BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

ETF Portfolio Builder

New

ETF Portfolio Builder

New

FADvsVBKETF Comparison

ETF 1

FAD

First Trust Multi Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund ETF

This fund is part of

US Multi-Factor

-0.05%

Full FAD fund page

VS

ETF 2

VBK

Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF

This fund is part of

US Small Cap Growth

-0.17%

Full VBK fund page

First Trust Multi Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund ETF (FAD) belongs to the US Multi-Factor segment. Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF (VBK) is part of the US Small Cap Growth segment. FAD's top 3 sector exposures are Industrials, Information Technology and Health Care. In contrast, VBK's top sector exposures are Information Technology, Industrials and Health Care. FAD is more expensive with a Total Expense Ratio (TER) of 0.63%, versus 0.05% for VBK. FAD is up 7.37% year-to-date (YTD) with +$51M in YTD flows. VBK performs better with 8.87% YTD performance, and -$535M in YTD flows. Run a side-by-side ETF comparison of FAD and VBK below, and assess how they stack up in performance, liquidity, risk, exposure, holdings, and more, helping you select the best ETF for your investments.

Find out how industry players manage ETF portfolios. Discover our library of Model portfolios

FAD vs VBK performance and flow charts

Performance

Cumulative Flows

Get all the metrics on this page, and more, through a reliable ETF data feed

Daily, global ETF data for advanced analysis or integration into apps (API), from our partner Trackinsight.

Data Services

Historic performance and flows

Data as of 04/28/2026

		1M	3M	YTD	1Y	3Y	5Y
Perf.	FAD VBK	+13.48%+13.30%	+2.38%+2.03%	+7.37%+8.87%	+34.66%+33.22%	+80.07%+56.47%	+53.92%+16.12%
Flows	FAD VBK	+$25M-$4M	+$26M+$96M	+$51M-$535M	+$113M-$540M	+$141M+$1.34B	+$125M+$2.79B

Volatility and drawdown

		3M	1Y	3Y	5Y
Volatility	FAD VBK	+22.36%+24.81%	+17.97%+19.65%	+19.12%+20.94%	+21.07%+23.47%
Max drawdown	FAD VBK	-10.12%-10.35%	-10.70%-11.37%	-23.51%-27.46%	-31.99%-38.36%
Max drawdown duration	FAD VBK	43d46d	81d82d	230d287d	967d1110d

Trading data

Create an account to view trading data

Join for free

	FAD	VBK
Last sale 4/29/2026 at 7:58 PM	$173.00	$330.33
Previous close 04/29/2026	$173.71	$327.52
Consolidated volume 04/29/2026
Average volume 30 days
Average discount or premium 30 days
Average Bid/Ask spread 30 days

Replication quality

Data as of March 31, 2026

1-year trailing difference

Create an account to view replication metrics

Join for free

Create an account to view replication quality

Join for free

	FAD	VBK
Tracking error
Tracking difference
1 year cumulative return difference
Best
Worst
Daily return difference
Average
Worst

Main metrics

Last update 4/29/2026 at 7:58 PM

Live

Closed

	FAD	VBK
Last price	$173.00	$330.33
1D performance	-0.41%	+0.86%
AuM	$451.56 M	$21.90 B
E/R	0.63%	0.05%

Characteristics

	FAD	VBK
Management strategy	Passive	Passive
Provider	First Trust	Vanguard
Benchmark	NASDAQ AlphaDEX Multi Cap Growth Index	CRSP U.S. Small Cap Growth Index
N° of holdings	608	465
Asset class	Equities	Equities
Trailing 12m distribution yield	Join	Join
Inception date	May 8, 2007	January 26, 2004
ESG	No	No

More FAD data on Trackinsight

More VBK data on Trackinsight

Exposure

Countries

FAD

USA

94.88%

Other

5.12%

VBK

USA

91.62%

Other

8.38%

Sectors

FAD

Industrials

22.34%

Information Techn.

16.57%

Health Care

13.9%

Consumer Discreti.

11.83%

Financials

10.09%

Other

25.27%

VBK

Information Techn.

