ARVR vs NXTG

ARVRDFirst Trust Indxx Metaverse ETF

NXTGCFirst Trust Indxx NextG ETF

In short

ARVR A literal bet on the metaverse: roughly 50 global companies tied to virtual worlds, tracked by index rather than a manager's hunch. First Trust launched it in 2022, right as the theme crested.

NXTG A 5G fund that isn't a 5G-boom baby. NXTG has been running since 2011 and spreads the connectivity theme across roughly 100 stocks worldwide. Long tenure and broad reach, at a premium price tag.

Stated mandate

ARVR The Fund seeks investment results that generally track the price and yield performance of the Indxx Metaverse Index, before fees and expenses.

NXTG The Fund seeks returns corresponding generally to the Indxx 5G & NextG Thematic Index and normally invests at least 90% of net assets in securities comprising that index.

Why people hold it

• ARVR Pure single-theme exposure. It tracks the Indxx Metaverse Index, about 50 global stocks, with no broad-tech filler diluting the idea you came for.
• Global by mandate, not US-only, so the basket can reach the Asian hardware and chip names that build the plumbing for virtual worlds.
• Plain-vanilla plumbing from a large, long-established issuer: a standard 1940 Act stock fund. No leverage, no swaps, no K-1 at tax time.
• Live since 2022, so it carries a multi-year track record through the theme's hype cycle rather than a backtest.

• NXTG Launched in 2011, making it a veteran inside a global thematic peer group stuffed with far more recent arrivals.
• Rules-based and wide: at least 90% of net assets sit in the Indxx 5G & NextG index, roughly 100 global names rather than a short list of megacaps.
• Upper half of its global thematic cohort on how closely it follows its stated index and what sits in the portfolio.
• Simple plumbing: a 1940 Act fund holding the stocks outright, with distributions paid quarterly.

Worth knowing

• ARVR The 0.70% expense ratio sits above the median for global thematic funds, and cheaper broad-theme rivals like UFOX charge 0.30%.
• It is a small fund that trades lightly. Spreads can run wider than a mainstream ETF's, and sizable orders can nudge the price.
• Roughly 50 names in one narrow theme means individual stocks and sentiment swings drive the ride, and payouts come once or twice a year at most.

• NXTG 0.70% a year is above the typical fee in its global thematic group. Cheaper thematic shelves exist, including KLMT at 0.10% and UFOX at 0.30%.
• Thinly traded for its size, so bid-ask spreads can run wider and larger orders can nudge the price.
• One theme, global footprint: results ride on connectivity and network spending, and overseas holdings add currency movement to the mix.

Full ARVR profile⁠

Full NXTG profile⁠