{"format":"alysly-page/1","url":"https://alysly.com/learn/etf-fees/","json":"https://alysly.com/json/learn/etf-fees/index.json","lang":"en-US","title":"ETF Fees: TER and Hidden Costs – Alysly","description":"What an ETF really costs: TER, spread, order fees and tracking difference – and what half a percentage point does over 30 years.","published":"2026-07-11T10:41:44+02:00","modified":"2026-11-01T18:26:04+01:00","alternates":[{"lang":"de-DE","url":"https://alysly.com/de/lernen/etf-gebuehren/","json":"https://alysly.com/json/de/lernen/etf-gebuehren/index.json"}],"about":"Machine-readable version of the page at url. It contains the text, tables and key figures published there, but not the interactive charts and tools.","breadcrumb":[{"name":"Investing & Trading Basics","url":"https://alysly.com/learn/"},{"name":"Level 0","url":"https://alysly.com/learn/#level-0"},{"name":"ETF Fees: TER and Hidden Costs","url":"https://alysly.com/learn/etf-fees/"}],"content":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"Level 0 Investing & ETF Basics · Part 5/16"},{"type":"heading","level":1,"text":"ETF Fees: TER and Hidden Costs"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"By Alexander Bock, founder and data analyst","links":[{"text":"Alexander Bock","href":"https://alysly.com/about/"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"ETFs are cheap, but not free. Four types of cost determine how much of the index return reaches the investor."},{"type":"image","src":"https://alysly.com/img/ta/ter-drag.cea112ac6eabec35d158b8dc6483ca27aa912a0e846b159d9ac6c11a2b277d10.webp","alt":"Three lines over 30 years: portfolio value of a savings plan at 0.2, 0.7 and 1.5 percent ongoing costs"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"€200 a month over 30 years at a 7% return before costs, paid at the start of each month: (1) a 0.2% TER gives about €226,700, (2) 0.7% about €206,800, (3) 1.5% about €179,000. €72,000 is paid in each time (dashed line). Costs act like a lower return, every year and on the compounding."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"id":"1-ter-the-ongoing-fund-fee","text":"1. TER: The Ongoing Fund Fee"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The Total Expense Ratio states the ETF’s yearly management cost in percent. It is taken continuously from the fund’s assets; there is no separate bill."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Range of the funds in our catalog, updated daily from the fund data:"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":[{"text":"Broad index ETFs (S&P 500, MSCI World): 0.03–0.24%","links":[{"text":"S&P 500","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/indices/sp500/"},{"text":"MSCI World","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/indices/msci-world/"}]},"Sector, factor and dividend ETFs: 0.12–0.55%"]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Every ETF page shows the TER in the key facts.","links":[{"text":"ETF page","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Live data"},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Cheapest ETFs Right Now"},{"type":"table","caption":"Cheapest ETFs right now","columns":["ETF","Ticker","TER"],"rows":[[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® S&P® 500 UCITS ETF (Acc)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/state-street-spdr-sp-500-ucits-etf-acc/"},"SPYL","0.03%"],[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® S&P® 500 UCITS ETF (Dist)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/state-street-spdr-sp-500-ucits-etf-dist/"},"SPY5","0.03%"],[{"text":"iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF (Acc)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/ishares-core-sp-500-ucits-etf-acc/"},"SXR8","0.07%"],[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® MSCI EMU UCITS ETF","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/state-street-spdr-msci-emu-ucits-etf/"},"ZPRE","0.08%"],[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® MSCI Europe UCITS ETF","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/state-street-spdr-msci-europe-ucits-etf/"},"SPYE","0.08%"],[{"text":"Xtrackers DAX UCITS ETF 1C","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/xtrackers-dax-ucits-etf-1c/"},"DBXD","0.09%"],[{"text":"State Street® SPDR® MSCI All Country World UCITS ETF (Acc)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/state-street-spdr-msci-all-country-world-ucits-etf-acc/"},"SPYY","0.12%"],[{"text":"iShares Core MSCI Europe UCITS ETF EUR (Acc)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/ishares-core-msci-europe-ucits-etf-eur-acc/"},"IMEA","0.12%"]]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Auto-generated from the ETF database – updated daily."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"id":"2-tracking-difference-the-actual-deviation","text":"2. Tracking Difference: The Actual Deviation"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The TER is the stated fee. The tracking difference measures how far the fund’s actual return deviates from the index. It includes the fund’s trading costs and income such as securities lending. It can be smaller or larger than the TER and is the more precise cost measure, though less often published."},{"type":"heading","level":2,"id":"3-trading-costs","text":"3. Trading Costs"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":[{"text":"Order fee: what the broker charges per trade; €0–1 at many neobrokers, savings plans often free.","links":[{"text":"broker","href":"https://alysly.com/brokers/"}]},"Spread: the gap between buy and sell price. Small for large, liquid ETFs, wider outside main trading hours."]