# What is an ETF bid-ask spread?

> As of Nov 4, 2026, the median ETF trades at a spread of 0.15% across 1,977 funds, and 162 funds have a spread of 0.50% or more.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026. Rebuilt every trading night.

## What is an ETF bid-ask spread?

Data as of Nov 4, 2026. Rebuilt every trading night.

As of Nov 4, 2026, the median ETF trades at a spread of 0.15% across 1,977 funds, and 162 funds have a spread of 0.50% or more.

### In plain words

The bid is the highest price a trader will pay for a share now; the ask is the lowest price a trader will take. The spread is the gap. You pay it each trade: the ask when you add, the bid when you reduce.

ETFIQ reads each issuer’s 30-day median spread. The median across 1,977 funds is 0.15% of the midpoint price, and 162 funds have a spread of 0.50% or more. Large funds on big indexes are tightest; small or thin funds are widest. A wide spread is a cost the fee does not show.

### Questions

Is the spread part of the cost of an ETF? Yes. It is a cost each time you trade, in addition to the yearly fee.

How do I get a smaller spread? Trade when the market is open and active, use a limit order, and pick funds with more daily volume. The trading pages show each fund’s spread.

Does the spread change? Yes. It widens at the open and close and when markets move fast. ETFIQ shows a 30-day median to smooth that out.

### Where to next

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Source: ETFIQ, independent ETF data. Recomputed nightly from public filings and prices.
Cite: ETFIQ, What is an ETF bid-ask spread?, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-an-etf-bid-ask-spread
Licence: https://etfiq.com/license/ Data ETFIQ computes is free to use with attribution: ETFIQ (etfiq.com). Issuer data stays under its owner's terms.
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