QUAL vs VXUS: Performance, Holdings, Fees & Risk
QUAL and VXUS are ETFs, but they can differ materially in exposure, yield, fees and risk. QUAL is iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF, while VXUS is Vanguard Total International Stock ETF. VXUS is broader by holdings count, with 8,821 positions versus 121 for QUAL. QUAL is more concentrated at the top, based on top-10 holdings weight. Current AlgovestIQ evidence has QUAL ahead on AIQ Score, 61 versus 60.
What is the main difference between QUAL and VXUS?
VXUS holds 8,821 positions to QUAL's 121, and 0% of their weight is in the same securities.
| Metric | QUAL | VXUS |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.05% |
| Holdings | 121 | 8,821 |
| Top-10 concentration | 44.5% | 12.9% |
| Distribution yieldTrailing 12 months | 0.86% | 2.45% |
| Average volume | 4,268,662 | 5,257,744 |
| Performance | ||
| 1Y return | +12.3% | +9.2% |
| YTD return | +10.4% | +7.3% |
| 5Y annualized returnTotal return, distributions reinvested | +9.9% | +7.4% |
| Risk | ||
| Annualized volatility | 12.6% | 17.7% |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -9.2% | -11.4% |
| Max drawdown (5Y)Total return, distributions reinvested | -28.2% | -28.9% |
| Beta | 0.87 | 1.09 |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.76 | 0.37 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.11 | 0.53 |
| AlgovestIQ | ||
| AIQ Score | 61/100 | 60/100 |
| AIQ Edge Score | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Momentum | 37/100 | 32/100 |
| Risk Resilience | 78/100 | 76/100 |
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF vs Vanguard Total International Stock ETF
QUAL leads
QUAL leads by 1 AIQ points, primarily on Value and Momentum, having only recently taken the lead back from VXUS.
Fragile: 2 of 4 evidence groups support QUAL, the lead recently changed hands, and its current signal state is conflicted.
iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF
Vanguard Total International Stock ETF
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors QUAL over VXUS, 61 versus 60 as of Nov 7, 2026. QUAL's advantage is driven primarily by stronger value and momentum, while VXUS holds the stronger quality profile. QUAL also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 2 of 4 covered evidence groups favor QUAL today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the AIQ gap is narrow at 1 points. QUAL lead: Reversed — VXUS led by 1 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; QUAL now leads by 1.
Compare iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF and Vanguard Total International Stock ETF across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.
QUAL vs VXUS: which fits what
Each row is settled by a single measure. Where the gap is too small to matter it reads Similar, and no row decides the comparison as a whole.
| If you want | QUAL | VXUS | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower costExpense ratio | 0.15% | 0.05% | VXUS |
| Broader diversificationNumber of holdings | 121 | 8,821 | VXUS |
| Lower concentrationWeight of the 10 largest holdings | 44.5% | 12.9% | VXUS |
| Higher incomeTrailing 12-month distribution yield | 0.86% | 2.45% | VXUS |
| Smaller drawdownsMax drawdown, 5 years | -28.2% | -28.9% | Similar |
| Lower volatilityAnnualized volatility, 1 year | 12.6% | 17.7% | QUAL |
Similar means the gap is within 0.01 percentage points of expense ratio, 25% more holdings, 3 points of top-10 weight, 0.2 points of yield, 2 points of drawdown or 1 point of volatility. Past drawdowns and volatility describe the funds’ history, not their future.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes for both ETFs.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare QUAL and VXUS against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Quality63 vs 76VXUS +13
- Value72 vs 60QUAL +12
- Momentum37 vs 32QUAL +5
- Risk Resilience78 vs 76Even
2 of 4 evidence groups favor QUAL. QUAL’s edge is concentrated in value and momentum; VXUS keeps a meaningful quality edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-11-06, compared against the prior scored session 2026-11-05.
Largest factor move: Value +38
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 4 active signals are unchanged.
Largest factor move: Value +1, not enough on its own to move the overall score.
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 6 active signals are unchanged.
The lead changed hands: QUAL moved ahead of VXUS in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — QUAL and VXUS both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
QUAL (iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF): the stronger current systematic profile, led by value and momentum.
VXUS (Vanguard Total International Stock ETF): the counter-case, on quality.
Fund facts, side by side
Two funds tracking overlapping universes are separated by cost and risk far more than by holdings. Those lead here.
| Measure | QUAL | VXUS | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.05% | Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold. |
| Holdings | 121 | 8,821 | More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns. |
| Average volume | 4,268,662 | 5,257,744 | Liquidity — matters most if you trade size. |
| Annualized volatility | 12.6% | 17.7% | Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure. |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -9.2% | -11.4% | The worst peak-to-trough loss over the past year. |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.76 | 0.37 | Return per unit of risk. Higher is better. |
| Beta | 0.87 | 1.09 | Sensitivity to the broad market. Neither direction is better — it depends on the role in your portfolio. |
Where the exposure actually sits
Sector exposure for each fund, ordered by the size of the difference.
How much of the same holdings they own
QUAL and VXUS share 0.05% of their weighted exposure across 1 common holdings.
117 holdings are unique to QUAL, and 8,280 holdings are unique to VXUS. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.
QUAL is the more concentrated of the two: its ten largest positions are 44.53% of the fund, against 12.94% for VXUS (121 holdings vs 8,821). Concentration cuts both ways — it is what drives outperformance when the top names work, and what makes the drawdown deeper when they do not.
Largest shared positions
| Holding | QUAL | VXUS | Shared |
|---|---|---|---|
| MRKMERCK & CO INC | 1.42% | 0.05% | 0.05% |
Shared weight is the lower of the two positions — the portion of capital both funds genuinely have in the same security.
