Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
QUAL vs VB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, QUAL returned +13.1% to VB's +14.4%; 3% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $48.2bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF, and $76.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF.
Pair scorecard
VB costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.3 points; VB is 1.6 times larger.
| Measure | QUAL | VB |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.1% | +14.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 5.7%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index | Morningstar US Small Cap Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $47.7bn | $76.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 3% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 44.5% | 5.9% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jul 26, 2013 to Oct 23, 2026 · 691 weekly returnsQUAL returned more: +444.7% to +250.3%. QUAL swung less: 16.2% to 19.8%. QUAL fell less at its worst: −31.4% to −40.0%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | QUAL | VB | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +444.7% | +250.3% | QUAL | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.6% | +9.9% | QUAL | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +346.8% | +187.3% | QUAL | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.2% | 19.8% | QUAL | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.2% | 13.8% | QUAL | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −31.4% | −40.0% | QUAL | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.75 | 0.48 | QUAL | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.09 | 0.69 | QUAL | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.43 | 0.25 | QUAL | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 691 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, QUAL and VB hold 3% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
3% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
QUAL and VB on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
QUAL and VB do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. QUAL follows MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index and VB follows Morningstar US Small Cap Index.
- Holdings in common. 3% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- Number of holdings. QUAL holds 119 positions and VB holds 1303.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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QUAL
QUAL tracks the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.1% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 119 positions, with the top ten at 44.5%.
VB
VB tracks an index of Small-Cap. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,303 positions, with the top ten at 5.9%. It sat 5.7% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or VB?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +13.1% and VB +14.4%.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or VB?
- VB is cheaper, by 0.12 percentage points a year. That is about $12 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, QUAL against VB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vb
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). QUAL against VB. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vb
[QUAL against VB (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vb)
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