American Century California Municipal Bond ETF (CATF) belongs to the Municipal Bonds category. Below you'll find alternative ETFs from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with CATF. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.
Cheapest Alternatives to CATF
CATF charges 0.27% annually. There are 70 ETFs in the Municipal Bonds category with lower expense ratios, going as low as 0.03%.
| Symbol | Name | Expense Ratio | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schwab Municipal Bond ETF | 0.03% | 3.87B | Oct 2022 | CATF vs SCMB | |
| Northern Trust Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF | 0.05% | 94.44M | Aug 2025 | CATF vs TAXS | |
| Northern Trust Intermediate Tax-Exempt Bond ETF | 0.05% | 144.40M | Aug 2025 | CATF vs TAXI | |
| Northern Trust Tax-Exempt Bond ETF | 0.05% | 59.79M | Aug 2025 | CATF vs TAXT | |
| Vanguard Tax-Exempt Bond ETF | 0.05% | 45.70B | Aug 2015 | CATF vs VTEB |
Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to CATF
CATF has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 74. There are 47 ETFs in the Municipal Bonds category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 97.
| Symbol | Name | Risk / Return Rank | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Street My2027 Municipal Bond ETF | 97 | 9.88M | Sep 2024 | CATF vs MYMG | |
| State Street My2026 Municipal Bond ETF | 96 | 8.74M | Sep 2024 | CATF vs MYMF | |
| iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond ETF | 95 | 1.38B | Mar 2015 | CATF vs MEAR | |
| First Trust Ultra Short Duration Municipal ETF | 95 | 230.57M | Nov 2018 | CATF vs FUMB | |
| Invesco BulletShares 2027 Municipal Bond ETF | 94 | 339.63M | Sep 2019 | CATF vs BSMR |
Top Performing CATF Alternatives (YTD)
CATF is at 1.92% YTD. There are 24 ETFs in the Municipal Bonds category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 3.96%.
| Symbol | Name | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overlay Shares Municipal Bond ETF | 3.96% | 30.60M | Sep 2019 | CATF vs OVM | |
| Xtrackers Municipal Infrastructure Revenue Bond ET... | 3.71% | 138.42M | Jun 2013 | CATF vs RVNU | |
| First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF | 3.33% | 18.90M | Sep 2016 | CATF vs MFLX | |
| T. Rowe Price High Income Municipal ETF | 3.33% | 25.30M | Nov 2025 | CATF vs THYM | |
| SPDR Nuveen Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Municipa... | 2.87% | 2.93B | Apr 2011 | CATF vs HYMB |
Lowest Volatility Alternatives to CATF
CATF has 3.14% 1-year volatility. There are 96 ETFs in the Municipal Bonds category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 0.00%.
| Symbol | Name | Volatility 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iShares iBonds Dec 2024 Term Muni Bond ETF | 0.00% | 349.85M | Mar 2018 | CATF vs IBMM | |
| F/m Ultrashort Tax-Free Municipal ETF | 0.54% | 27.03M | Sep 2025 | CATF vs ZMUN | |
| iShares iBonds Dec 2025 Term Muni Bond ETF | 0.71% | 348.98M | Nov 2018 | CATF vs IBMN | |
| Allspring Ultra Short Municipal ETF | 0.73% | 30.06M | Jul 2025 | CATF vs AUSM | |
| State Street My2026 Municipal Bond ETF | 0.75% | 8.74M | Sep 2024 | CATF vs MYMF |
Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to CATF
CATF has a 1-year max drawdown of -2.77%. There are 72 ETFs in the Municipal Bonds category with shallower 1-year drawdowns, going as shallow as -0.22%.
| Symbol | Name | Max Drawdown 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Trust Ultra Short Duration Municipal ETF | -0.22% | 230.57M | Nov 2018 | CATF vs FUMB | |
| iShares iBonds Dec 2025 Term Muni Bond ETF | -0.25% | 348.98M | Nov 2018 | CATF vs IBMN | |
| Invesco BulletShares 2026 Municipal Bond ETF | -0.33% | 294.75M | Sep 2019 | CATF vs BSMQ | |
| Goldman Sachs Ultra Short Municipal Income ETF | -0.36% | 40.29M | Jul 2024 | CATF vs GUMI | |
| State Street My2027 Municipal Bond ETF | -0.36% | 9.88M | Sep 2024 | CATF vs MYMG |
Other ETFs from American Century
The 10 most viewed American Century ETFs shown here include AVUS, AVEM, AVDE and span 8 categories. AUM among these funds goes as high as $24B.
| Symbol | Name | Category | Risk / Return Rank | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avantis U.S. Equity ETF | Large Cap Growth Equities | 81 | 14.42% | 12.71B | Sep 2019 | CATF vs AVUS | |
| Avantis Emerging Markets Equity ETF | Foreign Large Cap Equities | 82 | 27.59% | 24.32B | Sep 2019 | CATF vs AVEM | |
| Avantis International Equity ETF | Foreign Large Cap Equities | 54 | 10.55% | 16.33B | Sep 2019 | CATF vs AVDE | |
| Avantis U.S. Large Cap Value ETF | Large Cap Value Equities | 91 | 20.64% | 12.01B | Sep 2021 | CATF vs AVLV | |
| Avantis Emerging Markets Value ETF | Emerging Markets Equities | 61 | 16.79% | 1.40B | Sep 2021 | CATF vs AVES | |
| American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF | Large Cap Growth Equities | 20 | 2.19% | 2.14B | Sep 2018 | CATF vs QGRO | |
| Avantis U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF | Large Cap Blend Equities | 81 | 14.81% | 1.21B | Sep 2023 | CATF vs AVLC | |
| American Century Focused Dynamic Growth ETF | Global Equities | 46 | 7.52% | 409.56M | Mar 2020 | CATF vs FDG | |
| Avantis Core Fixed Income ETF | Corporate Bonds | 38 | 0.08% | 1.81B | Oct 2020 | CATF vs AVIG | |
| American Century Multisector Floating Income ETF | Ultrashort Bond | 98 | 2.39% | 22.70M | Mar 2023 | CATF vs FUSI |
Often Compared With CATF
Investors most often compare CATF with QINT, RINT, BESF. These 20 comparison targets span 8 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.
Compare CATF with Any Fund or Stock
Compare CATF with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.
Pair CATF with funds that move differently
American Century California Municipal Bond ETF alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to CATF.
Explore CATF Diversifiers