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GLD vs SGOL: Differences, Returns & Fees

GLD and SGOL are both commodity funds, and over the year they finished level, −1.3% against −1.1%. Net assets on Oct 13, 2026: $141.3bn for SPDR Gold Shares and $7.2bn for abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF.

SGOL costs 0.23 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.2 points; GLD is 19.7 times larger.

GLD vs SGOL: Differences, Returns & Fees
GLDSGOL
Expense ratio0.40%0.17%
Net assets, as of Oct 13, 2026$141.3bn$7.2bn
Total return, 1 year−1.3%−1.1%
What it tracksGoldGold
Holdings in commonnot published
Below its high24.2%, high on Jan 29, 202624.1%, high on Jan 29, 2026
−1.3%
GLD total return, 1 year
−1.1%
SGOL total return, 1 year
0.40%
GLD expense ratio
0.17%
SGOL expense ratio
Client brief · page 1 of 2Report BR-F533516AE7

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

  1. Cost. GLD charges 0.40% of assets a year and SGOL 0.17%, a gap of 0.23 points.
  2. Size. GLD has $141.3bn in net assets and SGOL $7.2bn (net assets, as of Oct 13, 2026); GLD is 19.6 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

GLD
SPDR Gold Shares
SGOL
abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF
Where it sits Commodity ETF Commodity ETF
Issuer State Street abrdn
What it is Holds gold Holds gold
Total return, 1 year −1.3% −1.1%
Its benchmark over the same days −1.2% (IAU) −1.3% (GLD)
Gap to its benchmark 0.0 pts vs IAU +0.1 pts vs GLD
Expense ratio 0.40% 0.17%
Net assets, as of Oct 13, 2026 $141.3bn $7.2bn

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

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.

About SGOL

SGOL 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% 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, GLD or SGOL?
In the year to Oct 14, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLD returned −1.3% and SGOL −1.1%.
Which is cheaper, GLD or SGOL?
SGOL 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
GLD vs IAUGLD vs IAUMGLD vs SIVRGLD vs OUNZIAU vs SGOLGLDM vs SGOLAAAU vs SGOLIAUM vs SGOL
GLD on its own →SGOL on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →Standards and sources →
Where these figures came from
State Street website ↗SGOL filings on SEC EDGAR ↗abrdn website ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, GLD against SGOL, data as of Oct 14, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gld-vs-sgol

Open data

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