HYDR vs ICLN

HYDRCGlobal X Hydrogen ETF

ICLNAiShares Global Clean Energy ETF

In short

HYDR Clean energy with the solar panels stripped out. HYDR is a global, roughly 25-stock basket built around hydrogen alone: production, electrolyzers, fuel cells, and the gear that wires it into the energy system.

ICLN The big, global way to own the energy transition: since 2008, ICLN has tracked roughly 100 clean-power companies across developed and emerging markets, charging 0.38% a year, below the typical clean-energy fee.

Stated mandate

HYDR HYDR targets companies expected to benefit from the global hydrogen industry's development, including hydrogen production, energy-system integration, fuel cells, electrolyzers, and related hydrogen-use technologies.

ICLN The fund seeks to track an index representing global equities in the clean energy sector.

Why people hold it

• HYDR A true pure play. It tracks the Solactive Global Hydrogen Index, so you get hydrogen producers, fuel cells and electrolyzers rather than a broad clean-energy mix.globalxetfs.com
• 0.50% a year, which undercuts the typical clean-energy ETF fee. Cheap for a niche, single-technology theme.
• The mandate is global, not US-only, which matters when much of the hydrogen supply chain sits in Europe and Asia.globalxetfs.com
• Live since 2021, and one of the stronger builds in the upper half of its clean-energy peer group.

• ICLN At 0.38% with no waiver propping it up, it undercuts FRNW (0.39%) and CNRG (0.45%) and sits below the category median fee.
• Global by design: the S&P index draws from developed and emerging markets, so you get Europe's wind and grid names, not just US solar.blackrock.com
• Liquidity is built into the rules. Index entrants need $300M market cap and $3M median daily trading, and the fund itself trades very actively.blackrock.com
• A multi-billion-dollar iShares fund running since 2008, and one of the strongest implementations in its peer group.

Worth knowing

• HYDR Around 25 stocks tied to one technology. That concentration cuts both ways, and moves are typically sharper than a diversified clean-energy fund's.
• Broad clean-energy options like ICLN and FRNW run 0.39%, so the hydrogen focus carries a modest fee premium.
• Distributions land once or twice a year at most. This is a growth theme, not an income engine.

• ICLN One theme, about 100 stocks. Renewable developers and utilities are capital-intensive, so interest-rate moves land hard here.spglobal.com
• Emerging-market listings come with the global reach, adding currency and local-market risk.blackrock.com
• Weights blend float market cap with a clean-energy exposure score, so some holdings are partial players, not pure plays.spglobal.comblackrock.com

Full HYDR profile⁠

Full ICLN profile⁠