DFIS vs FDT: Differences, Returns & Fees
DFIS and FDT hold 6% of their weight in the same names, and FDT returned +26.6% over the year. Net assets: $5.7bn on Jul 31, 2026 for Dimensional International Small Cap ETF, and $1.4bn on Oct 9, 2026 for First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund.
DFIS costs 0.41 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 10.3 points.
| DFIS | FDT | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.39% | 0.80% |
| Net assets, DFIS as of Jul 31, 2026 and FDT as of Oct 9, 2026 | $5.7bn | $1.4bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.3% | +26.6% |
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | not read by ETFIQ |
| Holdings in common | 6% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 3.6% | 9.6% |
| Below its high | 4.4%, high on Aug 27, 2026 | 7.0%, high on Jun 1, 2026 |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 9, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, DFIS and FDT hold 6% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 9, 2026.
half
6% in common
On the same fields
DFIS and FDT on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
DFIS in plain words
DFIS is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +16.3% with distributions reinvested, against +17.3% for the S&P 500. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.39% 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 3,498 positions, with the top ten at 3.6%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Aug 27, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.
FDT in plain words
FDT tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +26.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.3% for the S&P 500. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.80% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 9, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 298 positions, with the top ten at 9.6%. It sat 7.0% below its high of Jun 1, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, DFIS or FDT?
- In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DFIS returned +16.3% and FDT +26.6%.
- Which is cheaper, DFIS or FDT?
- DFIS is cheaper, by 0.41 percentage points a year. That is about $41 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, DFIS against FDT, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfis-vs-fdt
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). DFIS against FDT. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfis-vs-fdt
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