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ILIT vs ION

iShares Lithium Miners and Producers ETF

ILITBNasdaq

ProShares S&P Global Core Battery Metals ETF

IONCNYSE Arca

Overlap

9.3%by weight

Expense ratio

ILIT −0.11pt a year

ILIT0.47%ION0.58%

Avg volume · 30D

ILIT 6.6×the volume

ILIT12.1KION1.83K

3Y return · a year

ION +21.9pt

ILIT−10.9%ION+11.0%

ILIT vs ION Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

−26.3%ILIT−9.8%ION

Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. ILIT −26.3%. ION −9.8%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.20%40%60%80%Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
Expense ratio
ILIT 0.47%, better
ION 0.58%
Fund size
ILIT $10M
ION $9M
1Y total return
ILIT −26.3%
ION −9.8%, better
Yield (12M)
ILIT 3.22%, better
ION 2.20%
Holdings
ILIT 54
ION 53
Avg volume (30D)
ILIT 12.1K sh, better
ION 1.83K sh
NAV per share
ILIT $10.05
ION $38.07
52W range

ETF.net Grade

ILIT: Cost 97, Risk 27, Mission not scored, Tradability 40, Holdings 69, Durability 43. ION: Cost 69, Risk 63, Mission not scored, Tradability 16, Holdings not scored, Durability 46.
Pillar letters and Scores for ILIT, ION, with each pillar’s weight
PillarILITION
Cost30% weightA97HigherB69
Mission25% weightNot scoredNot scored
Risk15% weightD27B63Higher
Tradability15% weightC40HigherF16
Holdings10% weightB69Not scored
Durability5% weightC43C46Higher

Rank among Critical Materials funds

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

Same Category. ILIT and ION are both graded against the same 12 Critical Materials funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Critical Materials⁠

Category · 12 funds
See all 12 ›

ILIT ranks 2nd and ION 5th of 12 funds in the Critical Materials Category.

  1. Rank 1AREMXVanEck Rare Earth and Strategic Metals ETFScore 75
  2. Rank 2BILITiShares Lithium Miners and Producers ETFScore 64
  3. Rank 3BEARTGlobal X Rare Earth & Critical Materials ETFScore 59
  4. Rank 5CFMTLFirst Trust Indxx Critical Metals ETFScore 53
  5. Rank 5CIONProShares S&P Global Core Battery Metals ETFScore 53
  6. Rank 7CEMETVanEck Copper and Green Metals ETFScore 52

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

ILITBiShares Lithium Miners and Producers ETF

IONCProShares S&P Global Core Battery Metals ETF

In short

ILIT Most lithium funds blend miners with EV makers and battery tech. ILIT stays at the source: an index of global companies whose main business is digging lithium ore or making lithium compounds, about 40 names, for 0.47% a year.

ION Most battery funds hand you carmakers and cell assemblers. ION stays upstream: only the miners pulling lithium, nickel and cobalt out of the ground, weighted by how much of their revenue actually comes from those three metals.

Stated mandate

ILIT ILIT aims to replicate an index of U.S. and non-U.S. equity issuers whose principal activities are lithium-ore mining or lithium-compound manufacturing.

ION ION invests globally in companies producing battery metals used in next-generation technologies. Its mandate focuses on lithium, nickel, and cobalt mining companies and the battery-driven demand supporting those metals.

Why people hold it

  • ILIT Straight to the rock. The index holds only firms whose principal business is lithium-ore mining or lithium-compound manufacturing, so EV assemblers and electronics names stay out.ishares.com
  • 0.47% a year undercuts most of the critical-materials shelf, including SETM (0.65%) and EART (0.59%).
  • Rules-based and transparent: it replicates the STOXX Global Lithium Miners and Producers Index (STXLIMEV) rather than a manager's stock picks.
  • Global by design. The mandate spans US, developed international and emerging market issuers instead of stopping at the US border.
  • ION Launched in 2022 as the first ETF built to hold only battery-metals miners. No EV brands or battery assemblers riding along in the basket.proshares.com
  • The index ranks companies by the share of revenue they earn producing cobalt, lithium and nickel, so the purest miners carry the heaviest weights.spglobal.com
  • A 0.58% expense ratio sits below the typical fee in the critical-materials aisle, and the fund distributes quarterly.proshares.com
  • Global net: the eligible pool is S&P's worldwide market index, so miners listed outside the US compete for slots on equal footing.spglobal.com

Worth knowing

  • ILIT Small asset base and light trading volume, so bid-ask spreads can run wider than on the big diversified mining funds.
  • One metal, roughly 40 stocks. Lithium-linked shares have been a volatile ride, and a portfolio this concentrated feels every move in the metal.
  • Launched in 2023, so the track record is short, and cash distributions land only once or twice a year.
  • ION Roughly 50 miners levered to three commodity prices. Purity cuts both ways: when lithium, nickel and cobalt move, there is little else in here to cushion it.proshares.com
  • A small, thinly traded fund. Spreads can run wider than in the aisle's household names, which matters most on larger orders.
  • Broader miner funds such as PICK spread across metals and mining generally and charge less. ION is the narrower, more concentrated cut of the theme.

