Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
QUAL vs VEA: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, QUAL returned +13.1% to VEA's +17.1%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about QUAL and VEA
Net assets: $48.2bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF, and $231.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF.
Pair scorecard
VEA costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.0 points; VEA is 4.9 times larger.
| Measure | QUAL | VEA |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.1% | +17.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.4%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index | FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $47.7bn | $231.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 44.5% | 13.6% |
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 VEA hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
QUAL and VEA 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%.
VEA
VEA tracks an index of Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.1% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% 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 3,906 positions, with the top ten at 13.6%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or VEA?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +13.1% and VEA +17.1%.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or VEA?
- VEA 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 VEA, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vea
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). QUAL against VEA. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vea
[QUAL against VEA (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vea)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.