GUSA vs QUAL: Differences, Returns & Fees
GUSA and QUAL hold 41% of their weight in the same names, and QUAL returned +20.3% over the year. Net assets: $2.5bn on Oct 9, 2026 for Goldman Sachs MarketBeta U.S. 1000 Equity ETF, and $49.2bn on Oct 12, 2026 for iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
GUSA costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.6 points; QUAL is far larger, $49.0bn against $2.5bn.
| GUSA | QUAL | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.10% | 0.15% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 9, 2026 | $2.5bn | $49.0bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.7% | +20.3% |
| What it tracks | Solactive GBS United States 1000 Index | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index ? |
| Holdings in common | 41% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 36.1% | 45.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Oct 9, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, GUSA and QUAL hold 41% 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 May 31, 2026 and Oct 9, 2026.
half
41% in common
On the same fields
GUSA and QUAL on the fields both publish, as of Oct 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About GUSA
GUSA tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 12, 2026 it returned +19.7% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.10% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 92% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,011 positions, with the top ten at 36.1%.
About QUAL
QUAL tracks the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Oct 12, 2026 it returned +20.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 9, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 119 positions, with the top ten at 45.7%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, GUSA or QUAL?
- In the year to Oct 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GUSA returned +19.7% and QUAL +20.3%.
- Which is cheaper, GUSA or QUAL?
- GUSA is cheaper, by 0.05 percentage points a year. That is about $5 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, GUSA against QUAL, data as of Oct 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gusa-vs-qual
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