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10 Best-Performing Vanguard ETFs for July 2026

ETFs often have relatively low expense ratios and offer instant diversification. Some of the best-performing Vanguard ETFs this month include VGT and VPL.

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Alana Benson is an editor who joined NerdWallet in 2019. Historically she has covered a wide variety of investing topics including stocks, socially responsible investing, cryptocurrency, mutual funds, HSAs and financial advice. She is also a frequent contributor to NerdWallet's "Smart Money" podcast. Alana has appeared on FOX Houston and the "PennyWise" podcast and has been quoted in MarketWatch and The Sun. Before joining NerdWallet, she wrote two books on identity theft and several young adult nonfiction titles. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Associated Press, MSN, Yahoo Finance and MarketWatch.

Published in

Editor & Content Strategist

Alana Benson is an editor who joined NerdWallet in 2019. Historically she has covered a wide variety of investing topics including stocks, socially responsible investing, cryptocurrency, mutual funds, HSAs and financial advice. She is also a frequent contributor to NerdWallet's "Smart Money" podcast. Alana has appeared on FOX Houston and the "PennyWise" podcast and has been quoted in MarketWatch and The Sun. Before joining NerdWallet, she wrote two books on identity theft and several young adult nonfiction titles. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Associated Press, MSN, Yahoo Finance and MarketWatch.

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Managing Editor

Pamela de la Fuente is a managing editor of NerdWallet's personal finance content. She leads budgeting, money-making, consumer credit and and debt coverage.

Ask her and her talented team about why credit scores matter, how to save money on your grocery bill, finding the right side hustle, how to protect your identity for free and more.

Previously, she led taxes and retirement coverage at NerdWallet.

Pamela joined NerdWallet after working at companies including Hallmark Cards, Sprint Corp. and The Kansas City Star. She has been a writer and editor for more than 20 years.

Pamela is a thought leader in content diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and finds ways to make every piece of content conversational and accessible to all.

She is a graduate of the Maynard Institute's Maynard 200 program, and the National Association of Black Journalists Executive Leadership Academy. She is a two-time winner of the Kansas City Association of Black Journalists' President's Award. She was also founding co-chair of NerdWallet's Nerds of Color employee resource group.

Here are the top 10 best-performing Vanguard ETFs this month and their expense ratios. Keep in mind that past performance doesn't guarantee future results, and performance is just one metric of many to consider when selecting investments.

The best-performing Vanguard ETF by one-year return is Vanguard U.S. Momentum Factor ETF (VFMO), which is up 43.06%.

Ticker

Company

Performance (Year)

Net Expense Ratio

VFMO

Vanguard U.S. Momentum Factor ETF

43.06%

0.13%

VGT

Vanguard Information Technology ETF

42.75%

0.09%

VPL

Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF

38.29%

0.07%

VTWV

Vanguard Russell 2000 Value Index ETF

37.59%

0.06%

VTWG

Vanguard Russell 2000 Growth Index ETF

37.40%

0.06%

VTWO

Vanguard Russell 2000 Index ETF

37.33%

0.06%

VIOV

Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 Value ETF

33.51%

0.10%

VIOO

Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 ETF

33.30%

0.07%

VIOG

Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF

32.58%

0.10%

VBK

Vanguard Small Cap Growth ETF

30.93%

0.05%

Source: Finviz. Data is current as of July 1, 2026, and is intended for informational purposes only.

Heads-up, investors → Vanguard ETFs are available through any broker, not just Vanguard. You can compare all the online brokers we review here.

Are Vanguard ETFs a good investment?

All investments carry some risk, and Vanguard ETFs are no exception. But Vanguard is a fund provider with a reliable company history, and well-diversified ETFs tend to be safer than individual stocks. That's because if a single asset within an ETF goes out of business, you have hundreds, or even thousands, of other assets that can help bolster your portfolio.

You can find broad-market ETFs, such as those that track the S&P 500, and sector-specific ETFs, such as oil, commodity, and clean energy ETFs, to further diversify your portfolio.

Vanguard is also a leader in low-cost investing. In February 2026, Vanguard lowered expense ratios for 84 of its funds. Some saw substantial expense ratio reductions, like the Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF — featured on our list above — whose 0.17% expense ratio was slashed to 0.07%. Others saw a more moderate 0.01% reduction.

Either way, lower expense ratios are always a good thing. They allow you to keep more of your money invested in the market, which equals more opportunity for it to grow.

