EEM alternatives and similar ETFs

EEM alternatives at a glance#

Each fund below can stand in for EEM, closest first. “Same kind” funds hold the same kind of stocks through a different index. “Related” funds make a different bet that often moves the same way.

Fees come from each fund company, checked on the dates shown on each fund’s page.

How EEM and its alternatives did over the same dates#

Each row measures the alternative and EEM on the days both traded, so neither gets a head start. Correlation shows how closely their daily moves matched over about the last five years. A value of 1 means they always moved together.

Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.

Each EEM alternative, compared#

IEMG: iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF#

IEMG also holds stocks in emerging countries such as China, India, Taiwan and Brazil. It tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index (USD) (Net), while EEM tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Net).

It charges 0.09% a year, about $9 on $10,000, against $72 for EEM. It held 2,857 stocks, against 1,186 for EEM.

From October 2012 to October 2026, IEMG returned about 6.0% a year and EEM returned about 5.3% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 1.00).

Read the IEMG fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

SCHE: Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF#

SCHE also holds stocks in emerging countries such as China, India, Taiwan and Brazil. It tracks the FTSE Emerging Index, while EEM tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Net).

It charges 0.06% a year, about $6 on $10,000, against $72 for EEM. It held 2,137 stocks, against 1,186 for EEM.

From January 2010 to October 2026, SCHE returned about 4.6% a year and EEM returned about 4.5% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.97).

Read the SCHE fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

VWO: Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF#

VWO also holds stocks in emerging countries such as China, India, Taiwan and Brazil. It tracks the FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index, while EEM tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Net).

It charges 0.06% a year, about $6 on $10,000, against $72 for EEM. It held 6,507 stocks, against 1,186 for EEM.

From March 2005 to October 2026, VWO returned about 6.7% a year and EEM returned about 6.6% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.97).

Read the VWO fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

VEU: Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF#

VEU is a looser match. It holds stocks in almost every country outside the US, rich and emerging, while EEM holds stocks in emerging countries such as China, India, Taiwan and Brazil.

It charges 0.04% a year, about $4 on $10,000, against $72 for EEM. It held 3,810 stocks, against 1,186 for EEM.

From March 2007 to October 2026, VEU returned about 5.3% a year and EEM returned about 4.8% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.90).

Read the VEU fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

VXUS: Vanguard Total International Stock ETF#

VXUS is a looser match. It holds stocks in almost every country outside the US, rich and emerging, while EEM holds stocks in emerging countries such as China, India, Taiwan and Brazil.

It charges 0.05% a year, about $5 on $10,000, against $72 for EEM. It held 8,740 stocks, against 1,186 for EEM.

From January 2011 to October 2026, VXUS returned about 6.5% a year and EEM returned about 4.3% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.90).

Read the VXUS fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

IXUS: iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF#

IXUS is a looser match. It holds stocks in almost every country outside the US, rich and emerging, while EEM holds stocks in emerging countries such as China, India, Taiwan and Brazil.

It charges 0.07% a year, about $7 on $10,000, against $72 for EEM. It held 4,584 stocks, against 1,186 for EEM.

From October 2012 to October 2026, IXUS returned about 7.7% a year and EEM returned about 5.3% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.90).

Read the IXUS fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

EEM versions from other fund companies#

Some people keep all their funds with one company. Here is the closest fund to EEM from each other company on this page:

• Schwab: SCHE, Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF (same kind of fund, 0.06% a year)
• Vanguard: VWO, Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (same kind of fund, 0.06% a year)

Most brokers let you buy any ETF, whoever runs it. Mutual fund versions, such as a fund company’s index mutual fund, are not listed here.

How to choose between EEM and its alternatives#

• What it tracks. A fund on the same index holds the same stocks. A different index can mean different weights, more or fewer holdings, or a different mix.
• The fee. The difference is often small. On $10,000, EEM costs about $72 a year. VEU costs about $4.
• History. An older fund has been through more bad markets, so you can see how far it fell.
• What you already own. Two funds that move together add little variety. A fund with a low correlation behaves more on its own.

Swapping EEM to harvest a tax loss#

Some investors sell a fund at a loss to lower their taxes, then buy a similar fund so they stay invested. This is called tax-loss harvesting.

The IRS wash sale rule blocks the loss if you buy a “substantially identical” security within 30 days before or after the sale. The IRS has not said exactly when two funds count. Funds on the same index are more likely to. Funds on a different index, such as IEMG, SCHE or VWO, are less likely to.

Ask a tax professional before you rely on this. Read the IRS rules in Publication 550.

Test EEM and its alternatives in a backtest#

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the builder, add EEM and IEMG, and see how each would have done on the same dates, or how a mix of both would have done.

The details#

Alternatives are picked from facts, not from returns. First come funds that track the same index as EEM. Then come funds that hold the same kind of stocks through another index. Last come funds from a close category that make a different bet. Leveraged funds are only listed as alternatives to other leveraged funds.

Within each group, the funds whose daily returns moved most like EEM over about the last five years come first. Returns and worst drops use Tactfolio’s stored daily prices, adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. Each alternative is measured with EEM only on days both traded. Read what a backtest simulates for more on these measures.