Skip to content

ARKK vs TRFM

ARK Innovation ETF

ARKKCCboe

AAM Transformers ETF

TRFMANYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

TRFM −0.26pt a year

ARKK0.75%TRFM0.49%

Avg volume · 30D

ARKK 119.8×the volume

ARKK4.8MTRFM40.1K

ARKK vs TRFM Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

−9.2%ARKK+5.8%TRFM

Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. ARKK −9.2%. TRFM +5.8%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−30%−20%0%20%Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
Expense ratio
ARKK 0.75%
TRFM 0.49%, better
Fund size
ARKK $7.92B
TRFM $313M
1Y total return
ARKK −9.2%
TRFM +5.8%, better
Yield (12M)
ARKK 0.00%
TRFM No data
Holdings
ARKK 46
TRFM 266
Avg volume (30D)
ARKK 4.8M sh, better
TRFM 40.1K sh
NAV per share
ARKK $80.84
TRFM $53.79
52W range

ETF.net Grade

ARKK: Cost 22, Risk 16, Mission 59, Tradability 94, Holdings 32, Durability 90. TRFM: Cost 81, Risk 66, Mission not scored, Tradability 70, Holdings 89, Durability 50.
Pillar letters and Scores for ARKK, TRFM, with each pillar’s weight
PillarARKKTRFM
Cost30% weightF22A81Higher
Mission25% weightB59Not scored
Risk15% weightF16B66Higher
Tradability15% weightA94HigherA70
Holdings10% weightD32A89Higher
Durability5% weightA90HigherC50

Rank among Disruptive Innovation funds

Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. ARKK and TRFM are both graded against the same 30 Disruptive Innovation funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Disruptive Innovation⁠

Category · 30 funds
See all 30 ›

TRFM ranks 3rd and ARKK 19th of 30 funds in the Disruptive Innovation Category.

  1. Rank 1AXTiShares Future Exponential Technologies ETFScore 86
  2. Rank 2AKOMPState Street SPDR S&P Kensho New Economies Composite ETFScore 83
  3. Rank 3ATRFMAAM Transformers ETFScore 74
  4. Rank 4AXITKState Street SPDR FactSet Innovative Technology ETFScore 73
  5. Rank 18CLOUPInnovator Deepwater Frontier Tech ETFScore 42
  6. Rank 19CARKKARK Innovation ETFScore 41
  7. Rank 19CKNOAXS Knowledge Leaders ETFScore 41

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

ARKKCARK Innovation ETF

TRFMAAAM Transformers ETF

In short

ARKK The headline act of thematic investing. Since 2014, ARKK has run an actively managed portfolio of US and foreign companies tied to disruptive innovation, aiming for long-term capital growth with no index to hide behind.

TRFM Most disruption funds buy the story. TRFM screens for companies actually writing R&D checks, then spreads the theme across a couple hundred US-listed names instead of a concentrated bet on thirty.

Stated mandate

ARKK The fund seeks long-term capital growth through an actively managed portfolio invested primarily in domestic and foreign equity securities connected to disruptive innovation.

TRFM The Fund passively tracks the total return of the Pence Transformers Index before fees and expenses. The index targets U.S.-listed equity securities of companies positioned to benefit from significant changes in consumer behavior and technological innovation.

Why people hold it

  • ARKK Genuinely active: managers pick domestic and foreign stocks connected to disruptive innovation and target long-term capital growth, rather than tracking a theme index.ark-funds.com
  • Very actively traded and multi-billion-dollar in size, so getting in and out tends to be easier than with the thinner funds on the innovation shelf.
  • Launched in 2014, it is one of the longest-running funds in a category where themes get packaged and shelved fast.
  • TRFM Candidates are screened on research-and-development spending, so names earn a slot with budget receipts, not just a narrative.nasdaq.com
  • 0.49% a year, below the typical fee in its disruptive-innovation cohort, and it follows a published index rather than a manager's hunches.
  • Modified equal weighting across a couple hundred holdings keeps any single mega-cap from quietly becoming the whole theme.stockanalysis.com
  • Sits among the strongest implementations in its disruptive-innovation peer group on our review.

