Are IEFA and OCTI the same kind of fund?

IEFA 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, IEFA or OCTI?

IEFA is cheaper, by 0.72 percentage points a year. On $10,000 held for a year that difference is about $72. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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IEFA vs OCTI: how they differ

IEFA and OCTI are measured over different days, and IEFA charges 0.07% to OCTI's 0.79%. iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF and AllianzIM International Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Oct.

On the same fields

IEFA

iShares Core 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 the MSCI EAFE Defined outcome, 15% on EFA

Total return, 1 year +14.9% not published

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

Gap to the S&P 500 −0.8 pts not available

Expense ratio 0.07% 0.79%

Holdings 2655 not filed

Net assets $190.2bn $5m

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

IEFA in plain words

IEFA tracks the MSCI EAFE. Over the year to Sep 30, 2026 it returned +14.9% with distributions reinvested, against +15.7% for the S&P 500 and +23.8% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% 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 2655 positions, with the top ten at 12.3%. 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 IEFA and OCTI the same kind of fund?: IEFA 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, IEFA or OCTI?: IEFA is cheaper, by 0.72 percentage points a year. On $10,000 held for a year that difference is about $72. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

IEFA vs VYM IEFA vs VYMI IEFA vs XBI IEFA vs XHB OCTI vs VEA EFA vs OCTI IEFA vs XLB IEFA vs XLC

iShares® MSCI EAFE ETF →IEFA on its own →OCTI on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

IEFA filings on SEC EDGAR ↗IEFA prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗iShares page for IEFA ↗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, IEFA against OCTI, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iefa-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.