BAR alternatives and similar ETFs

BAR alternatives at a glance#

Each fund below can stand in for BAR, closest first. “Same index” funds hold the same investments as BAR. “Same kind” funds hold the same kind of investments through a different index. “Related” funds make a different bet that often moves the same way.

Fees come from each fund company, checked on the dates shown on each fund’s page.

How BAR and its alternatives did over the same dates#

Each row measures the alternative and BAR on the days both traded, so neither gets a head start. Correlation shows how closely their daily moves matched over about the last five years. A value of 1 means they always moved together.

Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.

Each BAR alternative, compared#

GLDM: SPDR Gold MiniShares#

GLDM tracks the same LBMA Gold Price PM as BAR, so the two hold the same investments. The main differences are the fee and the fund company.

It charges 0.1% a year, about $10 on $10,000, against $17.49 for BAR.

From June 2018 to October 2026, GLDM returned about 15.3% a year and BAR returned about 15.3% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 1.00).

Read the GLDM fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

SGOL: abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF#

SGOL tracks the same LBMA Gold Price PM as BAR, so the two hold the same investments. The main differences are the fee and the fund company.

It charges 0.17% a year, about $17 on $10,000, against $17.49 for BAR.

From September 2017 to October 2026, SGOL returned about 13.1% a year and BAR returned about 13.2% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 1.00).

Read the SGOL fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

AAAU: Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF#

AAAU tracks the same LBMA Gold Price PM as BAR, so the two hold the same investments. The main differences are the fee and the fund company.

It charges 0.18% a year, about $18 on $10,000, against $17.49 for BAR.

From August 2018 to October 2026, AAAU returned about 16.6% a year and BAR returned about 16.6% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 1.00).

Read the AAAU fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

GLD: SPDR Gold Shares#

GLD tracks the same LBMA Gold Price PM as BAR, so the two hold the same investments. The main differences are the fee and the fund company.

It charges 0.4% a year, about $40 on $10,000, against $17.49 for BAR.

From September 2017 to October 2026, GLD returned about 12.9% a year and BAR returned about 13.2% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 1.00).

Read the GLD fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

IAU: iShares Gold Trust#

IAU also holds gold bars kept in a vault. It tracks the LBMA Gold Price, while BAR tracks the LBMA Gold Price PM.

It charges 0.25% a year, about $25 on $10,000, against $17.49 for BAR.

From September 2017 to October 2026, IAU returned about 13.1% a year and BAR returned about 13.2% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 1.00).

Read the IAU fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

DJP: iPath Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return ETN#

DJP is a looser match. It holds futures on oil, metals, grains and other raw materials, while BAR holds gold bars kept in a vault.

It charges 0.7% a year, about $70 on $10,000, against $17.49 for BAR.

From September 2017 to October 2026, DJP returned about 9.3% a year and BAR returned about 13.2% a year. Over about the last five years they often moved in different ways (correlation 0.43).

Read the DJP fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

DBC: Invesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund#

DBC is a looser match. It holds futures on oil, metals, grains and other raw materials, while BAR holds gold bars kept in a vault.

It charges 0.85% a year, about $85 on $10,000, against $17.49 for BAR.

From September 2017 to October 2026, DBC returned about 11.2% a year and BAR returned about 13.2% a year. Over about the last five years they often moved in different ways (correlation 0.31).

Read the DBC fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

GSG: iShares S&P GSCI Commodity-Indexed Trust#

GSG is a looser match. It holds futures on oil, metals, grains and other raw materials, while BAR holds gold bars kept in a vault.

It charges 0.75% a year, about $75 on $10,000, against $17.49 for BAR.

From September 2017 to October 2026, GSG returned about 10.9% a year and BAR returned about 13.2% a year. Over about the last five years they often moved in different ways (correlation 0.23).

Read the GSG fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

BAR versions from other fund companies#

Some people keep all their funds with one company. Here is the closest fund to BAR from each other company on this page:

• SPDR (State Street): GLDM, SPDR Gold MiniShares (same index, 0.1% a year)
• abrdn (Aberdeen): SGOL, abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF (same index, 0.17% a year)
• Goldman Sachs Asset Management: AAAU, Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF (same index, 0.18% a year)
• iShares (BlackRock): IAU, iShares Gold Trust (same kind of fund, 0.25% a year)
• iPath (Barclays): DJP, iPath Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return ETN (related fund, 0.7% a year)
• Invesco: DBC, Invesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund (related fund, 0.85% a year)

Most brokers let you buy any ETF, whoever runs it. Mutual fund versions, such as a fund company’s index mutual fund, are not listed here.

How to choose between BAR and its alternatives#

• What it tracks. A fund on the same index holds the same investments. A different index can mean different weights, more or fewer holdings, or a different mix.
• The fee. The difference is often small. On $10,000, BAR costs about $17.49 a year. GLDM costs about $10.
• History. An older fund has been through more bad markets, so you can see how far it fell.
• What you already own. Two funds that move together add little variety. A fund with a low correlation behaves more on its own.

Test BAR and its alternatives in a backtest#

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the builder, add BAR and GLDM, and see how each would have done on the same dates, or how a mix of both would have done.

The details#

Alternatives are picked from facts, not from returns. First come funds that track the same index as BAR. Then come funds that hold the same kind of investments through another index. Last come funds from a close category that make a different bet. Leveraged funds are only listed as alternatives to other leveraged funds.

Within each group, the funds whose daily returns moved most like BAR over about the last five years come first. Returns and worst drops use Tactfolio’s stored daily prices, adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. Each alternative is measured with BAR only on days both traded. Read what a backtest simulates for more on these measures.