},{"type":"heading","level":2,"id":"how-costs-add-up-over-decades","text":"How Costs Add Up Over Decades"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Costs reduce not only one year’s return but also the compounding on every following year. Example: €200 a month over 30 years at a 7% gross annual return (paid in: €72,000):"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":["0.20% TER: about €225,400","0.70% TER: about €205,800"]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"In this example the half percentage point costs almost €20,000. The return is an assumption, not a forecast. Your own figures can be run in the savings plan calculator.","links":[{"text":"savings plan calculator","href":"https://alysly.com/tools/savings-plan/"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Worked example"},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"What 0.1% More TER Costs"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"€10,000 one-off, 30 years, 6%/year before costs. Only the TER varies."},{"type":"table","caption":"What 0.1% more TER costs","columns":["TER","Value after 30y","Extra cost"],"rows":[["0.10%","€55,831","–"],["0.20%","€54,271","-€1,560"],["0.30%","€52,753","-€3,078"],["0.50%","€49,840","-€5,992"],["0.70%","€47,082","-€8,750"]]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"\"Extra cost\" = shortfall vs the cheapest row (0.10%). Other assumptions can be tested in the savings-plan calculator.","links":[{"text":"savings-plan calculator","href":"https://alysly.com/tools/savings-plan/"}]},{"type":"heading","level":2,"id":"bottom-line","text":"Bottom Line"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Costs are one of the few properties of an investment that can be known reliably in advance. Between funds on the same index, a difference in TER measurably affects the final value over decades."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"This article is for information only and is not investment advice."},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":[{"text":"Previous ETF Names Decoded: What Each Part Means","href":"https://alysly.com/learn/decode-etf-names/"},{"text":"Next Distributing or Accumulating ETFs? The Difference","href":"https://alysly.com/learn/distributing-or-accumulating/"}]},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Indices"},{"type":"table","caption":"Indices, performance over the selected period","columns":["Index","1M"],"rows":[[{"text":"Dow Jones","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/indices/dow-jones/"},{"text":"+1.7%","data":{"m1":"+1.7%","m3":"-1.4%","m6":"+4.5%","ytd":"+7.6%","max":"+30.1%"}}],[{"text":"S&P 500","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/indices/sp500/"},{"text":"-0.9%","data":{"m1":"-0.9%","m3":"+1.2%","m6":"+4.9%","ytd":"+10.8%","max":"+35.8%"}}],[{"text":"MSCI World","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/indices/msci-world/"},{"text":"-0.8%","data":{"m1":"-0.8%","m3":"+0.6%","m6":"+4.0%","ytd":"+10.2%","max":"+35.3%"}}],[{"text":"MSCI ACWI","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/indices/msci-acwi/"},{"text":"-1.7%","data":{"m1":"-1.7%","m3":"-0.2%","m6":"+2.9%","ytd":"+10.3%","max":"+41.7%"}}]]},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"ETFs"},{"type":"table","caption":"ETFs, performance over the selected period","columns":["Fund","1M"],"rows":[[{"text":"SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY","links":[{"text":"SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/us/spy/"}]},{"text":"-0.9%","data":{"m1":"-0.9%","m3":"+1.2%","m6":"+4.9%","ytd":"+10.8%","max":"+35.8%"}}],[{"text":"Vanguard S&P 500 ETF VOO","links":[{"text":"Vanguard S&P 500 ETF","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/us/voo/"}]},{"text":"-0.9%","data":{"m1":"-0.9%","m3":"+1.2%","m6":"+4.9%","ytd":"+10.8%","max":"+34.3%"}}],[{"text":"iShares Core MSCI World UCITS ETF USD (Acc) EUNL","links":[{"text":"iShares Core MSCI World UCITS ETF USD (Acc)","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/ishares-core-msci-world-ucits-etf-usd-acc/"}]},{"text":"-0.8%","data":{"m1":"-0.8%","m3":"+0.6%","m6":"+4.6%","ytd":"+10.9%","max":"+489.0%"}}],[{"text":"Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF 1c XMME","links":[{"text":"Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF 1c","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/etfs/xtrackers-msci-emerging-markets-ucits-etf-1c/"}]},{"text":"-6.3%","data":{"m1":"-6.3%","m3":"+2.4%","m6":"+0.7%","ytd":"+15.2%","max":"+95.2%"}}]]},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Stocks"},{"type":"table","caption":"Stocks, performance over the selected period","columns":["Stock","1M"],"rows":[[{"text":"NVIDIA Corporation NVDA","links":[{"text":"NVIDIA Corporation","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/nvidia-corporation/"},{"text":"United States","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/browse/?country=United%20States"}]},{"text":"-10.4%","data":{"m1":"-10.4%","m3":"+1.9%","m6":"+3.1%","ytd":"+9.7%","max":"+60.6%"}}],[{"text":"Apple Inc. AAPL","links":[{"text":"Apple Inc.","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/apple-inc/"},{"text":"United States","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/browse/?country=United%20States"}]},{"text":"+3.5%","data":{"m1":"+3.5%","m3":"+11.6%","m6":"+23.0%","ytd":"+26.8%","max":"+51.4%"}}],[{"text":"Tesla Inc. TSLA","links":[{"text":"Tesla Inc.","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/tesla-inc/"},{"text":"United States","href":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/browse/?country=United%20States"}]},{"text":"+12.7%","data":{"m1":"+12.7%","m3":"+28.5%","m6":"+2.3%","ytd":"-11.1%","max":"+65.9%"}}]]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Data note 1","href":"#dn-1"},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"More Studies"},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"items":[{"text":"Jul 21, 2026 Collectibles ×5.4 for the same cards, matched-model index, Mar 2022 – Aug 2026 Is the Pokémon Card Market in a Bubble? 