The best cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) offer investors direct exposure to the most popular crypto coins at low cost. These funds closely track the price movements of their target cryptocurrencies, so traders earn the returns of the actual coin without owning it directly.
Cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and Ethereum have surged in popularity over the past few years, as prices soared and traders gained easy access to them via newly listed ETFs.
Several new crypto ETFs have recently been approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission, bringing even more funds that track some of the world’s most popular altcoins, including Solana and XRP.
Here are some of the best crypto ETFs, highlighting their recent returns and expense ratios.
Top Crypto ETFs to Invest in for 2026
These ETFs make it incredibly convenient to invest in crypto. They keep these digital assets safe, meaning investors don’t need to take custody of the coin or assume the risk of safeguarding it.
The funds below are divided into four sections, including three funds each for several of the most popular cryptocurrencies: bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP.
| Fund | One-year returns | Expense ratio |
| Franklin Bitcoin ETF (EZBC) | -20.8% | 0.19% |
| Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB) | -20.8% | 0.20% |
| ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) | -20.8% | 0.21% |
| Franklin Ethereum ETF (EZET) | 7.9% | 0.19% |
| Bitwise Ethereum ETF (ETHW) | 7.8% | 0.20% |
| Grayscale Ethereum Staking Mini ETF (ETH) | 8.6% | 0.15% |
| Bitwise Solana Staking ETF (BSOL) | -32.6%* | 0.20% |
| Grayscale Solana Trust ETF (GSOL) | -32.8%* | 0.35% |
| Fidelity Solana Fund (FSOL) | -33.1%* | 0.25% |
| Bitwise XRP ETF (XRP) | -29.5%* | 0.34% |
| Franklin XRP ETF (XRPZ) | -29.5%* | 0.19% |
| Canary XRP ETF (XRPC) | -29.4%* | 0.50% |
Source: Data from Morningstar, as of March 31, 2026 (* Three-month performance, since funds were listed in late 2025)
The returns are basically the same for each kind of crypto fund over the one-year period, though the fund’s price per share may differ. Each bitcoin fund tracks spot bitcoin prices, each Ethereum fund tracks spot Ethereum prices, and so on.
As any of these cryptocurrencies rises 1%, its corresponding fund should also rise 1%. So, the funds deliver the crypto coin’s price move in a security that you can buy at a traditional online broker.
Since the funds for any single coin all track the spot price, the real differentiator is the fund’s expense ratio. The expense ratio is the ETF’s annual fee expressed as a percentage of your investment in the fund. The lower the fee, the more money that stays in your investment.
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For instance, the lowest-cost bitcoin fund is the Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust with an expense ratio of 0.15%. In absolute terms, this fee costs an investor $15 annually for every $10,000 invested in the fund. Many other popular Bitcoin funds charge 0.25%, or $25 per year, for the same investment.
That’s not a huge difference, but you’re not typically going to get any extra benefit for paying more.
The funds in the table above all charge relatively low expense ratios, so they’re good ways to get exposure to their underlying cryptocurrency. Plus, you’ll avoid the high fees of trading coins through an exchange as well as the potential security headaches of taking custody yourself.
The fund company handles all the safeguarding of your crypto stash, part of the service covered by the expense ratio. These funds remove one of the largest risks for individuals holding crypto, since investors have lost literally billions in coins due to poor security practices and theft.
How MarketWise Selected These Funds
MarketWise chose its top funds based on the following factors:
- Spot cryptocurrency ETFs that track price movement
- A low expense ratio
- No leveraged funds
Biggest Advantages of Investing in Crypto ETFs
Crypto ETFs offer plenty of advantages over trading cryptocurrencies directly.
- Closely tracks a coin’s price swings:These spot funds own the actual crypto they track, so their prices closely follow the actual movements of the underlying cryptocurrency itself.
- Low cost: These funds charge low expense ratios, meaning that investors are not paying a lot for the benefits of owning the fund. In fact, it may end up being much cheaper for frequent crypto traders to buy these funds than to own the actual cryptocurrencies, due to transaction fees at crypto exchanges.
- No security concerns: The burden of safeguarding the crypto tokens belongs to the fund companies. Traders who own cryptocurrency directly often custody the coins themselves, leaving the potential to accidentally lose access to them.
- Easy to trade on a traditional exchange: You don’t need to open an account with a crypto exchange to buy tokens. Instead, you can simply buy an ETF with your current broker that you already know and trust.
- No-fee trading: ETFs are commission-free at almost any online broker, meaning it costs nothing to get in the game. In contrast, you could run up huge fees at crypto exchanges, depending on specific coins and how you purchase them.
- Options trading on funds: Many funds also have options on them, giving traders a leveraged bet on their volatility and price movements – not something available on crypto exchanges.
These funds give you access to a variety of the most popular cryptocurrencies, but they’re not an argument for or against buying them.
Some cryptocurrencies may work well as a long-term investment, with many traders believing that it’s an attractive hedge against the U.S. dollar’s long-term decline. But it’s important to remember that crypto remains highly volatile, and cryptocurrencies are not backed by the cash flow or assets of an underlying entity.
Regards,
James Royal
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