Worth knowing

  • ARKK At 0.75%, it charges above the 0.65% typical for its peer group, and index-based takes on the same theme run cheaper (KOMP at 0.20%, XT at 0.46%).
  • Active and growth-focused, it ranks among the most volatile funds in its disruptive-innovation peer group. Expect a bumpy ride.
  • A capital-growth mandate, not an income one: shareholder return comes from share price, with no regular distribution schedule.
  • TRFM Not the cheapest door into the theme. Broader innovation rivals such as KOMP carry a lower expense ratio.
  • Trades thinly next to the category's giants, so the bid-ask spread can matter more to your cost than the fee does.
  • Launched in 2022, so the track record is short, and the index stays US-listed (ADRs count) rather than buying foreign shares directly.stockanalysis.com

Full ARKK profile⁠

Full TRFM profile⁠

ARKK vs TRFM 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.

ARKK vs TRFM Cost

Overpaying ARKK vs TRFM

$4,690

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

  • ARKK 0.75%

    $14,482

  • TRFM 0.49%

    $9,792

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • ARKK 0.75%
  • TRFM 0.49%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K051015202530ARKK $14,482TRFM $9,792

Year by year

YearARKKTRFMOverpaying
10$1,336$883$453
20$5,078$3,394$1,684
30$14,482$9,792$4,690

Expense ratio

  • 0.75%ARKK
  • 0.49%TRFM, cheaper
  • Middle half of Disruptive Innovation funds
  • Median 0.65%

TRFM 4th cheapest of 30 funds

ARKK 20th cheapest of 30 funds

ARKK vs TRFM Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
ARKK 0.00%
TRFM No data
Payout (12M)
ARKK None
TRFM No data
Last payment
ARKK No data
TRFM $0.08
Ex-dividend
ARKK No data
TRFM Dec 31, 2025
Paid on
ARKK No data
TRFM Jan 5, 2026
Frequency
ARKK No data
TRFM Irregular

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

ARKK6 paymentsAll ARKK payments⁠
One bar per payment. 6 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 27, 2017 $0.49; Dec 27, 2018 $1.17; Dec 27, 2019 $0.19; Dec 29, 2020 $2.04; Dec 29, 2021 $0.78; Sep 8, 2023 $0.36. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$22017202020232026YTD
TRFMIrregular · 1 paymentAll TRFM payments⁠
One bar per payment. 1 payment from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 31, 2025 $0.08. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$22017202020232026YTD

ARKK vs TRFM Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
ARKK 40.3%TRFM 23.3%, better
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
ARKK 0.77TRFM 1.02, better
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
ARKK −76.1%TRFM −28.4%since Jul 2022
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
ARKK 2.46TRFM 1.64

ARKK and TRFM in the news

Popular comparisons

  • ARKKCvsXTA

    ARK Innovation ETF · iShares Future Exponential Technologies ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.75% · 0.46%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.
  • TRFMAvsXTA

    AAM Transformers ETF · iShares Future Exponential Technologies ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.49% · 0.46%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.
  • ARKKCvsKOMPA

    ARK Innovation ETF · State Street SPDR S&P Kensho New Economies Composite ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.75% · 0.20%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.
  • TRFMAvsKOMPA

    AAM Transformers ETF · State Street SPDR S&P Kensho New Economies Composite ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.49% · 0.20%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.
  • ARKKCvsXITKA

    ARK Innovation ETF · State Street SPDR FactSet Innovative Technology ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.75% · 0.45%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.
  • TRFMAvsXITKA

    AAM Transformers ETF · State Street SPDR FactSet Innovative Technology ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.49% · 0.45%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.