What is the expense ratio of ARKK vs SPY?

ARKK has an expense ratio of 0.75%, while SPY has an expense ratio of 0.09%.

ARKK vs SPY

ARK Innovation ETF vs State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

Last updated: 2026-04-10

ARKK ARK

ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) is an exchange-traded fund issued by ARK that provides exposure to thematic - innovation securities. It charges a high expense ratio of 0.75%. Launched in 2014, the fund has a 12-year track record.

AUM: $6.1B ER: 0.75% Yield: N/A Since: Oct 31, 2014

SPY SPDR

State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. equities across growth and value styles. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.09%. Launched in 1993, the fund has a 33-year track record.

AUM: $678.3B ER: 0.09% Yield: 1.09% Since: Jan 22, 1993

Quick Verdict

SPY is significantly cheaper at 0.09% vs 0.75% expense ratio, saving you approximately $1,274 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, ARKK has significantly outperformed with a 54.7% return vs 29.6%.

Key Metrics

Metric	ARKK	SPY
Expense Ratio	0.75%	0.09%
Dividend Yield	N/A	1.1%
Fund Family	ARK	SPDR
Category	Thematic - Innovation	US Large Cap Blend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

ARKK -43.7%

SPY +65.2%

Performance Comparison

Period	ARKK	SPY	Difference
1 Month	-5.71%	+0.54%	-6.25%
3 Months	-16.53%	-2.19%	-14.34%
6 Months	-21.50%	+2.55%	-24.05%
YTD	-12.02%	-0.47%	-11.55%
1 Year	+54.73%	+29.62%	+25.11%
3 Years	+77.71%	+65.95%	+11.76%
5 Years	-43.74%	+65.18%	-108.92%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment	Period	ARKK Fees	SPY Fees	You Save
$10,000	10 years	$1,453	$179	$1,274
$10,000	20 years	$6,064	$771	$5,293
$10,000	30 years	$18,984	$2,486	$16,498
$50,000	10 years	$7,266	$896	$6,370
$50,000	30 years	$94,918	$12,428	$82,490
$100,000	30 years	$189,836	$24,855	$164,981

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric	ARKK	SPY
Annualized Volatility	46.4%	17.1%
Max Drawdown	-77.3%	-25.4%
Sharpe Ratio	-0.12	0.41

Dividend Comparison

Metric	ARKK	SPY
Annual Dividend (per share)	$0.00	$7.38
Dividend Yield	0.00%	1.09%
Distribution Frequency	None	Quarterly

Top Holdings

1 of top 9 holdings overlap (11% overlap in top holdings)

ARKK Top Holdings

Name	Weight
Tesla, Inc.TSLA	9.68%
CRISPR Therapeutics AGCRSP	6.62%
Tempus AI, Inc.TEM	4.68%
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.AMD	4.52%
Shopify Inc.SHOP	4.46%
Robinhood Markets, Inc.HOOD	4.39%
Coinbase Global, Inc.COIN	4.18%
Roku, Inc.ROKU	4.08%
Circle Internet Group, Inc.CRCL	3.95%
Beam Therapeutics Inc.BEAM	3.63%

SPY Top Holdings

Name	Weight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA	7.61%
Apple Inc.AAPL	6.54%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT	4.78%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN	3.72%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO	2.86%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG	2.53%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META	2.31%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA	1.66%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B	1.51%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose SPY if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose ARKK if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

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