Cheapest ETFs With Ultra-Low Expense Ratios and Fees
BNY Mellon made ETF history when it launched BKLC and BKAG — the first funds to carry a permanent expense ratio of zero without temporary waivers. That milestone underscored a broader industry trend: the relentless compression of ETF fees, where even a fraction of a basis point separates one fund from another.
An expense ratio is the annual cost of running a fund, expressed as a percentage of assets. You never pay it out of pocket — it’s deducted from the fund’s assets, which means it quietly reduces your returns over time. Because these costs compound just like returns, a seemingly small difference can translate into tens of thousands of dollars over decades.
Who leads on cost? The cheapest ETFs with ultra-low expense ratios tend to come from a handful of providers:
- Vanguard: Founded in 1975 with a client-owned structure, Vanguard offers nearly two dozen ETFs at 0.03%. Its downward pressure on industry fees is widely known as The Vanguard Effect®.
- iShares (BlackRock): The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) tracks the S&P 500 at an expense ratio of 0.03%.
- SPDR (State Street): SPAB provides broad U.S. investment-grade bond exposure — Treasurys, corporates, and mortgage-backed securities — at 0.03%.
- JPMorgan: The BetaBuilders U.S. Equity ETF (BBUS) charges just 0.02%, tracking U.S. large and mid-cap equities via the Morningstar US Target Market Exposure Index.
- BNY Mellon: BKLC (equity, 504 stocks) and BKAG (bonds, thousands of holdings) both carry a 0.00% expense ratio — permanently, not through temporary waivers.
A general rule applies: the more specialized a fund, the more it costs. Broad-market index ETFs are the cheapest, while sector-specific, leveraged, or inverse funds tend to charge significantly more. The same pattern holds on the bond side — aggregate bond ETFs are cheaper than those targeting niche areas like high-yield or emerging-market debt.
For a broader look at the ETF universe, see our complete list of ETFs or explore the largest ETFs by assets under management.
Regulated brokerThe table below ranks ETFs by their expense ratios, starting with the lowest fees available.
| Stock | Price | Change % | 52 Week Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| $141.95 | 0.91% | ||
| $17.17 | 0.59% | ||
| $138.60 | 0.81% | ||
| $41.87 | 0.14% | ||
| $37.47 | 1.22% | ||
| $50.60 | 0.60% | ||
| $71.08 | 1.95% | ||
| $86.37 | 1.95% | ||
| $80.00 | 1.06% | ||
| $130.40 | 0.76% | ||
| $73.24 | 0.18% | ||
| $98.77 | 0.18% | ||
| $356.99 | 0.85% | ||
| $726.98 | 0.77% | ||
| $27.94 | 0.79% | ||
| $28.50 | 0.78% | ||
| $26.78 | 0.07% | ||
| $24.16 | 0.04% | ||
| $24.71 | 0.08% | ||
| $665.30 | 0.78% | ||
| $103.53 | 0.12% | ||
| $23.09 | 0.13% | ||
| $158.49 | 0.84% | ||
| $25.47 | 0.24% | ||
| $49.19 | 1.67% | ||
| $64.26 | 1.28% | ||
| $53.74 | 1.45% | ||
| $25.95 | 0.46% | ||
| $87.86 | 0.83% | ||
| $29.04 | 0.03% | ||
| $28.94 | 0.28% | ||
| $28.42 | 0.07% | ||
| $22.61 | 0.18% | ||
| $24.64 | 0.04% | ||
| $31.01 | 0.45% | ||
| $100.19 | 0.82% | ||
| $63.25 | 0.80% | ||
| $50.21 | 0.02% | ||
| $49.35 | 0.05% | ||
| $25.58 | 0.00% | ||
| $45.84 | 0.17% | ||
| $26.16 | 0.11% | ||
| $94.31 | 0.17% | ||
| $76.69 | 0.13% | ||
| $332.84 | 0.77% | ||
| $84.31 | 0.70% | ||
| $206.52 | 0.91% | ||
| $68.25 | 0.53% | ||
| $77.70 | 0.80% | ||
| $78.00 | 0.05% | ||
| $33.15 | 1.94% | ||
| $58.27 | 0.03% | ||
| $59.04 | 0.05% | ||
| $54.61 | 0.46% | ||
| $78.96 | 0.04% | ||
| $82.51 | 0.17% | ||
| $74.62 | 0.64% | ||
| $46.68 | 0.19% | ||
| $33.22 | 0.42% | ||
| $32.55 | 1.12% | ||
| $59.97 | 0.79% | ||
| $113.75 | 0.77% | ||
| $34.43 | 1.50% | ||
| $50.36 | 0.14% | ||
| $179.74 | 0.82% | ||
| $108.53 | 0.93% | ||
| $88.04 | 1.16% | ||
| $72.52 | 0.83% | ||
| $33.41 | 0.06% | ||
| $22.20 | 0.68% | ||
| $29.97 | 0.07% | ||
| $76.60 | 0.28% | ||
| $53.06 | 0.17% | ||
| $49.60 | 0.65% | ||
| $52.36 | 0.08% | ||
| $51.11 | 0.27% | ||
| $22.23 | 0.18% | ||
| $117.89 | 1.06% | ||
| $125.28 | 1.38% | ||
| $97.79 | 1.27% | ||
| $111.42 | 0.83% | ||
| $99.38 | 0.82% | ||
| $90.91 | 1.07% | ||
| $71.18 | 1.26% | ||
| $73.27 | 1.27% | ||
| $106.77 | 0.07% | ||
| $286.69 | 1.16% | ||
| $22.73 | 0.11% | ||
| $50.14 | 0.04% | ||
| $36.51 | 0.14% | ||
| $34.85 | 0.81% | ||
| $57.68 | 1.02% | ||
| $68.06 | 0.16% | ||
| $48.27 | 0.04% | ||
| $23.40 | 0.09% | ||
| $85.16 | 0.81% | ||
| $48.73 | 0.05% |
