Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
QUAL vs VPU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, QUAL returned +13.1% to VPU's −3.3%; 2% 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 $7.7bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Utilities ETF.
Pair scorecard
VPU costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 16.4 points; QUAL is 6.2 times larger.
| Measure | QUAL | VPU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.1% | −3.3% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.9%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index | MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50 |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.09% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $47.7bn | $7.7bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 2% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 44.5% | 52.3% |
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 VPU hold 2% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
2% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
QUAL and VPU 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%.
VPU
VPU tracks an index of Utilities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.3% with distributions reinvested, against −3.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 70 positions, with the top ten at 52.3%. It sat 8.9% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or VPU?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +13.1% and VPU −3.3%.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or VPU?
- VPU 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 VPU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vpu
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). QUAL against VPU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vpu
[QUAL against VPU (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vpu)
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