SMBS Alternatives & Similar ETFs

Schwab Mortgage-Backed Securities ETF (SMBS) belongs to the Mortgage Backed Securities category. Below you'll find alternative ETFs from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with SMBS. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.

Cheapest Alternatives to SMBS

SMBS charges 0.03% annually. No ETFs in the Mortgage Backed Securities category have lower expense ratios; the lowest-cost alternatives shown here go as low as 0.04%.

Symbol	Name	Expense Ratio	AUM	Inception
VMBS	Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Securities ETF	0.04%	16.80B	Nov 2009	SMBS vs VMBS
SPMB	SPDR Portfolio Mortgage Backed Bond ETF	0.04%	6.93B	Jan 2009	SMBS vs SPMB
MBB	iShares MBS Bond ETF	0.06%	38.74B	Mar 2007	SMBS vs MBB
MTBA	Simplify MBS ETF	0.15%	1.57B	Nov 2023	SMBS vs MTBA
GNMA	iShares GNMA Bond ETF	0.15%	429.16M	Feb 2012	SMBS vs GNMA

Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to SMBS

SMBS has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 48. There are 5 ETFs in the Mortgage Backed Securities category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 95.

Symbol	Name	Risk / Return Rank	AUM	Inception
FTSD	Franklin Short Duration U.S. Government ETF	95	287.55M	Nov 2013	SMBS vs FTSD
LMBS	First Trust Low Duration Mortgage Opportunities ET...	89	6.27B	Nov 2014	SMBS vs LMBS
VABS	Virtus Newfleet ABS/MBS ETF	69	80.85M	Feb 2021	SMBS vs VABS
PMBS	PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Active Exchange-T...	53	—	Jul 1997	SMBS vs PMBS
JMBS	Janus Henderson Mortgage-Backed Securities ETF	50	6.74B	Sep 2018	SMBS vs JMBS

Top Performing SMBS Alternatives (YTD)

SMBS is at 0.94% YTD. There are 4 ETFs in the Mortgage Backed Securities category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 1.53%.

Symbol	Name	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
VABS	Virtus Newfleet ABS/MBS ETF	1.53%	80.85M	Feb 2021	SMBS vs VABS
LMBS	First Trust Low Duration Mortgage Opportunities ET...	1.34%	6.27B	Nov 2014	SMBS vs LMBS
PMBS	PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Active Exchange-T...	1.12%	—	Jul 1997	SMBS vs PMBS
EVMO	Eaton Vance Mortgage Opportunities ETF	0.98%	—	Aug 2025	SMBS vs EVMO
FTSD	Franklin Short Duration U.S. Government ETF	0.92%	287.55M	Nov 2013	SMBS vs FTSD

Lowest Volatility Alternatives to SMBS

SMBS has 4.14% 1-year volatility. There are 10 ETFs in the Mortgage Backed Securities category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 1.31%.

Symbol	Name	Volatility 1Y	AUM	Inception
FTSD	Franklin Short Duration U.S. Government ETF	1.31%	287.55M	Nov 2013	SMBS vs FTSD
LMBS	First Trust Low Duration Mortgage Opportunities ET...	1.97%	6.27B	Nov 2014	SMBS vs LMBS
VABS	Virtus Newfleet ABS/MBS ETF	2.04%	80.85M	Feb 2021	SMBS vs VABS
EVMO	Eaton Vance Mortgage Opportunities ETF	2.82%	—	Aug 2025	SMBS vs EVMO
MTBA	Simplify MBS ETF	3.10%	1.57B	Nov 2023	SMBS vs MTBA

Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to SMBS

SMBS has a 1-year max drawdown of -2.83%. There are 10 ETFs in the Mortgage Backed Securities category with shallower 1-year drawdowns, going as shallow as -0.45%.

Symbol	Name	Max Drawdown 1Y	AUM	Inception
FTSD	Franklin Short Duration U.S. Government ETF	-0.45%	287.55M	Nov 2013	SMBS vs FTSD
VABS	Virtus Newfleet ABS/MBS ETF	-0.98%	80.85M	Feb 2021	SMBS vs VABS
LMBS	First Trust Low Duration Mortgage Opportunities ET...	-1.43%	6.27B	Nov 2014	SMBS vs LMBS
MBSD	FlexShares Disciplined Duration MBS Index Fund	-2.17%	93.90M	Sep 2014	SMBS vs MBSD
CMBS	iShares CMBS ETF	-2.44%	481.90M	Feb 2012	SMBS vs CMBS

