iShares Gold Trust (IAU) Alternatives

iShares Gold Trust (IAU) 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 IAU. 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 IAU

IAU charges 0.25% annually. Among ETFs in the Gold category, these options have the lowest expense ratios among IAU alternatives.

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

Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to IAU

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	IAU vs GDX
GDMN	WisdomTree Efficient Gold Plus Gold Miners Strateg...	91	Dec 16, 2021	IAU vs GDMN
GDE	WisdomTree Efficient Gold Plus Equity Strategy Fun...	88	Mar 15, 2022	IAU vs GDE
DGP	DB Gold Double Long Exchange Traded Notes	86	Feb 27, 2008	IAU vs DGP
IAUM	iShares Gold Trust Micro	86	Jun 15, 2021	IAU vs IAUM

Top Performing IAU Alternatives (YTD)

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

Symbol	Name	YTD Return	Inception
DGP	DB Gold Double Long Exchange Traded Notes	16.89%	Feb 27, 2008	IAU vs DGP
GDMN	WisdomTree Efficient Gold Plus Gold Miners Strateg...	14.62%	Dec 16, 2021	IAU vs GDMN
GDX	VanEck Gold Miners ETF	11.94%	May 16, 2006	IAU vs GDX
KGLD	Kurv Gold Enhanced Income ETF	11.28%	Jul 7, 2025	IAU vs KGLD
GDXW	Roundhill Gold Miners Weeklypay ETF	11.12%	Oct 29, 2025	IAU vs GDXW

Lowest Volatility Alternatives to IAU

IAU 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	12.12%	Jan 20, 2021	IAU vs BGLD
GLDY	Defiance Gold Enhanced Options Income ETF	20.00%	Apr 1, 2025	IAU vs GLDY
IAUI	NEOS Gold High Income ETF	20.80%	Jun 4, 2025	IAU vs IAUI
IGLD	FT Cboe Vest Gold Strategy Target Income ETF	23.76%	Mar 2, 2021	IAU vs IGLD
AAAU	Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF	27.50%	Jul 26, 2018	IAU vs AAAU

Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to IAU

IAU 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	IAU vs BGLD
IGLD	FT Cboe Vest Gold Strategy Target Income ETF	-17.56%	Mar 2, 2021	IAU vs IGLD
AAAU	Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF	-19.13%	Jul 26, 2018	IAU vs AAAU
OUNZ	VanEck Merk Gold Trust	-19.14%	May 16, 2014	IAU vs OUNZ
SGOL	abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF	-19.14%	Sep 9, 2009	IAU vs SGOL

Other ETFs from iShares

Most popular iShares ETFs on PortfoliosLab, across asset classes.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	Inception
SGOV	iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF	Ultrashort Bond	100	0.88%	May 26, 2020	IAU vs SGOV
IBIT	iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF	Cryptocurrency	6	-22.18%	Jan 5, 2024	IAU vs IBIT
IVV	iShares Core S&P 500 ETF	S&P 500	60	-3.67%	May 15, 2000	IAU vs IVV
TLT	iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF	Government Bonds, Long-Term Bond	9	0.07%	Jul 22, 2002	IAU vs TLT
DGRO	iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF	Large Cap Growth Equities, Dividend	63	1.60%	Jun 10, 2014	IAU vs DGRO
SLV	iShares Silver Trust	Precious Metals	86	5.77%	Apr 21, 2006	IAU vs SLV
SOXX	iShares Semiconductor ETF	Semiconductors, Technology Equities	92	12.48%	Jul 10, 2001	IAU vs SOXX
IWM	iShares Russell 2000 ETF	Small Cap Blend Equities	65	1.56%	May 22, 2000	IAU vs IWM
ACWI	iShares MSCI ACWI ETF	Large Cap Growth Equities	72	-1.29%	Mar 26, 2008	IAU vs ACWI
IYW	iShares U.S. Technology ETF	Technology Equities	63	-7.61%	May 19, 2000	IAU vs IYW

Often Compared With IAU

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

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	Inception
GLD	SPDR Gold Shares	Gold, Precious Metals	85	10.47%	Nov 18, 2004	IAU vs GLD
PHYS	Sprott Physical Gold Trust		84	9.33%	—	IAU vs PHYS
VOO	Vanguard S&P 500 ETF	S&P 500	60	-3.66%	Sep 7, 2010	IAU vs VOO
SGLN.L	iShares Physical Gold ETC	Precious Metals, Commodities	88	12.05%	Apr 8, 2011	IAU vs SGLN.L
GDXJ	VanEck Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF	Materials	92	10.08%	Nov 10, 2009	IAU vs GDXJ
SIVR	Aberdeen Standard Physical Silver Shares ETF	Precious Metals	86	5.81%	Jul 24, 2009	IAU vs SIVR
SPGP.L	iShares Gold Producers UCITS ETF	Precious Metals	93	15.16%	Sep 16, 2011	IAU vs SPGP.L
DBC	Invesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund	Commodities	81	28.26%	Feb 3, 2006	IAU vs DBC
AUMI	Themes Gold Miners ETF	Precious Metals	91	10.53%	Dec 12, 2023	IAU vs AUMI
VGPMX	Vanguard Global Capital Cycles Fund	Global Equities	98	7.85%	May 23, 1984	IAU vs VGPMX
IAG	IAMGOLD Corporation		95	19.35%	—	IAU vs IAG
CEF.TO	Sprott Physical Gold and Silver Trust		85	6.94%	—	IAU vs CEF.TO
MNT.TO	Royal Canadian Mint - Canadian Gold Reserves		67	9.14%	—	IAU vs MNT.TO
ZGLD.SW	Swisscanto (CH) Gold ETF EA CHF	Precious Metals, Gold	79	10.14%	Mar 14, 2006	IAU vs ZGLD.SW
ICOP	Ishares Copper And Metals Mining ETF	Energy Equities	93	10.79%	Jun 21, 2023	IAU vs ICOP
GOAU	US Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF	Materials	83	9.07%	Jun 27, 2017	IAU vs GOAU
WPM	Wheaton Precious Metals Corp.		83	16.59%	—	IAU vs WPM

Compare IAU with Any Fund or Stock

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

Symbol name

iShares Gold Trust

Symbol name