Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
EFA vs VTI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EFA returned +12.1% to VTI's +13.5%; 1% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $76.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, and $689.2bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF.
Pair scorecard
VTI costs 0.29 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.4 points; VTI is 9.0 times larger.
| Measure | EFA | VTI |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +12.1% | +13.5% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.7%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI EAFE Index | Morningstar US Total Market Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $76.7bn | $689.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 1% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 14.3% | 34.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Aug 24, 2001 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,313 weekly returnsVTI returned more: +967.0% to +367.2%. VTI swung slightly less: 17.8% to 18.8%. VTI fell slightly less at its worst: −54.8% to −59.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | EFA | VTI | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +367.2% | +967.0% | VTI | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +6.3% | +9.8% | VTI | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +139.2% | +586.3% | VTI | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.8% | 17.8% | VTI (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.6% | 12.7% | VTI (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −59.4% | −54.8% | VTI (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.33 | 0.52 | VTI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.45 | 0.73 | VTI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.11 | 0.18 | VTI | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,313 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, EFA and VTI hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
1% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
EFA and VTI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
EFA and VTI do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. EFA follows MSCI EAFE Index and VTI follows Morningstar US Total Market Index.
- Holdings in common. 1% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- Number of holdings. EFA holds 665 positions and VTI holds 3521.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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EFA
EFA tracks an index of Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +12.1% with distributions reinvested, against +14.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 665 positions, with the top ten at 14.3%. It sat 4.7% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VTI
VTI tracks an index of US total market. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 88% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3,521 positions, with the top ten at 34.7%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EFA or VTI?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +12.1% and VTI +13.5%.
- Which is cheaper, EFA or VTI?
- VTI is cheaper, by 0.29 percentage points a year. That is about $29 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. 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, EFA against VTI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-vti
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). EFA against VTI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-vti
[EFA against VTI (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-vti)
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