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Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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Across categories

BOXX vs EFA: Differences, Returns & Fees

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BOXX is an actively managed short-term fund and EFA an equity index fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EFA returned +12.1% against +4.0%.

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Net assets: $14.5bn on Oct 28, 2026 for Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF, and $76.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares MSCI EAFE ETF.

BOXX on its own →EFA on its own →
At a glance
+4.0%
BOXX total return, 1 year
+12.1%
EFA total return, 1 year
0.19%
BOXX expense ratio
0.32%
EFA expense ratio

Pair scorecard

BOXX costs 0.13 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 8.1 points; EFA is 5.3 times larger.

BOXX vs EFA: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureBOXXEFA
Return
Total return, 1 year+4.0%+12.1%
Drawdown
Below its high4.7%, high on Aug 25, 2026
Benchmark
What it tracksNo index, actively managedMSCI EAFE Index
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.19%0.32%
Net assets, as of Oct 26, 2026$14.4bn$76.4bn
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
In the S&P 500, by weight0%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund14.3%

Method

Side by side

BOXX Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF EFA iShares MSCI EAFE ETF
Where it sits Bond ETF Stock ETF
Issuer Alpha Architect iShares
What it is Actively managed Tracks an index of Developed markets ex US
Total return, 1 year +4.0% +12.1%
Its benchmark over the same days not measured +14.3% (ACWX)
Gap to its benchmark not measured −2.2 pts vs ACWX
Expense ratio 0.19% 0.32%
Holdings not counted 665
Net assets, BOXX as of Oct 28, 2026 and EFA as of Oct 27, 2026 $14.5bn $76.8bn

BOXX and EFA on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

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About each fund
BOXX

BOXX is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.19% a year.

EFA

EFA tracks an index of Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +12.1% with distributions reinvested, against +14.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 665 positions, with the top ten at 14.3%. It sat 4.7% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, BOXX or EFA?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BOXX returned +4.0% and EFA +12.1%.
Which is cheaper, BOXX or EFA?
BOXX is cheaper, by 0.13 percentage points a year. That is about $13 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
BOXX vs VXUSBOXX vs IEFABOXX vs VEABOXX vs SCHFEFA vs VBILEFA vs MINTEFA vs USFREFA vs PULS
Where to next
BOXX on its own →EFA on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →BOXX dividend history →EFA dividend history →EFA holdings →Standards and sources →
Sources and dates
BOXX filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
BOXX prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗
Alpha Architect website ↗
EFA filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
EFA prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗
iShares page for EFA ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

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ETFIQ, BOXX against EFA, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/boxx-vs-efa

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