IJT alternatives and similar ETFs

IJT alternatives at a glance#

Each fund below can stand in for IJT, closest first. “Related” funds make a different bet that often moves the same way.

Fees come from each fund company, checked on the dates shown on each fund’s page.

How IJT and its alternatives did over the same dates#

Each row measures the alternative and IJT on the days both traded, so neither gets a head start. Correlation shows how closely their daily moves matched over about the last five years. A value of 1 means they always moved together.

Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.

Each IJT alternative, compared#

SCHA: Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF#

SCHA is a looser match. It holds small US companies, while IJT holds small US companies whose sales and profits are growing fast.

It charges 0.03% a year, about $3 on $10,000, against $18 for IJT. It held 1,721 stocks, against 372 for IJT.

From November 2009 to October 2026, SCHA returned about 11.8% a year and IJT returned about 12.3% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.98).

Read the SCHA fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

IJR: iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF#

IJR is a looser match. It holds small US companies, while IJT holds small US companies whose sales and profits are growing fast.

It charges 0.06% a year, about $6 on $10,000, against $18 for IJT. It held 643 stocks, against 372 for IJT.

From July 2000 to October 2026, IJR returned about 9.7% a year and IJT returned about 9.2% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.98).

Read the IJR fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

IWM: iShares Russell 2000 ETF#

IWM is a looser match. It holds small US companies, while IJT holds small US companies whose sales and profits are growing fast.

It charges 0.19% a year, about $19 on $10,000, against $18 for IJT. It held 1,983 stocks, against 372 for IJT.

From July 2000 to October 2026, IWM returned about 8.1% a year and IJT returned about 9.2% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.98).

Read the IWM fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

VB: Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF#

VB is a looser match. It holds small US companies, while IJT holds small US companies whose sales and profits are growing fast.

It charges 0.03% a year, about $3 on $10,000, against $18 for IJT. It held 1,301 stocks, against 372 for IJT.

From January 2004 to October 2026, VB returned about 9.6% a year and IJT returned about 9.8% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.97).

Read the VB fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

IWN: iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF#

IWN is a looser match. It holds small US companies that look cheap compared with their earnings and assets, while IJT holds small US companies whose sales and profits are growing fast.

It charges 0.24% a year, about $24 on $10,000, against $18 for IJT. It held 1,410 stocks, against 372 for IJT.

From July 2000 to October 2026, IWN returned about 9.2% a year and IJT returned about 9.2% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.96).

Read the IWN fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

VBR: Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap Value ETF#

VBR is a looser match. It holds small US companies that look cheap compared with their earnings and assets, while IJT holds small US companies whose sales and profits are growing fast.

It charges 0.05% a year, about $5 on $10,000, against $18 for IJT. It held 820 stocks, against 372 for IJT.

From January 2004 to October 2026, VBR returned about 9.4% a year and IJT returned about 9.8% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.95).

Read the VBR fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

IJS: iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Value ETF#

IJS is a looser match. It holds small US companies that look cheap compared with their earnings and assets, while IJT holds small US companies whose sales and profits are growing fast.

It charges 0.18% a year, about $18 on $10,000, against $18 for IJT. It held 480 stocks, against 372 for IJT.

From July 2000 to October 2026, IJS returned about 9.7% a year and IJT returned about 9.2% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.94).

Read the IJS fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

AVUV: Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value ETF#

AVUV is a looser match. It holds small US companies that look cheap compared with their earnings and assets, while IJT holds small US companies whose sales and profits are growing fast.

It charges 0.25% a year, about $25 on $10,000, against $18 for IJT. It held 794 stocks, against 372 for IJT.

From September 2019 to October 2026, AVUV returned about 15.0% a year and IJT returned about 9.5% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.94).

Read the AVUV fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

IJT versions from other fund companies#

Some people keep all their funds with one company. Here is the closest fund to IJT from each other company on this page:

• Schwab: SCHA, Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF (related fund, 0.03% a year)
• Vanguard: VB, Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF (related fund, 0.03% a year)
• Avantis Investors (American Century): AVUV, Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value ETF (related fund, 0.25% a year)

Most brokers let you buy any ETF, whoever runs it. Mutual fund versions, such as a fund company’s index mutual fund, are not listed here.

How to choose between IJT and its alternatives#

• What it tracks. A fund on the same index holds the same stocks. A different index can mean different weights, more or fewer holdings, or a different mix.
• The fee. The difference is often small. On $10,000, IJT costs about $18 a year. SCHA costs about $3.
• History. An older fund has been through more bad markets, so you can see how far it fell.
• What you already own. Two funds that move together add little variety. A fund with a low correlation behaves more on its own.

Swapping IJT to harvest a tax loss#

Some investors sell a fund at a loss to lower their taxes, then buy a similar fund so they stay invested. This is called tax-loss harvesting.

The IRS wash sale rule blocks the loss if you buy a “substantially identical” security within 30 days before or after the sale. The IRS has not said exactly when two funds count. Funds on the same index are more likely to. Funds on a different index, such as SCHA, IJR or IWM, are less likely to.

Ask a tax professional before you rely on this. Read the IRS rules in Publication 550.

Test IJT and its alternatives in a backtest#

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the builder, add IJT and SCHA, and see how each would have done on the same dates, or how a mix of both would have done.

The details#

Alternatives are picked from facts, not from returns. First come funds that track the same index as IJT. Then come funds that hold the same kind of stocks through another index. Last come funds from a close category that make a different bet. Leveraged funds are only listed as alternatives to other leveraged funds.

Within each group, the funds whose daily returns moved most like IJT over about the last five years come first. Returns and worst drops use Tactfolio’s stored daily prices, adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. Each alternative is measured with IJT only on days both traded. Read what a backtest simulates for more on these measures.