ETF Versus

QUAL vs VOO

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

Last updated: 2026-04-02

iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) is an exchange-traded fund 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 0.98%. Launched in 2013, the fund has a 13-year track record.

AUM: $45.6B ER: 0.15% Yield: 0.98% 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 1.18%. Launched in 2010, the fund has a 16-year track record.

AUM: $792.0B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.18% 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. VOO has edged ahead over the past year (16.8% vs 12.5%).

Key Metrics

Metric QUAL VOO
Expense Ratio 0.15% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 1.0% 1.2%
Fund Family N/A Vanguard
Category US Factor - Quality US Large Cap Blend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 99 118 137 156 175 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
QUAL +54.7%
VOO +61.3%

Performance Comparison

Period QUAL VOO Difference
1 Month -5.72% -4.59% -1.13%
3 Months -3.22% -4.14% +0.92%
6 Months -1.88% -2.11% +0.23%
YTD -3.22% -4.14% +0.92%
1 Year +12.54% +16.77% -4.23%
3 Years +54.67% +59.52% -4.85%
5 Years +54.70% +61.27% -6.57%

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 0.33 0.39

Dividend Comparison

Metric QUAL VOO
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.89 $7.13
Dividend Yield 0.98% 1.18%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

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

QUAL Top Holdings

NameWeight
Apple Inc.AAPL6.35%
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA6.03%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.87%
The TJX Companies, Inc.TJX3.49%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META3.32%
Visa Inc.V3.05%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY3.03%
Lam Research CorporationLRCX2.92%
KLA CorporationKLAC2.54%
Mastercard IncorporatedMA2.44%

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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