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IAU vs SGOL: Differences, Returns & Fees

IAU and SGOL are both commodity funds, and over the year they finished level, −1.2% against −1.1%. Net assets: $60.9bn on Oct 14, 2026 for iShares Gold Trust, and $7.2bn on Oct 13, 2026 for abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF.

SGOL costs 0.08 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.1 points; IAU is 8.7 times larger.

IAU vs SGOL: Differences, Returns & Fees
IAUSGOL
Expense ratio0.25%0.17%
Net assets, as of Oct 13, 2026$62.1bn$7.2bn
Total return, 1 year−1.2%−1.1%
What it tracksGoldGold
Holdings in commonnot published
Below its high24.1%, high on Jan 29, 2026
−1.2%
IAU total return, 1 year
−1.1%
SGOL total return, 1 year
0.25%
IAU expense ratio
0.17%
SGOL expense ratio
Client brief · page 1 of 2Report BR-CB77D7A2EC

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

  1. Size. IAU has $62.1bn in net assets and SGOL $7.2bn (net assets, as of Oct 13, 2026); IAU is 8.6 times larger.
  2. What each follows (similar). Both follow Gold.
  3. One-year total return (similar). Over 1 year to Oct 14, 2026 IAU returned −1.2% and SGOL −1.1% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 0.1 points.

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
SGOL
abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF
Where it sits Commodity ETF Commodity ETF
Issuer iShares abrdn
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 +0.1 pts vs GLD
Expense ratio 0.25% 0.17%
Net assets, IAU as of Oct 14, 2026 and SGOL as of Oct 13, 2026 $60.9bn $7.2bn

IAU and SGOL 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 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.

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, IAU or SGOL?
In the year to Oct 14, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IAU returned −1.2% and SGOL −1.1%.
Which is cheaper, IAU or SGOL?
SGOL is cheaper, by 0.08 percentage points a year. That is about $8 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.
Other comparisons
IAU vs OUNZIAU vs SLVFGDL vs IAUGLD vs IAUAAAU vs SGOLFGDL vs SGOLGLD vs SGOLIAUM vs SGOL
IAU on its own →SGOL on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →Standards and sources →
Where these figures came from
iShares page for IAU ↗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, IAU against SGOL, data as of Oct 14, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iau-vs-sgol

Open data

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