21.43%

Industrials

17.75%

Health Care

15.54%

Consumer Discreti.

9.41%

Other

35.87%

Diversification

FAD

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

9.04%

VBK

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

11.63%

Top 15 holdings

Data as of March 31, 2026

FAD

VERTIV HOLDINGS

0.73%

SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY HOLDINGS PLC

0.70%

MICHAEL STORES

0.70%

COMFORT SYSTEMS USA

0.69%

US36828A1016

0.62%

US19247G1076

0.61%

QUANTA SERVICES

0.60%

US5128073062

0.59%

KYG3730V1059

0.58%

CATERPILLAR

0.58%

EMCOR GROUP

0.56%

WOODWARD

0.56%

NEWMONT CORP

0.52%

TAPESTRY INC

0.51%

AMGEN-T

0.49%

VBK

TECHNIPFMC PLC

0.91%

CIENA

0.90%

CASEYS GENERAL STORES

0.88%

NATERA

0.87%

KYG3730V1059

0.82%

CURTISS WRIGHT

0.82%

LUMENTUM HOLDINGS

0.82%

COMFORT SYSTEMS USA

0.79%

US19247G1076

0.73%

ROYAL GOLD

0.71%

AST SPACEMOBILE

0.70%

WOODWARD

0.70%

MICHAEL STORES

0.66%

SOFI TECHNOLOGIES INC

0.66%

ATI INC

0.65%

Frequently asked questions about FAD and VBK

How have the FAD and VBK ETFs performed in 2026?

As of April 28, 2026, FAD is up 7.37% year-to-date (YTD), while VBK has returned 8.87%. That puts VBK better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: FAD or VBK?

Year-to-date, the FAD ETF saw +$51M in flows, compared to -$535M for VBK.

Which ETF is more volatile: FAD or VBK?

Over the past year, FAD had a volatility of 17.97%, while VBK experienced 19.65%.

Which ETF is bigger: FAD or VBK?

As of April 28, 2026, FAD holds $451.56 M in assets under management (AUM), while VBK manages $21.90 B.

What sectors do the FAD and VBK ETFs invest in?

FAD leans toward sectors like Industrials, Information Technology and Health Care. Meanwhile, VBK focuses on Information Technology, Industrials and Health Care.

What are the top holdings of the FAD ETF and VBK ETF?

FAD top holdings include VERTIV HOLDINGS, SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY HOLDINGS PLC and MICHAEL STORES. VBK holds in its top three: TECHNIPFMC PLC, CIENA and CASEYS GENERAL STORES.

FADvsVBKETF Comparison

First Trust Multi Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund ETF

Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF

FAD vs VBK performance and flow charts

Performance

Cumulative Flows

Get all the metrics on this page, and more, through a reliable ETF data feed

Countries

Sectors

Diversification

Top 15 holdings

How have the FAD and VBK ETFs performed in 2026?

As of April 28, 2026, FAD is up 7.37% year-to-date (YTD), while VBK has returned 8.87%. That puts VBK better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: FAD or VBK?

Year-to-date, the FAD ETF saw +$51M in flows, compared to -$535M for VBK.

Which ETF is more volatile: FAD or VBK?

Over the past year, FAD had a volatility of 17.97%, while VBK experienced 19.65%.

Which ETF is bigger: FAD or VBK?

As of April 28, 2026, FAD holds $451.56 M in assets under management (AUM), while VBK manages $21.90 B.

What sectors do the FAD and VBK ETFs invest in?

FAD leans toward sectors like Industrials, Information Technology and Health Care. Meanwhile, VBK focuses on Information Technology, Industrials and Health Care.

What are the top holdings of the FAD ETF and VBK ETF?

FAD top holdings include VERTIV HOLDINGS, SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY HOLDINGS PLC and MICHAEL STORES. VBK holds in its top three: TECHNIPFMC PLC, CIENA and CASEYS GENERAL STORES.

Which ETF is more diversified: FAD or VBK?

FAD holds 672 securities with 9.04% of its assets in the top 15. VBK has 546 securities and a top 15 weight of 11.63%.

Expert-Built ETF Portfolios, All in One Place