# VGLT alternatives: 4 similar ETFs compared

> ETFs similar to VGLT, closest first, with each fund's fee, what it tracks, and returns and worst drops on the same dates as VGLT. Updated daily.

The ETFs most like VGLT are TLT, EDV and IEF. TLT and EDV hold US government bonds that pay back in 20 years or more, like VGLT.

Written by [the Tactfolio research team](https://tactfolio.com/about/editorial-policy). Fund facts checked October 17, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

## Key points

- 4 funds can stand in for VGLT: 2 of the same kind and 2 related funds.
- VGLT charges 0.03% a year (about $3 on $10,000).
- TLT moved most like VGLT: a daily correlation of 1.00 over about the last five years.
- Returns and drops for each pair use the same dates for both funds.

## VGLT alternatives at a glance

Each fund below can stand in for VGLT, closest first. "Same kind" funds hold the same kind of bonds through a different index. "Related" funds make a different bet that often moves the same way.

| ETF | How close | Yearly fee | Fee on $10,000 | Tracks |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **VGLT** | This fund | 0.03% | $3 | Bloomberg US Long Treasury Bond Index |
| [TLT](https://tactfolio.com/etf/TLT.md) | Same kind of fund | 0.15% | $15 | ICE US Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index |
| [EDV](https://tactfolio.com/etf/EDV.md) | Same kind of fund | 0.05% | $5 | Bloomberg U.S. Treasury STRIPS 20-30 Year Equal Par Bond Index |
| [IEF](https://tactfolio.com/etf/IEF.md) | Related fund | 0.15% | $15 | ICE US Treasury 7-10 Year Bond Index |
| [VGIT](https://tactfolio.com/etf/VGIT.md) | Related fund | 0.03% | $3 | Bloomberg US Treasury 3-10 Year Bond Index |

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

## How VGLT and its alternatives did over the same dates

Each row measures the alternative and VGLT 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.

| ETF | Moves with VGLT | Per year | VGLT per year | Worst drop | VGLT worst drop | Since |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [TLT](https://tactfolio.com/etf/TLT.md) | 1.00 | 2.3% | 2.4% | −48.4% | −46.2% | January 2010 |
| [EDV](https://tactfolio.com/etf/EDV.md) | 0.99 | 2.4% | 2.4% | −60.4% | −46.2% | January 2010 |
| [IEF](https://tactfolio.com/etf/IEF.md) | 0.93 | 2.4% | 2.4% | −23.9% | −46.2% | January 2010 |
| [VGIT](https://tactfolio.com/etf/VGIT.md) | 0.86 | 2.1% | 2.4% | −16.1% | −46.2% | January 2010 |

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 VGLT alternative, compared

### TLT: iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF

TLT also holds US government bonds that pay back in 20 years or more. It tracks the ICE US Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index, while VGLT tracks the Bloomberg US Long Treasury Bond Index.

It charges 0.15% a year, about $15 on $10,000, against $3 for VGLT. It held 47 holdings, against 101 for VGLT.

From January 2010 to October 2026, TLT returned about 2.3% a year and VGLT returned about 2.4% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 1.00).

Read the [TLT fund page](https://tactfolio.com/etf/TLT.md) for its returns by year and worst drop.

### EDV: Vanguard Extended Duration Treasury ETF

EDV also holds US government bonds that pay back in 20 years or more. It tracks the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury STRIPS 20-30 Year Equal Par Bond Index, while VGLT tracks the Bloomberg US Long Treasury Bond Index.

It charges 0.05% a year, about $5 on $10,000, against $3 for VGLT. It held 80 holdings, against 101 for VGLT.

From January 2010 to October 2026, EDV returned about 2.4% a year and VGLT returned about 2.4% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.99).

Read the [EDV fund page](https://tactfolio.com/etf/EDV.md) for its returns by year and worst drop.

### IEF: iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF

IEF is a looser match. It holds US government bonds that pay back in about 3 to 10 years, while VGLT holds US government bonds that pay back in 20 years or more.

It charges 0.15% a year, about $15 on $10,000, against $3 for VGLT. It held 17 holdings, against 101 for VGLT.

From January 2010 to October 2026, IEF returned about 2.4% a year and VGLT returned about 2.4% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.93).

