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AAAU vs FGDL: Differences, Returns & Fees

AAAU and FGDL are both commodity funds, and over the year they finished level, −1.1% against −1.5%. Net assets: $2.7bn on Oct 13, 2026 for Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF Shares, and $424m on Oct 14, 2026 for Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF.

FGDL costs 0.03 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.4 points.

AAAU vs FGDL: Differences, Returns & Fees
AAAUFGDL
Expense ratio0.18%0.15%
Net assets, AAAU as of Oct 13, 2026 and FGDL as of Oct 14, 2026$2.7bn$424m
Total return, 1 year−1.1%−1.5%
What it tracksGoldGold
Holdings in commonnot published
Below its high24.0%, high on Jan 29, 202624.3%, high on Jan 29, 2026
−1.1%
AAAU total return, 1 year
−1.5%
FGDL total return, 1 year
0.18%
AAAU expense ratio
0.15%
FGDL expense ratio
Client brief · page 1 of 2Report BR-F590BF4E3F

AAAU and FGDL are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

  1. Size. AAAU has $2.7bn in net assets and FGDL $424m (net assets, AAAU as of Oct 13, 2026 and FGDL as of Oct 14, 2026); AAAU is 6.4 times larger.
  2. What each follows (similar). Both follow Gold.
  3. One-year total return (similar). Over 1 year to Oct 14, 2026 AAAU returned −1.1% and FGDL −1.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 0.4 points.

Data as of Oct 14, 2026. The differences are picked by a fixed rule, in a fixed order; the PDF prints it. Page 2 has the returns, overlap, risks and sources.

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On the same fields

AAAU
Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF Shares
FGDL
Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF
Where it sits Commodity ETF Commodity ETF
Issuer Goldman Sachs Franklin
What it is Holds gold Holds gold
Total return, 1 year −1.1% −1.5%
Its benchmark over the same days −1.3% (GLD) −1.3% (GLD)
Gap to its benchmark +0.1 pts vs GLD −0.2 pts vs GLD
Expense ratio 0.18% 0.15%
Net assets, AAAU as of Oct 13, 2026 and FGDL as of Oct 14, 2026 $2.7bn $424m

AAAU and FGDL on the fields both publish, as of Oct 14, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About AAAU

AAAU holds gold. Over the year to Oct 14, 2026 it returned −1.1% with distributions reinvested, against −1.3% for its benchmark, the price of gold. It sat 24.0% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Oct 14, 2026.

Its expense ratio is 0.18% a year, for the three months to Jun 30, 2026, as its 10-Q states.

About FGDL

FGDL holds gold. Over the year to Oct 14, 2026 it returned −1.5% with distributions reinvested, against −1.3% for its benchmark, the price of gold. It sat 24.3% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Oct 14, 2026.

Its expense ratio is 0.15% a year, for the three months to Jun 30, 2026, as its 10-Q states.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, AAAU or FGDL?
In the year to Oct 14, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AAAU returned −1.1% and FGDL −1.5%.
Which is cheaper, AAAU or FGDL?
FGDL is cheaper, by 0.03 percentage points a year. That is about $3 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.
Other comparisons
AAAU vs OUNZAAAU vs SGOLAAAU vs IAUMAAAU vs GLDMFGDL vs OUNZFGDL vs SGOLFGDL vs IAUMFGDL vs GLDM
AAAU on its own →FGDL on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →Standards and sources →
Where these figures came from
AAAU filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Goldman Sachs website ↗FGDL filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Franklin website ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, AAAU against FGDL, data as of Oct 14, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/aaau-vs-fgdl

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