Which returned more over the last year, GARP or GLD?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GARP returned +18.0% and GLD +2.5%.

Which is cheaper, GARP or GLD?

GARP is cheaper, by 0.25 percentage points a year. That is about $25 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

GARP vs GLD: Differences, Returns & Fees

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GARP is an equity index fund and GLD a commodity fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, GARP returned +18.0% against +2.5%.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $3.6bn for iShares MSCI USA Quality GARP ETF and $135.8bn for SPDR Gold Shares.

GARP on its own →GLD on its own →

At a glance

+18.0%

GARP total return, 1 year

+2.5%

GLD total return, 1 year

0.15%

GARP expense ratio

0.40%

GLD expense ratio

Pair scorecard

GARP costs 0.25 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 15.5 points; GLD is far larger, $135.8bn against $3.6bn.

GARP vs GLD: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	GARP	GLD
Return
Measure	GARP	GLD
Total return, 1 year	+18.0%	+2.5%
Drawdown
Measure	GARP	GLD
Below its high	7.0%, high on Oct 6, 2026	24.7%, high on Jan 29, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	GARP	GLD
What it tracks	MSCI USA Quality GARP Select Index	Gold
Cost and size
Measure	GARP	GLD
Expense ratio	0.15%	0.40%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$3.6bn	$135.8bn
Holdings
Measure	GARP	GLD
Holdings in common	not published
In the S&P 500, by weight	94%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	43.5%

Method

Side by side

GARP iShares MSCI USA Quality GARP ETF GLD SPDR Gold Shares

Where it sits Stock ETF Commodity ETF

Issuer iShares State Street

What it is Tracks the MSCI USA Quality GARP Holds gold

Total return, 1 year +18.0% +2.5%

Its benchmark over the same days +13.3% (PBUS) +2.7% (IAU)

Gap to its benchmark +4.7 pts vs PBUS −0.2 pts vs IAU

Expense ratio 0.15% 0.40%

Holdings 131 not counted

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $3.6bn $135.8bn

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

Alert

About each fund

GARP

GARP tracks the MSCI USA Quality GARP. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested, against +13.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 94% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 131 positions, with the top ten at 43.5%. It sat 7.0% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

GLD

Its expense ratio is 0.40% a year, for the three months to Jun 30, 2026, as its 10-Q states.

GLD holds gold. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +2.5% with distributions reinvested, against +2.7% for its benchmark, the price of gold. It sat 24.7% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, GARP or GLD?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GARP returned +18.0% and GLD +2.5%.
Which is cheaper, GARP or GLD?: GARP is cheaper, by 0.25 percentage points a year. That is about $25 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Other comparisons

GARP vs IAU GARP vs GLDM GARP vs SLV GARP vs SIVR GLD vs VONG GLD vs SPYG GLD vs SCHG GLD vs QQQM

Where to next

GARP on its own →GLD on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →GARP dividend history →GARP holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

GARP filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

GARP prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for GARP ↗

State Street website ↗

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

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ETFIQ, GARP against GLD, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/garp-vs-gld

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