LDSF Alternatives & Similar ETFs

First Trust Low Duration Strategic Focus ETF (LDSF) belongs to the Short-Term Bond category. Below you'll find alternative ETFs from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with LDSF. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.

Cheapest Alternatives to LDSF

LDSF charges 0.87% annually. There are 62 ETFs in the Short-Term Bond category with lower expense ratios, going as low as 0.03%.

Symbol	Name	Expense Ratio	AUM	Inception
SCHO	Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF	0.03%	12.86B	Aug 2010	LDSF vs SCHO
BSV	Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares	0.03%	69.90B	Apr 2007	LDSF vs BSV
VGSH	Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF	0.03%	33.80B	Nov 2009	LDSF vs VGSH
SPTS	SPDR Portfolio Short Term Treasury ETF	0.03%	6.12B	Nov 2011	LDSF vs SPTS
SCHJ	Schwab 1-5 Year Corporate Bond ETF	0.03%	848.73M	Oct 2019	LDSF vs SCHJ

Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to LDSF

LDSF has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 73. There are 33 ETFs in the Short-Term Bond category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 99.

Symbol	Name	Risk / Return Rank	AUM	Inception
MYCF	State Street My2026 Corporate Bond ETF	99	47.61M	Sep 2024	LDSF vs MYCF
FLDB	Fidelity Low Duration Bond ETF	98	409.03M	Feb 2024	LDSF vs FLDB
FLDR	Fidelity Low Duration Bond Factor ETF	98	1.91B	Jun 2018	LDSF vs FLDR
MYCG	State Street My2027 Corporate Bond ETF	98	37.45M	Sep 2024	LDSF vs MYCG
DCRE	DoubleLine Commercial Real Estate ETF	97	452.38M	Mar 2023	LDSF vs DCRE

Top Performing LDSF Alternatives (YTD)

LDSF is at 1.02% YTD. There are 31 ETFs in the Short-Term Bond category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 2.46%.

Symbol	Name	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
DDV	Defined Duration 5 ETF	2.46%	—	Nov 2025	LDSF vs DDV
LODI	AAM SLC Low Duration Income ETF	2.38%	77.26M	Dec 2024	LDSF vs LODI
SJLD	SanJac Alpha Low Duration ETF	2.30%	1.52M	Sep 2024	LDSF vs SJLD
MYCF	State Street My2026 Corporate Bond ETF	2.26%	47.61M	Sep 2024	LDSF vs MYCF
FLDB	Fidelity Low Duration Bond ETF	2.09%	409.03M	Feb 2024	LDSF vs FLDB

Lowest Volatility Alternatives to LDSF

LDSF has 2.07% 1-year volatility. There are 49 ETFs in the Short-Term Bond category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 0.59%.

Symbol	Name	Volatility 1Y	AUM	Inception
MYCF	State Street My2026 Corporate Bond ETF	0.59%	47.61M	Sep 2024	LDSF vs MYCF
FLDR	Fidelity Low Duration Bond Factor ETF	0.80%	1.91B	Jun 2018	LDSF vs FLDR
MYCG	State Street My2027 Corporate Bond ETF	0.85%	37.45M	Sep 2024	LDSF vs MYCG
FLDB	Fidelity Low Duration Bond ETF	0.90%	409.03M	Feb 2024	LDSF vs FLDB
TAXS	Northern Trust Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF	1.03%	130.20M	Aug 2025	LDSF vs TAXS

Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to LDSF

LDSF has a 1-year max drawdown of -1.74%. There are 53 ETFs in the Short-Term Bond category with shallower 1-year drawdowns, going as shallow as -0.12%.

Symbol	Name	Max Drawdown 1Y	AUM	Inception
MYCF	State Street My2026 Corporate Bond ETF	-0.12%	47.61M	Sep 2024	LDSF vs MYCF
FLDB	Fidelity Low Duration Bond ETF	-0.17%	409.03M	Feb 2024	LDSF vs FLDB
MYCG	State Street My2027 Corporate Bond ETF	-0.45%	37.45M	Sep 2024	LDSF vs MYCG
FLDR	Fidelity Low Duration Bond Factor ETF	-0.47%	1.91B	Jun 2018	LDSF vs FLDR
DCRE	DoubleLine Commercial Real Estate ETF	-0.68%	452.38M	Mar 2023	LDSF vs DCRE

