QEFA vs VXUS: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 21, 2026, QEFA and VXUS finished level, +16.1% against +16.1%, and they share 42% of their weight. Net assets: $1.0bn on Oct 20, 2026 for State Street SPDR MSCI EAFE StrategicFactors ETF, and $163.2bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Total International Stock ETF.
VXUS costs 0.25 points a year less; both returned +16.1% over a year; VXUS is far larger, $163.2bn against $1.0bn.
| QEFA | VXUS | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.30% | 0.05% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $1.0bn | $163.2bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.1% | +16.1% |
| What it tracks | MSCI EAFE Factor Mix A-Series Index | FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index |
| Holdings in common | 42% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 15.1% | 14.6% |
| Below its high | 4.8%, high on Sep 4, 2026 | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 20, 2026.
QEFA and VXUS 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 VXUS follows FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index.
- Holdings in common. 42% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 20, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- Number of holdings. QEFA holds 626 positions and VXUS holds 8913.
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 VXUS hold 42% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 20, 2026.
half
42% in common
On the same fields
QEFA and VXUS 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 VXUS
VXUS tracks an index of Total International Stock. Over the year to Oct 21, 2026 it returned +16.1% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% 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 8,913 positions, with the top ten at 14.6%. 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 VXUS?
- In the year to Oct 21, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QEFA returned +16.1% and VXUS +16.1%.
- Which is cheaper, QEFA or VXUS?
- VXUS is cheaper, by 0.25 percentage points a year. That is about $25 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 VXUS, data as of Oct 21, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qefa-vs-vxus
ETFIQ. (Oct 21, 2026). QEFA against VXUS. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qefa-vs-vxus
[QEFA against VXUS (ETFIQ, Oct 21, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qefa-vs-vxus)
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