Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EFA vs VO: how they differ
EFA and VO hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EFA returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI EAFE ETF and Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EFA and VO hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | EFA | VO |
|---|---|---|
| SUNBELT RENTALS HOLDINGS, INC. | 0.14% | 0.30% |
| Only in EFA | Only in VO |
|---|---|
| ASML Holding N.V. 2.60% | Vertiv Holdings Co 1.23% |
| HSBC HOLDINGS PLC 1.47% | Western Digital Corp 1.07% |
| ASTRAZENECA PLC 1.36% | Seagate Technology Holdings PLC 1.05% |
| Novartis AG 1.30% | Quanta Services Inc 1.05% |
| Nestle S.A. 1.21% | Howmet Aerospace Inc 1.04% |
| SHELL PLC 1.20% | Cummins Inc 0.95% |
| Siemens Aktiengesellschaft 1.05% | Datadog Inc 0.84% |
| COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA 0.98% | Bloom Energy Corp 0.79% |
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 and Jun 30, 2026.
| EFA iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | VO Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | Developed markets ex US | Mid-Cap |
| Total return, 1 year | +18.2% | +12.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +0.7 pts | −5.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.03% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 91.4% |
| Holdings | 705 | 282 |
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%.
VO in plain words
VO is an index equity fund tracking the Mid-Cap. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +12.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 91% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 282 positions, with the top ten at 9.6%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EFA or VO?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +18.2% and VO returned +12.0%, so EFA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EFA or VO?
- EFA charges 0.32% a year and VO charges 0.03%, so VO is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EFA and VO overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EFA and 91% of VO 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
Where to next
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 VO, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EFA-VO Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources