Low-Volatility ETFs
US stock ETFs with the smallest price swings over the past year, sorted from least volatile.
ETFs matching the screen
Data as of the October 29, 2026 close| BOXXAlpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF | Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF | $14.40B | 0.40% | −0.10% | 0.00 | +4.10% | +4.60% |
| BENJHorizon Landmark ETF | Horizon Landmark ETF | $359.0M | 0.40% | −0.10% | — | +3.80% | — |
| CAOSAlpha Architect Tail Risk ETF | Alpha Architect Tail Risk ETF | $717.0M | 1.70% | −0.80% | 0.05 | +1.50% | +4.10% |
| XBOXRoundhill Ultra Short Duration | Roundhill Ultra Short Duration | $364.0M | 1.80% | −0.80% | — | — | — |
| ZJANInnovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr January | Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr January | $106.0M | 1.90% | −1.40% | — | +5.60% | — |
| JAJLInnovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 6 Mo Jan/Jul | Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 6 Mo Jan/Jul | $305.0M | 2.00% | −1.00% | 0.17 | +5.70% | — |
| ZFEBInnovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr February | Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr February | $146.0M | 2.00% | −1.30% | — | +5.60% | — |
| ZMARInnovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr March | Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr March | $111.0M | 2.00% | −1.40% | — | +5.80% | — |
| ZOCTInnovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr October | Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr October | $215.0M | 2.10% | −1.50% | 0.19 | +6.00% | — |
| BALTInnovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF | Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF | $3.21B | 2.30% | −1.20% | 0.14 | +6.20% | +8.20% |
| ZDEKInnovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr December | Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr December | $108.0M | 2.30% | −1.50% | — | +6.10% | — |
| ZSEPInnovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr September | Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr September | $243.0M | 2.40% | −1.40% | 0.20 | +5.30% | — |
| ZJUNInnovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr June | Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr June | $155.0M | 2.40% | −1.10% | — | +4.80% | — |
| ZJULInnovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr July | Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr July | $195.0M | 2.50% | −1.40% | 0.24 | +5.30% | — |
| ZAUGInnovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr August | Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr August | $162.0M | 2.50% | −1.70% | 0.23 | +5.60% | — |
| ZNOVInnovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr November | Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr November | $106.0M | 2.50% | −1.60% | — | +6.30% | — |
| TOAKManager Directed Portfolios | Manager Directed Portfolios | $101.0M | 3.10% | −1.80% | 0.00 | +3.60% | — |
| ATTRArin Tactical Tail Risk ETF | Arin Tactical Tail Risk ETF | $118.0M | 3.20% | −1.80% | — | +7.50% | — |
| MNAIQ Merger Arbitrage ETF | IQ Merger Arbitrage ETF | $261.0M | 4.40% | −1.40% | 0.07 | +3.30% | +6.00% |
| DEFRAptus Deferred Income ETF | Aptus Deferred Income ETF | $158.0M | 4.60% | −5.00% | — | +0.20% | — |
| ARBThe Arbitrage Funds | The Arbitrage Funds | $111.0M | 4.80% | −2.10% | 0.05 | +4.10% | +5.40% |
| PSMJPacer Swan SOS Moderate (July) ETF | Pacer Swan SOS Moderate (July) ETF | $109.0M | 5.80% | −3.70% | 0.47 | +9.10% | +15.1% |
| PSFFPacer Swan SOS Fund of Funds ETF | Pacer Swan SOS Fund of Funds ETF | $639.0M | 5.90% | −3.70% | 0.47 | +10.7% | +14.5% |
| PHEQMorgan Stanley ETF | Morgan Stanley ETF | $150.0M | 6.00% | −4.30% | 0.50 | +10.9% | +15.9% |
| PSMOPacer Swan SOS Moderate (October) ETF | Pacer Swan SOS Moderate (October) ETF | $116.0M | 6.20% | −4.50% | 0.41 | +10.7% | +13.4% |
| BUFSBUFS | BUFS | $200.0M | 7.70% | −4.40% | 0.55 | +10.8% | — |
| QLVFlexShares US Quality Low Volatility Index Fund | FlexShares US Quality Low Volatility Index Fund | $183.0M | 7.70% | −6.20% | 0.67 | +16.7% | +19.7% |
| FTLSFirst Trust Long/Short Equity ETF | First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF | $2.63B | 8.00% | −3.80% | 0.49 | +8.90% | +15.2% |
| ACWViShares MSCI Global Min Vol Factor ETF | iShares MSCI Global Min Vol Factor ETF | $3.43B | 8.10% | −6.40% | 0.51 | +10.9% | +14.1% |
