FEX Alternatives & Similar ETFs

First Trust Large Cap Core AlphaDEX Fund (FEX) belongs to the Large Cap Blend Equities category. Below you'll find alternative ETFs from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with FEX. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.

Cheapest Alternatives to FEX

FEX charges 0.57% annually. There are 155 ETFs in the Large Cap Blend Equities category with lower expense ratios, going as low as 0.03%.

Symbol	Name	Expense Ratio	AUM	Inception
ITOT	iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF	0.03%	93.42B	Jan 2004	FEX vs ITOT
SCHX	Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF	0.03%	72.63B	Nov 2009	FEX vs SCHX
SPTM	SPDR Portfolio S&P 1500 Composite Stock Market ETF	0.03%	13.61B	Oct 2000	FEX vs SPTM
SCHB	Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF	0.03%	43.31B	Nov 2009	FEX vs SCHB
VTI	Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF	0.03%	2.20T	May 2001	FEX vs VTI

Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to FEX

FEX has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 76. There are 30 ETFs in the Large Cap Blend Equities category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 93.

Symbol	Name	Risk / Return Rank	AUM	Inception
RSSY	Return Stacked US Stocks & Futures Yield ETF	93	—	May 2024	FEX vs RSSY
IUS	Invesco RAFI Strategic US ETF	91	860.84M	Sep 2018	FEX vs IUS
BLCR	Blackrock Large Cap Core ETF	87	6.04B	Oct 2023	FEX vs BLCR
CNAV	Mohr Company Nav ETF	87	—	Sep 2024	FEX vs CNAV
PSCX	Pacer Swan SOS Conservative (December) ETF	85	47.28M	Dec 2020	FEX vs PSCX

Top Performing FEX Alternatives (YTD)

FEX is at 15.12% YTD. There are 29 ETFs in the Large Cap Blend Equities category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 47.92%.

Symbol	Name	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
NRSH	Aztlan North America Nearshoring Stock Selection E...	47.92%	20.80M	Nov 2023	FEX vs NRSH
CNAV	Mohr Company Nav ETF	47.26%	—	Sep 2024	FEX vs CNAV
RSSY	Return Stacked US Stocks & Futures Yield ETF	32.45%	—	May 2024	FEX vs RSSY
AFOS	ARS Focused Opportunities Strategy ETF	32.04%	194.17M	Jun 2025	FEX vs AFOS
MTUM	iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF	31.75%	26.66B	Apr 2013	FEX vs MTUM

Lowest Volatility Alternatives to FEX

FEX has 12.51% 1-year volatility. There are 136 ETFs in the Large Cap Blend Equities category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 2.37%.

Symbol	Name	Volatility 1Y	AUM	Inception
BUFH	FT Vest Laddered Max Buffer ETF	2.37%	—	Jun 2025	FEX vs BUFH
BUFX	FT Vest Laddered Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF	3.98%	—	Jun 2025	FEX vs BUFX
UJUN	Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - June	4.25%	78.22M	Jun 2019	FEX vs UJUN
DMAY	FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - May	4.73%	354.49M	May 2020	FEX vs DMAY
DJUN	FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - June	5.04%	320.45M	Jun 2020	FEX vs DJUN

Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to FEX

FEX has a 1-year max drawdown of -6.23%. There are 21 ETFs in the Large Cap Blend Equities category with shallower 1-year drawdowns, going as shallow as -2.84%.

Symbol	Name	Max Drawdown 1Y	AUM	Inception
UJUN	Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - June	-2.84%	78.22M	Jun 2019	FEX vs UJUN
CVSE	Calvert US Select Equity ETF	-3.08%	25.16M	Jan 2023	FEX vs CVSE
DJUN	FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - June	-3.15%	320.45M	Jun 2020	FEX vs DJUN
DMAY	FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - May	-3.36%	354.49M	May 2020	FEX vs DMAY
DFND	Siren DIVCON Dividend Defender ETF	-3.44%	8.98M	Jan 2016	FEX vs DFND

Other ETFs from First Trust

The 10 most viewed First Trust ETFs shown here include CIBR, GRID, NFTY and span 11 categories. AUM among these funds goes as high as $14B.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
CIBR	First Trust NASDAQ Cybersecurity ETF	Technology Equities, Cybersecurity	26	28.52%	13.68B	Jul 2015	FEX vs CIBR
GRID	First Trust Nasdaq Clean Edge Smart GRID Infrastru...	Alternative Energy Equities	79	28.91%	11.29B	Nov 2009	FEX vs GRID
NFTY	First Trust India NIFTY 50 Equal Weight ETF	Asia Pacific Equities	3	-9.70%	133.88M	Feb 2012	FEX vs NFTY
AIRR	First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ET...	Building & Construction	78	31.77%	10.62B	Mar 2014	FEX vs AIRR
FDL	First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fun...	Large Cap Value Equities, Dividend	70	13.33%	7.39B	Mar 2006	FEX vs FDL
IGLD	FT Cboe Vest Gold Strategy Target Income ETF	Precious Metals, Gold	28	1.69%	591.41M	Mar 2021	FEX vs IGLD
FTXL	First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF	Semiconductors, Technology Equities	97	115.70%	2.52B	Sep 2016	FEX vs FTXL
TDIV	First Trust NASDAQ Technology Dividend Index Fund	Technology Equities, Dividend	83	30.57%	4.66B	Aug 2012	FEX vs TDIV
KNG	FT Cboe Vest S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Target I...	Dividend, S&P 500	20	2.20%	3.28B	Mar 2018	FEX vs KNG
QCLN	First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index F...	Alternative Energy Equities	89	52.94%	895.30M	Feb 2007	FEX vs QCLN

Often Compared With FEX

Investors most often compare FEX with FCNTX, CAIBX, DODGX. These 20 comparison targets span 12 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
FCNTX	Fidelity Contrafund	Large Cap Growth Equities	35	7.76%	176.32B	May 1967	FEX vs FCNTX
CAIBX	American Funds Capital Income Builder Class A	Diversified Portfolio	60	7.79%	—	Jul 1987	FEX vs CAIBX
DODGX	Dodge & Cox Stock Fund Class I	Large Cap Value Equities	19	2.93%	—	Jan 1965	FEX vs DODGX
VOO	Vanguard S&P 500 ETF	S&P 500	70	10.91%	1.60T	Sep 2010	FEX vs VOO
CONY	YieldMax COIN Option Income Strategy ETF	Derivative Income	3	-25.27%	422.52M	Aug 2023	FEX vs CONY
IVV	iShares Core S&P 500 ETF	S&P 500	70	10.85%	854.92B	May 2000	FEX vs IVV
FNCMX	Fidelity NASDAQ Composite Index Fund	Large Cap Growth Equities	68	16.82%	—	Sep 2003	FEX vs FNCMX
BDGS	Bridges Capital Tactical ETF	Large Cap Blend Equities	74	5.64%	42.09M	May 2023	FEX vs BDGS
GARP	iShares MSCI USA Quality GARP ETF	Large Cap Growth Equities	68	21.29%	2.49B	Jan 2020	FEX vs GARP
PRBLX	Parnassus Core Equity Fund	Large Cap Blend Equities	20	6.73%	—	Aug 1992	FEX vs PRBLX
FNDX	Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company Index ETF	Large Cap Value Equities	90	14.57%	25.47B	Aug 2013	FEX vs FNDX
EWI	iShares MSCI Italy ETF	Europe Equities	41	7.69%	660.75M	Mar 1996	FEX vs EWI
RSP	Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF	S&P 500	49	9.70%	89.51B	Apr 2003	FEX vs RSP
JETD	MAX Airlines -3X Inverse Leveraged ETN	Inverse Equities	2	-28.36%	3.29M	Jun 2023	FEX vs JETD
SPMO	Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF	Momentum, S&P 500	75	30.35%	19.93B	Oct 2015	FEX vs SPMO
FJUN	FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - June	Large Cap Blend Equities	77	4.64%	1.17B	Jun 2020	FEX vs FJUN
ROBT	First Trust Nasdaq Artificial Intelligence & Robot...	Technology Equities, Robotics	32	14.22%	763.61M	Feb 2018	FEX vs ROBT
SPY	State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF	S&P 500	70	10.91%	781.00B	Jan 1993	FEX vs SPY
EUFN	iShares MSCI Europe Financials ETF	Financials Equities	32	1.54%	3.64B	Jan 2010	FEX vs EUFN
FTAG	First Trust Indxx Global Agriculture ETF	Large Cap Blend Equities	28	10.75%	15.66M	Mar 2010	FEX vs FTAG

Compare FEX with Any Fund or Stock

Compare FEX with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.

Symbol name

Diversifiers

Pair FEX with funds that move differently

First Trust Large Cap Core AlphaDEX Fund alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to FEX.

Explore FEX Diversifiers

First Trust Large Cap Core AlphaDEX Fund (FEX) Alternatives