The best gold IRA companies of 2024
A gold IRA is an investment account that allows you to buy and hold gold as an asset with tax advantages for retirement. While you can’t directly purchase gold with traditional brokerage accounts, gold IRA accounts – short for gold individual retirement accounts – allow you to invest in gold while enjoying the benefits of potential tax savings. Here’s a look at the best gold IRA providers for your financial goals.
Best gold IRAs
Here are some of the most important highlights of the best gold IRA companies.
- Thor Metals - best for new gold IRA companies
- Priority Gold - simple setup process
- Advantage Gold - no account minimum
- AHG (American Hartford Gold) - best for gold storage options
- APMEX - multiple trust company options
- Augusta Precious Metals - high customer ratings
- Birch Gold Group - best for transparent gold IRA accounts
- Goldco - best for physical gold IRA distributions
- Gold Gate Capital - low annual fees
- OneGold - best for mobile account management
- Rosland Capital - low management fees
Best for new gold IRA companies: Thor Metals
- Account minimum: Not disclosed
- Account minimum: Not disclosed
- Account minimum: Not disclosed
- Account minimum: Not disclosed
- Metals offered: Gold, silver, platinum
- BBB rating: A-, no BBB star rating
Thor Metals IRA overview
Thor Metals Group is one of this list's newest gold IRA providers, having started in 2023. It earns an A- rating from the BBB, but with no customer reviews, it doesn’t have a score. The product is clear and straightforward, but Thor Metals publishes no pricing information. If you’re excited about working with a new company that may be more innovative, you may like Thor. However, the overall experience is a bit ambiguous, which could be a drawback.
Pros
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Offers three precious metals for IRAs
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Helpful education resources
Cons
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New company with few ratings
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No pricing transparency
Simple setup process: Priority Gold
- Account minimum: $10,00
- Annual fee: $125
- Set up fee: $50
- Storage fee: $100
- Metals offered: gold, silver
- BBB rating: A, 4.71 stars
Priority Gold IRA overview
Priority Gold offers a straightforward precious metal IRA with options to buy and hold gold or silver in your account. It earns high ratings from past users, but its BBB rating has slipped from A+ to A, and you’ll find misleading advertising on the Priority Gold website stating otherwise. It’s also poor with pricing transparency. Nonetheless, it comes with a simple and quick account setup process when you open an account by phone.
Pros
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Quick phone-based setup
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Simple menu of gold and silver products
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High customer ratings
Cons
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Little pricing transparency
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No online-only account setup
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Misleading advertising on the website
No account minimum: Advantage Gold
- Account minimum: $0
- Annual fee: $125
- Set up fee: $50
- Storage fee: $175
- Metals offered: Gold, silver, platinum, palladium
- BBB rating: A+, 4.88 stars
Advantage Gold IRA overview
Advantage Gold offers a range of precious metals purchase options. The Advantage Gold IRA is available through a partnership with STRATA Trust Company. With somewhat expensive annual fees, Advantage Gold IRAs make sense for larger accounts where the fees make up a low percentage of your balance. It’s an easy company to start with and offers a straightforward account meeting the needs of gold investing enthusiasts.
Pros
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Supports gold and other metals
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Also offers physical products outside of IRAs
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Highly rated by past customers
Cons
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High annual fees
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Third-party account required for IRA administration
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Standard self-directed IRAs don’t work with other assets
Best for gold storage options: AHG (American Hartford Gold)
- Account minimum: $10,000
- Annual fee: $75 for balances up to $100,000 or $125 above $100,000
- Set up fee: $230
- Storage fee: $100 (typical)
- Metals offered: Gold, silver
- BBB rating: A+, 4.89 stars
American Hartford Gold IRA overview
The AHG IRA allows you to create an IRA and choose one of two supported providers to store your physical gold holdings, which are segregated from other customers. IRA accounts are managed in partnership with Equity Trust, and you can choose between Delaware Depository or International Depository Services (IDS) for storage. The annual fee is lower than that of some competitors, and it earns excellent ratings from past customers.
