Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
QUAL vs VOX: how they differ
QUAL and VOX hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and QUAL returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF and Vanguard Communication Services Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, QUAL and VOX hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in QUAL | Only in VOX |
|---|---|
| MICROSOFT 7.67% | Meta Platforms Inc 21.12% |
| APPLE 7.10% | Alphabet Inc 16.14% |
| NVIDIA 6.44% | Alphabet Inc 10.61% |
| META PLATFORMS CLASS A 4.32% | Netflix Inc 4.77% |
| ELI LILLY 3.62% | Verizon Communications Inc 4.17% |
| LAM RESEARCH 3.59% | Walt Disney Co/The 3.96% |
| TJX 3.23% | AT&T Inc 3.69% |
| VISA CLASS A 3.21% | Warner Bros Discovery Inc 2.74% |
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 May 31, 2026 and Sep 10, 2026.
| QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | VOX Vanguard Communication Services Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | MSCI USA Quality Factor | Communication Services |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.0% | +2.9% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −1.5 pts | −14.6 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.09% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 98.9% | 84.5% |
| Holdings | 121 | 114 |
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.
VOX in plain words
VOX is an index equity fund tracking the Communication Services. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +2.9% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 84% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 114 positions, with the top ten at 72.1%. It sat 4.3% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or VOX?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +16.0% and VOX returned +2.9%, so QUAL returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or VOX?
- QUAL charges 0.15% a year and VOX charges 0.09%, so VOX is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do QUAL and VOX overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 99% of QUAL and 84% of VOX 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.
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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 VOX, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vox Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources