DFAI vs QEFA: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 21, 2026, DFAI returned +17.2% to QEFA's +16.1%; 54% of their weight is in the same names. Net assets: $17.5bn on Jul 31, 2026 for Dimensional International Core Equity Market ETF, and $1.0bn on Oct 20, 2026 for State Street SPDR MSCI EAFE StrategicFactors ETF.
DFAI costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.1 points; DFAI is 16.5 times larger.
| DFAI | QEFA | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.18% | 0.30% |
| Net assets, as of Jul 31, 2026 | $17.5bn | $1.1bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +17.2% | +16.1% |
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | MSCI EAFE Factor Mix A-Series Index |
| Holdings in common | 54% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 9.2% | 15.1% |
| Below its high | 3.6%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 20, 2026.
DFAI and QEFA are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. DFAI follows No index, actively managed and QEFA follows MSCI EAFE Factor Mix A-Series Index.
- Number of holdings. DFAI holds 3,769 positions and QEFA holds 626.
- Cost. DFAI charges 0.18% of assets a year and QEFA 0.30%, a gap of 0.12 points.
Data as of Oct 21, 2026. The differences are picked by a fixed rule, in a fixed order; the PDF prints it. Page 2 has the returns, overlap, risks and sources.
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What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, DFAI and QEFA hold 54% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 20, 2026.
half
54% in common
On the same fields
DFAI and QEFA on the fields both publish, as of Oct 21, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About DFAI
DFAI is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 21, 2026 it returned +17.2% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.18% a year. By its holdings filed for Jul 31, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3,769 positions, with the top ten at 9.2%. It sat 3.6% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 21, 2026.
About QEFA
QEFA tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 21, 2026 it returned +16.1% with distributions reinvested, against +16.4% for its benchmark, the MSCI All Country World ex USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.30% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 20, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 626 positions, with the top ten at 15.1%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, DFAI or QEFA?
- In the year to Oct 21, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DFAI returned +17.2% and QEFA +16.1%.
- Which is cheaper, DFAI or QEFA?
- DFAI is cheaper, by 0.12 percentage points a year. That is about $12 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, DFAI against QEFA, data as of Oct 21, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfai-vs-qefa
ETFIQ. (Oct 21, 2026). DFAI against QEFA. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfai-vs-qefa
[DFAI against QEFA (ETFIQ, Oct 21, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfai-vs-qefa)
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