Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
QUAL vs VB: how they differ
QUAL and VB hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and QUAL returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF and Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, QUAL and VB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in QUAL | Only in VB |
|---|---|
| MICROSOFT 7.67% | Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd 0.55% |
| APPLE 7.10% | Jabil Inc 0.49% |
| NVIDIA 6.44% | REVOLUTION Medicines Inc 0.46% |
| META PLATFORMS CLASS A 4.32% | Astera Labs Inc 0.45% |
| ELI LILLY 3.62% | Natera Inc 0.45% |
| LAM RESEARCH 3.59% | EMCOR Group Inc 0.45% |
| TJX 3.23% | Twilio Inc 0.38% |
| VISA CLASS A 3.21% | NRG Energy Inc 0.38% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 10, 2026.
| QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | VB Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | MSCI USA Quality Factor | Small-Cap |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.0% | +15.2% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −1.5 pts | −2.3 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.03% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 98.9% | 21.7% |
| Holdings | 121 | 1311 |
QUAL in plain words
QUAL is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +16.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 121 positions, with the top ten at 44.4%. It sat 3.1% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
VB in plain words
VB is an index equity fund tracking the Small-Cap. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +15.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1311 positions, with the top ten at 4.3%. It sat 5.1% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or VB?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +16.0% and VB returned +15.2%, so QUAL returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or VB?
- QUAL charges 0.15% a year and VB charges 0.03%, so VB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do QUAL and VB overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 99% of QUAL and 22% of VB by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
Where to next
Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, QUAL against VB, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vb Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources