$ARKQ vs $ROBO

The short version

$ARKQ is cheaper to own, at 0.75% a year versus 0.95%. $ROBO is the bigger fund, with $1.90B in assets. $ROBO has been around longer, launching on October 22, 2013.

$ARKQ

ARK's autonomous technology and robotics fund is an actively managed bet on autonomous vehicles, robotics, 3D printing, energy storage and space exploration, run in ARK's high-conviction style. Holdings are concentrated and can include large positions in a few names like electric vehicle and autonomy companies. It behaves more like a growth and disruption fund than a pure robotics index.

$ROBO

The original robotics ETF, launched in 2013. ROBO tracks the ROBO Global Robotics and Automation Index, which spreads money across a wide mix of robotics, sensing, motion control and automation companies around the world. Its holdings are more equally spread than most peers, which means more small and mid-size companies. That diversifies the bet but also means it can lag when a few mega-cap AI names lead the market. It carries one of the higher fees in the group.

Lower fees and more assets are helpful, but they are not the whole story. The bigger question is which strategy matches what you want to own. This comparison is not a recommendation to buy or sell either fund.