The best gold ETFs (physically backed)
The cheapest way to own gold without storing bars is a physically-backed ETC, a fund-like security backed by bullion sitting in a vault. Technically these are ETCs rather than ETFs because UCITS diversification rules do not allow a fund holding a single commodity, but they trade on exchange exactly the same way. Cheapest first below; the fee is effectively your storage cost.
- Cheapest: GLDD at 0.12% a year (Amundi Physical Gold ETC (C)).
- Hands-off pick: GLDD, dividends reinvested automatically.
- For income: O87, pays dividends out as cash.
How this ranking works
Funds are ranked by annual fee (TER), cheapest first, using the same live dataset that powers the rest of TickerCompare; returns are total returns converted to USD and refresh throughout the trading day. Funds tracking the same index are near-interchangeable, so we treat cost as the main tiebreaker and flag dividend policy so you can match the fund to how you invest. This is educational information, not financial advice.
Available on Interactive Brokers
Buy GLDD, SGLN and thousands of other UCITS ETFs on Interactive Brokers.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the cheapest gold UCITS ETF?
GLDD (Amundi Physical Gold ETC (C)) is currently the cheapest at 0.12% a year. Because index funds tracking the same index hold the same things, the cheapest fund usually wins over time.
Which gold ETF performed best over five years?
GLDD returned +120.5% in USD over the past five years. Performance differences between funds tracking the same index are tiny; fees and dividend policy matter more than past returns.
Should I pick the accumulating or distributing version?
GLDD reinvests dividends automatically (accumulating), while O87 pays them out as cash (distributing). Long-term investors who do not need the income usually pick accumulating for effortless compounding.