HEFA vs VEA: Differences, Returns & Fees
HEFA and VEA hold 0% of their weight in the same names. Net assets: $7.5bn on Oct 9, 2026 for iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF, and $231.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF.
VEA costs 0.32 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.4 points.
| HEFA | VEA | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, HEFA as of Oct 9, 2026 and VEA as of Sep 30, 2026 | $7.5bn | $231.6bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.3% | +19.7% |
| What it tracks | not read by ETFIQ | FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index |
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 100.0% | 13.0% |
| Below its high | 3.2%, high on Aug 13, 2026 | 4.4%, high on Aug 25, 2026 |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Oct 9, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, HEFA and VEA hold 0% 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 Aug 31, 2026 and Oct 9, 2026.
half
0% in common
On the same fields
HEFA and VEA on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
HEFA in plain words
HEFA tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +19.3% with distributions reinvested, against +17.3% for the S&P 500. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% 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 97 positions, with the top ten at 100.0%. It sat 3.2% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.
VEA in plain words
VEA tracks an index of Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +19.7% with distributions reinvested, against +17.3% for the S&P 500. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Aug 31, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3,898 positions, with the top ten at 13.0%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, HEFA or VEA?
- In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HEFA returned +19.3% and VEA +19.7%.
- Which is cheaper, HEFA or VEA?
- VEA is cheaper, by 0.32 percentage points a year. That is about $32 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, HEFA against VEA, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hefa-vs-vea
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). HEFA against VEA. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hefa-vs-vea
[HEFA against VEA (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hefa-vs-vea)
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