Which returned more over the last year, BOXX or IAU?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BOXX returned +4.0% and IAU +2.7%.

Which is cheaper, BOXX or IAU?

BOXX is cheaper, by 0.06 percentage points a year. That is about $6 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

BOXX vs IAU: Differences, Returns & Fees

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BOXX is an actively managed short-term fund and IAU a commodity fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, BOXX returned +4.0% against +2.7%.

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Net assets on Oct 28, 2026: $14.5bn for Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF and $60.1bn for iShares Gold Trust.

BOXX on its own →IAU on its own →

At a glance

+4.0%

BOXX total return, 1 year

+2.7%

IAU total return, 1 year

0.19%

BOXX expense ratio

0.25%

IAU expense ratio

Pair scorecard

BOXX costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.3 points; IAU is 4.1 times larger.

BOXX vs IAU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	BOXX	IAU
Return
Measure	BOXX	IAU
Total return, 1 year	+4.0%	+2.7%
Drawdown
Measure	BOXX	IAU
Below its high		24.6%, high on Jan 29, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	BOXX	IAU
What it tracks	No index, actively managed	Gold
Cost and size
Measure	BOXX	IAU
Expense ratio	0.19%	0.25%
Net assets	$14.5bn	$60.1bn
Holdings
Measure	BOXX	IAU
Holdings in common	not published

Method

Side by side

BOXX Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF IAU iShares Gold Trust

Where it sits Bond ETF Commodity ETF

Issuer Alpha Architect iShares

What it is Actively managed Holds gold

Total return, 1 year +4.0% +2.7%

Its benchmark over the same days not measured +2.5% (GLD)

Gap to its benchmark not measured +0.2 pts vs GLD

Expense ratio 0.19% 0.25%

Net assets $14.5bn $60.1bn

BOXX and IAU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Alert

About each fund

BOXX

BOXX is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.19% a year.

IAU

Its expense ratio is 0.25% a year, for the three months to Jun 30, 2026, as its 10-Q states.

IAU holds gold. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +2.7% with distributions reinvested, against +2.5% for its benchmark, the price of gold. It sat 24.6% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, BOXX or IAU?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BOXX returned +4.0% and IAU +2.7%.
Which is cheaper, BOXX or IAU?: BOXX is cheaper, by 0.06 percentage points a year. That is about $6 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Other comparisons

BOXX vs GLDM BOXX vs SLV BOXX vs GLD BOXX vs USO IAU vs VBIL IAU vs MINT IAU vs USFR IAU vs PULS

Where to next

BOXX on its own →IAU on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →BOXX dividend history →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

BOXX filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

BOXX prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Alpha Architect website ↗

iShares page for IAU ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, BOXX against IAU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/boxx-vs-iau

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