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Vanguard Canadian Aggregate Bond Index ETF (VAB.TO) Alternatives

ETF · Currency in CAD · Last updated Jun 25, 2026

The Vanguard Canadian Aggregate Bond Index ETF tracks a broad portfolio of investment-grade Canadian government, government-related, and corporate bonds with maturities longer than one year.

Vanguard Canadian Aggregate Bond Index ETF (VAB.TO) belongs to the Total Bond Market category. Below you'll find alternative ETFs from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with VAB.TO. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.

Cheapest Alternatives to VAB.TO

VAB.TO charges 0.09% annually. No ETFs in the Total Bond Market category have lower expense ratios; the lowest-cost alternatives shown here go as low as 0.09%.

SymbolNameExpense RatioAUMInception
HBB.TO
Global X Canadian Select Universe Bond Index Corpo...0.09%3.75BMay 2014VAB.TO vs HBB.TO
XAGH.TO
iShares U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged)0.18%—Aug 2021VAB.TO vs XAGH.TO
VBU.NEO
Vanguard U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF0.22%—Jun 2014VAB.TO vs VBU.NEO
CDLB.TO
CI DoubleLine Total Return Bond US$ Fund ETF C$ He...0.85%1.23MMay 2020VAB.TO vs CDLB.TO

Lowest Volatility Alternatives to VAB.TO

VAB.TO has 4.41% 1-year volatility. There is 1 ETF in the Total Bond Market category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 3.89%.

SymbolNameVolatility 1YAUMInception
CDLB.TO
CI DoubleLine Total Return Bond US$ Fund ETF C$ He...3.89%1.23MMay 2020VAB.TO vs CDLB.TO
HBB.TO
Global X Canadian Select Universe Bond Index Corpo...4.48%3.75BMay 2014VAB.TO vs HBB.TO
VBU.NEO
Vanguard U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF4.74%—Jun 2014VAB.TO vs VBU.NEO
XAGH.TO
iShares U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged)5.03%—Aug 2021VAB.TO vs XAGH.TO

Other ETFs from Vanguard

The 10 most viewed Vanguard ETFs shown here include VFV.TO, VDY.TO, VEQT.TO and span 7 categories. AUM among these funds goes as high as $33B.

SymbolNameCategoryRisk / Return RankYTD ReturnAUMInception
VFV.TO
Vanguard S&P 500 Index ETFS&P 500
74
11.92%
32.85BNov 2012VAB.TO vs VFV.TO
VDY.TO
Vanguard FTSE Canadian High Dividend Yield Index E...Dividend
98
23.93%
7.99BNov 2012VAB.TO vs VDY.TO
VEQT.TO
Vanguard All-Equity ETF PortfolioGlobal Equities
83
13.03%
14.70BJan 2019VAB.TO vs VEQT.TO
VGRO.TO
Vanguard Growth ETF PortfolioDiversified Portfolio
81
10.72%
10.14BJan 2018VAB.TO vs VGRO.TO
VCN.TO
Vanguard FTSE Canada All Cap Index ETFCanada Equities
82
10.34%
15.96BAug 2013VAB.TO vs VCN.TO
VBAL.TO
Vanguard Balanced ETF PortfolioDiversified Portfolio
71
8.40%
5.44BJan 2018VAB.TO vs VBAL.TO
VIU.TO
Vanguard FTSE Developed All Cap ex North America I...International Equity
69
18.03%
10.65BDec 2015VAB.TO vs VIU.TO
VCE.TO
Vanguard FTSE Canada Index ETFCanada Equities
78
10.72%
3.48BNov 2011VAB.TO vs VCE.TO
VIDY.TO
Vanguard FTSE Developed ex North America High Divi...Foreign Large Cap Equities, Dividend
75
13.09%
1.90BAug 2018VAB.TO vs VIDY.TO
VXC.TO
Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap ex Canada Index ETFGlobal Equities
77
14.02%
3.45BJun 2014VAB.TO vs VXC.TO

Often Compared With VAB.TO

Investors most often compare VAB.TO with ZAG.TO, XBB.TO, XCB.TO. These 20 comparison targets span 16 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.

SymbolNameCategoryRisk / Return RankYTD ReturnAUMInception
ZAG.TO
BMO Aggregate Bond Index ETFCanadian Government Bonds
24
2.21%
12.97BJan 2010VAB.TO vs ZAG.TO
XBB.TO
iShares Core Canadian Universe Bond Index ETFIntermediate Core Bond
24
2.12%
10.10BNov 2000VAB.TO vs XBB.TO
XCB.TO
iShares Core Canadian Corporate Bond Index ETFCorporate Bonds
35
2.10%
3.36BNov 2006VAB.TO vs XCB.TO
VSB.TO
Vanguard Canadian Short Term BondCanadian Government Bonds
49
1.32%
1.56BNov 2011VAB.TO vs VSB.TO
TLT
iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETFGovernment Bonds, Long-Term Bond
16
2.15%
41.34BJul 2002VAB.TO vs TLT
VCB.TO
Vanguard Canadian Corporate Bond Index ETFCorporate Bonds
36
1.75%
802.07MJan 2017VAB.TO vs VCB.TO
TLTW
iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond BuyWrite Strategy E...Derivative Income
36
3.37%
1.93BJun 2022VAB.TO vs TLTW
XEQT.TO
iShares Core Equity ETF PortfolioGlobal Equities
81
12.77%
19.56BAug 2019VAB.TO vs XEQT.TO
TDB.TO
TD Canadian Aggregate Bond Index ETFCanadian Government Bonds
24
2.14%
3.92BMar 2016VAB.TO vs TDB.TO
DGRO
iShares Core Dividend Growth ETFLarge Cap Growth Equities, Dividend
78
9.37%
41.89BJun 2014VAB.TO vs DGRO
ZDB.TO
BMO Discount BondCanadian Government Bonds
22
2.06%
1.32BFeb 2014VAB.TO vs ZDB.TO
ZCM.TO
BMO Mid Corporate Bond Index ETFCorporate Bonds
36
2.47%
1.46BJan 2010VAB.TO vs ZCM.TO
XHB.TO
iShares Canadian HYBrid Corporate Bond Index ETFCorporate Bonds
54
2.43%
227.18MSep 2010VAB.TO vs XHB.TO
ZSP.TO
BMO S&P 500 Index ETFS&P 500
73
11.92%
24.23BNov 2012VAB.TO vs ZSP.TO
VBG.NEO
Vanguard Global ex-U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF (...Global Bonds
8
0.49%
—Jun 2014VAB.TO vs VBG.NEO
BND
Vanguard Total Bond Market ETFTotal Bond Market
35
0.94%
394.40BApr 2007VAB.TO vs BND
XSB.TO
iShares Core Canadian Short Term Bond Index ETFShort-Term Bond, Canadian Government Bonds
49
1.36%
4.28BNov 2000VAB.TO vs XSB.TO
CASH.TO
Global X High Interest Savings ETFMoney Market
99
0.95%
6.67BNov 2021VAB.TO vs CASH.TO
VCIP.TO
Vanguard Conservative Income ETF PortfolioDiversified Portfolio
52
3.72%
254.60MJan 2019VAB.TO vs VCIP.TO
ZST.TO
BMO Ultra Short-Term Bond ETFCanadian Government Bonds, Ultrashort Bond
51
1.24%
3.54BJan 2011VAB.TO vs ZST.TO

Compare VAB.TO with Any Fund or Stock

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

 

Diversifiers

Pair VAB.TO with funds that move differently

Vanguard Canadian Aggregate Bond Index ETF alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to VAB.TO.

Explore VAB.TO Diversifiers