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BAR vs GLD: Differences, Returns & Fees

BAR and GLD are both commodity funds, and over the year they finished level, −1.1% against −1.3%. Net assets on Oct 13, 2026: $1.3bn for GraniteShares Gold Trust Shares of Beneficial Interest and $141.3bn for SPDR Gold Shares.

BAR costs 0.23 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.2 points; GLD is far larger, $141.3bn against $1.3bn.

BAR vs GLD: Differences, Returns & Fees
BARGLD
Expense ratio0.17%0.40%
Net assets, as of Oct 13, 2026$1.3bn$141.3bn
Total return, 1 year−1.1%−1.3%
What it tracksGoldGold
Holdings in commonnot published
Below its high24.1%, high on Jan 29, 202624.2%, high on Jan 29, 2026
−1.1%
BAR total return, 1 year
−1.3%
GLD total return, 1 year
0.17%
BAR expense ratio
0.40%
GLD expense ratio
Client brief · page 1 of 2Report BR-8579F69463

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

  1. Cost. BAR charges 0.17% of assets a year and GLD 0.40%, a gap of 0.23 points.
  2. Size. BAR has $1.3bn in net assets and GLD $141.3bn (net assets, as of Oct 13, 2026); GLD is 108.7 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

BAR
GraniteShares Gold Trust Shares of Beneficial Interest
GLD
SPDR Gold Shares
Where it sits Commodity ETF Commodity ETF
Issuer GraniteShares 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 0.17% 0.40%
Net assets, as of Oct 13, 2026 $1.3bn $141.3bn

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

About BAR

BAR 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 24.1% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Oct 14, 2026.

Its expense ratio is 0.17%, for the year to Jun 30, 2026, as its 10-K 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, BAR or GLD?
In the year to Oct 14, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BAR returned −1.1% and GLD −1.3%.
Which is cheaper, BAR or GLD?
BAR is cheaper, by 0.23 percentage points a year. That is about $23 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.
Other comparisons
FGDL vs GLDBWET vs GLDGLD vs IAUMGLD vs SLVGLD vs GLDMGLD vs IAUGLD vs USOGLD vs OUNZ
BAR on its own →GLD on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →Standards and sources →
Where these figures came from
BAR filings on SEC EDGAR ↗GraniteShares page for BAR ↗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, BAR against GLD, data as of Oct 14, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bar-vs-gld

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