QEFA vs VEA: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 21, 2026, QEFA returned +16.1% to VEA's +18.6%; 53% of their weight is in the same names. Net assets: $1.0bn on Oct 20, 2026 for State Street SPDR MSCI EAFE StrategicFactors ETF, and $231.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF.
VEA costs 0.27 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.5 points; VEA is far larger, $231.6bn against $1.0bn.
| QEFA | VEA | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.30% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $1.0bn | $231.6bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.1% | +18.6% |
| What it tracks | MSCI EAFE Factor Mix A-Series Index | FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index |
| Holdings in common | 53% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 15.1% | 13.6% |
| Below its high | 4.7%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 20, 2026.
QEFA and VEA 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 VEA follows FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index.
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 21, 2026 QEFA returned +16.1% and VEA +18.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.5 points.
- Number of holdings. QEFA holds 626 positions and VEA holds 3906.
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 VEA hold 53% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 20, 2026.
half
53% in common
On the same fields
QEFA and VEA 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 VEA
VEA tracks an index of Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Oct 21, 2026 it returned +18.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3,906 positions, with the top ten at 13.6%. It sat 4.7% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 21, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QEFA or VEA?
- In the year to Oct 21, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QEFA returned +16.1% and VEA +18.6%.
- Which is cheaper, QEFA or VEA?
- VEA 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 VEA, data as of Oct 21, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qefa-vs-vea
ETFIQ. (Oct 21, 2026). QEFA against VEA. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qefa-vs-vea
[QEFA against VEA (ETFIQ, Oct 21, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qefa-vs-vea)
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