What is the largest gold ETF in the U.S.?

SPDR Gold Shares is the largest gold ETF by assets under management (AUM). At roughly $140 billion (as of early October 2026), it had more than twice the AUM of the second-largest gold ETF, iShares Gold Trust (around $62 billion).

Which gold ETF has the lowest expense ratio?

As of early October 2026, the iShares Gold Trust Micro ETF (NYSEMKT: IAUM) had the lowest expense ratio at 0.09%.

Do gold ETFs pay dividends?

Gold ETFs that invest in gold mining companies typically pay dividends. Many gold mining companies pay dividends, which these funds collect and distribute to investors. For example, the VanEck Gold Miners ETF had a 0.7% trailing-12-month yield as of October 2026, while the VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's yield was 2.4%. However, gold ETFs that hold physical gold don't pay dividends because holding gold doesn't generate any income.

Which gold investment is the safest?

Owning a gold ETF backed by physical bars in a bank vault is the safest gold investment. There's less risk of that gold getting stolen compared to physical gold or gold jewelry you personally own and store in a safe at your house. These ETFs are also safer than those that own gold mining stocks, which can underperform gold prices.

What are the fees associated with gold ETFs?

Gold ETFs charge investors a management fee, known as the expense ratio.

Is a gold ETF worth buying now?

A gold ETF could be worth buying now if you want exposure to the gold market. While gold prices have been highly volatile over the past year -- trading between less than $4,000 and over $5,350 an ounce in 2026 -- due to inflationary and geopolitical concerns, they could continue to rise if inflation reaccelerates or the war with Iran reignites. Buying a gold ETF could be a good way to hedge your portfolio against those risks.

What is the best ETF for gold?

There's no single best gold ETF. If you want the most liquid, widely traded fund, and don't mind paying a little extra, the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) has become the gold standard for many investors, especially institutional investors. However, if you're buying and holding long-term, iShares Gold Trust (IAU), abrdn Physical Gold Shares (SGOL), or Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF (FGDL) will cost you less over time due to their lower expense ratios. Finally, if you want upside beyond gold's price, VanEck Gold Miners (GDX) and VanEck Junior Gold Miners offer exposure to gold-mining stocks rather than holding physical gold bars. The key is to determine what you're seeking to optimize, which will help you decide which Gold ETF is best for you.

Best 7 Gold ETFs for 2026 and How to Invest

A closer look at some of the top gold ETFs.

By Matthew DiLallo – Updated Oct 2, 2026 at 12:28 PM EST | Fact-checked by Robin Hartill, CFP

Key Points

Gold ETFs provide direct exposure to the gold market, ideal for investment diversification.
SPDR Gold Trust is the largest gold ETF.
VanEck Gold Miners ETF focuses on major gold-mining stocks, ideal for investors seeking to potentially outperform gold prices.

Gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) invest in physical gold or gold mining stocks. These funds are one of many ways to invest in gold. Gold ETFs offer instant exposure to the gold market, making them ideal for anyone seeking to invest in gold.

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Four gold bars on a gold-colored background. — Image source: Getty Images.

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Gold ETFs fall into two basic categories:

Funds that own physical gold.
Funds that own gold mining stocks.

Here's a closer look at some of the best ones for those seeking exposure to the gold market.

Seven top gold ETFs for 2026

According to ETF.com, there were 40 gold-focused ETFs as of early October 2026. They vary in size, cost, assets, and gold source. Here are the seven best to consider right now:

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Ticker Information Table
Company name	Company ticker	Current price
SPDR Gold Shares	NYSEMKT:GLD	$379.55
iShares Gold Trust	NYSEMKT:IAU	$77.82
Abrdn Gold ETF Trust - Abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF	NYSEMKT:SGOL	$39.42
Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF	NYSEMKT:AAAU	$40.81
VanEck ETF Trust - VanEck Gold Miners ETF	NYSEMKT:GDX	$87.42
VanEck ETF Trust - VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF	NYSEMKT:GDXJ	$112.81
Franklin Templeton Trust - Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF	NYSEMKT:FGDL	$55.13

Data as of Oct 5, 2026. Showing 7 of 7 total entries.

