2026: VTSAX's fund and index renames.
- Total International Stock Index Fund Form N-PORT, period ended 31 July 2026 and Total Stock Market Index Fund Form N-PORT, period ended 30 June 2026: the holdings behind the overlap figures.
- VXUS fact sheet and VTI fact sheet, both as of 30 June 2026: top-ten weights for each fund's shared portfolio.
- Vanguard VTIAX profile and VTSAX profile: stock counts, net assets and country weights as of 31 August 2026, VTWAX's US weight on the same date, and quarter-end returns to 30 September 2026.
How the overlap was computed. The Portfolio Overlap Checker groups each fund's latest Form N-PORT holdings by company and sums the smaller of the two weights for every company both funds hold. The filings are a month apart. The developed/emerging split sums VTIAX's country weights according to whether each country appears in VEA's or VWO's own country list on the same date. Blended fees are weighted averages of the two published expense ratios.
Limits. Vanguard does not publish an SEC yield for VTIAX on the data we used, so yields are not compared. We did not split the 2025 gap into currency and local-market returns.
This article is for general education and is not investment, tax or legal advice. Fund data changes daily, index returns cannot be invested in directly, and past performance does not guarantee future results. International investing adds currency and political risk. Figures were checked against the sources above on 5 October 2026; confirm current figures with Vanguard and consider speaking with a licensed professional before acting.
FAQ: VTIAX vs VTSAX
Is VTIAX or VTSAX better?
Neither replaces the other. VTSAX is the US market and VTIAX is everything outside it, with 0.1% overlap. Over the ten years to 30 September 2026 VTSAX returned 14.69% a year and VTIAX 9.16%, while in calendar 2025 VTIAX returned 32.18% and VTSAX 17.12%. Most investors hold both.
Should I hold both VTIAX and VTSAX?
If you want global diversification, yes. Together they cover the world with almost no duplication. The decision is the ratio, for example about 62/38 to match the global market at 31 August 2026, or a larger US share if you prefer.
What is the minimum investment for VTIAX and VTSAX?
Both prospectuses say the minimum to open an Admiral Shares account is generally $3,000, and generally $1 to add. The ETF classes of the same funds, VXUS and VTI, have no minimum beyond one share.
Why does VTIAX cost more than VTSAX?
VTIAX's prospectus shows 0.07% in management fees plus 0.02% in other expenses, 0.09% in total, against 0.04% for VTSAX. That is $9 against $4 a year per $10,000. Both management fee and other expenses are higher on the international side.
Do VTIAX and VTSAX overlap?
Barely. Matching their latest SEC holdings filings, they share four companies (Waste Connections, Sunbelt Rentals, RB Global and Energy Fuels), worth about 0.1% of either fund.
Which goes in a taxable account, VTIAX or VTSAX?
VTSAX lost less to taxes on distributions (0.46 points a year over ten years, against 0.83 for VTIAX), but VTIAX may pass through foreign taxes that can be claimed as a credit, which is only usable in a taxable account. Many investors put VTIAX in taxable for that reason; check with a tax professional for your own case.
Can I switch from VTSAX to VTIAX without tax?
No. They are different funds, and Vanguard's prospectus states that an exchange between classes of different funds is a taxable event. In a taxable account, adjust the split with new contributions where you can.
Cite This Page
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"VTIAX vs VTSAX: Not Rivals, the Two Halves of One Portfolio." Wealthy Pot, 2026. https://wealthypot.com/vtiax-vs-vtsax/
Related comparisons: VTSAX vs VTWAX · VTIAX vs VXUS · VTI vs VXUS · VT vs VTSAX · VFIAX vs VTSAX · VEA vs VWO · All ETF comparisons
