At a glance
At least 56% of SCHF’s and VXUS’s holdings overlap by weight. SCHF is an ordinary open-end ETF and VXUS a share class of Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund, which also sells mutual fund shares. SCHF costs less: 0.03% a year against 0.05% for VXUS, or $30 against $50 on every $100,000. SCHF has $69.68B in assets and VXUS $645.86B (all share classes); over the past 12 months SCHF paid out 3.15% of its price and VXUS 2.42%. Over the past year SCHF returned +17.7% and VXUS +12.9% with distributions reinvested; over five years, +9.4% and +8.1% a year. In the 2022 bear market SCHF fell 28.4% at its worst and VXUS 28.4%; SCHF was back at its earlier high 16 months after the low, VXUS 18 months.
Key differences
| SCHF | VXUS | |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Schwab International Equity ETF | Vanguard Total International Stock ETF |
| Issuer | Schwab | Vanguard |
| Structure | Open-end ETF | ETF share class |
| Type | Developed markets | Developed and emerging markets |
| Launched | Nov 3, 2009 | Jan 26, 2011 |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.05% |
| Cost a year on $100,000 | $30 | $50 |
| Net assets | $69.68B | $645.86B * |
| Holdings | 1,475 | 8,779 |
| Ten largest positions | 13.8% | 13.2% |
| Yield (12 months) | 3.15% | 2.42% |
| Pays | semiannual | quarterly |
| Portfolio turnover | 4% a year | 4% a year |
| Price data from | Nov 3, 2009 | Jan 28, 2011 |
Holdings and overlap
Overlap adds up, for every security both funds own, the smaller of its two weights: 100% would mean identical portfolios. The holdings reports list SCHF and VXUS beyond their 600 largest positions only (89% of SCHF, 71% of VXUS), so the figures are floors.
Largest holdings
| Holding | SCHF | VXUS |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd | — | 4.10% |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 2.88% | 1.83% |
| ASML Holding NV | 2.14% | 1.45% |
| Royal Bank of Canada | 0.94% | 0.67% |
| Novartis AG | 0.94% | 0.66% |
| Tencent Holdings Ltd | — | 0.87% |
The biggest differences in weight: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (0.0% in SCHF, 4.1% in VXUS); Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (2.9% in SCHF, 1.8% in VXUS); Tencent Holdings Ltd (0.0% in SCHF, 0.9% in VXUS).
Source: N-PORT holdings reports as of Aug 31, 2026 (SCHF) and Jul 31, 2026 (VXUS).Returns
$10,000 put into SCHF on Jan 31, 2011 was worth $28,009 on Oct 30, 2026, and in VXUS $26,228 (+6.8% and +6.3% a year). That is as far back as the price data for both goes.
| 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCHF price data to Nov 2, 2026 | +17.7% | +20.4% | +9.4% | +10.0% |
| SCHF official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2024 | +3.46% | — | +4.97% | +5.35% |
| VXUS price data to Oct 30, 2026 | +12.9% | +20.3% | +8.1% | +9.1% |
| VXUS official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | +32.23% | — | +7.98% | +8.55% |
Calendar years
| Year | SCHF | VXUS | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | +13.1% * | +10.0% * | SCHF +3.1 |
| 2025 | +34.5% | +32.4% | SCHF +2.2 |
| 2024 | +3.3% | +5.1% | VXUS +1.8 |
| 2023 | +18.3% | +15.9% | SCHF +2.4 |
| 2022 | -14.8% | -16.1% | SCHF +1.3 |
| 2021 | +11.4% | +9.0% | SCHF +2.4 |
| 2020 | +9.5% | +10.7% | VXUS +1.2 |
| 2019 | +22.2% | +21.8% | SCHF +0.5 |
| 2018 | -14.3% | -14.4% | SCHF +0.1 |
| 2017 | +26.0% | +27.5% | VXUS +1.5 |
Downturns and recovery
| SCHF | VXUS | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Before it launched | Before it launched |
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | −33.5% at the worst; back at its high 8 months after the low | −33.3% at the worst; back at its high 8 months after the low |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | −28.4% at the worst; back at its high 16 months after the low | −28.4% at the worst; back at its high 18 months after the low |
| Worst fall in the price data | −34.9% (Jan 26, 2018 – Mar 23, 2020) | −36% (Jan 26, 2018 – Mar 23, 2020) |
Income
| Year | SCHF | VXUS |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $443 | $407 |
| 2024 | $325 | $340 |
| 2023 | $338 | $365 |
| 2022 | $234 | $252 |
| 2021 | $344 | $327 |
| 2020 | $223 | $232 |
| 2019 | $349 | $362 |
| 2018 | $255 | $264 |
Costs
SCHF charges 0.03% a year and VXUS 0.05%: on $100,000 that is $20 a year less with SCHF ($100 on $500,000). The fee comes out of each fund's assets, so it is already in the returns above.
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCHF | $3 | $10 | $17 | $39 |
| VXUS | $5 | $16 | $28 | $64 |