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ARKB vs BTC

ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF

ARKBBCboe

Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF

BTCANYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

BTC −0.06pt a year

ARKB0.21%BTC0.15%

Avg volume · 30D

BTC 1.00×the volume

ARKB1.71MBTC1.72M

ARKB vs BTC Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

−30.3%ARKB−30.2%BTC

Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. ARKB −30.3%. BTC −30.2%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−20%−10%0%Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
Expense ratio
ARKB 0.21%
BTC 0.15%, better
Fund size
ARKB $2.91B
BTC $4.83B
1Y total return
ARKB −30.3%
BTC −30.2%, better
Holdings
ARKB 1
BTC 1
Avg volume (30D)
ARKB 1.71M sh
BTC 1.72M sh, better
NAV per share
ARKB $25.35
BTC $33.93
52W range

ETF.net Grade

ARKB: Cost 59, Risk 46, Mission 100, Tradability 61, Holdings not scored, Durability 57. BTC: Cost 90, Risk 44, Mission 100, Tradability 76, Holdings not scored, Durability 53.
Pillar letters and Scores for ARKB, BTC, with each pillar’s weight
PillarARKBBTC
Cost30% weightB59A90Higher
Mission25% weightA100A100
Risk15% weightC46HigherC44
Tradability15% weightB61A76Higher
Holdings10% weightNot scoredNot scored
Durability5% weightB57HigherC53

Rank among Spot Bitcoin funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. ARKB and BTC are both graded against the same 12 Spot Bitcoin funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Spot Bitcoin⁠

Category · 12 funds
See all 12 ›

BTC ranks 1st and ARKB 6th of 12 funds in the Spot Bitcoin Category.

  1. Rank 1ABTCGrayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETFScore 80
  2. Rank 2AMSBTMorgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust ETFScore 79
  3. Rank 5BEZBCFranklin Bitcoin ETFScore 69
  4. Rank 6BARKBARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETFScore 68
  5. Rank 7BFBTCFidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin FundScore 64

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

ARKBBARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF

BTCAGrayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF

In short

ARKB One of the original spot bitcoin ETFs from the January 2024 class, ARK's version built with 21Shares. It holds actual bitcoin in a grantor trust, tracks the CME CF benchmark, and prices below the category median.

BTC Grayscale's answer to the fee war: a 2024 spin-off of its original bitcoin trust, holding the same coin for a tenth of the cost. The mandate is one line, straight from its filings: reflect the value of the bitcoin it holds, less expenses.

Stated mandate

ARKB The Trust seeks to track bitcoin’s performance, measured by the CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate—New York Variant, after expenses and liabilities. It holds bitcoin and values its shares using the Index.

BTC The Trust is a passive vehicle designed to track the value of Bitcoin held by it, after expenses and liabilities. It does not seek returns beyond Bitcoin’s price performance.

Why people hold it

  • ARKB Undercuts the typical spot bitcoin fund on fee: 0.21% against a 0.25% category median, with real bitcoin in the trust rather than futures contracts.
  • Tracks its stated benchmark, the CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate (New York Variant), very tightly, and stands in the upper half of a crowded spot bitcoin group.
  • Launched in January 2024 with the first wave of US spot bitcoin funds and has since become a multi-billion-dollar, actively traded name.
  • BTC 0.15% fee, set in the fund's own documents, against the 1.5% that Grayscale's original bitcoin trust (GBTC) still charges for the same spot exposure.grayscale.com
  • One job, stated plainly: hold bitcoin and reflect its value less expenses. No yield strategies, no derivatives overlay, and it has tracked that mandate tightly.grayscale.com
  • Born as a spin-off, so shares landed with existing Grayscale holders and it opened with billions in bitcoin already on the books, not a cold start.etf.com
  • Now a multi-billion-dollar, actively traded fund and one of the strongest implementations in its spot bitcoin peer group.

Worth knowing

  • ARKB Not the cheapest seat in the row: BTC lists 0.15%, BITB and HODL 0.20%, and EZBC has been running at zero.
  • Pure bitcoin exposure, which means bitcoin's full swings and drawdowns. The trust makes no distributions.
  • It is a grantor trust, not a registered fund, so the investor protections differ from those of a conventional ETF.
  • BTC Pure bitcoin exposure: full drawdowns pass straight through, with no buffer, no diversification and no distributions along the way.grayscale.com
  • A grantor trust, not a 1940 Act registered fund, so the protections that come with registered ETFs do not apply.sec.gov
  • Some peers run temporary fee waivers (EZBC has charged 0.00%), which can undercut a headline fee until they lapse.

Full ARKB profile⁠

Full BTC profile⁠

ARKB vs BTC Holdings

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

ARKB vs BTC Cost

Overpaying ARKB vs BTC

$1,220

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • ARKB 0.21%

    $4,357

  • BTC 0.15%

    $3,137

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • ARKB 0.21%
  • BTC 0.15%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$1K$2K$3K$4K$5K051015202530ARKB $4,357BTC $3,137

Year by year

YearARKBBTCOverpaying
10$383$274$109
20$1,491$1,071$420
30$4,357$3,137$1,220

Expense ratio

  • 0.21%ARKB
  • 0.15%BTC, cheaper
  • Middle half of Spot Bitcoin funds
  • Median 0.23%

BTC 2nd cheapest of 12 funds

ARKB 6th cheapest of 12 funds

ARKB vs BTC Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Payout (12M)
ARKB None
BTC None

Distribution history

ARKBAll ARKB payments⁠

No distribution history available.

BTCAll BTC payments⁠

No distribution history available.

ARKB vs BTC Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
ARKB 53.5%since Feb 2024BTC 47.0%since Aug 2024
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
ARKB 0.56since Feb 2024BTC 0.28since Aug 2024
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
ARKB −53.3%since Jan 2024BTC −53.3%since Jul 2024Same figure. Both funds show the same value, so neither comes out ahead.
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
ARKB 2.14BTC 1.58

ARKB and BTC in the news

All news⁠

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