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ARKB vs HODL

ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF

ARKBBCboe

VanEck Bitcoin ETF

HODLACboe

Overlap

Expense ratio

HODL −0.01pt a year

ARKB0.21%HODL0.20%

Avg volume · 30D

ARKB 1.7×the volume

ARKB1.71MHODL996K

ARKB vs HODL Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

−30.3%ARKB−30.2%HODL

Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. ARKB −30.3%. HODL −30.2%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−20%−10%0%Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
Expense ratio
ARKB 0.21%
HODL 0.20%, better
Fund size
ARKB $2.91B
HODL $1.12B
1Y total return
ARKB −30.3%
HODL −30.2%, better
Holdings
ARKB 1
HODL 1
Avg volume (30D)
ARKB 1.71M sh, better
HODL 996K sh
NAV per share
ARKB $25.35
HODL $21.61
52W range

ETF.net Grade

ARKB: Cost 59, Risk 46, Mission 100, Tradability 61, Holdings not scored, Durability 57. HODL: Cost 75, Risk 60, Mission 100, Tradability 48, Holdings not scored, Durability 68.
Pillar letters and Scores for ARKB, HODL, with each pillar’s weight
PillarARKBHODL
Cost30% weightB59A75Higher
Mission25% weightA100A100
Risk15% weightC46B60Higher
Tradability15% weightB61HigherC48
Holdings10% weightNot scoredNot scored
Durability5% weightB57B68Higher

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 HODL 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 ›

HODL ranks 3rd 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 3AHODLVanEck Bitcoin ETFScore 74
  4. Rank 4ABITBBitwise Bitcoin ETF TrustScore 72
  5. Rank 5BEZBCFranklin Bitcoin ETFScore 69
  6. Rank 6BARKBARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETFScore 68
  7. Rank 7BFBTCFidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin FundScore 64

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

ARKBBARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF

HODLAVanEck Bitcoin 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.

HODL VanEck's spot bitcoin fund does exactly one thing: hold bitcoin. No futures, no yield story, no cleverness. It is priced below the category median and splits the coins across two named custodians instead of one.

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.

HODL The Trust seeks to track the price of bitcoin, net of its operating expenses, through a passive strategy that does not pursue 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.
  • HODL A 0.20% sponsor fee, under the median for spot bitcoin funds, on a product whose entire job is holding coins.vaneck.com
  • Deliberately plain mandate: track bitcoin's price net of expenses, full stop. Nothing reaching for returns beyond the coin, and it has followed that mandate very closely.vaneck.com
  • VanEck names two crypto custodians for the trust's bitcoin, Gemini and Coinbase Custody, rather than routing every coin through a single vault.vaneck.com
  • Listed options trade on HODL, so collars and covered-call structures are available in a normal brokerage account.vaneck.com

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.
  • HODL Bitcoin sets the whole ride. The design follows the coin down as faithfully as up, and there is no hedge or buffer in the wrapper.
  • No distributions. Price is the entire story here, and the sponsor fee accrues against the trust's bitcoin whatever the market does.vaneck.com
  • Fees in this cohort are a moving target: BTC and EZBC list lower headline rates, and temporary waivers keep reshuffling who is cheapest.vaneck.com

Full ARKB profile⁠

Full HODL profile⁠

ARKB vs HODL 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 HODL Cost

Overpaying ARKB vs HODL

$202

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

  • ARKB 0.21%

    $4,357

  • HODL 0.20%

    $4,155

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • ARKB 0.21%
  • HODL 0.20%
  • 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 $4,357HODL $4,155

Year by year

YearARKBHODLOverpaying
10$383$365$18
20$1,491$1,421$70
30$4,357$4,155$202

Expense ratio

  • 0.21%ARKB
  • 0.20%HODL, cheaper
  • Middle half of Spot Bitcoin funds
  • Median 0.23%

HODL 4th cheapest of 12 funds

ARKB 6th cheapest of 12 funds

ARKB vs HODL Dividends

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

Distribution history

ARKBAll ARKB payments⁠

No distribution history available.

HODLAll HODL payments⁠

No distribution history available.

ARKB vs HODL 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 2024HODL 63.2%since Feb 2024
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
ARKB 0.56since Feb 2024HODL −0.12since Feb 2024
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
ARKB −53.3%since Jan 2024HODL −93.7%since Jan 2024
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
ARKB 2.14HODL 2.13

ARKB and HODL in the news

All news⁠

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