Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
QUAL vs VDE: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, QUAL returned +13.1% to VDE's +58.8%; 4% 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 $10.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Energy ETF.
Pair scorecard
VDE costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 45.7 points; QUAL is 4.6 times larger.
| Measure | QUAL | VDE |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.1% | +58.8% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index | MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Energy 25/50 |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.09% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $47.7bn | $10.4bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 4% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 44.5% | 67.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, QUAL and VDE hold 4% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
4% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
QUAL and VDE on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
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%.
VDE
VDE tracks an index of Energy. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +58.8% with distributions reinvested, against +59.0% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Energy 25/50. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 81% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 113 positions, with the top ten at 67.1%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or VDE?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +13.1% and VDE +58.8%.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or VDE?
- VDE is cheaper, by 0.06 percentage points a year. That is about $6 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, QUAL against VDE, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vde
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). QUAL against VDE. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vde
[QUAL against VDE (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vde)
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