Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EFA vs QUAL: how they differ
EFA and QUAL hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EFA returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI EAFE ETF and iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EFA and QUAL hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in EFA | Only in QUAL |
|---|---|
| ASML Holding N.V. 2.60% | NVIDIA CORPORATION 6.52% |
| HSBC HOLDINGS PLC 1.47% | APPLE INC. 6.28% |
| ASTRAZENECA PLC 1.36% | MICROSOFT CORPORATION 5.05% |
| Novartis AG 1.30% | META PLATFORMS, INC. 3.50% |
| Nestle S.A. 1.21% | LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION 3.23% |
| SHELL PLC 1.20% | THE TJX COMPANIES, INC. 3.19% |
| Siemens Aktiengesellschaft 1.05% | VISA INC. 3.09% |
| COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA 0.98% | ELI LILLY AND COMPANY 2.92% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026.
| EFA iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | Developed markets ex US | MSCI USA Quality Factor |
| Total return, 1 year | +18.2% | +16.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +0.7 pts | −1.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.15% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 98.9% |
| Holdings | 705 | 121 |
EFA in plain words
EFA is an index equity fund tracking the Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +18.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 705 positions, with the top ten at 13.4%.
QUAL in plain words
QUAL is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +16.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 121 positions, with the top ten at 39.1%. It sat 3.1% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EFA or QUAL?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +18.2% and QUAL returned +16.0%, so EFA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EFA or QUAL?
- EFA charges 0.32% a year and QUAL charges 0.15%, so QUAL is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EFA and QUAL overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EFA and 99% of QUAL by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, EFA against QUAL, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EFA-QUAL Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources