Are IAU and LYTE in the same category?

IAU is a commodity ETF and LYTE is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.

Which is cheaper, IAU or LYTE?

IAU is cheaper, by 0.40 percentage points a year. That is about $40 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

IAU vs LYTE: Differences, Returns & Fees

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IAU and LYTE are measured over different days, and IAU charges 0.25% to LYTE's 0.65%.

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Net assets on Oct 28, 2026: $60.1bn for iShares Gold Trust and $165m for Roundhill Photonics & Optics ETF.

IAU on its own →LYTE on its own →

At a glance

+2.7%

IAU total return, 1 year

−19.6%

LYTE total return, since launch, Aug 6, 2026

0.25%

IAU expense ratio

0.65%

LYTE expense ratio

Pair scorecard

IAU costs 0.40 points a year less; IAU is far larger, $60.1bn against $165m.

IAU vs LYTE: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IAU	LYTE
Return
Measure	IAU	LYTE
Total return, 1 year	+2.7%	not published
Drawdown
Measure	IAU	LYTE
Below its high	24.6%, high on Jan 29, 2026
Below its all-time high		28.5%, high on Aug 17, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	IAU	LYTE
What it tracks	Gold	Photonics and optics
Cost and size
Measure	IAU	LYTE
Expense ratio	0.25%	0.65%
Net assets	$60.1bn	$165m
Holdings
Measure	IAU	LYTE
Holdings in common	not published

Method

Side by side

IAU iShares Gold Trust LYTE Roundhill Photonics & Optics ETF

Where it sits Commodity ETF Thematic ETF

Issuer iShares Roundhill

What it is Holds gold Photonics and optics

Total return, 1 year +2.7% −19.6% (since launch, Aug 6, 2026)

Its benchmark over the same days +2.5% (GLD) not measured

Gap to its benchmark +0.2 pts vs GLD not measured

Expense ratio 0.25% 0.65%

Net assets $60.1bn $165m

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

Alert

About each fund

IAU

Its expense ratio is 0.25% a year, for the three months to Jun 30, 2026, as its 10-Q states.

IAU holds gold. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +2.7% with distributions reinvested, against +2.5% for its benchmark, the price of gold. It sat 24.6% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

LYTE

LYTE has no public holdings filing captured yet. Since it first traded on Aug 6, 2026 the fund returned −19.6% with distributions reinvested. It sits 28.5% below its all-time high of Aug 17, 2026.

Questions people ask

Are IAU and LYTE in the same category?: IAU is a commodity ETF and LYTE is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
Which is cheaper, IAU or LYTE?: IAU is cheaper, by 0.40 percentage points a year. That is about $40 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Other comparisons

IAU vs IBB AIRR vs IAU IAU vs XBI IAU vs REMX LYTE vs SLV GLD vs LYTE LYTE vs USO BWET vs LYTE

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

iShares page for IAU ↗

LYTE filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

LYTE prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Roundhill page for LYTE ↗

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

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, IAU against LYTE, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iau-vs-lyte

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