SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) Alternatives

SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) belongs to the Gold category. Below you'll find alternative ETFs from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with GLD. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or funds that fit a different role in your portfolio.

Cheapest Alternatives to GLD

GLD charges 0.40% annually. Among ETFs in the Gold category, these options have the lowest expense ratios among GLD alternatives.

Symbol	Name	Expense Ratio	Inception
IAUM	iShares Gold Trust Micro	0.09%	Jun 15, 2021	GLD vs IAUM
GLDM	SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust	0.10%	Jun 25, 2018	GLD vs GLDM
SGOL	abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF	0.17%	Sep 9, 2009	GLD vs SGOL
BAR	GraniteShares Gold Trust	0.17%	Aug 31, 2017	GLD vs BAR
AAAU	Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF	0.18%	Jul 26, 2018	GLD vs AAAU

Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to GLD

Among ETFs in the Gold category, these options rank highest on PortfoliosLab's risk-adjusted score, which accounts for volatility, drawdown, and return consistency over a 1-year period.

Symbol	Name	Risk / Return Rank	Inception
GDX	VanEck Gold Miners ETF	92	May 16, 2006	GLD vs GDX
GDMN	WisdomTree Efficient Gold Plus Gold Miners Strateg...	91	Dec 16, 2021	GLD vs GDMN
GDE	WisdomTree Efficient Gold Plus Equity Strategy Fun...	89	Mar 15, 2022	GLD vs GDE
IAUM	iShares Gold Trust Micro	88	Jun 15, 2021	GLD vs IAUM
GLDM	SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust	88	Jun 25, 2018	GLD vs GLDM

Top Performing GLD Alternatives (YTD)

GLD alternatives from the Gold category, sorted by year-to-date return.

Symbol	Name	YTD Return	Inception
DGP	DB Gold Double Long Exchange Traded Notes	13.65%	Feb 27, 2008	GLD vs DGP
KGLD	Kurv Gold Enhanced Income ETF	10.03%	Jul 7, 2025	GLD vs KGLD
GDMN	WisdomTree Efficient Gold Plus Gold Miners Strateg...	8.77%	Dec 16, 2021	GLD vs GDMN
IAUM	iShares Gold Trust Micro	8.63%	Jun 15, 2021	GLD vs IAUM
SGOL	abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF	8.62%	Sep 9, 2009	GLD vs SGOL

Lowest Volatility Alternatives to GLD

GLD alternatives from the Gold category, sorted by annualized volatility over the past year.

Symbol	Name	Volatility 1Y	Inception
BGLD	FT Vest Gold Strategy Quarterly Buffer ETF	12.06%	Jan 20, 2021	GLD vs BGLD
GLDY	Defiance Gold Enhanced Options Income ETF	19.99%	Apr 1, 2025	GLD vs GLDY
IAUI	NEOS Gold High Income ETF	20.78%	Jun 4, 2025	GLD vs IAUI
IGLD	FT Cboe Vest Gold Strategy Target Income ETF	23.75%	Mar 2, 2021	GLD vs IGLD
AAAU	Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF	27.49%	Jul 26, 2018	GLD vs AAAU

Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to GLD

GLD alternatives from the Gold category, sorted by maximum drawdown over the past year.

Symbol	Name	Max Drawdown 1Y	Inception
BGLD	FT Vest Gold Strategy Quarterly Buffer ETF	-11.11%	Jan 20, 2021	GLD vs BGLD
IGLD	FT Cboe Vest Gold Strategy Target Income ETF	-17.56%	Mar 2, 2021	GLD vs IGLD
AAAU	Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF	-19.13%	Jul 26, 2018	GLD vs AAAU
SGOL	abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF	-19.14%	Sep 9, 2009	GLD vs SGOL
OUNZ	VanEck Merk Gold Trust	-19.14%	May 16, 2014	GLD vs OUNZ

Other ETFs from State Street

Most popular State Street ETFs on PortfoliosLab, across asset classes.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	Inception
SPY	State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF	S&P 500	64	-4.37%	Jan 22, 1993	GLD vs SPY
XLK	State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF	Technology Equities	69	-7.57%	Dec 16, 1998	GLD vs XLK
SPYG	State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF	S&P 500, Large Cap Growth Equities	66	-8.12%	Sep 25, 2000	GLD vs SPYG
SPYD	SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF	S&P 500, Dividend	30	6.32%	Oct 21, 2015	GLD vs SPYD
XLE	State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF	Energy Equities	73	37.91%	Dec 16, 1998	GLD vs XLE
XLU	Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund	Utilities Equities	71	8.25%	Dec 16, 1998	GLD vs XLU
BIL	SPDR Barclays 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF	Government Bonds	100	0.85%	May 25, 2007	GLD vs BIL
DIA	SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF	Large Cap Growth Equities	47	-3.25%	Jan 14, 1998	GLD vs DIA
XLF	Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund	Financials Equities	14	-9.40%	Dec 16, 1998	GLD vs XLF
XLV	State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF	Health & Biotech Equities	16	-4.90%	Dec 16, 1998	GLD vs XLV

Often Compared With GLD

What investors most often compare with GLD, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	Inception
IAU	iShares Gold Trust	Gold, Precious Metals	87	8.61%	Jan 21, 2005	GLD vs IAU
SLV	iShares Silver Trust	Precious Metals	89	5.77%	Apr 21, 2006	GLD vs SLV
GOLD	Gold.com, Inc		—	18.11%	—	GLD vs GOLD
PHYS	Sprott Physical Gold Trust		84	7.33%	—	GLD vs PHYS
VOO	Vanguard S&P 500 ETF	S&P 500	65	-4.42%	Sep 7, 2010	GLD vs VOO
GDXJ	VanEck Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF	Materials	92	5.50%	Nov 10, 2009	GLD vs GDXJ
XAUUSD=X	Gold Spot Price US Dollar		92	9.15%	—	GLD vs XAUUSD=X
SGLN.L	iShares Physical Gold ETC	Precious Metals, Commodities	88	9.15%	Apr 8, 2011	GLD vs SGLN.L
GLTR	Aberdeen Standard Physical Precious Metals Basket ...	Precious Metals	85	6.38%	Oct 22, 2010	GLD vs GLTR
TLT	iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF	Government Bonds, Long-Term Bond	12	0.17%	Jul 22, 2002	GLD vs TLT
TQQQ	ProShares UltraPro QQQ	Leveraged Equities, Leveraged	50	-20.81%	Feb 9, 2010	GLD vs TQQQ
UGL	ProShares Ultra Gold	Leveraged Commodities	83	10.70%	Dec 1, 2008	GLD vs UGL
IGLN.L	iShares Physical Gold ETC	Gold, Precious Metals	88	7.06%	Apr 8, 2011	GLD vs IGLN.L
4GLD.DE	Xetra-Gold ETF	Gold, Precious Metals	83	7.00%	Nov 27, 2007	GLD vs 4GLD.DE
^XAU	Philadelphia Gold and Silver Index		96	9.33%	—	GLD vs ^XAU
XGD.TO	iShares S&P/TSX Global Gold Index ETF	Precious Metals	93	10.99%	Mar 23, 2001	GLD vs XGD.TO
NEM	Newmont Goldcorp Corporation		93	8.63%	—	GLD vs NEM

Compare GLD with Any Fund or Stock

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

Symbol name

SPDR Gold Shares

Symbol name