Full ILIT profile⁠

Full ION profile⁠

ILIT vs ION Holdings

How ILIT and ION differ

Overlap by weight

9.3%

Shared holdings make up 20.6% of ILIT and 9.5% of ION.

Level by level

  • Holdings3 in both9.3%
  • Countryby domicile66.8%
  • Asset classEquity100%

Sector

No Sector split for ION.

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in ILIT and ION, widest gap first
CountryMore in ILITMore in ION
United StatesILIT +10.7 points
South AfricaION +9.7 points
IndonesiaION +7.4 points
ChileILIT +5.6 points
South KoreaILIT +5.2 points
JapanION +5.2 points
AustraliaILIT +5.0 points
ArgentinaILIT +3.8 points
Other countries (8)ION +8.0 points

Outside the US: ILIT 33% developed, 67% emerging. ION 41% developed, 59% emerging.

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

  • ILIT53.0%
  • ION33.4%

Securities held

  • ILIT45
  • ION52

Asset class

ILIT
Equity
ION
Equity

Holdings

  • Only in ILIT42
  • In both3
  • Only in ION49

Only in ILIT

42 securities, 79.3% of ILIT by weight

  • Pls Group Ltd6.25%
  • Liontown Ltd6.12%
  • Lithium Americas4.80%

Only in ION

49 securities, 90.1% of ION by weight

  • Pacific Metals Co Ltd4.14%
  • Igo Ltd3.47%
  • African Rainbow Minerals Ltd3.42%

Weight gaps

All 3 Holdings in both funds, largest gap first.

Holding weights in ILIT and ION, widest gap first
HoldingMore in ILITMore in ION
Sociedad Quimica Y Minera De ChileSQMILIT +5.70 points
Albemarle CorpALBILIT +5.55 points
Sigma LithiumSGMLION +0.19 points

All 45 ILIT holdings⁠All 54 ION 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.

ILIT vs ION Cost

Overpaying ION vs ILIT

$2,035

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

  • ILIT 0.47%

    $9,418

  • ION 0.58%

    $11,453

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • ILIT 0.47%
  • ION 0.58%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.5K$5K$7.5K$10K$12.5K051015202530ION $11,453ILIT $9,418

Year by year

YearILITIONOverpaying
10$847$1,041$194
20$3,261$3,986$725
30$9,418$11,453$2,035

Expense ratio

  • 0.47%ILIT, cheaper
  • 0.58%ION
  • Middle half of Critical Materials funds
  • Median 0.64%

ILIT cheapest of 12 funds

ION 4th cheapest of 12 funds

ILIT vs ION Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
ILIT 3.22%, better
ION 2.20%
Payout (12M)
ILIT $0.32
ION $0.82
Last payment
ILIT $0.02
ION $0.28
Ex-dividend
ILIT Jun 15, 2026
ION Sep 23, 2026
Paid on
ILIT Jun 18, 2026
ION Sep 29, 2026
Frequency
ILIT Twice a year
ION Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2022 to 2026, same scale for both

ILITTwice a year · 6 paymentsAll ILIT payments⁠
One bar per payment. 6 payments from 2022 to 2026 YTD. Dec 20, 2023 $0.12; Jun 11, 2024 $0.08; Dec 17, 2024 $0.50; Jun 16, 2025 $0.06; Dec 16, 2025 $0.30; Jun 15, 2026 $0.02. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.5020232026YTD
IONQuarterly · 14 paymentsAll ION payments⁠
One bar per payment. 14 payments from 2022 to 2026 YTD. Dec 22, 2022 $0.05; Jun 21, 2023 $0.25; Sep 20, 2023 $0.31; Dec 20, 2023 $0.15; Mar 20, 2024 $0.03; Jun 26, 2024 $0.19; Sep 25, 2024 $0.16; Dec 23, 2024 $0.07; Mar 26, 2025 $0.02; Jun 25, 2025 $0.27; Sep 24, 2025 $0.22; Dec 24, 2025 $0.34; Jun 24, 2026 $0.21; Sep 23, 2026 $0.28. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.5020232026YTD

ILIT vs ION Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
ILIT 46.6%ION 33.9%, better
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
ILIT −0.11ION 0.34, better
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
ILIT −73.7%since Jun 2023ION −52.1%since Dec 2022
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
ILIT 1.58ION 1.30

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