Other ETFs from First Trust

The 10 most viewed First Trust ETFs shown here include CIBR, GRID, AIRR and span 16 categories. AUM among these funds goes as high as $25B.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
CIBR	First Trust NASDAQ Cybersecurity ETF	Cybersecurity, Technology Equities	44	31.78%	14.31B	Jul 2015	LDSF vs CIBR
GRID	First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastru...	Infrastructure Equities, Alternative Energy Equities, Energy Equities	53	19.50%	11.67B	Nov 2009	LDSF vs GRID
AIRR	First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ET...	Building & Construction	63	22.38%	10.18B	Mar 2014	LDSF vs AIRR
NFTY	First Trust India NIFTY 50 Equal Weight ETF	India Equities, Equal Weight, Asia Pacific Equities	9	-5.08%	118.19M	Feb 2012	LDSF vs NFTY
FDL	First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fun...	Large Cap Value Equities, Dividend	92	18.62%	7.77B	Mar 2006	LDSF vs FDL
IGLD	FT Vest Gold Strategy Target Income ETF	Gold, Derivative Income, Precious Metals	23	-6.86%	514.13M	Mar 2021	LDSF vs IGLD
FTXL	First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF	Semiconductors, Technology Equities	91	68.79%	1.27B	Sep 2016	LDSF vs FTXL
TDIV	First Trust NASDAQ Technology Dividend Index Fund	Technology Equities, Dividend	49	16.55%	4.18B	Aug 2012	LDSF vs TDIV
QCLN	First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index F...	Alternative Energy Equities, Energy Equities	42	13.15%	586.61M	Feb 2007	LDSF vs QCLN
RDVY	First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF	Dividend, Large Cap Blend Equities	88	18.21%	24.89B	Jan 2014	LDSF vs RDVY

Often Compared With LDSF

Investors most often compare LDSF with HISF, FTCB, FMHI. These 20 comparison targets span 15 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
HISF	First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF	Diversified Portfolio	35	-0.17%	98.51M	Aug 2014	LDSF vs HISF
FTCB	First Trust Core Investment Grade ETF	Intermediate Core Bond, Investment Grade Bonds	27	-0.41%	2.54B	Nov 2023	LDSF vs FTCB
FMHI	First Trust Municipal High Income ETF	Municipal Bonds	87	1.82%	994.34M	Nov 2017	LDSF vs FMHI
FSIG	First Trust Limited Duration Investment Grade Corp...	Short-Term Bond, Investment Grade Bonds	54	0.51%	1.51B	Nov 2021	LDSF vs FSIG
CAAA	First Trust Commercial Mortgage Opportunities ETF	Intermediate Core-Plus Bond	47	0.86%	35.20M	Feb 2024	LDSF vs CAAA
XMPT	VanEck CEF Municipal Income ETF	High Yield Muni	51	1.72%	219.47M	Jul 2011	LDSF vs XMPT
SGOV	iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF	Ultrashort Bond	100	2.13%	99.95B	May 2020	LDSF vs SGOV
VRIG	Invesco Variable Rate Investment Grade ETF	Ultrashort Bond, Investment Grade Bonds	99	2.56%	1.83B	Sep 2016	LDSF vs VRIG
FXAIX	Fidelity 500 Index Fund	S&P 500	59	10.13%	—	Feb 1988	LDSF vs FXAIX
JPST	JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income ETF	Ultrashort Bond	99	2.01%	40.48B	May 2017	LDSF vs JPST
SLDR	Global X Short-Term Treasury Ladder ETF	Government Bonds, Short-Term Bond	81	0.71%	39.77M	Sep 2024	LDSF vs SLDR
LDUR	PIMCO Enhanced Low Duration Active ETF	Short-Term Bond	93	1.51%	1.37B	Jan 2014	LDSF vs LDUR
ZTWO	F/M 2-Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF	Short-Term Bond, Investment Grade Bonds	91	1.37%	18.09M	Jan 2024	LDSF vs ZTWO
SDCP	Virtus Newfleet Short Duration Core Plus Bond ETF	Short-Term Bond	93	1.45%	13.38M	Nov 2023	LDSF vs SDCP
FCSH	Federated Hermes Short Duration Corporate ETF	Short-Term Bond	57	0.65%	65.50M	Dec 2021	LDSF vs FCSH
ROBT	First Trust Nasdaq Artificial Intelligence & Robot...	Artificial Intelligence, Technology Equities, Robotics	25	8.60%	724.78M	Feb 2018	LDSF vs ROBT
LNGX	Global X U.S. Natural Gas ETF	Energy Equities	—	21.08%	47.69M	Oct 2025	LDSF vs LNGX
KNG	FT Vest S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Target Income...	Dividend, S&P 500	47	9.32%	3.53B	Mar 2018	LDSF vs KNG
STOT	State Street DoubleLine Short Duration Total Retur...	Short-Term Bond	95	1.34%	507.11M	Apr 2016	LDSF vs STOT
USTB	VictoryShares Short-Term Bond ETF	Short-Term Bond	96	1.68%	2.33B	Oct 2017	LDSF vs USTB

Compare LDSF with Any Fund or Stock

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

Symbol name

Diversifiers

Pair LDSF with funds that move differently

First Trust Low Duration Strategic Focus ETF alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to LDSF.

Explore LDSF Diversifiers

First Trust Low Duration Strategic Focus ETF (LDSF) Alternatives