ETF Versus

QUAL vs VOO

iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF vs Vanguard S&P 500 ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

QUAL iShares

iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to us factor - quality securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.15%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.94%. Launched in 2013, the fund has a 13-year track record.

AUM: $48.2B ER: 0.15% Yield: 0.94% Since: Jul 18, 2013
VOO Vanguard

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. equities across growth and value styles. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.14%. Launched in 2010, the fund has a 16-year track record.

AUM: $858.3B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.14% Since: Sep 7, 2010

Quick Verdict

VOO is significantly cheaper at 0.03% vs 0.15% expense ratio, saving you approximately $238 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, VOO has significantly outperformed with a 29.7% return vs 24.3%.

Key Metrics

Metric QUAL VOO
Expense Ratio 0.15% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 0.9% 1.1%
Fund Family iShares Vanguard
Category US Factor - Quality US Large Cap Blend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 98 116 134 152 170 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
QUAL +58.7%
VOO +65.2%

Performance Comparison

Period QUAL VOO Difference
1 Month +0.12% +0.48% -0.36%
3 Months -2.19% -2.24% +0.05%
6 Months +3.57% +2.53% +1.04%
YTD +0.29% -0.52% +0.81%
1 Year +24.31% +29.66% -5.35%
3 Years +60.67% +66.05% -5.38%
5 Years +58.69% +65.17% -6.48%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period QUAL Fees VOO Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $298 $60 $238
$10,000 20 years $1,278 $258 $1,020
$10,000 30 years $4,109 $835 $3,274
$50,000 10 years $1,490 $299 $1,190
$50,000 30 years $20,547 $4,176 $16,371
$100,000 30 years $41,094 $8,352 $32,742

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric QUAL VOO
Annualized Volatility 17.4% 16.8%
Max Drawdown -29.0% -25.4%
Sharpe Ratio 0.36 0.42

Dividend Comparison

Metric QUAL VOO
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.89 $7.13
Dividend Yield 0.95% 1.14%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

4 of top 9 holdings overlap (44% overlap in top holdings)

QUAL Top Holdings

NameWeight
Apple Inc.AAPL6.23%
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA6.18%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.82%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META3.64%
The TJX Companies, Inc.TJX3.42%
Lam Research CorporationLRCX3.21%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY3.10%
Visa Inc.V3.01%
KLA CorporationKLAC2.77%
Applied Materials, Inc.AMAT2.49%

VOO Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA7.31%
Apple Inc.AAPL6.63%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.96%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.47%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.56%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.46%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.40%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.92%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.57%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VOO if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose VOO if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

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