FSPSX vs FTIHX comes down to one question: do you want developed markets only, or everything outside the United States? FSPSX tracks the MSCI EAFE Index and holds roughly 700 large and mid-size stocks in Europe, Japan and the Asia-Pacific region. FTIHX tracks a wider index that adds Canada, emerging markets and small companies, for about 5,000 holdings.

Cost will not settle FSPSX vs FTIHX. Both funds charge under 0.1% a year, a gap of about $2.50 per $10,000. This guide shows what each fund really owns, how returns have compared, and which kind of investor each one suits. Every figure is dated, and projections are flagged as estimates.

Quick Facts: FSPSX vs FTIHX

DetailFSPSXFTIHX
Full nameFidelity International Index FundFidelity Total International Index Fund
Index trackedMSCI EAFE IndexMSCI ACWI ex USA Investable Market Index
Expense ratio0.035%0.06%
Holdings684 (June 30, 2026)About 5,074
Fund assetsAbout $84.6 billion (June 30, 2026)About $26.3 billion
InceptionNovember 5, 1997June 7, 2016
Emerging marketsNoYes
CanadaNoYes
Small capsNoYes
Trailing yieldAbout 2.9%About 2.5%
Minimum investment$0 (StockAnalysis)$0 (StockAnalysis)
Fund typeMutual fundMutual fund

Sources: Fidelity’s June 30, 2026 fact sheet for FSPSX, StockAnalysis (October 2026) for FTIHX holdings, assets, minimums and yields, and PortfoliosLab (October 21, 2026) for yields. Fund pages show different “as of” dates, so confirm current numbers on Fidelity before you invest.

What Is FSPSX vs FTIHX?

FSPSX vs FTIHX is a comparison of two Fidelity index mutual funds that give U.S. investors stock exposure outside the United States. FSPSX owns developed-market companies only. FTIHX owns developed and emerging markets, and it includes small and mid-size companies as well as large ones.

A few terms help here. An index fund tries to copy a published list of stocks instead of picking winners. An expense ratio is the yearly fee, taken out of the fund’s returns. A mutual fund trades once a day at its closing price, unlike an ETF, which trades all day.

Why FSPSX vs FTIHX matters: most U.S. portfolios are heavy in American stocks. A fund like either of these is how people add the rest of the world, and the two choices behave differently in the places that matter.

How the FSPSX vs FTIHX Indexes Differ

The MSCI EAFE Index stands for Europe, Australasia and the Far East. According to Fidelity, it is a market-cap-weighted index of developed-market large and mid-cap stocks, excluding the U.S. and Canada. Market-cap weighted means bigger companies get bigger weights.

The MSCI ACWI ex USA Investable Market Index, usually shortened to ACWI ex USA IMI, covers everything outside the U.S. that an investor can reasonably buy. That includes 22 of 23 developed markets (excluding the U.S.) and 24 emerging markets, across large, mid and small caps.

In plain terms, FTIHX covers the same developed markets as FSPSX, plus Canada, plus places such as Taiwan, South Korea, China and India, plus smaller companies. FSPSX covers only the developed-market, large and mid-size part of what FTIHX owns.

FSPSX vs FTIHX Holdings: What You Actually Own

Start with FSPSX. Fidelity’s June 30, 2026 fact sheet shows 684 holdings and a regional split of 65.57% Europe, 23.35% Japan and 11.06% Asia-Pacific excluding Japan. Financials are the largest sector at 24.65%, followed by industrials at 18.66% and information technology at 12.02%.

The top ten holdings are ASML, HSBC, Roche, Novartis, AstraZeneca, Nestlé, Siemens, Shell, Tokyo Electron and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. Together they make up 14.13% of the fund. It is a portfolio of established European and Japanese blue chips, and nothing in it is based in Taiwan, South Korea, India or China.

Now FTIHX. The fund follows the ACWI ex USA IMI, so index data is the best guide. Fund weights can differ a little because index funds sometimes sample instead of owning every stock. These index weights come from MSCI’s September 30, 2026 factsheet.

MSCI’s ACWI ex USA factsheet lists 5,854 constituents. The largest country weights are Japan at 15.77%, Taiwan at 9.46%, the United Kingdom at 8.34%, Canada at 8.07% and South Korea at 6.79%. Financials are 23.35%, technology 20.93% and industrials 14.77%.

The biggest difference sits at the top of the list. The three largest index positions are Taiwan Semiconductor at 4.52%, Samsung Electronics at 2.18% and SK Hynix at 1.71%. FSPSX holds none of them, so its technology weight is about 12% against nearly 21% in the FTIHX index.

Add up Canada, Taiwan and South Korea in the index and you get about 24%. That is roughly a quarter of FTIHX’s benchmark in three countries FSPSX cannot own. Add China, India, Brazil and the rest, and the gap is larger still.

In FSPSX vs FTIHX, the two portfolios do overlap. Nestlé, Roche, Novartis, AstraZeneca, ASML, HSBC and Shell show up in both lists. In developed Europe and Japan, you are buying many of the same companies either way.

FSPSX vs FTIHX in 2026: Returns and Risk

Past returns describe what happened, not what will happen. With that said, here is where the FSPSX vs FTIHX numbers stood in October 2026 according to PortfoliosLab, updated October 21, 2026.

PeriodFSPSXFTIHX
Year to date (2026)9.23%11.49%
1 year13.16%15.56%
3 years (annualized)19.25%20.52%
5 years (annualized)8.78%8.15%
10 years (annualized)9.25%8.84%

FTIHX is ahead in 2026 and over the last year, while FSPSX has the better five and ten-year records. Do not read too much into the 10-year row, because FTIHX only launched in June 2016.

Calendar years tell a similar story of trading places.

YearFSPSXFTIHXAhead
202531.98%32.59%FTIHX
20243.70%4.98%FTIHX
202318.31%15.49%FSPSX
2022-14.23%-16.29%FSPSX
202111.45%8.45%FSPSX
20208.16%11.09%FTIHX
201922.03%21.50%FSPSX
2018-13.55%-14.40%FSPSX
201725.37%25.88%FTIHX

In the FSPSX vs FTIHX race across those nine full years, FSPSX finished ahead five times and FTIHX four. That fits a loose pattern: FTIHX tends to lead when emerging markets and tech-heavy Asia rally, and FSPSX tends to hold up better when they stumble. Nine years is a small sample, so treat it as a tendency, not a rule.

Risk looks similar too. PortfoliosLab reports a correlation between the funds of 0.93 to 0.96, which means they usually move together day to day. Over the past year FTIHX showed higher volatility, 16.37% against 15.48%, but also a higher Sharpe ratio, 0.73 against 0.61.

One warning on data quality. Different sites show different numbers for the same funds because their windows and cut-off dates differ. Kavout’s comparison page, for example, lists one-year returns of 8.7% and 12.6%, well below PortfoliosLab’s. Compare numbers only when they cover the same dates.

Fidelity’s own data adds a check on FSPSX. As of June 30, 2026, its 3-year return of 16.73% matched the index’s 16.74%, and its 5-year return of 9.35% sat just above the index’s 9.31%. That is what a good index fund looks like: it tracks closely.

FSPSX vs FTIHX Cost Breakdown: What the Fee Gap Costs

FSPSX charges 0.035% a year, according to Fidelity’s fact sheet, and FTIHX charges 0.06%. Some aggregators round the first number to 0.04%. Here is what each fee means in actual money.

BalanceFSPSX cost per yearFTIHX cost per yearDifference
$10,000$3.50$6.00$2.50
$50,000$17.50$30.00$12.50
$100,000$35.00$60.00$25.00

These figures cover fees only and assume a constant balance. Real balances grow, so the dollar cost rises with them, but the gap stays tiny next to the return gap between any two years. Nobody should settle FSPSX vs FTIHX purely because one fund is a few dollars cheaper.

Two smaller costs are worth a look. Both funds list a turnover of 4%, so trading costs inside the fund are low. Dividends matter too. PortfoliosLab shows trailing yields of 2.89% for FSPSX and 2.50% for FTIHX, and StockAnalysis lists 2.87% and 2.50%.

Taxes deserve a note, though this is general information, not tax advice. International funds pay foreign taxes on some dividends. In a regular taxable account you may be able to claim a foreign tax credit, while in an IRA or 401(k) that credit generally cannot be used. Ask a tax professional how it applies to you.

FSPSX vs FTIHX vs Other International Funds

How does the FSPSX vs FTIHX pair stack up against alternatives? The figures below come from StockAnalysis pages checked in September and October 2026, and holdings counts change often.

FundExpense ratioHoldingsWhat it tracksMinimum
FSPSX0.035%684 to 695MSCI EAFE (developed only)$0
FTIHX0.06%About 5,074MSCI ACWI ex USA IMI$0
FZILX0.00%About 2,223Fidelity Global ex U.S. Index (large and mid caps)$0
VXUS (ETF)0.05%About 8,999FTSE Global All Cap ex USOne share
VTIAX0.09%About 8,860Vanguard total international$3,000

FZILX, Fidelity’s zero-fee fund, is the closest rival, but it tracks Fidelity’s own large and mid-cap index, not an MSCI one. VXUS and VTIAX own roughly 9,000 stocks, so FTIHX sits between FSPSX’s 700 or so holdings and those broader funds.

Practical Takeaways: How to Choose Between FSPSX vs FTIHX

In the FSPSX vs FTIHX decision, pick FSPSX if you want a simple developed-markets fund and do not want emerging-market risk in the same bucket. It also suits investors who prefer to add emerging markets separately, through another fund, so they can choose the amount themselves. That works but takes more effort.

Pick FTIHX if you want one fund that covers the world outside the U.S., with emerging markets and small caps included. It gives you a single-fund answer for the non-U.S. slice of a portfolio. The extra volatility comes with extra diversification.

Do not buy both FSPSX and FTIHX in the hope of better diversification. With a correlation around 0.95 and many of the same top holdings, you would mostly own the same stocks twice. If you hold FSPSX and want emerging markets, add a dedicated emerging markets fund, not FTIHX.

Think about timing as well. If you are investing a lump sum and wondering whether to buy all at once, our guide on dollar-cost averaging vs lump sum for $10,000 walks through the trade-offs with real numbers.

Know the risks of international funds. Currency swings can add to or subtract from your returns. Country concentration matters too: in the FTIHX index, Japan, Taiwan and the United Kingdom together are about a third of the index. Regulation and political risk are usually higher in emerging markets than in developed ones.

Account choice affects the real cost of these funds. Whether a Roth or traditional account makes more sense depends on your tax rate now and later, which our Roth or 401(k) calculator can help you test before you decide.

Finally, how much international should you own at all? There is no single right answer. Common rules of thumb for U.S. investors run from roughly 20% to 40% of the stock allocation outside the U.S., but that range is a rule of thumb, not a rule, and it is not personal advice. Your age, goals and tolerance for swings matter more.

If you are investing for retirement income, the 4 percent rule shows how a portfolio like this can translate into a monthly paycheck.

None of this needs a perfect pick. Staying invested and keeping costs low usually matters more than the choice between these two funds.

If you are comparing more funds like these, browse the full set of Investing guides on Snoopstats.

People Also Ask

What is the main difference in FSPSX vs FTIHX?

FSPSX owns developed-market stocks only, tracking the MSCI EAFE Index. FTIHX tracks the MSCI ACWI ex USA IMI, which adds Canada, emerging markets and small caps.

Which has the lower expense ratio in FSPSX vs FTIHX?

FSPSX is cheaper at 0.035% against 0.06% for FTIHX. On $10,000 that is $3.50 a year versus $6.00.

Does FSPSX include emerging markets?

No. The MSCI EAFE Index covers developed markets in Europe, Australasia and the Far East. It excludes the U.S. and Canada, and it holds no emerging-market stocks such as Taiwan, South Korea or India.

Does FTIHX include small-cap stocks?

Yes. Its index, the MSCI ACWI ex USA Investable Market Index, covers large, mid and small caps, which is why it holds about 5,000 stocks against roughly 700 for FSPSX.

In FSPSX vs FTIHX, which has performed better?

It depends on the period. As of October 21, 2026, FTIHX leads for 2026 so far (11.49% to 9.23%) and the last year, while FSPSX leads over five and ten years, according to PortfoliosLab.

Should I own both in the FSPSX vs FTIHX choice?

Usually not. The funds have a correlation of roughly 0.93 to 0.96 and share many top holdings, so owning both adds little diversification. Most people choose one.

Which pays the higher dividend yield?

FSPSX, at about 2.9% against about 2.5% for FTIHX on a trailing basis. Yields change over time and are not a promise of future income.

Are FSPSX and FTIHX ETFs?

No, both are mutual funds. They are bought and sold once a day at the closing net asset value, rather than throughout the day like an ETF.

What is the minimum investment for FSPSX and FTIHX?

StockAnalysis lists a $0 minimum for both, but Fidelity can change its rules, so confirm on Fidelity’s website or in your account before you invest.

How does FSPSX compare with FZILX?

FZILX charges 0.00% and tracks Fidelity’s own large and mid-cap ex-U.S. index, while FSPSX tracks the MSCI EAFE Index. The two follow different indexes, so their holdings and returns are not the same.

Is FTIHX riskier than FSPSX?

Over the past year it was slightly more volatile, at 16.37% against 15.48% according to PortfoliosLab, likely because it holds emerging markets and tech-heavy Asia. Past volatility is not a prediction.

The Bottom Line

FSPSX vs FTIHX is mostly a choice about scope, not cost. FSPSX is the lowest-cost way to own developed markets outside the U.S., while FTIHX adds Canada, emerging markets and small caps for about $2.50 more per $10,000 a year. Pick one, not both, match it to the allocation you actually want, and treat past returns as history. For more clear money guides, visit Snoopstats.