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

In the year to Oct 14, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IAU returned −1.2% and IAUM −1.1%.

Which is cheaper, IAU or IAUM?

IAUM is cheaper, by 0.18 percentage points a year. That is about $18 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

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IAU vs IAUM: Differences, Returns & Fees

IAU and IAUM are both commodity funds, and over the year they finished level, −1.2% against −1.1%. Net assets on Oct 14, 2026: $60.9bn for iShares Gold Trust and $7.9bn for iShares Gold Trust Micro Shares.

IAUM costs 0.18 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.1 points; IAU is 7.7 times larger.

IAU vs IAUM: Differences, Returns & Fees
	IAU	IAUM
Expense ratio	0.25%	0.07%
Net assets	$60.9bn	$7.9bn
Total return, 1 year	−1.2%	−1.1%
What it tracks	Gold	Gold
Holdings in common	not published
Below its high	24.1%, high on Jan 29, 2026

−1.2%

IAU total return, 1 year

−1.1%

IAUM total return, 1 year

0.25%

IAU expense ratio

0.07%

IAUM expense ratio

Client brief · page 1 of 2Report BR-08E2B7A7BE

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

Cost. IAU charges 0.25% of assets a year and IAUM 0.07%, a gap of 0.18 points.
Size. IAU has $60.9bn in net assets and IAUM $7.9bn (Net assets); IAU is 7.7 times larger.
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

IAU

iShares Gold Trust

IAUM

iShares Gold Trust Micro Shares

Where it sits Commodity ETF Commodity ETF

Issuer iShares iShares

What it is Holds gold Holds gold

Total return, 1 year −1.2% −1.1%

Its benchmark over the same days −1.3% (GLD) −1.3% (GLD)

Gap to its benchmark 0.0 pts vs GLD +0.2 pts vs GLD

Expense ratio 0.25% 0.07%

Net assets $60.9bn $7.9bn

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

About IAU

IAU holds gold. Over the year to Oct 14, 2026 it returned −1.2% 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 0.25% a year, for the three months to Jun 30, 2026, as its 10-Q states.

About IAUM

IAUM 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.

Its expense ratio is 0.07% 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, IAU or IAUM?: In the year to Oct 14, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IAU returned −1.2% and IAUM −1.1%.
Which is cheaper, IAU or IAUM?: IAUM is cheaper, by 0.18 percentage points a year. That is about $18 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Other comparisons

IAU vs OUNZ AAAU vs IAU IAU vs USO GLD vs IAU AAAU vs IAUM IAUM vs OUNZ FGDL vs IAUM GLD vs IAUM

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

Where these figures came from

iShares page for IAU ↗IAUM filings on SEC EDGAR ↗iShares page for IAUM ↗

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

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ETFIQ, IAU against IAUM, data as of Oct 14, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iau-vs-iaum

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