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

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLD returned +2.5% and PFF −4.2%.

Which is cheaper, GLD or PFF?

GLD is cheaper, by 0.05 percentage points a year. That is about $5 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

GLD vs PFF: Differences, Returns & Fees

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GLD is a commodity fund and PFF an equity index fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, GLD returned +2.5% against −4.2%.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $135.8bn for SPDR Gold Shares and $11.8bn for iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF.

GLD on its own →PFF on its own →

At a glance

+2.5%

GLD total return, 1 year

−4.2%

PFF total return, 1 year

0.40%

GLD expense ratio

0.45%

PFF expense ratio

Pair scorecard

GLD costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.7 points; GLD is 11.5 times larger.

GLD vs PFF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	GLD	PFF
Return
Measure	GLD	PFF
Total return, 1 year	+2.5%	−4.2%
Drawdown
Measure	GLD	PFF
Below its high	24.7%, high on Jan 29, 2026	7.1%, high on May 8, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	GLD	PFF
What it tracks	Gold	ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index
Cost and size
Measure	GLD	PFF
Expense ratio	0.40%	0.45%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$135.8bn	$11.8bn
Holdings
Measure	GLD	PFF
Holdings in common	not published
In the S&P 500, by weight		0%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund		22.7%

Method

Side by side

GLD SPDR Gold Shares PFF iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF

Where it sits Commodity ETF Bond ETF

Issuer State Street iShares

What it is Holds gold Tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities

Total return, 1 year +2.5% −4.2%

Its benchmark over the same days +2.7% (IAU) +13.6% (MLRG)

Gap to its benchmark −0.2 pts vs IAU −17.8 pts vs MLRG

Expense ratio 0.40% 0.45%

Holdings not counted 453

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $135.8bn $11.8bn

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

Alert

About each fund

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.

PFF

PFF tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −4.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.45% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 453 positions, with the top ten at 22.7%. It sat 7.1% below its high of May 8, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, GLD or PFF?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLD returned +2.5% and PFF −4.2%.
Which is cheaper, GLD or PFF?: GLD is cheaper, by 0.05 percentage points a year. That is about $5 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Other comparisons

GLD vs SPSB GLD vs VGLT GLD vs TIP GLD vs MINT IAU vs PFF GLDM vs PFF PFF vs SLV PFF vs SIVR

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

State Street website ↗

PFF filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

PFF prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for PFF ↗

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

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

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