DFAX vs QEFA: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 21, 2026, DFAX returned +19.7% to QEFA's +16.1%; 29% of their weight is in the same names. Net assets: $12.0bn on Jul 31, 2026 for Dimensional World ex U.S. Core Equity 2 ETF, and $1.0bn on Oct 20, 2026 for State Street SPDR MSCI EAFE StrategicFactors ETF.
DFAX costs 0.02 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.6 points; DFAX is 11.3 times larger.
| DFAX | QEFA | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.28% | 0.30% |
| Net assets, as of Jul 31, 2026 | $12.0bn | $1.1bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.7% | +16.1% |
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | MSCI EAFE Factor Mix A-Series Index |
| Holdings in common | 29% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 8.2% | 15.1% |
| Below its high | 4.4%, high on Sep 4, 2026 | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 20, 2026.
DFAX and QEFA are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. DFAX follows No index, actively managed and QEFA follows MSCI EAFE Factor Mix A-Series Index.
- Holdings in common. 29% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 20, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 21, 2026 DFAX returned +19.7% and QEFA +16.1% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.6 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, DFAX and QEFA hold 29% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 20, 2026.
half
29% in common
On the same fields
DFAX and QEFA on the fields both publish, as of Oct 21, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About DFAX
DFAX is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 21, 2026 it returned +19.7% with distributions reinvested, against +16.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI All Country World ex USA IMI Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.28% 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 10,481 positions, with the top ten at 8.2%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Sep 4, 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, DFAX or QEFA?
- In the year to Oct 21, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DFAX returned +19.7% and QEFA +16.1%.
- Which is cheaper, DFAX or QEFA?
- DFAX is cheaper, by 0.02 percentage points a year. That is about $2 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, DFAX against QEFA, data as of Oct 21, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfax-vs-qefa
ETFIQ. (Oct 21, 2026). DFAX against QEFA. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfax-vs-qefa
[DFAX against QEFA (ETFIQ, Oct 21, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfax-vs-qefa)
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