QLC vs QUAL: Differences, Returns & Fees
QLC and QUAL hold 37% of their weight in the same names, and QLC returned +19.8% over the year. Net assets: $1.0bn on Jul 31, 2026 for Northern Trust US Quality Large Cap ETF, and $49.0bn on Oct 9, 2026 for iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
QUAL costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.7 points; QUAL is far larger, $46.5bn against $1.0bn.
| QLC | QUAL | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.25% | 0.15% |
| Net assets, as of Jul 31, 2026 | $1.0bn | $46.5bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.8% | +17.1% |
| What it tracks | Northern Trust Quality Large Cap Index | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index ? |
| Holdings in common | 37% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 37.6% | 45.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 9, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, QLC and QUAL hold 37% 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 Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 9, 2026.
half
37% in common
On the same fields
QLC and QUAL on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About QLC
QLC tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +19.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.25% a year. By its holdings filed for Jul 31, 2026, 96% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 177 positions, with the top ten at 37.6%.
About QUAL
QUAL tracks the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +17.1% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 9, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 119 positions, with the top ten at 45.7%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QLC or QUAL?
- In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QLC returned +19.8% and QUAL +17.1%.
- Which is cheaper, QLC or QUAL?
- QUAL is cheaper, by 0.10 percentage points a year. That is about $10 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, QLC against QUAL, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qlc-vs-qual
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). QLC against QUAL. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qlc-vs-qual
[QLC against QUAL (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qlc-vs-qual)
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