What QUAL adds that VXUS doesn’t
| Holding | QUAL | VXUS |
|---|---|---|
| MSFTMICROSOFT | 7.62% | Not held |
| AAPLAPPLE | 6.83% | Not held |
| NVDANVIDIA | 6.56% | Not held |
| METAMETA PLATFORMS CLASS A | 4.36% | Not held |
| LRCXLAM RESEARCH | 3.79% | Not held |
| LLYELI LILLY | 3.61% | Not held |
What VXUS adds that QUAL doesn’t
| Holding | VXUS | QUAL |
|---|---|---|
| 2330.TWTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd | 4.02% | Not held |
| 005930.KSSamsung Electronics Co Ltd | 1.8% | Not held |
| ASML.ASASML Holding NV | 1.42% | Not held |
| 000660.KSSK hynix Inc | 1.41% | Not held |
| 0700.HKTencent Holdings Ltd | 0.85% | Not held |
| HSBA.LHSBC Holdings PLC | 0.82% | Not held |
Each list is a fund’s largest positions by weight that the other fund does not hold, or holds at less than half the weight.
QUAL vs VXUS: five-year payout growth
VXUS grew its split-adjusted payout faster over 2020-2025 — 13.28% a year against QUAL's 2.85%. VXUS: The 2020 payout was 24.6% below 2019, so the growth rate measures a recovery from a weak starting year. VXUS: The payout jumped 53.0% in 2021, a single step rather than steady compounding - often an index or mandate change. VXUS: A single payment in an endpoint year was 3.9x the fund's median payment, so one distribution carries much of the result.
| Dividend metric | QUAL | VXUS |
|---|---|---|
| 5Y payout CAGR | 2.85% | 13.28% |
| 2020 annual payout | $1.615 | $1.286 |
| 2025 annual payout | $1.859 | $2.399 |
| Calendar-year declines | 1 | 1 |
| Peer rank | #117 of 138 | #43 of 138 |
Split-adjusted annual distributions, 2020–2025. Research as of Sep 19, 2026. Yield and expense ratio above are current values, not part of this window.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
2 of 4 covered evidence groups favor QUAL. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | Even | 61 vs 60 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | QUAL | Value 72 vs 60 |
| Technicals | QUAL | Price vs 50-day -1.7% vs -4.8%; vs 200-day 3.1% vs -2.9% |
| Risk Resilience | Even | Risk Resilience 78 vs 76 |
| Analyst expectations | Not covered | Not covered |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of QUAL and VXUS and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is narrow at 1 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- Only 2 of 4 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The lead has already changed hands inside the comparison window. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on QUAL.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jul 8 – Nov 6QUAL lead: Reversed — VXUS led by 1 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; QUAL now leads by 1.
- Today
- QUAL +1
- 61 vs 60
- 7 sessions ago
- VXUS +10
- 50 vs 60
- 30 sessions ago
- VXUS +1
- 60 vs 61
- 90 sessions ago
- VXUS +12
- 56 vs 68
The lead changed hands once in this window, most recently on Nov 6 when QUAL moved ahead of VXUS.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
1 bullish / 1 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted
No signal that the other name lacks.
2 bullish / 2 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted
Only VXUS
- BB Lower Band Breach — bullish, volatility, short horizon
- Keltner Channel Breakdown — bearish, volatility, short horizon
Both carry 4 more signals that do not separate them: Bollinger Band Squeeze, Golden Cross Active, ATR Contraction - Coiling, MACD Bearish Crossover.
QUAL leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +0.07%, AIQ +11 points).
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +0.15%, AIQ 0 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1VXUS closes the Value gap — currently 12 points behind, the largest single contributor to QUAL's edge.
- 2VXUS's Bollinger Band Squeeze turns directional — it is neutral today and would confirm a change in trend.
- 3QUAL's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 1 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Performance
QUAL leads 6 of 6 windows| Metric | QUAL | VXUS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | -1.4% | -1.8% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -3.4% | -4.6% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -2.8% | -4.7% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | 4.2% | -2.4% |
| Year to date | 10.4% | 7.3% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | 12.3% | 9.2% |
Technicals
QUAL has the stronger structure| Metric | QUAL | VXUS |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 37.1 | 38.3 |
| ADX (14) | 16.6 | 22.6 |
| Price vs 50-day | -1.7% | -4.8% |
| Price vs 200-day | 3.1% | -2.9% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 16.6% | 18% |
Risk
Split| Metric | QUAL | VXUS |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 0.87 | 1.09 |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.76 | 0.37 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.11 | 0.53 |
| Max drawdown | -9.2% | -11.4% |
| Current drawdown | -3.7% | -8.5% |
| Annualized volatility | 12.6% | 17.7% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -1.2% | -1.8% |
Straight answers
Short answers to the questions fund investors ask about this pair, from the figures above.
What is the difference between QUAL and VXUS?
VXUS holds 8,821 positions to QUAL's 121, and 0% of their weight is in the same securities.
How much do QUAL and VXUS overlap?
QUAL and VXUS share 0.05% of their weighted exposure across 1 common holdings. 117 holdings are unique to QUAL, and 8,280 holdings are unique to VXUS. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.
Which ETF is more diversified, QUAL or VXUS?
VXUS holds more positions: 8,821 versus 121 for QUAL.
Which has the lower expense ratio?
VXUS has the lower expense ratio, 0.05% a year against 0.15% for QUAL.
Which ETF has the higher distribution yield?
VXUS, with a trailing 12-month distribution yield of 2.45% against 0.86% for QUAL.
Which ETF has been more volatile?
VXUS has been more volatile over the past year, at 17.7% annualized against 12.6% for QUAL.
Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?
Their worst peak-to-trough falls over the past five years are similar: -28.2% for QUAL and -28.9% for VXUS.
Compare QUAL and VXUS with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.