Read the [IEF fund page](https://tactfolio.com/etf/IEF.md) for its returns by year and worst drop.

### VGIT: Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF

VGIT is a looser match. It holds US government bonds that pay back in about 3 to 10 years, while VGLT holds US government bonds that pay back in 20 years or more.

It charges 0.03% a year, about $3 on $10,000, against $3 for VGLT. It held 102 holdings, against 101 for VGLT.

From January 2010 to October 2026, VGIT returned about 2.1% a year and VGLT returned about 2.4% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.86).

Read the [VGIT fund page](https://tactfolio.com/etf/VGIT.md) for its returns by year and worst drop.

## VGLT versions from other fund companies

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

- **iShares (BlackRock):** [TLT](https://tactfolio.com/etf/TLT.md), iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (same kind of fund, 0.15% 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 VGLT and its alternatives

- **What it tracks.** A fund on the same index holds the same bonds. 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, VGLT costs about $3 a year.
- **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 VGLT 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 TLT, EDV or IEF, are less likely to.

Ask a tax professional before you rely on this. Read the IRS rules in [Publication 550](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p550).

## Test VGLT 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](https://tactfolio.com/builder), add VGLT and TLT, 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 VGLT. Then come funds that hold the same kind of bonds 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 VGLT 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 VGLT only on days both traded. Read [what a backtest simulates](https://tactfolio.com/docs/backtests.md) for more on these measures.

## Research and test it

- [Portfolio rebalancing](https://tactfolio.com/learn/portfolio-rebalancing): What portfolio rebalancing is, why a 60/40 mix drifts, calendar vs threshold methods, and how taxes and costs fit in.
- [Risk parity](https://tactfolio.com/learn/risk-parity): Risk parity balances risk instead of dollars. See a simple stock and bond example, why funds use leverage, and what went wrong in 2022.
- [ETF screener](https://tactfolio.com/screener.md): A free ETF screener for 162 US-listed funds. Filter by type, issuer and fee, sort by returns or worst drop, and compare funds side by side.
- [ETF expense ratio](https://tactfolio.com/learn/etf-expense-ratio): What an ETF expense ratio is, how the fund charges it, and how 0.03% vs 1% adds up over 10 and 30 years, with real fund examples.
- [Backtest a portfolio](https://tactfolio.com/trading-tools/backtest-portfolio): Backtest a portfolio of US stocks and ETFs. Enter tickers and shares, pick when to rebalance, and get the results with a link to share.
- [Backtesting](https://tactfolio.com/backtesting): Free backtesting software for stocks, ETFs, and crypto perps.

## Common questions

### What ETF is most similar to VGLT?

TLT is the closest. TLT also holds US government bonds that pay back in 20 years or more. It tracks the ICE US Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index, while VGLT tracks the Bloomberg US Long Treasury Bond Index. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together.

### Is there a cheaper alternative to VGLT?

Not among the funds here. VGLT charges 0.03% a year, about $3 on $10,000, which is as low as or lower than each alternative listed.

### Is VGLT or TLT better?

Neither is better for everyone. From January 2010 to October 2026, VGLT returned about 2.4% a year and TLT returned about 2.3% a year. VGLT charges 0.03% a year and TLT charges 0.15%. Past returns do not tell you what comes next.

### What if I had put $10,000 in VGLT 10 years ago?

It would have grown to about $8,597 by October 16, 2026, with dividends reinvested. That is about −1.5% a year. Past returns do not tell you what comes next.

## Sources

- [Vanguard: Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF fund page](https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profile/vglt)
- [iShares (BlackRock): iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF fund page](https://www.ishares.com/us/products/239454/ishares-20-year-treasury-bond-etf)
- [Vanguard: Vanguard Extended Duration Treasury ETF fund page](https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profile/edv)
- [iShares (BlackRock): iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF fund page](https://www.ishares.com/us/products/239456/ishares-7-10-year-treasury-bond-etf)
- [Vanguard: Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF fund page](https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profile/vgit)
- [IRS Publication 550: wash sales](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p550)

> Not financial advice. Tactfolio is a research and automation tool. It is not a broker or a financial adviser. This page is for education only. Backtests are hypothetical. They show how rules would have done on past prices, not how they will do. All investing involves risk, including losing the money you put in.