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BOTZ vs. KOID vs. ROBO: Which Robotics ETF Fits Your Portfolio in 2026?

Three funds, three strategies. Here's what actually separates them — and which kind of investor each one suits.

PUBLISHED 2026-07-26 · ETF_01

BOTZ, KOID, and ROBO take three different approaches to robotics investing: BOTZ concentrates on established industrial robotics and AI leaders, KOID is a pure-play bet on humanoid robotics specifically, and ROBO diversifies broadly across roughly 74-80 holdings in the robotics value chain. As of mid-2026, ROBO has meaningfully outperformed BOTZ year-to-date (+14.5% vs -3.9% through late July), while KOID — newer and humanoid-focused — is still too young for a real multi-year track record.

The comparison at a glance

BOTZKOIDROBO FocusIndustrial robotics & AIHumanoid robotics (pure-play)Broad robotics/automation Expense ratio0.68%0.79% gross / 0.69% net0.95% Holdings615874-80 (equal-weight) AUM~$3.5-3.6B~$333M~$2.15B InceptionSept 20162025Oct 2013 Top 10 concentration~~60% of portfolioConcentrated, humanoid-specific~~17% of portfolio Top holdingsNVIDIA (~9-11%), ABB (~9%), Keyence (~9%), FANUCHumanoid component & platform makersDiversified across value chain 2026 YTD (late July)-3.9%No live public return history yet+14.5% 5-year annualized volatility22.7%N/A (too new)20.3%

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 — its top 10 holdings alone make up roughly 60% of the portfolio, versus just 17% for ROBO's top 10 — meant it moved more with those specific stocks' fortunes. That concentration cuts both ways: BOTZ has historically posted a stronger long-run track record when its top holdings (NVIDIA, ABB, Keyence, FANUC) are performing well, but it also carries higher volatility (22.7% annualized over 5 years, versus ROBO's 20.3%) and a deeper maximum drawdown (-55.54% peak-to-trough at its worst, versus -43.65% for ROBO). KOID, as a genuinely new pure-play fund, doesn't have a live public return history long enough for meaningful comparison yet — its numbers so far reflect a narrow, high-conviction bet on humanoid robotics specifically rather than the broader automation trade that BOTZ and ROBO represent.

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 — NVIDIA, ABB, and Keyence alone account for roughly a quarter to a third of the fund.

Want direct, undiluted exposure to humanoid robotics specifically: KOID offers the purest bet on that theme, at the cost of a short track record, lower liquidity (its AUM is roughly 1/10th of BOTZ's), and likely higher volatility once enough trading history exists to measure it properly.

Want the broadest diversification across the value chain: ROBO's equal-weight approach across 74-80 holdings spreads company-specific risk furthest, for the highest expense ratio of the three (0.95%) — but that diversification is exactly what drove its stronger 2026 performance and lower drawdown risk.

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. KOID is the only one of the three offering direct, undiluted humanoid-robot exposure — everything else is a bet on the broader automation and industrial-AI category, with humanoid robotics as just one contributing theme among many.

Frequently asked questions

Is BOTZ or ROBO the better robotics ETF? Neither is universally "better" — BOTZ is cheaper (0.68% vs 0.95%) and more concentrated in large-cap names like NVIDIA and ABB, while ROBO is more diversified (74-80 holdings vs BOTZ's 61) and posted stronger 2026 year-to-date returns with lower volatility. The right choice depends on whether you want lower cost and higher concentration risk, or broader diversification at a higher expense ratio.

What makes KOID different from BOTZ and ROBO? KOID is a pure-play humanoid robotics fund — its holdings are specifically selected for direct exposure to humanoid robot manufacturers and component suppliers, whereas BOTZ and ROBO both hold a broader mix of industrial automation, surgical robotics, and general AI companies where humanoid robotics is just one contributing theme.