» Learn more about how to invest in ETFs

10 popular Vanguard ETFs

Vanguard's best-performing ETFs listed above offer more diversification than a single stock, but they often track a specific sector, region, or company size. For more diversification, Vanguard offers broad ETFs that span entire asset classes.

Here are 10 of Vanguard’s most popular ETFs in order of assets under management.

1. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)

VOO tracks the performance of the S&P 500 Index, which is made up of 500 of the largest and most established companies in the United States. It has the largest assets under management of any ETF on the market, recently surpassing $1 trillion. Vanguard considers the fund “moderate to aggressive,” and its top holdings are Nvidia, Apple and Microsoft.

2. Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI)

VTI follows the CRSP US Total Market Index and includes large-, mid- and small-cap stocks. It contains nearly 3,500 stocks and is considered "moderate to aggressive." Like VOO, its top three holdings are Nvidia, Apple and Microsoft.

3. Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (VEA)

VEA tracks the FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index, which is made up of large-, mid- and small-cap stocks in Canada, Europe and the Pacific region. The fund contains close to 4,000 stocks and is categorized as “aggressive.” Its top holdings are Samsung, SK hynix and ASML.

4. Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG)

VUG mirrors the performance of the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index, which contains about 150 high-growth companies and is considered a “moderate to aggressive” risk. Like some other popular Vanguard ETFs, its top three holdings are Nvidia, Apple and Microsoft.

5. Vanguard Value ETF (VTV)

VTV tracks the performance of the CRSP US Large Cap Value Index, which is made up of over 300 large-cap value stocks. The fund is considered “moderate to aggressive” and is weighted most heavily on the financial sector. Its top three holdings are Micron, JPMorgan and Berkshire Hathaway.

6. Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND)

BND tracks the performance of a broad bond index. This fund holds over 11,000 bonds with an average duration of about six years. It is classified as a “conservative to moderate” fund, meaning it will not have as much growth potential as a stock-based fund.

7. Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS)

VXUS tracks the performance of the FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index, which focuses on international companies. It holds over 8,500 stocks and is categorized as an "aggressive" fund, meaning it may be subject to big share price swings. VXUS holds stocks mostly from emerging markets, Europe and the Pacific region.

8. Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT)

VGT follows the stock prices of more than 300 software, semiconductor and other IT-focused companies. Its risk profile is considered “aggressive,” and its top holdings are the same as other ETFs on this list: Nvidia, Apple and Microsoft.

9. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO)

VWO aims to track the performance of the FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index, which contains stocks from emerging markets like China, Brazil, Taiwan and South Africa. It’s considered an "aggressive" fund, and its top holdings are Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Tencent and Alibaba.

10. Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF (VO)

VO tracks the performance of the CRSP US Mid Cap Index, which contains close to 300 medium-sized stocks. On average, companies in this index have market caps around $37 billion. The fund is considered “aggressive,” and its top three holdings are Seagate Technology, Western Digital and Vertiv.

Brokerage firms

on Charles Schwab's website

on E*TRADE's website

on Vanguard's website

on Fidelity's website

How much does it cost to buy Vanguard ETFs?

Like stocks, you purchase ETFs by their share price, so when looking at the cost of an ETF, you'll want to multiply the cost of a single share by the number of shares you want to buy.

According to Vanguard, "an ETF's minimum is the price of a single share, which could be as little as $50, depending on the ETF." However, you can buy a fractional share of a Vanguard ETF for $1.

In addition to the actual purchase price of an ETF, it's also important to consider ongoing fees, such as expense ratios. Expense ratios are the annual fees investors pay to cover a fund's operating costs. For example, if you invest in a fund with a 1% expense ratio, you'll pay $10 annually for every $1,000 invested.

» Check out our list of the cheapest ETFs and index funds

How do you buy Vanguard ETFs?

There are two ways to purchase Vanguard ETFs: directly from Vanguard or by opening a brokerage account. You'll need to choose the type of investment account you'd like to open, such as a traditional brokerage account or a Roth or traditional individual retirement account.

Once you have opened an investing account and have added money, you'll need to decide which ETFs you'd like to purchase.

» Want more options? See our picks for the best brokers for ETF investing

The bottom line

While it depends on your financial situation and existing portfolio, Vanguard ETFs could make sound investments for most individuals, especially if you plan to invest over a long period.

» Learn more: Read our Vanguard brokerage review

Helpful resources