Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
QUAL vs VWO: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, QUAL returned +13.1% to VWO's +4.8%; 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 $125.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF.
Pair scorecard
VWO costs 0.09 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 8.3 points; VWO is 2.6 times larger.
| Measure | QUAL | VWO |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.1% | +4.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 7.0%, high on Sep 4, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index | FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.06% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $47.7bn | $125.4bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 44.5% | 29.8% |
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 VWO 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 VWO 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%.
VWO
VWO tracks an index of Emerging markets. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% 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 6,515 positions, with the top ten at 29.8%. It sat 7.0% below its high of Sep 4, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or VWO?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +13.1% and VWO +4.8%.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or VWO?
- VWO is cheaper, by 0.09 percentage points a year. That is about $9 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 VWO, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vwo
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). QUAL against VWO. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vwo
[QUAL against VWO (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vwo)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.