The comparison at a glance
| BOTZ | KOID | ROBO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Industrial robotics & AI | Humanoid robotics (pure-play) | Broad robotics/automation |
| Expense ratio | 0.68% | See current fact sheet | 0.95% |
| Holdings | 62 | Concentrated, newer | ~89 (equal-weight) |
| Inception | 2016 | June 2025 | Established, older |
| Top holdings | NVIDIA, Keyence, Mitsubishi Electric | Humanoid component & platform makers | Diversified across value chain |
| 2026 YTD (late July) | -3.9% | Strong early run, high volatility | +14.5% |
Why the performance gap?
ROBO's diversified, equal-weight structure spread risk across more of the value chain in 2026, while BOTZ's concentration in a handful of large-cap names meant it moved more with those specific stocks. KOID, as a brand-new pure-play fund, is still too young for a meaningful multi-year track record — its early numbers reflect a narrow, high-conviction bet on humanoid robotics specifically rather than the broader automation trade.
Which one fits which investor?
Want lower cost and can tolerate concentration risk: BOTZ's 0.68% expense ratio is the cheapest of the three, but a larger share of returns depends on a small number of large-cap holdings.
Want direct, undiluted exposure to humanoid robotics specifically: KOID offers the purest bet on that theme, at the cost of a short track record and likely higher volatility.
Want the broadest diversification across the value chain: ROBO's equal-weight approach across roughly 89 holdings spreads company-specific risk furthest, for a higher expense ratio.
The bottom line
None of these funds is a bet on a single company — each is a bet on how fast and how broadly the robotics buildout plays out, and how concentrated you want that bet to be. Cost, concentration, and how "pure-play" the humanoid theme needs to be are the three axes that actually separate them.