Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
QQQ vs VXUS: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, QQQ returned +15.2% to VXUS's +13.8%; 1% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $483.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1, and $163.2bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Total International Stock ETF.
Pair scorecard
VXUS costs 0.13 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.4 points.
| Measure | QQQ | VXUS |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +15.2% | +13.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.5%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | 5.1%, high on Sep 4, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Nasdaq-100 Index | FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.18% | 0.05% |
| Net assets, QQQ as of Oct 27, 2026 and VXUS as of Sep 30, 2026 | $483.0bn | $163.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 1% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 46.7% | 14.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 4, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026 · 820 weekly returnsQQQ returned more: +1,305.3% to +158.2%. VXUS swung less: 16.5% to 19.1%. QQQ and VXUS fell about the same at their worst: −35.1% and −34.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | QQQ | VXUS | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +1,305.3% | +158.2% | QQQ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +18.2% | +6.2% | QQQ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +1,127.7% | +62.6% | QQQ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.1% | 16.5% | VXUS | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.6% | 11.8% | VXUS (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −35.1% | −34.6% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.89 | 0.35 | QQQ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.34 | 0.49 | QQQ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.52 | 0.18 | QQQ | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 820 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, QQQ and VXUS hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
1% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
QQQ and VXUS on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
QQQ and VXUS do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. QQQ follows Nasdaq-100 Index and VXUS follows FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index.
- Holdings in common. 1% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- Number of holdings. QQQ holds 103 positions and VXUS holds 8913.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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QQQ
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +15.2% with distributions reinvested, against +15.2% for its benchmark, the Nasdaq-100 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.18% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 96% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 103 positions, with the top ten at 46.7%. It sat 4.5% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VXUS
VXUS tracks an index of Total International Stock. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.8% 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 5.1% below its high of Sep 4, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QQQ or VXUS?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QQQ returned +15.2% and VXUS +13.8%.
- Which is cheaper, QQQ or VXUS?
- VXUS is cheaper, by 0.13 percentage points a year. That is about $13 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. 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, QQQ against VXUS, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qqq-vs-vxus
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[QQQ against VXUS (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qqq-vs-vxus)
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