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Here's a closer look at each of these top gold ETFs.

1. SPDR Gold Trust

NYSEMKT: GLD

SPDR Gold Shares

Today's Change

(-0.15%) $-0.59

Current Price

$379.55

Key Data Points

AUM

$142B

Expense Ratio

0.40%

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SPDR Gold Trust (GLD -0.15%) is the largest and most liquid gold ETF, with over $140 billion in assets under management (AUM) as of October 2026 (more than double that of iShares Gold Trust). It's the gold standard for investors seeking direct exposure to the price of the yellow metal. The ETF's sole asset is gold bullion, which it stores in secure vaults at JPMorgan Chase (JPM +0.00%) and HSBC Bank (HSBC +0.56%). In October 2026, it held 31.5 million ounces with JPMorgan and 2.4 million with HSBC.

Investors pay a premium for this leading gold ETF. It has a higher expense ratio than other ETFs that own physical gold bullion at 0.4%.

However, it's still relatively cheaper than shipping, insuring, and storing gold bars and coins, especially given its liquidity. Its large size makes it a favorite of institutional investors, such as pension funds, which use it to hedge against inflation and other risks.

2. iShares Gold Trust

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NYSEMKT: IAU

iShares Gold Trust

Today's Change

(-0.17%) $-0.13

Current Price

$77.82

Key Data Points

AUM

$62B

Expense Ratio

0.25%

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iShares Gold Trust (IAU -0.17%) is almost identical to SPDR Gold Shares, making it another great way to invest directly in gold. It boasts a lower expense ratio than its larger rival (0.25%), making it an even lower-cost way to gain exposure to gold upside. It's also large (almost $62 billion in AUM and over 14.9 million ounces as of early October 2026) and highly liquid.

Owning shares in this ETF is a great proxy for owning physical gold without the hassle and expense of storing or insuring bars and coins. Overall, this gold ETF has done an excellent job of tracking gold's price, with only minor underperformance due to its expense ratio.

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3. VanEck Gold Miners ETF

NYSEMKT: GDX

VanEck ETF Trust - VanEck Gold Miners ETF

Today's Change

(-0.41%) $-0.36

Current Price

$87.42

Key Data Points

AUM

$26B

Dividend Yield

0.72%

Expense Ratio

0.51%

Top Holdings

NEM

11.13%

AEM

10.95%

7.90%

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VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX -0.41%) is the largest ETF focused on major gold mining stocks. That makes it the best gold ETF for investors looking to invest in gold mining companies.

Shares of mining companies can outperform gold prices. They can benefit from the dual catalysts of production growth and a rising gold price. However, owning mining stocks is riskier than investing directly in gold, as cost inflation and other factors can lead to underperformance.

As of early October 2026, the ETF had about $26 billion in AUM and held 65 gold mining companies. Its top holdings included the largest gold mining companies in the world by market capitalization, led by the following five:

Newmont (NEM +0.23%) at 11.1% of its net assets
Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM -0.20%) at 11.0%
Barrick Gold (B -0.57%) at 7.9%.
Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM -0.01%) at 5.6%
Franco-Nevada (FNV +0.62%) at 5.1%

The market cap of the largest mining company on this list is over $121 billion (Newmont), while the smallest is more than $46 billion (Franco-Nevada). The gold ETF's top 10 holdings account for almost 59% of its assets, giving investors greater exposure to the world's largest gold-mining, streaming, and royalty companies and making the ETF ideal for those seeking quality over quantity. The fund offers exposure to top gold-mining stocks at a reasonable cost (0.51% expense ratio). Unlike physical gold ETFs, GDX provides passive dividend income (a 0.7% trailing 12-month yield as of October 2026).

4. VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF

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NYSEMKT: GDXJ

VanEck ETF Trust - VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF

Today's Change

(-0.74%) $-0.84

Current Price

$112.81

Key Data Points

AUM

$8.4B

Dividend Yield

2.35%

Expense Ratio

0.52%

Top Holdings

CDE

6.71%

AGI

6.43%

EQX

5.79%

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VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ -0.74%) offers the greatest upside potential because it focuses on smaller mining companies, known as junior gold miners, many of which are still exploration-stage companies. These smaller miners could expand production faster and deliver higher returns than their larger rivals.

However, the higher reward potential comes with greater risk, as they lack the scale and financial resources of their larger rivals. A misstep, such as cost overruns in a mine development, could be more costly for investors.

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF is reasonably large (nearly $8.3 billion in AUM as of early October 2026) and has a relatively low expense ratio (0.52%). The gold ETF has 161 holdings. Its five largest are:

Coeur Mining (CDE -3.45%) at 6.7% of its net assets
Alamos Gold (AGI -0.46%) at 6.4%
Equinox Gold (EQX +1.08%) at 5.8%
Endeavour Mining (OTCMKTS:EDVMF) at 5.6%
Iamgold (IAG -0.43%) at 5.1%

These mining companies are smaller than those held by VanEck Gold Miners ETF. The largest holding on the list has a market cap of about $18.3 billion (Coeur Mining). The ETF's top 10 holdings make up almost 41% of its assets. The fund provides investors with broad exposure to several up-and-coming gold and silver mining stocks. This gold ETF also provides a gold-backed passive income stream (2.4% trailing 12-month yield as of October 2026).

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5. Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF

NYSEMKT: FGDL

Franklin Templeton Trust - Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF

Today's Change

(-0.04%) $-0.02

Current Price

$55.13

Key Data Points

AUM

$435M

Expense Ratio

0.15%

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The Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF (FGDL -0.04%) holds physical gold. It only holds gold sourced from accredited refiners that demonstrate their commitment to environmental protection and to combating money laundering, terrorist financing, and human rights abuses. This responsibly sourced gold ETF has a low expense ratio of 0.15%, nearly $431 million in AUM as of October 2026, and holds 103,801 ounces of gold.

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6. Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF

NYSEMKT: AAAU

Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF

Today's Change

(-0.17%) $-0.07

Current Price

$40.81

Key Data Points

AUM

$2.7B

Expense Ratio

0.18%

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The Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF (AAAU -0.17%) is another ETF that holds physical gold. Like iShares Gold Trust, this fund holds gold bullion in the London branch of JPMorgan Chase. It has a lower ETF expense ratio than its larger rivals, at 0.18%, and nearly $2.7 billion in AUM as of October 2026.

7. abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF

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NYSEMKT: SGOL

Abrdn Gold ETF Trust - Abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF

Today's Change

(-0.10%) $-0.04

Current Price

$39.42

Key Data Points

AUM

$7.2B

Expense Ratio

0.17%

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The abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF (SGOL -0.10%) also holds physical gold. However, it seeks to only hold London Good Delivery gold bullion bars refined on or after Jan. 1, 2012. All gold refined on or after that date has been refined in accordance with the London Bullion Market Association's Responsible Gold Guidance.

In addition to holding responsibly sourced gold, this ETF has a low expense ratio of 0.17%. It had over $7.1 billion in AUM (nearly 1.7 million ounces) in October 2026.

How to buy gold ETFs

Open your brokerage account: Log in to your brokerage account where you handle your investments. If you don't have one yet, take a look at our favorite brokers and trading platforms to find the right one for you.
Search for the ETF: Enter the ticker into the search bar to bring up the ETF’s trading page.
Decide how many shares to buy: Consider your investment goals and how much of your portfolio you want to allocate to this ETF.
Select order type: Choose between a market order to buy at the current price or a limit order to specify the maximum price you're willing to pay.
Submit your order: Confirm the details and submit your buy order.
Review your purchase: Check your portfolio to ensure your order was filled as expected and adjust your investment strategy accordingly.

