{"url":"https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bafe-vs-qual","section":"compare","title":"BAFE vs QUAL: Differences, Returns & Fees | ETFIQ","description":"BAFE and QUAL side by side to Oct 9, 2026: one-year total return +12.3% against +17.1%, expense ratio 0.54% against 0.15%.","as_of":"Oct 9, 2026","structured_data":[{"@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Which returned more over the last year, BAFE or QUAL?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BAFE returned +12.3% and QUAL +17.1%."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Which is cheaper, BAFE or QUAL?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"QUAL is cheaper, by 0.39 percentage points a year. That is about $39 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How much do BAFE and QUAL overlap with the S&P 500?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"By their latest filed holdings, 78% of BAFE and 97% of QUAL by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds."}}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"ETFIQ","item":"https://etfiq.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Compare ETFs","item":"https://etfiq.com/compare/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"BAFE vs QUAL","item":"https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bafe-vs-qual"}]},{"@type":"WebPage","name":"BAFE vs QUAL: Differences, Returns & Fees","description":"BAFE and QUAL side by side to Oct 9, 2026: one-year total return +12.3% against +17.1%, expense ratio 0.54% against 0.15%.","url":"https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bafe-vs-qual","dateModified":"2026-10-09","speakable":{"@type":"SpeakableSpecification","cssSelector":[".verdict",".lede",".faq"]},"isPartOf":{"@type":"WebSite","name":"ETFIQ","url":"https://etfiq.com"}},{"@type":"Dataset","name":"ETFIQ comparison of BAFE and QUAL","description":"BAFE and QUAL side by side to Oct 9, 2026: one-year total return +12.3% against +17.1%, expense ratio 0.54% against 0.15%.","dateModified":"2026-10-09","creator":{"@id":"https://etfiq.com/#org"},"license":"https://etfiq.com/license/","isAccessibleForFree":true,"url":"https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bafe-vs-qual","publisher":{"@id":"https://etfiq.com/#org"},"inLanguage":"en","creativeWorkStatus":"Published","distribution":[{"@type":"DataDownload","encodingFormat":"application/json","contentUrl":"https://etfiq.com/data/alternatives.json"},{"@type":"DataDownload","encodingFormat":"application/json","contentUrl":"https://etfiq.com/data/core.json"},{"@type":"DataDownload","encodingFormat":"application/json","contentUrl":"https://etfiq.com/data/crypto.json"},{"@type":"DataDownload","encodingFormat":"application/json","contentUrl":"https://etfiq.com/data/funds.json"},{"@type":"DataDownload","encodingFormat":"application/json","contentUrl":"https://etfiq.com/data/income.json"},{"@type":"DataDownload","encodingFormat":"application/json","contentUrl":"https://etfiq.com/data/leverage.json"},{"@type":"DataDownload","encodingFormat":"application/json","contentUrl":"https://etfiq.com/data/thematic.json"}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"ETFIQ","item":"https://etfiq.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Compare ETFs","item":"https://etfiq.com/compare/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"BAFE vs QUAL","item":"https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bafe-vs-qual"}]},{"@type":"WebPage","name":"BAFE vs QUAL: Differences, Returns & Fees","description":"BAFE and QUAL side by side to Oct 9, 2026: one-year total return +12.3% against +17.1%, expense ratio 0.54% against 0.15%.","url":"https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bafe-vs-qual","dateModified":"2026-10-09","isPartOf":{"@type":"WebSite","name":"ETFIQ","url":"https://etfiq.com"},"speakable":{"@type":"SpeakableSpecification","cssSelector":[".verdict",".lede",".faq"]},"publisher":{"@id":"https://etfiq.com/#org"}}],"characters":5476,"truncated":true,"content":"ETFIQ / Compare ETFs / BAFE vs QUAL \n \n Data as of Oct 9, 2026.\n ETFIQ etfiq.com \u00b7 independent ETF data \n BAFE vs QUAL: Differences, Returns & Fees\n BAFE and QUAL hold 29% of their weight in the same names, and QUAL returned +17.1% over the year.\n Copy this for sharing \n QUAL costs 0.39 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.8 points; QUAL is far larger, $45.9bn against $1.7bn.\n BAFE and QUAL at a glance. As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ. BAFE QUAL \n Expense ratio 0.54% 0.15% \n Net assets, as of Jun 30, 2026 $1.7bn $45.9bn \n Total return, 1 year +12.3% +17.1% \n What it tracks N","source":"ETFIQ, independent ETF data. Recomputed nightly from public filings and prices.","publisher":{"@id":"https://etfiq.com/#org","name":"ETFIQ","url":"https://etfiq.com"},"license":"https://etfiq.com/license/","license_text":"Figures ETFIQ computes are free to use with attribution: ETFIQ (etfiq.com). Issuer data stays under its owner's terms.","citation":"ETFIQ, BAFE against QUAL, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bafe-vs-qual","a":{"ticker":"BAFE","name":"Brown Advisory Flexible Equity ETF","issuer":"BROWN","desk":"core","as_of":"2026-10-09","verdict":"BAFE is actively managed and returned +12.3% over the past year.","url":"https://etfiq.com/funds/bafe","key_facts":[{"label":"Total return, 1 year","value":"+12.3%","as_of":"2026-10-09","source":null},{"label":"Expense ratio","value":"0.54%","as_of":"2026-10-09","source":null},{"label":"Holdings","value":"44","as_of":"2026-10-09","source":null},{"label":"Below its high","value":"\u22120.8%","as_of":"2026-10-09","source":null},{"label":"12-month yield: cash paid, 1 year, on its starting price","value":"0.3%","as_of":"2026-10-09","source":null},{"label":"Last payment, ex-date Dec 30, 2025","value":"$0.081","as_of":"2026-10-09","source":null},{"label":"Net assets","value":"$1.7bn","as_of":"2026-10-09","source":"SEC filing, whole fund, as filed for Jun 30, 2026"}]},"b":{"ticker":"QUAL","name":"iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF","issuer":"iShares","desk":"core","as_of":"2026-10-09","verdict":"QUAL tracks the MSCI USA Quality Factor and returned +17.1% over the past year.","url":"https://etfiq.com/funds/qual","key_facts":[{"label":"Total return, 1 year","value":"+17.1%","as_of":"2026-10-09","source":null},{"label":"Expense ratio","value":"0.15%","as_of":"2026-10-09","source":null},{"label":"Holdings","value":"119","as_of":"2026-10-09","source":null},{"label":"Below its high","value":"0.0%","as_of":"2026-10-09","source":null},{"label":"12-month yield: cash paid, 1 year, on its starting price","value":"1.0%","as_of":"2026-10-09","source":null},{"label":"Last payment (paid quarterly), ex-date Sep 15, 2026","value":"$0.4727","as_of":"2026-10-09","source":null},{"label":"Net assets","value":"$49.0bn","as_of":"2026-10-09","source":"the issuer\u2019s own daily fund list, as of Oct 9, 2026"}]},"overlap_pct":29,"full_text_at":"https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bafe-vs-qual"}