AVDS vs ILOW

AVDSAAvantis International Small Cap Equity ETF

ILOWBAB International Low Volatility Equity ETF

In short

AVDS Avantis casts a wide net: roughly 3,000 non-US developed small caps, weighted with an eye on price, profitability and how much cash companies plow back in. Active management that looks a lot like an index fund with its thumb on the scale.

ILOW Most international funds hunt growth. ILOW works the calm end of the pool: an actively run AB portfolio of overseas companies picked for steady profits, quiet price action, and sane valuations.

Stated mandate

AVDS The ETF seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing in a broad group of non-U.S. small-cap companies and considering valuation, profitability, and investment levels when selecting and weighting securities.

ILOW The fund seeks long-term growth of capital. It is actively managed and invests internationally with emphasis on sustainable profitability, price stability, and attractive valuations.

Why people hold it

• AVDS Charges 0.30% a year, about half the typical fee in its active international peer group. Cheap is a durable edge in a corner of the market where fees usually run high.
• Roughly 3,000 holdings, so no single stock or country steers the outcome. This is small-cap breadth, not a concentrated stock-picking bet.
• The tilts are the whole design: valuation, profitability and investment levels shape both what it owns and how much of each, measured against MSCI World ex USA Small Cap.avantisinvestors.com
• Sits among the strongest builds in a crowded field of active international equity funds. Broad, systematic, low-fee: the boxes that tend to stay ticked.

• ILOW Low volatility run by humans, not a rulebook. AB selects for sustainable profitability, price stability, and attractive valuations rather than holding whatever a low-vol index prints.
• 0.50% a year, below the typical actively managed international fund in its group. Unusual for a strategy with a manager steering it.
• Roughly 90 names: tight enough that stock selection actually shows up, wide enough that no single position runs the fund.
• Grades as one of the stronger builds in its active international peer group.

Worth knowing

• AVDS Thinly traded compared with the big international names. Limit orders and a look at the spread earn their keep here.
• Launched in 2023, so the live record is short even though the approach behind it is not new.
• Costs more than Avantis' broad international fund AVDE (0.23%). Small caps abroad are pricier to research and trade, and they swing harder.

• ILOW Thinly traded next to the heavyweights of the category, so spreads and limit orders deserve a closer look before you click.
• Launched in 2024. The live record is short and has not been through a full market cycle yet.
• Index-based rivals like AVDE and DFIC charge roughly half as much. The active low-vol tilt is what the extra fee buys.

Full AVDS profile⁠

Full ILOW profile⁠