4,159 Sales Analyzed Prices for PSA-graded cards multiplied. 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What historical comparisons show, where their limits are and how to run both in the calculator.","href":"https://alysly.com/learn/savings-plan-vs-lump-sum/"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Course overview","href":"https://alysly.com/learn/"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Updated Nov 1, 2026 · Content and figures checked Oct 19, 2026"},{"type":"heading","level":2,"id":"note-legend-h","text":"Data Notes"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"All calculations run automatically and are not investment advice."},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"items":[{"id":"dn-1","text":"Returns computed automatically from the price series, excluding dividends, taxes and costs."}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Data and methodology: Alysly · Responsible for content: Alexander Bock","links":[{"text":"Alysly","href":"https://alysly.com/methodology/"},{"text":"Alexander Bock","href":"https://alysly.com/about/"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"View all data notes","href":"https://alysly.com/notes/"}],"structured_data":[{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://alysly.com/#org","name":"Alysly","url":"https://alysly.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://alysly.com/img/icon-512.png","width":512,"height":512},"description":"Data-driven insights, transparent analysis and powerful tools for long-term investors.","email":"mail@alysly.com","contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"customer support","email":"mail@alysly.com","availableLanguage":["de","en"]},"address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressLocality":"Haltern am See","postalCode":"45721","addressCountry":"DE"},"founder":{"@id":"https://alysly.com/#founder"},"sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/company/alyslycom/","https://www.youtube.com/@alyslycom","https://x.com/alyslycom"],"publishingPrinciples":"https://alysly.com/methodology/"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://alysly.com/#founder","name":"Alexander Bock","jobTitle":"Founder and data analyst","url":"https://alysly.com/about/","sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/in/abxk/"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://alysly.com/#site","url":"https://alysly.com/","name":"Alysly","alternateName":"Alysly Investment Analysis","inLanguage":"en-US","publisher":{"@id":"https://alysly.com/#org"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://alysly.com/markets/stocks/browse/?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://alysly.com/learn/etf-fees/#webpage","url":"https://alysly.com/learn/etf-fees/","name":"ETF Fees: TER and Hidden Costs – Alysly","description":"What an ETF really costs: TER, spread, order fees and tracking difference – and what half a percentage point does over 30 years.","inLanguage":"en-US","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://alysly.com/#site"},"dateModified":"2026-11-01T18:26:04+01:00","publisher":{"@id":"https://alysly.com/#org"},"mainEntity":{"@id":"https://alysly.com/learn/etf-fees/#entity"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://alysly.com/img/ta/ter-drag-og.e2a5c2b852cfe221074cca975463e9c13e6e8e9bdf8b5f9084a4c5546ea86ff6.png","width":1200,"height":630}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Investing & Trading Basics","item":"https://alysly.com/learn/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Level 0","item":"https://alysly.com/learn/#level-0"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"ETF Fees: TER and Hidden Costs"}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://alysly.com/learn/etf-fees/#entity","headline":"ETF Fees: TER and Hidden Costs","description":"What an ETF really costs: TER, spread, order fees and tracking difference – and what half a percentage point does over 30 years.","inLanguage":"en-US","mainEntityOfPage":"https://alysly.com/learn/etf-fees/","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","height":630,"url":"https://alysly.com/img/ta/ter-drag-og.e2a5c2b852cfe221074cca975463e9c13e6e8e9bdf8b5f9084a4c5546ea86ff6.png","width":1200},{"@type":"ImageObject","height":540,"url":"https://alysly.com/img/ta/ter-drag.cea112ac6eabec35d158b8dc6483ca27aa912a0e846b159d9ac6c11a2b277d10.webp","width":1280}],"isPartOf":{"@type":"CreativeWorkSeries","name":"Investing & Trading Basics","url":"https://alysly.com/learn/"},"educationalLevel":"Level 0","author":{"@id":"https://alysly.com/#founder"},"publisher":{"@id":"https://alysly.com/#org"},"datePublished":"2026-07-11T10:41:44+02:00","dateModified":"2026-11-01T18:26:04+01:00"}],"notice":"© 2026 Alysly.com. Not investment advice. All data without guarantee. Financial information is analyzed and presented partly with AI assistance."}