VTI vs VTSAX: Which Vanguard Total Stock Market Share Class Should You Buy?

Fund data from Vanguard fact sheets F0970 (VTI) and F0585 (VTSAX), as of June 30, 2026, and the April 28, 2026 summary prospectuses on SEC EDGAR, fetched October 5, 2026. Yields, tax-cost ratios, trading volume and bid-ask spreads are omitted because these documents do not report them. For education only, not investment advice.

Sources: Vanguard VTI fact sheet (PDF); Vanguard VTSAX fact sheet (PDF); VTI summary prospectus; VTSAX summary prospectus. Annual cost is our arithmetic from the stated expense ratios.

What is the difference between VTI and VTSAX?

There is one portfolio behind both tickers. Vanguard's April 28, 2026 prospectuses describe VTI as the fund's ETF Shares and VTSAX as its Admiral Shares. The differences are the wrapper: VTI costs 0.03% and trades on an exchange, while VTSAX costs 0.04%, needs $3,000 to open and trades once a day.

As of June 30, 2026, VTI's ETF share class held $663.5 billion (29% of the fund) and VTSAX's Admiral class held $484.8 billion (21%), out of $2,298.3 billion fund-wide. The rest sits in Vanguard's institutional share classes. Vanguard says the fund and its benchmark are being renamed from CRSP to Morningstar after Morningstar acquired CRSP; the June 30 fact sheets still list CRSP.

Which costs less, VTI or VTSAX?

VTI is cheaper by 0.01 percentage point a year. Vanguard's prospectus example puts the cost of $10,000 held 10 years at $39 for VTI and $51 for VTSAX, a $12 gap. VTI buyers may also pay a brokerage commission and the bid-ask spread, which the example leaves out.

The example above is copied from each summary prospectus, which assumes $10,000, a 5% yearly return and unchanged expenses. The VTI prospectus adds that the example “does not include the brokerage commissions that you may pay to buy and sell ETF Shares.” Many brokers no longer charge commissions on ETF trades, but check yours.

How have VTI and VTSAX performed?

Returns are nearly identical. Over 10 years to June 30, 2026, VTI's NAV returned 15.04% a year and VTSAX 15.03%, per Vanguard. One-year figures were 23.16% and 23.15%. The small gaps track the expense-ratio difference. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

VTSAX trailed its benchmark in 7 of the 10 calendar years from 2016 to 2025, by a few hundredths of a point each time, which is about what a 0.04% fee implies. A $10,000 investment in VTSAX at the end of 2015 grew to $37,850 by December 31, 2025, per the fact sheet.

How do you buy and sell VTI versus VTSAX?

VTI trades like a stock through a broker during market hours, at a price that can sit slightly above or below NAV. VTSAX is bought from and sold back to the fund at the net asset value, which mutual funds generally calculate once each business day after the major U.S. exchanges close, per the SEC.

• VTI’s prospectus says ETF Shares “may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a brokerage firm” at the market price, which may be a premium or discount to NAV.
• VTSAX orders go to the fund and fill at the next NAV, so every buyer that day gets the same price.
• VTSAX lets you invest an exact dollar amount, such as $250 a month. With VTI, exact-dollar investing depends on whether your broker supports fractional shares.
• Mutual fund shares of Vanguard funds can be harder to hold outside Vanguard; VTI is available at nearly any brokerage.

The SEC’s investor.gov glossary explains that mutual funds “generally must calculate their NAV at least once every business day, typically after the major U.S. exchanges close.”

Is there a minimum investment for VTI or VTSAX?

The VTSAX summary prospectus says opening an Admiral Shares account directly with Vanguard generally requires $3,000, and additions can be as small as $1. The VTI prospectus says there is no minimum dollar amount or number of shares unless your brokerage firm sets one. That makes VTI easier for small first purchases.

Both documents also carry the same tax language: the fund’s “distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gains” outside a tax-advantaged account. WealthyBud does not estimate after-tax returns for either share class.

What do VTI and VTSAX hold?

Both hold the same portfolio. Vanguard listed 3,531 stocks in the fund's ETF shares as of June 30, 2026, with a median market cap of $336.5 billion. The top 10 holdings, led by NVIDIA and Apple, were 33.4% of assets in both fact sheets.

Largest sectors on both fact sheets (ICB classification), as of June 30, 2026:

• Technology: 41.0% of the fund
• Industrials: 12.5% of the fund
• Consumer Discretionary: 12.3% of the fund
• Financials: 10.0% of the fund
• Health Care: 9.1% of the fund

For a narrower large-cap fund, compare VOO vs VTI. For the fund page with price history, see VTI; for stocks outside the U.S., see VXUS.

Should you buy VTI or VTSAX?

Choose VTI if you invest through any brokerage, want the lower 0.03% fee, or are starting below $3,000. Choose VTSAX if you hold assets at Vanguard and want automatic purchases in exact dollar amounts at NAV. Both own the same stocks, so this is a convenience choice, not a portfolio choice.

VTI fits you if:

• You use a brokerage other than Vanguard, or might move accounts later.
• You want the lowest fee available to individual investors in this fund (0.03%).
• You are starting with less than $3,000.

VTSAX fits you if:

• Your account is at Vanguard and you want scheduled purchases in exact dollar amounts.
• You prefer one end-of-day price and no bid-ask spread on each purchase.
• You are fine paying 0.01 point more a year for that convenience.

Either way, one U.S. total-market fund leaves out international stocks and bonds. See ETF vs mutual fund statistics and index fund statistics for the wider picture.

Frequently asked questions

Key takeaways

• VTI and VTSAX are share classes of one fund, Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund, with one portfolio.
• VTI costs 0.03% a year; VTSAX costs 0.04%, per the April 28, 2026 prospectuses.
• VTSAX generally needs $3,000 to open at Vanguard; VTI has no fund-set minimum.
• 10-year returns to June 30, 2026: VTI NAV 15.04% a year, VTSAX 15.03%.
• Pick by account type and buying habits, not by holdings.