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Benefits and risks of investing in gold ETFs

Investing in gold ETFs has its share of benefits and drawbacks. Some pros of investing in gold ETFs include:

Lower risk: Investing in a gold ETF is less risky than buying physical gold and storing it at home, where it could be stolen, or investing in individual gold stocks.
Easy access: Gold ETFs make it easy to invest in physical gold or broadly across gold mining stocks.
Passive investments: Gold ETFs are passive investments. You don't need to buy gold or a safe to store it in, or manage a portfolio of gold mining stocks.

However, investing in gold ETFs isn't without its drawbacks, which include:

Potential for underperformance: A gold stock ETF could underperform gold prices or the top gold mining stocks.
No physical possession: While gold ETFs own physical gold, you wouldn't have physical possession of the gold if you needed it during an extreme emergency situation.
Costs: The gold ETF's expense ratio cuts into its returns.
No income from physical gold ETFs.

Methodology: How these ETFs were chosen

There are 40 gold ETFs, offering investors plenty of options. I screened gold ETFs by size (AUM), expense ratio, and responsible sourcing. This group of seven gold ETFs scored highest on these criteria. These factors lower their risk profiles and improve their long-term return potential, making them the best overall investments among gold ETFs.

Should you invest in gold ETFs?

ETFs are the simplest way to invest in gold. They're highly liquid, enabling you to buy and sell quickly. Gold ETFs also tend to be lower-cost and less of a hassle than owning physical gold bars or coins. For most investors, buying a gold ETF is the best way to invest in the precious metal.

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Investing in gold ETFs: FAQ

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About the Author

Matt DiLallo has been a contributing Motley Fool stock analyst specializing in the energy, industrials, and real estate sectors since 2012. He also covers dividend-paying stocks, pre-IPO companies, ETFs, and other investing topics. He holds an MBA from Liberty University.

TMFmd19

@MatthewDiLallo

JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Matt DiLallo has positions in JPMorgan Chase. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends JPMorgan Chase. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

7 Best Gold ETFs for 2026 and How to Invest

A closer look at some of the top gold ETFs.

Key Points

Seven top gold ETFs for 2026

1. SPDR Gold Trust

Key Data Points

2. iShares Gold Trust

Key Data Points

3. VanEck Gold Miners ETF

Key Data Points

4. VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF

Key Data Points

5. Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF

Key Data Points

6. Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF

Key Data Points

7. abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF

Key Data Points

How to buy gold ETFs

Benefits and risks of investing in gold ETFs

Methodology: How these ETFs were chosen

Should you invest in gold ETFs?

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Investing in gold ETFs: FAQ

What is the largest gold ETF in the U.S.?

What is the largest gold ETF in the U.S.?

Which gold ETF has the lowest expense ratio?

Which gold ETF has the lowest expense ratio?

Do gold ETFs pay dividends?

Do gold ETFs pay dividends?

Which gold investment is the safest?

Which gold investment is the safest?

What are the fees associated with gold ETFs?

What are the fees associated with gold ETFs?

Is a gold ETF worth buying now?

Is a gold ETF worth buying now?

What is the best ETF for gold?

What is the best ETF for gold?

About the Author

Stocks Mentioned

Motley Fool Stock Advisor’s Latest Pick

Premium Investing Services

Seven top gold ETFs for 2026

Key Data Points

2. iShares Gold Trust

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

7. abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF

Key Data Points

How to buy gold ETFs

Benefits and risks of investing in gold ETFs

Methodology: How these ETFs were chosen

Should you invest in gold ETFs?

5 Best Copper Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

4 Best Aluminum Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

5 Best Steel Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

Best Titanium ETFs for 2026 and How to Invest

Investing in gold ETFs: FAQ

What is the largest gold ETF in the U.S.?

What is the largest gold ETF in the U.S.?

Which gold ETF has the lowest expense ratio?

Which gold ETF has the lowest expense ratio?

Do gold ETFs pay dividends?

Do gold ETFs pay dividends?

Which gold investment is the safest?

Which gold investment is the safest?

What are the fees associated with gold ETFs?

What are the fees associated with gold ETFs?

Is a gold ETF worth buying now?

Is a gold ETF worth buying now?

What is the best ETF for gold?

What is the best ETF for gold?

4. VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF