Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
GDX vs MAGS: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, GDX returned +19.0% to MAGS's +5.8%, and MAGS charges 0.30% to GDX's 0.51%.
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Net assets: $25.6bn on Oct 27, 2026 for VanEck Gold Miners ETF, and $5.5bn on Oct 28, 2026 for Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF.
Pair scorecard
MAGS costs 0.21 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 13.2 points; GDX is 4.7 times larger.
| Measure | GDX | MAGS |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +19.0% | +5.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 27.5%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | |
| Below its high | 4.1%, high on Oct 13, 2026 | |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Gold miners | No index, actively managed |
| Against its benchmark, 1 year | ahead by 5.6 pts | |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.51% | 0.30% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $25.6bn | $5.5bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 100% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 60% | 29.3% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 21, 2023 to Oct 23, 2026 · 183 weekly returnsMAGS returned more: +189.1% to +147.1%. MAGS swung less: 24.0% to 39.7%. MAGS fell less at its worst: −26.6% to −38.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | GDX | MAGS | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +147.1% | +189.1% | MAGS | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +29.3% | +35.2% | MAGS | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +138.6% | +181.4% | MAGS | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 39.7% | 24.0% | MAGS | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 24.8% | 14.5% | MAGS | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −38.4% | −26.6% | MAGS | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.73 | 1.19 | MAGS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.17 | 1.97 | MAGS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.76 | 1.33 | MAGS | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 183 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, GDX and MAGS hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
GDX and MAGS on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
GDX
By weight, 12% of GDX's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 100%. The top ten holdings are 60% of the fund across 59 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +19.0% with distributions reinvested against +13.4% for its benchmark, the MSCI ACWI Index, so a holder was ahead by 5.6 pts. It sits 27.5% below its all-time high of Feb 27, 2026.
MAGS
MAGS is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +5.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.30% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 8 positions, with the top ten at 29.3%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Oct 13, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Are GDX and MAGS in the same category?
- GDX is a thematic ETF and MAGS is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, GDX or MAGS?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GDX returned +19.0% and MAGS +5.8%.
- Which is cheaper, GDX or MAGS?
- MAGS is cheaper, by 0.21 percentage points a year. That is about $21 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, GDX against MAGS, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gdx-vs-mags
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). GDX against MAGS. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gdx-vs-mags
[GDX against MAGS (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gdx-vs-mags)
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