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AAAU vs GLD: Differences, Returns & Fees

AAAU and GLD are both commodity funds, and over the year they finished level, −1.1% against −1.3%. Net assets on Oct 13, 2026: $2.7bn for Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF Shares and $141.3bn for SPDR Gold Shares.

AAAU costs 0.22 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.2 points; GLD is far larger, $141.3bn against $2.7bn.

AAAU vs GLD: Differences, Returns & Fees
AAAUGLD
Expense ratio0.18%0.40%
Net assets, as of Oct 13, 2026$2.7bn$141.3bn
Total return, 1 year−1.1%−1.3%
What it tracksGoldGold
Holdings in commonnot published
Below its high24.0%, high on Jan 29, 202624.2%, high on Jan 29, 2026
−1.1%
AAAU total return, 1 year
−1.3%
GLD total return, 1 year
0.18%
AAAU expense ratio
0.40%
GLD expense ratio
Client brief · page 1 of 2Report BR-B96B369B5B

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

  1. Cost. AAAU charges 0.18% of assets a year and GLD 0.40%, a gap of 0.22 points.
  2. Size. AAAU has $2.7bn in net assets and GLD $141.3bn (net assets, as of Oct 13, 2026); GLD is 52.3 times larger.
  3. What each follows (similar). Both follow Gold.

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
GLD
SPDR Gold Shares
Where it sits Commodity ETF Commodity ETF
Issuer Goldman Sachs State Street
What it is Holds gold Holds gold
Total return, 1 year −1.1% −1.3%
Its benchmark over the same days −1.3% (GLD) −1.2% (IAU)
Gap to its benchmark +0.1 pts vs GLD 0.0 pts vs IAU
Expense ratio 0.18% 0.40%
Net assets, as of Oct 13, 2026 $2.7bn $141.3bn

AAAU and GLD 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 GLD

GLD holds gold. Over the year to Oct 14, 2026 it returned −1.3% with distributions reinvested, against −1.2% for its benchmark, the price of gold. It sat 24.2% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Oct 14, 2026.

Its expense ratio is 0.40% 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 GLD?
In the year to Oct 14, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AAAU returned −1.1% and GLD −1.3%.
Which is cheaper, AAAU or GLD?
AAAU is cheaper, by 0.22 percentage points a year. That is about $22 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.
Other comparisons
AAAU vs IAUAAAU vs FGDLAAAU vs GLDMAAAU vs IAUMGLD vs OUNZGLD vs USOGLD vs SIVRBAR vs GLD
AAAU on its own →GLD 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 ↗State Street website ↗

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

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

Open data

Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.