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Compare ETFs by what they hold

Filter UK-listed ETFs by asset class, region, provider and share class, then put up to three side by side. Funds marked as checked carry the charge, ISIN and index read from the provider’s own page; the rest are listed without figures until they are checked. No fund is rated or recommended.

17Funds checked against provider pages, 25 Sep 2026
12Funds shown at first; filter or search for more
Up to 3Funds compared side by side
No ratingsNo risk estimates, rankings or verdicts
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How to use the selector

Step 1

Start with what the fund holds

Filter by asset class and region first, for example global shares, UK gilts or global bonds. Several funds often track the same index, so the ticker is a later detail.

Step 2

Check the share class and structure

Accumulating and distributing classes of one fund hold the same investments and differ only in whether income is reinvested or paid out. A fund that uses derivatives to generate income works differently from one that passes on dividends.

Step 3

Compare up to three funds

Add funds to the comparison to see their published facts side by side. Each provider’s factsheet and key information document hold the full detail, including risks.

Data, methodology and scope

Data as of
25 September 2026 for the 17 funds marked as checked, read from each provider’s own product page. The list is maintained by hand and is not a live market-data feed.
What it covers
UK-listed UCITS ETFs from the main providers, described by asset class, region, share class and fund type.
Methodology
Facts only. No risk or return estimates (such as beta, Sharpe ratio, volatility or drawdown) are shown. Checked funds are listed first in a fixed order, then the rest alphabetically.
What this is not
Not a rating service, a recommendation or a dealing service. The provider’s documents are the record for each fund.
Before relying on a figure. Charges and share-class details change. The provider’s product page, factsheet and key information document are the current record, and a platform’s own page shows whether it offers the fund in an ISA or SIPP.
Data quality

What comes from the provider, and what to confirm

The selector keeps a clear line between facts read from a provider’s page and catalogue entries that have not been checked yet.

From the providerName, ISIN, ongoing charge, share class, distribution policy, domicile, index and replication, for the 17 funds marked as checked.
Not shownEstimated risk or return figures, ratings, rankings and suitability labels. Unchecked entries show no charge or ISIN.
Confirm yourselfLive price, current yield, fund size, tracking difference, spread, distribution dates, ISA or SIPP availability on your platform, and every detail of an unchecked entry.

ETF selector

Search by ticker, name, ISIN or provider, or narrow the list with the filters. Twelve funds show at first, and more appear as you narrow the search. WINC and INCU use derivatives to generate income, so they are grouped as derivative income rather than with dividend funds.

Loading the fund list…
Funds checked against their provider are listed first.

Nothing here is personal advice or a view on which fund to hold. The selector describes what each fund holds and how its share class works; each provider’s documents are the record.

How to compare ETFs without affiliate bias

Many comparison tools earn affiliate fees from the platforms or providers they list. This one does not. This section sets out the facts that affect what an ETF costs and how closely it follows its index, the figures that are easy to over-read, and the features that deserve a closer look in a factsheet.

Seven facts that affect cost and tracking

  1. Ongoing charge (OCF or TER). Mainstream UK-listed index ETFs commonly charge well under 0.30% a year; the 17 checked funds in the selector range from 0.05% to 0.40%. Charges compound: on £100,000 growing at 4.5% a year before charges, a difference of 0.15% a year adds up to roughly £16,000 over 30 years. The charge is not the whole cost (see tracking difference).
  2. Tracking difference, not tracking error. Tracking difference is the fund’s return minus the index’s return over a period; tracking error is how much that gap varies. Tracking difference is what a holder actually experiences. It can be smaller than the charge, for example where securities-lending income offsets part of the cost, or larger. The past-performance section of the fund’s documents shows both returns.
  3. Domicile. Most UK-listed UCITS ETFs are domiciled in Ireland, some in Luxembourg; US-domiciled ETFs are rarely available to UK retail investors on UK platforms. The US generally withholds 30% tax on dividends paid to foreign investors, and the US–Ireland tax treaty reduces that to 15% for an eligible Irish fund holding US shares.
  4. Replication method. Physical full replication, physical sampling, or synthetic (swap-based). Most mainstream UK-listed equity ETFs are physical. A synthetic fund’s return also depends on its swap arrangements with banks, which adds counterparty risk.
  5. Fund size and age. Small funds are more likely to be closed by their provider. A closure returns the money, which outside an ISA or pension can realise a capital gain in a tax year you did not plan for. Fund size and launch date are on every factsheet.
  6. Trading spread. Spreads are usually wider just after the London market opens at 8am and on small or niche funds. On a small fund, a 0.30% spread on each purchase and sale can outweigh a year’s difference in charges.
  7. UK reporting fund status. Under the offshore funds rules, a gain on a fund without reporting status is taxed as income at your income tax rates rather than as a capital gain (18% or 24% in 2026/27). HMRC updates its list of approved reporting funds each month, and every fund checked in the selector shows UK reporting status on its provider’s page.

Figures that are easy to over-read

  • Distribution yield. It reflects past payouts, not future ones, and says nothing about total return. It matters mainly where the income itself is needed.
  • Number of holdings. Past a few hundred holdings, what the fund holds matters more than how many: a 500-company US fund and a 3,000-company global fund differ mainly by country mix.
  • Launch date. Two funds that track the same index and launched a few years apart are usually similar today, unless one is much smaller (see fund size above).
  • Provider brand. The differences between providers usually matter less than the differences between products within each provider’s range.

Features that deserve a closer look

These do not make a fund unusable, but the provider’s documents should explain them:

  • Strategy or smart beta funds charging above 0.50% a year. The extra charge has to be recovered from the strategy’s return before it adds anything.
  • Headline yields above 8% on equity ETFs. High payouts can come from selling options (which limits gains), from distressed holdings or from paying out capital. The documents say which.
  • Synthetic replication. The fund’s return depends on swap agreements with banks as well as on the index, so the counterparty and collateral arrangements matter.
  • A fund domiciled outside Ireland or Luxembourg. Tax reporting can be more complicated, and UK platforms may not offer it to retail investors.
  • No key information document in English. Sometimes seen with very new niche launches.
  • “Total return” charts that do not say how dividends are treated. Like-for-like means net of fees, dividends reinvested and the same benchmark.

A structured comparison

For any two ETFs, this table lays out the facts side by side:

FactFund AFund BWhat it tells you
Ongoing charge??The yearly fund charge
10-year tracking difference??How far returns fell short of, or beat, the index
Domicile??Affects withholding tax on overseas dividends
Replication??Physical holdings or a swap
Fund size??Very small funds are more likely to close
Typical spread??The cost of each purchase and sale
UK reporting status??Whether gains are taxed as capital gains or as income
Acc or Dist??Whether income is reinvested or paid out

Which differences matter depends on what the money is for and where it is held.

What this site does not factor in

We deliberately don't rank ETFs, recommend specific tickers as "the best", or take affiliate fees from issuers or platforms. The reason: our incentive should be your tax outcome, not our commission. We give you the framework and the data; the ticker choice is yours.

If you want our editorial standards in detail, see editorial standards and how we make money.

Sources we verify against when reviewing this page

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Pages are checked against the primary sources listed on each page and reviewed by the Editor; corrections are logged in the changelog. Pages are drafted with the help of AI tools (how AI is used). No affiliate revenue. No sponsored content. No paid placements.

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UK Tax Drag is an independent publication by Finsolve Consulting Limited, not affiliated with or endorsed by HMRC, GOV.UK or any government body.