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 $95B.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
SCHD	Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF	Dividend	82	19.01%	94.95B	Oct 2011	SMBS vs SCHD
SCHG	Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF	Large Cap Growth Equities	43	7.74%	61.08B	Dec 2009	SMBS vs SCHG
SCHX	Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF	Large Cap Blend Equities	73	11.50%	72.63B	Nov 2009	SMBS vs SCHX
SCHB	Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF	Large Cap Blend Equities	74	12.09%	43.31B	Nov 2009	SMBS vs SCHB
SCHF	Schwab International Equity ETF	Foreign Large Cap Equities	62	16.56%	66.49B	Nov 2009	SMBS vs SCHF
SCHY	Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF	Dividend, Foreign Large Cap Equities	53	8.96%	2.27B	Apr 2021	SMBS vs SCHY
SCHV	Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETF	Large Cap Value Equities	83	15.29%	15.54B	Dec 2009	SMBS vs SCHV
FNDX	Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company Index ETF	Large Cap Value Equities	91	14.72%	25.47B	Aug 2013	SMBS vs FNDX
SCHA	Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF	Small Cap Growth Equities	76	20.49%	22.78B	Nov 2009	SMBS vs SCHA
FNDF	Schwab Fundamental International Large Company Ind...	Foreign Large Cap Equities	85	22.03%	24.55B	Aug 2013	SMBS vs FNDF

Often Compared With SMBS

Investors most often compare SMBS with HIMU, SCHI, SCHH. These 19 comparison targets span 14 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
HIMU	iShares High Yield Muni Active ETF	High Yield Muni	44	2.68%	—	Feb 2025	SMBS vs HIMU
SCHI	Schwab 5-10 Year Corporate Bond ETF	Corporate Bonds	44	0.42%	11.45B	Oct 2019	SMBS vs SCHI
SCHH	Schwab US REIT ETF	REIT	26	11.03%	9.98B	Jan 2011	SMBS vs SCHH
SPMO	Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF	Momentum, S&P 500	77	29.70%	19.93B	Oct 2015	SMBS vs SPMO
SCHP	Schwab U.S. TIPS ETF	Inflation-Protected Bonds	47	1.76%	15.71B	Aug 2010	SMBS vs SCHP
SCCR	Schwab Core Bond ETF	Intermediate Core Bond	46	0.48%	1.44B	Feb 2025	SMBS vs SCCR
CLOI	VanEck CLO ETF	CLO	97	2.06%	1.34B	Jun 2022	SMBS vs CLOI
VOO	Vanguard S&P 500 ETF	S&P 500	75	11.69%	1.60T	Sep 2010	SMBS vs VOO
JPIE	JPMorgan Income ETF	Multisector Bonds	94	1.56%	9.10B	Oct 2021	SMBS vs JPIE
TLT	iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF	Government Bonds, Long-Term Bond	16	0.13%	42.90B	Jul 2002	SMBS vs TLT
BIL	SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF	Government Bonds, Ultrashort Bond	100	1.46%	45.99B	May 2007	SMBS vs BIL
MGK	Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF	Large Cap Growth Equities	51	11.27%	32.00B	Dec 2007	SMBS vs MGK
USFR	WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund	Government Bonds, Ultrashort Bond	100	1.58%	17.01B	Feb 2014	SMBS vs USFR
VGIT	Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF	Government Bonds	28	-0.27%	48.60B	Nov 2009	SMBS vs VGIT
SHV	iShares 0-1 Year Treasury Bond ETF	Government Bonds, Ultrashort Bond	100	1.42%	20.73B	Jan 2007	SMBS vs SHV
SPTS	SPDR Portfolio Short Term Treasury ETF	Government Bonds, Short-Term Bond	85	0.52%	5.90B	Nov 2011	SMBS vs SPTS
TLH	iShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF	Government Bonds, Long-Term Bond	19	-0.13%	11.36B	Jan 2007	SMBS vs TLH
VGSH	Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF	Government Bonds, Short-Term Bond	83	0.52%	33.50B	Nov 2009	SMBS vs VGSH
GBIL	Goldman Sachs Access Treasury 0-1 Year ETF	Government Bonds, Ultrashort Bond	100	1.40%	7.62B	Sep 2016	SMBS vs GBIL

Compare SMBS with Any Fund or Stock

Compare SMBS with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.

Symbol name

Diversifiers

Pair SMBS with funds that move differently

Schwab Mortgage-Backed Securities ETF alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to SMBS.

Explore SMBS Diversifiers

Schwab Mortgage-Backed Securities ETF (SMBS) Alternatives