Pros
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Choose between two storage providers
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Support for silver and gold
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Lower fees than some competitors
Cons
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Multiple third-party relationships are required
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Annual fee goes up for larger accounts
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Fees are not completely clear and transparent
Multiple trust company options: APMEX
- Account minimum: $2,000
- Annual fee: $0
- Set up fee: $0
- Storage fee: $0.55%
- Metals offered: gold, silver, platinum
- BBB rating: A+, 4.22 stars
APMEX IRA overview
APMEX is a large dealer of physical precious metals, valuable coins, and other currency. It offers a precious metal IRA with no annual or setup fee, but you have to pay a yearly storage fee, which goes to APMEX partner Citadel. When signing up, you can choose from four different trust companies to handle the administration of your account. APMEX primarily charges customers through the pricing of its physical precious metal products.
Pros
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No annual or setup fee
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Choose from four custodian providers
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Handles storage with free gold shipping on purchases over $500
Cons
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Little pricing transparency
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Only one preferred storage company
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Shipping fees are required for purchases under $500
High customer ratings: Augusta Precious Metals
- Account minimum: $50,000
- Annual fee: $125
- Set up fee: $50
- Storage fee: $100
- Metals offered: Gold, silver
- BBB rating: A+, 4.94 stars
Augusta Precious Metals IRA overview
A gold and silver IRA from August Precious Metals is available with no added fees from Augusta. Still, you’ll have to pay $125 to trust partner Equity Trust and approximately $100 per year for storage to partner Delaware Depository. It earns above-average customer ratings, with a high 4.94 average out of five stars at the BBB.
Pros
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Simple account setup with few major decisions
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High customer ratings
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No added annual fees from Augusta Precious Metals
Cons
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$50,000 minimum purchase each time you invest
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Only one trust and storage option
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Just two precious metals offered
Transparent gold IRAs: Birch Gold Group
- Account minimum: $10,000
- Annual fee: $125
- Set up fee: $50
- Storage fee: $100
- Metals offered: Gold, silver, platinum, palladium
- BBB rating: A+, 4.23 stars
Birch Gold Group IRA overview
Birch Gold Group works with multiple custodian trust companies and allows customers to deposit their physical precious metals with one of a relatively long list of providers. The process is very transparent, and customers are given all of the fees and account details on a single page. Birch Gold Group doesn’t add on any administrative fees and clearly shares expected costs from custodians and secure storage companies. It also offers more flexibility than some others, with all four of the most common precious metals supported.
Pros
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Transparent upfront pricing
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Multiple trust and storage options
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No add-on fees from Birch Gold
Cons
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$10,000 minimum balance
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High costs for gold bars
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Relationships with controversial figures
Physical gold IRA distributions: Goldco
- Account minimum: $25,000
- Set up fee: $50
- Storage fee: $100 to $150 per year
- Metals offered: Gold, silver
- BBB rating: A+, 4.82 stars
Goldco IRA overview
The Goldco IRA comes with pricing and fees roughly in line with those of many industry competitors. It allows customers to work with many different self-directed IRA companies and works with providers offering shared and segregated storage. One unique feature is the ability to withdraw from your gold IRA in cash (after selling gold) or by withdrawing physical gold, which you can store at home.
Pros
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Withdraw in cash or physical gold
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Works with nearly any IRA custodian
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Choose segregated or shared gold storage
Cons
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No platinum or palladium investments are available
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High $25,000 minimum
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Website errors may lead to questioning competence
Low annual fees: Gold Gate Capital
- Account minimum: $10,000
- Annual fee: $100
- Set up fee: $50
- Storage fee: $100
- Metals offered: Gold, silver
- BBB rating: A+, 5.00 stars
Gold Gate Capital IRA overview
Gold Gate Capital offers lower pricing than average, costing $200 per year for administration and storage. However, it’s also not very transparent, and prices are not readily disclosed. It also earns an impressive 5-star rating from past customers at the BBB, but with relatively few ratings, it’s not a strong testament to customer success.
Pros
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Reportedly low pricing compared to competitors
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High customer satisfaction ratings
Cons
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Ties to controversial media personalities
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Little pricing transparency
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No full online setup is available
Best for mobile account management: OneGold
- Account minimum: $0
- Annual fee: Varies based on the custodian you choose
- Set up fee: Varies based on the custodian you choose
- Storage fee: Varies based on the storage option you choose
- Metals offered: Gold, silver, platinum
- BBB rating: A, 3.9 stars
OneGold IRA overview
OneGold offers gold, silver, and platinum products from mints in the U.S., Canada, Switzerland, and the U.K. It works with four IRA custodians and multiple storage providers. Behind the scenes, OneGold uses APMEX to convert stored gold into physical gold you keep at home. It earns below-average ratings at the BBB, indicating a customer experience that’s not on par with other gold IRA competitors. It offers a standout mobile app to help you track and manage your account on the go.
