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The best precious metals ETFs, compared

The best gold, silver, platinum, palladium and basket ETFs side by side, with live prices and fees, plus the best gold and silver ETFs for holding both.

LemonTrades·Guides
Four metal ETF bars ranked on a podium.

TL;DR

  • For long holds the fee decides most of the difference: GLDM or IAU for gold, SIVR for silver, PPLT and PALL for platinum and palladium.
  • There’s no big gold-and-silver-only fund; most investors combine a gold ETF and a silver ETF.
  • LemonTrades follows gold, silver and any metals ETF or miner you add, and tells you what moved them, and why, as it happens.

The best precious metal ETF depends on which metal you want and how long you’ll hold it. For long holds, the fee decides most of the difference. Here’s how the main funds compare right now.

Precious metals ETFs, live

ETFMetalPriceTodayYearly fee
GLDMSPDR Gold MiniSharesGold$––0.10%
IAUiShares Gold TrustGold$––0.25%
GLDSPDR Gold SharesGold$––0.40%
SIVRabrdn Physical SilverSilver$––0.30%
SLViShares Silver TrustSilver$––0.50%
PPLTabrdn Physical PlatinumPlatinum$––0.60%
PALLabrdn Physical PalladiumPalladium$––0.60%
GLTRabrdn Precious Metals BasketAll four$––0.60%

Prices update every minute in US market hours. Spot gold $–, silver $–. Fees are as of this writing; check each fund’s site.

The best precious metals ETF for…

  • Gold, held for years: the lowest fee, like GLDM. See the best gold ETFs.
  • Gold, traded actively: GLD, the most traded, with the deepest options market.
  • Silver, held for years: SIVR, with a lower fee than SLV.
  • Silver, traded actively: SLV, far more traded than SIVR.
  • Everything in one fund: GLTR, which holds gold, silver, platinum and palladium, mostly gold.
  • Platinum or palladium on their own: PPLT and PALL, the main physically backed funds for each.

The best gold and silver ETF

There’s no big fund that holds only gold and silver. Most investors combine two: a low-cost gold fund (GLDM or IAU) and a silver fund (SIVR or SLV), in whatever mix they want. Many keep more gold than silver, because silver swings far more. The basket fund GLTR is the one-ticket alternative, at a higher fee.

Before you buy

  1. Check it holds physical metal, not futures or mining stocks.
  2. Compare fees: on $10,000 held for a year, 0.10% is $10 and 0.60% is $60.
  3. Check trading volume if you’ll trade often; smaller funds can have wider spreads.
  4. Know the tax: in the US, gains on physically backed metals ETFs are taxed as collectibles, at up to 28% for long-term gains.
  5. Size for the swings: silver, platinum and palladium can move 20% in a month.

How these funds work: precious metals exchange traded funds. Prefer companies? See precious metals stocks.

Education, not financial advice. We don’t recommend or get paid by any fund. ETFs can lose value. See our disclaimer.

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