QEFA vs SPDW: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 21, 2026, QEFA returned +16.1% to SPDW's +18.7%; 56% of their weight is in the same names. Net assets on Oct 20, 2026: $1.0bn for State Street SPDR MSCI EAFE StrategicFactors ETF and $40.9bn for State Street SPDR Portfolio Developed World ex-US ETF.
SPDW costs 0.27 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.6 points; SPDW is far larger, $40.9bn against $1.0bn.
| QEFA | SPDW | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.30% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 20, 2026 | $1.0bn | $40.9bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.1% | +18.7% |
| What it tracks | MSCI EAFE Factor Mix A-Series Index | S&P Developed Ex-U.S. BMI Index |
| Holdings in common | 56% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 15.1% | 12.0% |
| Below its high | 4.8%, high on Sep 4, 2026 | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 20, 2026.
QEFA and SPDW are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. QEFA follows MSCI EAFE Factor Mix A-Series Index and SPDW follows S&P Developed Ex-U.S. BMI Index.
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 21, 2026 QEFA returned +16.1% and SPDW +18.7% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.6 points.
- Number of holdings. QEFA holds 626 positions and SPDW holds 2448.
Data as of Oct 21, 2026. The differences are picked by a fixed rule, in a fixed order; the PDF prints it. Page 2 has the returns, overlap, risks and sources.
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What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, QEFA and SPDW hold 56% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 20, 2026.
half
56% in common
On the same fields
QEFA and SPDW on the fields both publish, as of Oct 21, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About QEFA
QEFA tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 21, 2026 it returned +16.1% with distributions reinvested, against +16.4% for its benchmark, the MSCI All Country World ex USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.30% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 20, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 626 positions, with the top ten at 15.1%.
About SPDW
SPDW tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 21, 2026 it returned +18.7% with distributions reinvested, against +16.4% for its benchmark, the MSCI All Country World ex USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 20, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2,448 positions, with the top ten at 12.0%. It sat 4.8% below its high of Sep 4, 2026 on Oct 21, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QEFA or SPDW?
- In the year to Oct 21, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QEFA returned +16.1% and SPDW +18.7%.
- Which is cheaper, QEFA or SPDW?
- SPDW is cheaper, by 0.27 percentage points a year. That is about $27 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, QEFA against SPDW, data as of Oct 21, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qefa-vs-spdw
ETFIQ. (Oct 21, 2026). QEFA against SPDW. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qefa-vs-spdw
[QEFA against SPDW (ETFIQ, Oct 21, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qefa-vs-spdw)
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