Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF (SCHO) belongs to the Government Bonds category. Below you'll find alternative ETFs from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with SCHO. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.
Cheapest Alternatives to SCHO
SCHO charges 0.03% annually. No ETFs in the Government Bonds category have lower expense ratios; the lowest-cost alternatives shown here go as low as 0.03%.
| Symbol | Name | Expense Ratio | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Street SPDR Portfolio Treasury ETF | 0.03% | 283.18M | May 2024 | SCHO vs SPTB | |
| SPDR Portfolio Short Term Treasury ETF | 0.03% | 6.07B | Nov 2011 | SCHO vs SPTS | |
| Vanguard Total Treasury ETF | 0.03% | 122.30M | Jul 2025 | SCHO vs VTG | |
| Schwab Long-Term U.S. Treasury ETF | 0.03% | 755.94M | Oct 2019 | SCHO vs SCHQ | |
| Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF | 0.03% | 14.80B | Nov 2009 | SCHO vs VGLT |
Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to SCHO
SCHO has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 88. There are 16 ETFs in the Government Bonds category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 100.
| Symbol | Name | Risk / Return Rank | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF | 100 | 46.75B | May 2007 | SCHO vs BIL | |
| Goldman Sachs Access Treasury 0-1 Year ETF | 100 | 7.68B | Sep 2016 | SCHO vs GBIL | |
| iShares 0-1 Year Treasury Bond ETF | 100 | 20.86B | Jan 2007 | SCHO vs SHV | |
| WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund | 100 | 17.91B | Feb 2014 | SCHO vs USFR | |
| iShares Treasury Floating Rate Bond ETF | 100 | 6.55B | Feb 2014 | SCHO vs TFLO |
Top Performing SCHO Alternatives (YTD)
SCHO is at 0.58% YTD. There are 16 ETFs in the Government Bonds category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 4.72%.
| Symbol | Name | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quadratic Deflation ETF | 4.72% | 67.49M | Sep 2021 | SCHO vs BNDD | |
| iShares Global Government Bond USD Hedged Active E... | 2.36% | 2.91B | Jun 2025 | SCHO vs GGOV | |
| Simplify Treasury Option Income ETF | 2.36% | 474.96M | Oct 2022 | SCHO vs BUCK | |
| WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund | 2.05% | 17.91B | Feb 2014 | SCHO vs USFR | |
| iShares Treasury Floating Rate Bond ETF | 2.02% | 6.55B | Feb 2014 | SCHO vs TFLO |
Lowest Volatility Alternatives to SCHO
SCHO has 1.41% 1-year volatility. There are 21 ETFs in the Government Bonds category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 0.20%.
| Symbol | Name | Volatility 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF | 0.20% | 46.75B | May 2007 | SCHO vs BIL | |
| iShares 0-1 Year Treasury Bond ETF | 0.21% | 20.86B | Jan 2007 | SCHO vs SHV | |
| Goldman Sachs Access Treasury 0-1 Year ETF | 0.23% | 7.68B | Sep 2016 | SCHO vs GBIL | |
| WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund | 0.27% | 17.91B | Feb 2014 | SCHO vs USFR | |
| iShares Treasury Floating Rate Bond ETF | 0.29% | 6.55B | Feb 2014 | SCHO vs TFLO |
Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to SCHO
SCHO has a 1-year max drawdown of -0.86%. There are 15 ETFs in the Government Bonds category with shallower 1-year drawdowns, going as shallow as -0.01%.
| Symbol | Name | Max Drawdown 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF | -0.01% | 46.75B | May 2007 | SCHO vs BIL | |
| WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund | -0.02% | 17.91B | Feb 2014 | SCHO vs USFR | |
| iShares Treasury Floating Rate Bond ETF | -0.02% | 6.55B | Feb 2014 | SCHO vs TFLO | |
| Goldman Sachs Access Treasury 0-1 Year ETF | -0.02% | 7.68B | Sep 2016 | SCHO vs GBIL | |
| iShares 0-1 Year Treasury Bond ETF | -0.03% | 20.86B | Jan 2007 | SCHO vs SHV |
Other ETFs from Charles Schwab
The 10 most viewed Charles Schwab ETFs shown here include SCHD, SCHG, SCHX and span 6 categories. AUM among these funds goes as high as $99B.
| Symbol | Name | Category | Risk / Return Rank | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF | Dividend | 86 | 20.66% | 98.55B | Oct 2011 | SCHO vs SCHD | |
| Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF | Large Cap Growth Equities | 33 | 5.60% | 60.56B | Dec 2009 | SCHO vs SCHG | |
| Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF | Large Cap Blend Equities | 63 | 10.34% | 72.77B | Nov 2009 | SCHO vs SCHX | |
| Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF | Large Cap Blend Equities | 65 | 11.00% | 43.66B | Nov 2009 | SCHO vs SCHB | |
| Schwab International Equity ETF | Foreign Large Cap Equities | 60 | 13.29% | 66.31B | Nov 2009 | SCHO vs SCHF | |
| Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF | Dividend, Foreign Large Cap Equities | 62 | 9.51% | 2.36B | Apr 2021 | SCHO vs SCHY | |
| Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETF | Large Cap Value Equities | 85 | 16.63% | 15.78B | Dec 2009 | SCHO vs SCHV | |
| Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company Index ETF | Large Cap Value Equities | 93 | 16.60% | 26.25B | Aug 2013 | SCHO vs FNDX | |
| Schwab Fundamental International Equity ETF | Foreign Large Cap Equities, Large Cap Value Equities | 82 | 16.98% | 24.25B | Aug 2013 | SCHO vs FNDF | |
| Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF | Small Cap Blend Equities | 74 | 21.01% | 23.26B | Nov 2009 | SCHO vs SCHA |
Often Compared With SCHO
Investors most often compare SCHO with SGOV, VGSH, BSV. These 20 comparison targets span 12 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.
Compare SCHO with Any Fund or Stock
Compare SCHO with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.
Pair SCHO with funds that move differently
Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to SCHO.
Explore SCHO Diversifiers