Are EFA and OCTI the same kind of fund?

EFA is an index ETF and OCTI is a buffer ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each holds.

Which is cheaper, EFA or OCTI?

EFA is cheaper, by 0.47 percentage points a year. On $10,000 held for a year that difference is about $47. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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EFA vs OCTI: how they differ

EFA and OCTI are measured over different days, and EFA charges 0.32% to OCTI's 0.79%. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF and AllianzIM International Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Oct.

On the same fields

EFA

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF

OCTI

AllianzIM International Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Oct

Where it sits Core fund Buffer ETF

Issuer iShares AllianzIM

What it is Tracks an index of Developed markets ex US Defined outcome, 15% on EFA

Total return, 1 year +15.1% not published

S&P 500 over the same days +15.7% not published

Gap to the S&P 500 −0.6 pts not available

Expense ratio 0.32% 0.79%

Holdings 693 not filed

Net assets $76.7bn $5m

EFA and OCTI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

EFA in plain words

EFA tracks an index of Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Sep 30, 2026 it returned +15.1% with distributions reinvested, against +15.7% for the S&P 500 and +23.8% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Sep 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 693 positions, with the top ten at 14.2%. It sat 4.5% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Sep 30, 2026.

OCTI in plain words

This fund has no cap. It takes a share of any further rise in EFA. The fund's price can fall 0.8% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, EFA can fall 0.0% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's EFA level. 365 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Sep 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Are EFA and OCTI the same kind of fund?: EFA is an index ETF and OCTI is a buffer ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each holds.
Which is cheaper, EFA or OCTI?: EFA is cheaper, by 0.47 percentage points a year. On $10,000 held for a year that difference is about $47. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

EFA vs SPHD EFA vs SPHQ EFA vs SPMO EFA vs SPSB OCTI vs VEA IEFA vs OCTI EFA vs SPY EFA vs SPYD

EFA on its own →OCTI on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

EFA filings on SEC EDGAR ↗EFA prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗iShares page for EFA ↗OCTI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗AllianzIM page for OCTI ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page

ETFIQ, EFA against OCTI, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-octi

Open data

Free to use with attribution. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.