Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
QUAL vs VUSB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, QUAL returned +13.1% to VUSB's +3.5%; 0% 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 $9.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF.
Pair scorecard
VUSB costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 9.6 points; QUAL is 4.8 times larger.
| Measure | QUAL | VUSB |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.1% | +3.5% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index | No index, actively managed |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.10% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $47.7bn | $9.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 97% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 44.5% | |
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 VUSB 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 VUSB 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%.
VUSB
VUSB is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +3.5% with distributions reinvested, against −1.4% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.10% a year.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or VUSB?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +13.1% and VUSB +3.5%.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or VUSB?
- VUSB is cheaper, by 0.05 percentage points a year. That is about $5 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 VUSB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vusb
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). QUAL against VUSB. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vusb
[QUAL against VUSB (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vusb)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.