⚖️ IBIT vs ETHA Comparison · Free & No Signup

IBIT vs ETHA: Bitcoin ETF vs Ethereum ETF, Same Fee, Different Bet

IBIT gives you Bitcoin exposure. ETHA gives you Ethereum. Both charge 0.25%. The choice is entirely about which crypto you want to own.

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🤝 BFF Take
IBIT Is Lower-Risk Within Crypto, ETHA Is a Higher-Volatility Ethereum Bet

IBIT (iShares Bitcoin Trust) and ETHA (iShares Ethereum Trust) are BlackRock's spot crypto ETFs, the first regulated, easy-access vehicles for Bitcoin and Ethereum in US brokerage accounts. Both charge 0.25%. IBIT is the larger of the two with $40B+ in AUM, reflecting Bitcoin's status as the dominant crypto asset. ETHA is smaller and tracks Ethereum, which has higher volatility and a more complex utility story: smart contracts, DeFi, staking. For most investors, if you want crypto exposure at all, Bitcoin (IBIT) is the more established starting point. ETHA makes sense for investors who specifically believe in Ethereum's ecosystem vs just crypto-as-digital-gold.

📋 Quick Takeaways
₿IBIT holds Bitcoin: the dominant, most liquid crypto asset with $1T+ market cap and institutional adoption
🔷ETHA holds Ethereum: higher volatility, smart contract utility, but smaller and more speculative than BTC
💰Both charge 0.25%, so expense ratio is not a differentiator; the asset itself is the entire decision
📊 Data-Based Take: IBIT has the lower fee

Whether the lower-cost fund suits your situation depends on your existing holdings, account type, tax situation, and how you use each fund. This is a cost comparison, not a personalized recommendation.

✓ Reviewed by a CFA® Charterholder · Data as of Jul 14, 2026 · Educational only, not financial advice
IBIT
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF
Expense Ratio
0.25%
1-Year Return
-46.9%
AUM
$43.2B
Holdings
1
ETHA
iShares Ethereum Trust ETF
Expense Ratio
0.25%
1-Year Return
-40.5%
AUM
$4.3B
Holdings
1

📋 IBIT vs ETHA — Key Facts Side by Side

Metric IBIT ETHA
Fund Name iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF iShares Ethereum Trust ETF
Issuer BlackRock BlackRock
Tracks Index Bitcoin Spot Price Ethereum Spot Price
Expense Ratio 0.25% 0.25%
Cost per $10K/yr $25.00 $25.00
AUM $43.2B $4.3B
Holdings 1 1
Inception 2024 2024
1-Year Return -46.86% -40.53%
3-Year Return — —
5-Year Return — —
Holdings Overlap See holdings overlap →
Avg Bid-Ask Spread 0.01% 0.03%

Expense ratio, AUM, and returns updated Jul 14, 2026 from ETF BFF database. Returns are annualised. Not investment advice.

📊 IBIT vs ETHA — Annualised Returns

Annualised returns (trailing, price-based). Past performance does not guarantee future results.

🎯 Which Fund Fits Which Investor?

Often fits investors who...
IBIT
  • want the specific exposure defined by the Bitcoin Spot Price
Often fits investors who...
ETHA
  • want the specific exposure defined by the Ethereum Spot Price

💰 What the Fee Difference Actually Costs

Adjust the numbers for your situation. This models each fund's expense ratio compounding against your balance over time.

Assumes a constant annual return reinvested, with each fund's expense ratio deducted yearly. Illustrative only; actual returns vary. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

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❓ IBIT vs ETHA — Frequently Asked Questions

IBIT (Bitcoin) is the more established crypto investment: larger market, more institutional adoption, simpler "digital gold" narrative. ETHA (Ethereum) is a bet on Ethereum's smart contract platform: DeFi, NFTs, tokenized assets. If you're new to crypto ETFs, IBIT is the more conventional starting point. ETHA is for investors who specifically believe in Ethereum's technology ecosystem vs just crypto price exposure.
Bitcoin is often framed as "digital gold": a store of value, inflation hedge, and monetary asset with a fixed 21M supply. Ethereum is a programmable blockchain: it powers DeFi, NFTs, and smart contracts, and ETH is used as gas to run applications. Bitcoin has higher market cap and liquidity. Ethereum has more utility and development activity but also more competitive threats from other smart contract platforms.
Both are regulated US ETFs from BlackRock, so the custody and regulatory structure is sound. However, the underlying assets, Bitcoin and Ethereum, are highly volatile. Both have experienced 60-80% drawdowns in bear markets. They are not appropriate as core holdings for conservative investors. Position size should reflect the speculative nature of crypto assets.
IBIT is substantially more liquid with $40B+ in AUM vs ETHA's $3B. IBIT trades hundreds of millions of dollars daily and has tight bid-ask spreads. ETHA is liquid enough for retail investors but has noticeably wider spreads. For large institutional positions, IBIT's liquidity advantage matters more.
Yes. Some investors hold both to get exposure to the two dominant crypto assets simultaneously. A common split is 70/30 or 60/40 in favor of Bitcoin, reflecting its larger market share. The correlation between BTC and ETH is high (both tend to fall together in risk-off markets), so combining them does not provide much diversification within the crypto allocation. It's more about asset selection than risk reduction.

New to ETF investing? See answers to the most common ETF questions →

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📄 IBIT & ETHA Fact Sheets

IBIT Fact Sheet→ ETHA Fact Sheet→
ℹ️ Data shown is for educational purposes and may not reflect the most current figures. Returns are trailing price-based and exclude dividend reinvestment. Past performance does not guarantee future results. ETF BFF is not a licensed financial advisor — this is not personalized financial advice.