The best Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) make it easy and cheap to buy and sell the cryptocurrency through a traditional online broker rather than through the potentially riskier process of using a cryptocurrency exchange.
Spot Bitcoin ETFs, available since early 2024, also give traders a way to access Bitcoin without having to take custody of the crypto coin themselves. Spot Ethereum ETFs offer the same perks for investors looking for exposure to the second most popular currency too. (Here are the best Ethereum ETFs.)
Here are some of the best Bitcoin ETFs, including how much you’ll pay to invest in them.
Top Bitcoin ETFs
Bitcoin ETFs are generally available at any broker that allows customers to purchase stocks on a major U.S. exchange. The best brokers for stock trading allow you to buy any available ETF with no commission, so you can get in and out of a position at a low cost.
| Fund (ticker) | Total assets | 1-year performance | Expense ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| VanEck Bitcoin ETF (HODL) | $1.65 billion | 80.85% | — |
| iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) | $73.6 billion | 80.57% | 0.12% |
| Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC) | $4.8 billion | N/A | 0.15% |
| Bitwise Bitcoin ETF Trust (BITB) | $4.4 billion | 80.52% | 0.20% |
| ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) | $5.2 billion | 80.42% | 0.21% |
| Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) | $22.05 billion | 80.54% | 0.25% |
Source: etf.com. Data as of July 7, 2025
Spot Bitcoin ETFs track the price of the crypto on effectively the same percentage basis, even if they trade at different prices. If Bitcoin rises 1 percent, then the fund should rise 1 percent. So you see that the spot funds have all risen approximately the same amount, with minor differences.
Which fund should you choose? If you were looking at two McDonald’s on the same block and they both offered Big Macs, it would make sense to go with the cheaper one. Since these funds give you exposure to Bitcoin in the same way, their defining feature is their expense ratio, the percentage of your investment that they charge as a fee.
Some Bitcoin funds initially charged 0 percent fees as they pursued a “land grab” and looked to grow their assets and users quickly. With the top funds now holding billions of dollars, those fees have largely reverted.
A few funds may eventually become dominant and be able to lower their fees still more, and so draw in more investors, enabling them to lower prices even further and become more dominant.
The funds’ expense ratios are competitive with the fees for trading Bitcoin in all but the cheapest brokers and exchanges for cryptocurrency trading. So, these Bitcoin funds can be a good option to keep your overall costs low while making it easy to trade from your existing online broker.
Are Bitcoin ETFs a good investment?
Of course, the existence of a cheaper and easier way to trade Bitcoin doesn’t make the digital coin a buy, only cheaper and easier to do so. So crypto ETFs are a good way for traders to play Bitcoin or Ethereum if that’s already their intent, especially if it helps them avoid dubious crypto exchanges.
In its short lifetime, Bitcoin has been notoriously volatile, rocketing and plunging precipitously. That volatility has been great for adept traders since they make money on the volatility, and it hasn’t been too bad either for traders who have the stomach to hold on through the highs and lows. But many people tend to buy high and sell low, as the volatility melts their resolve.
Finally, it’s vital to know that Bitcoin is not backed by anything except the sentiment of traders. Unlike a stock, which is backed by the assets and cash flow of an underlying business, Bitcoin and most other cryptocurrencies rely solely on traders’ expectations to prop up their prices. It’s what investing experts call the “greater fool theory of investing,” since traders make money only by selling to someone else who is more optimistic about the cryptocurrency’s price potential.
For this reason, legendary investor Warren Buffett has long avoided cryptocurrency, even going so far as to say that Bitcoin is “probably rat poison squared.”
Bottom line
Spot Bitcoin ETFs make it easier and cheaper for traders to take a stake in the digital currency using just their traditional broker. These funds may well open up Bitcoin to wider acceptance as a store of value and push up the price of the cryptocurrency even more.
Editorial Disclaimer: All investors are advised to conduct their own independent research into investment strategies before making an investment decision. In addition, investors are advised that past investment product performance is no guarantee of future price appreciation.
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