Pros
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Pick from four different custodians
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Chose from several popular storage companies
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Helpful mobile app to manage your account
Cons
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Less pricing transparency than some competitors
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Relies on third parties for most services
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Lower BBB ratings than competitors
Low management fees: Rosland Capital
- Account minimum: $2,000
- Annual fee: $100
- Set up fee: $50
- Storage fee: $100 or $150
- Metals offered: Gold, silver, platinum
- BBB rating: A+, 4.75 stars
Rosland Capital IRA overview
Rosland Capital partners with Equity Institutional for its gold IRA offering, and you can buy gold, silver, or platinum. While it only offers a single partner for administration, the fees are competitive at just $100 per year (plus storage). Look out for an extra $40 annual fee for paper statements. If you care most about low fees and a simple account offering, Rosland Capital gold IRAs could be a good pick.
Pros
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Low annual management fee
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Straightforward offering with three precious metals supported
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No need to research trust or storage companies
Cons
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Only one option for trust management companies
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Added annual fee for paper statements
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No palladium support
Compare the best gold IRA companies
| Gold IRA Company | Best for | Annual fee | Account minimum | Sign up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advantage Gold | No account minimum | $125 annual fee + $175 annual storage fee | N/A | Get started |
| AHG (American Hartford Gold) | Gold Storage Options | $75 to $125 annual fee + $100 annual storage fee | $10,000 | Get started |
| APMEX | Multiple Trust Company Options | 0.55% annual storage fee | $2,000 | Get started |
| Augusta Precious Metals | High customer ratings | $125 annual fee + $100 annual storage fee | $50,000 | Get started |
| Birch Gold Group | Transparent gold IRA accounts | $125 annual fee + $100 annual storage fee | $10,000 | Get started |
| Goldco | Physical gold IRA distributions | $125 annual fee + $100 annual storage fee | $25,000 | Get started |
| Gold Gate Capital | Low annual fees | $100 annual fee + $100 annual storage fee | $10,000 | Get started |
| OneGold | Best for mobile account management | No added fee (choose your custodian and storage for pricing) | N/A | Get started |
| Priority Gold | Simple setup process | $125 annual management fee + $100 annual storage fee | $10,000 | Get started |
| Rosland Capital | Low management fees | $100 annual management fee + $100 or $150 storage fee | $2,000 | Get started |
| Thor Metals | New Gold IRA Companies | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Get started |
How to choose a gold IRA company
Choosing a quality gold IRA company is essential if you’re adding precious metals to your retirement portfolio. Gold IRAs provide a way to diversify assets, but it’s vital to work with a reputable provider to ensure your investment’s security and maximize tax advantages.
Look for companies with solid reputations and positive customer reviews, as this can indicate reliable service. Transparency is also key, so choose a provider that clearly discloses fees, storage options, and all processes upfront. Ideally, the company should offer options for secure physical storage and insured depository accounts.
Consider whether the company provides educational resources to help you understand your investment choices. A good gold IRA company should offer guidance on choosing metals and clearly explain the setup process, potential risks, and tax implications. Finally, check that they provide a variety of precious metals, such as gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, to allow for diversification within your gold IRA.
Gold IRA risks
Investing in an IRA comes with several risks, primarily tied to market volatility, which can impact the value of your investments. Economic downturns, inflation, and interest rate changes can reduce returns or slow growth. Additionally, IRAs are subject to specific rules and penalties for early withdrawals, potentially affecting liquidity when you need funds. If invested in non-traditional assets, such as real estate or precious metals, IRAs also carry risks around asset valuation and custodial fees.
Gold IRA vs Traditional IRA
A gold IRA differs from a traditional IRA in the type of assets it holds. While a traditional IRA typically invests in stocks, bonds, or mutual funds, a gold IRA is a self-directed IRA that allows you to hold physical gold or other precious metals, real estate, and other supported assets. Both offer tax advantages, but a gold IRA offers a unique hedge against inflation and currency fluctuations. However, gold IRAs often have higher fees for storage and insurance, and they may carry liquidity risks, as selling physical gold can take longer than selling traditional assets.
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Eric Rosenberg is a finance, travel and technology writer in Ventura, California. He is a former bank manager and corporate finance and accounting professional who left his day job in 2016 to take his online side hustle full time.
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