DFSI vs IEFA: Differences, Returns & Fees
DFSI and IEFA hold 43% of their weight in the same names, and IEFA returned +13.9% over the year. Net assets: $1.1bn on Jul 31, 2026 for Dimensional International Sustainability Core 1 ETF, and $189.5bn on Oct 9, 2026 for iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF.
IEFA costs 0.17 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.7 points; IEFA is far larger, $190.1bn against $1.1bn.
| DFSI | IEFA | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.24% | 0.07% |
| Net assets, as of Jul 31, 2026 | $1.1bn | $190.1bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +12.2% | +13.9% |
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | MSCI EAFE IMI Index |
| Holdings in common | 43% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 9.7% | 12.2% |
| Below its high | 5.4%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | 4.8%, high on Aug 25, 2026 |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 8, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, DFSI and IEFA hold 43% 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 8, 2026.
half
43% in common
On the same fields
DFSI and IEFA on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
DFSI in plain words
DFSI is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +12.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.3% for the S&P 500. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.24% 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 2,798 positions, with the top ten at 9.7%. It sat 5.4% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.
IEFA in plain words
IEFA tracks the MSCI EAFE. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +13.9% with distributions reinvested, against +17.3% for the S&P 500. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 8, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2,628 positions, with the top ten at 12.2%. It sat 4.8% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, DFSI or IEFA?
- In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DFSI returned +12.2% and IEFA +13.9%.
- Which is cheaper, DFSI or IEFA?
- IEFA is cheaper, by 0.17 percentage points a year. That is about $17 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, DFSI against IEFA, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfsi-vs-iefa
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). DFSI against IEFA. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfsi-vs-iefa
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