Are LYTE and XLU in the same category?

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

Which is cheaper, LYTE or XLU?

XLU is cheaper, by 0.57 percentage points a year. That is about $57 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

LYTE vs XLU: Differences, Returns & Fees

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LYTE and XLU are measured over different days, and XLU charges 0.08% to LYTE's 0.65%.

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Net assets: $165m on Oct 28, 2026 for Roundhill Photonics & Optics ETF, and $23.9bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF.

LYTE on its own →XLU on its own →

At a glance

−19.6%

LYTE total return, since launch, Aug 6, 2026

−3.0%

XLU total return, 1 year

0.65%

LYTE expense ratio

0.08%

XLU expense ratio

Pair scorecard

XLU costs 0.57 points a year less; XLU is far larger, $23.9bn against $163m.

LYTE vs XLU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	LYTE	XLU
Return
Measure	LYTE	XLU
Total return, 1 year	not published	−3.0%
Drawdown
Measure	LYTE	XLU
Below its all-time high	28.5%, high on Aug 17, 2026
Below its high		9.1%, high on Feb 27, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	LYTE	XLU
What it tracks	Photonics and optics	Utilities Select Sector Index
Cost and size
Measure	LYTE	XLU
Expense ratio	0.65%	0.08%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$163m	$23.9bn
Holdings
Measure	LYTE	XLU
Holdings in common	not published
In the S&P 500, by weight		100%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund		58.7%

Method

Side by side

LYTE Roundhill Photonics & Optics ETF XLU State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF

Where it sits Thematic ETF Stock ETF

Issuer Roundhill State Street

What it is Photonics and optics Tracks an index of Utilities

Total return, 1 year −19.6% (since launch, Aug 6, 2026) −3.0%

Expense ratio 0.65% 0.08%

Holdings not yet filed 32

Net assets, LYTE as of Oct 28, 2026 and XLU as of Oct 27, 2026 $165m $23.9bn

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

Alert

About each fund

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.

XLU

XLU tracks an index of Utilities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 32 positions, with the top ten at 58.7%. It sat 9.1% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Are LYTE and XLU in the same category?: LYTE is a thematic ETF and XLU is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
Which is cheaper, LYTE or XLU?: XLU is cheaper, by 0.57 percentage points a year. That is about $57 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

LYTE vs VPU LYTE vs XLI LYTE vs XLK LYTE vs VNQ XBI vs XLU IBB vs XLU REMX vs XLU AIRR vs XLU

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

LYTE filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

LYTE prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Roundhill page for LYTE ↗

XLU filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

XLU prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

State Street website ↗

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

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

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

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