Best Cryptocurrency ETFs: 12 Top Funds for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Popular Altcoins

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 returns on the underlying coins without owning them 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, so investors don’t need to take custody of the coin or assume responsibility for 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.

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 track the crypto coin’s price movements in a security you can buy through 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. An 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.

(Source: Data from Morningstar, as of July 6, 2026)

Top Bitcoin ETFs

These funds track spot bitcoin prices, so their returns look similar over the same time period.

The lowest-cost spot bitcoin fund here 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.

Top Ethereum ETFs

These funds track spot Ethereum prices, so their returns tend to cluster around the same figure.

The lowest-cost fund in this group is again another Grayscale fund, the company’s Ethereum Staking Mini ETF. It charges a bargain-basement 0.15% expense ratio, meaning investors would pay $15 annually for every $10,000 invested in the fund.

Top Solana ETFs

Spot Solana ETFs are a newer entrant to the crypto ETF world, and were approved for trading in late 2025.

(* Performance since inception, because funds were listed in late 2025)

Grayscale again has the lowest expense ratio, at 0.19%, offering investors a low-cost way to invest in spot Solana. The differences in the returns here are due to differing start dates, since Solana funds typically launched in late 2025.

Year-to-date returns for all three funds, however, are right in line with one another, down about 33.3%.

Top XRP ETFs

Spot XRP ETFs are another newer entrant to the crypto fund world, and were approved for trading in late 2025. 

The funds in the tables 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 safeguarding of your crypto stash, which is 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

Pros and Cons of Investing in Crypto ETFs

Crypto ETFs offer plenty of advantages but also come with some disadvantages compared to trading cryptocurrencies directly.

Advantages of Crypto ETFs

• 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 investors aren’t paying much 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 underlying cryptocurrencies, due to crypto exchange transaction fees.
• No security concerns: The burden of safeguarding crypto tokens lies with the fund companies. Traders who own cryptocurrency directly often custody the coins themselves, leaving them at risk of accidentally losing access.
• 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 the underlying crypto’s volatility and price movements – not something available on crypto exchanges.

Disadvantages of Crypto ETFs

• Cannot take custody of assets: ETFs do not allow owners to take custody of their crypto and move it “off chain.” So, those looking to take custody of their cryptocurrency may not find owning coins through ETFs attractive.
• Trading only during market hours: Crypto ETFs trade on a stock exchange like other ETFs, so they’re only available for trading during normal market hours. In contrast, crypto trading is typically available 24 hours a day through a crypto exchange.
• Volatility: Cryptocurrency prices are highly volatile, and that is reflected in the similarly volatile prices of the ETFs that hold these coins.
• Fees may be higher: If you’re more of a buy-and-hold crypto trader or you can trade crypto at low commissions, it may end up being cheaper for you to work through a crypto exchange than to hold crypto ETFs, given their ongoing fees.

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, PhD

Editor’s Note: Elon Musk reinvented the auto industry, sparked a new era of space exploration, and built the world’s largest satellite network. But his new initiative – “Project Apex” – could become the crown jewel of his career. And, like Tesla, it could make early investors incredibly wealthy. Click here for the details.