| INCEFranklin Income Equity Focus ETF | Franklin Income Equity Focus ETF | $371.0M | 8.10% | −5.00% | 0.74 | +23.0% | +20.1% |
| VFMVVanguard U.S. Minimum Volatility | Vanguard U.S. Minimum Volatility | $502.0M | 8.50% | −6.00% | 0.63 | +17.5% | +18.4% |
| USMViShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF | iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF | $24.20B | 8.60% | −6.50% | 0.63 | +12.5% | +15.3% |
| BGIGBahl & Gaynor Income Growth ETF | Bahl & Gaynor Income Growth ETF | $2.29B | 8.80% | −6.10% | 0.53 | +19.1% | +20.5% |
| DLNWisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Fund | WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Fund | $6.41B | 8.90% | −6.10% | 0.75 | +18.5% | +22.2% |
| RSPAInvesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Income Advantage ETF | Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Income Advantage ETF | $1.23B | 9.00% | −6.20% | 0.58 | +15.7% | — |
| DTDWisdomTree U.S. Total Dividend Fund | WisdomTree U.S. Total Dividend Fund | $1.69B | 9.10% | −6.30% | 0.76 | +18.5% | +21.7% |
| QUSSPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF | SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF | $1.60B | 9.10% | −6.90% | 0.82 | +16.2% | +21.1% |
| FDLOFidelity Low Volatility Factor ETF | Fidelity Low Volatility Factor ETF | $1.52B | 9.10% | −7.10% | 0.75 | +14.6% | +17.9% |
| FLSPFranklin Liberty Systematic Style Premia ETF | Franklin Liberty Systematic Style Premia ETF | $1.09B | 9.10% | −4.00% | 0.02 | +11.7% | +11.1% |
| ABEQAbsolute Core Strategy ETF | Absolute Core Strategy ETF | $145.0M | 9.10% | −7.90% | 0.45 | +14.3% | +15.2% |
| BDVLiShares Disciplined Volatility Equity Active ETF | iShares Disciplined Volatility Equity Active ETF | $1.79B | 9.20% | −7.70% | — | +10.6% | — |
| OVLHOverlay Shares Hedged Large Cap Equity ETF | Overlay Shares Hedged Large Cap Equity ETF | $105.0M | 9.20% | −6.40% | 0.72 | +6.20% | +18.5% |
| TDSCCabana Target Drawdown 10 ETF | Cabana Target Drawdown 10 ETF | $105.0M | 9.20% | −5.30% | 0.45 | +16.5% | +12.4% |
| EQLALPS Equal Sector Weight ETF | ALPS Equal Sector Weight ETF | $788.0M | 9.30% | −6.20% | 0.84 | +14.8% | +19.6% |
| SIXA6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF | 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF | $557.0M | 9.30% | −5.60% | 0.66 | +21.9% | +24.3% |
| SMMViShares MSCI USA Small-Cap Min Vol Factor ETF | iShares MSCI USA Small-Cap Min Vol Factor ETF | $279.0M | 9.30% | −7.00% | 0.61 | +13.2% | +15.5% |
| YLDEClearBridge Dividend Strategy ESG ETF | ClearBridge Dividend Strategy ESG ETF | $181.0M | 9.30% | −7.60% | 0.76 | +15.5% | +18.7% |
| DIVOAmplify CWP Enhanced Dividend Income ETF | Amplify CWP Enhanced Dividend Income ETF | $8.10B | 9.40% | −5.90% | 0.63 | +12.3% | +18.3% |
| PFMInvesco Dividend Achievers ETF | Invesco Dividend Achievers ETF | $819.0M | 9.40% | −7.10% | 0.77 | +16.6% | +20.4% |
| GQINatixis ETF | Natixis ETF | $310.0M | 9.40% | −7.00% | 0.72 | +17.1% | — |
End-of-day prices and fund data from EODHD. Returns are total returns with distributions reinvested; 3-, 5- and 10-year returns are annualized. Assets, expense ratios and holdings come from the issuers' latest reports (refreshed monthly). For information only, not investment advice.
Screening criteria
- Asset class: US stocks
- Standard strategy: covered-call, buffer, leveraged and inverse funds excluded
- 1-year volatility of 13% or less
- Assets of $100 million or more
US-listed ETFs and ETNs; funds that have not traded for more than a week are excluded. Change or add filters above to refine the list; the full ETF screener has more than 50 filters.
About this screen
Low-volatility ETFs are stock funds whose prices have moved less than the market. Some are built to do so, selecting or weighting the steadiest stocks; others land here because they hold defensive sectors such as utilities, consumer staples and healthcare. Investors look at them to stay in stocks while reducing the size of drawdowns, accepting that they may lag in strong rallies.
Volatility is the annualized standard deviation of daily returns over the past year, so the list reflects recent market conditions and can change as they do. The Risk tab also shows maximum drawdown and beta. Check the top sector weight on the Fund tab, since many of these funds are concentrated in a few rate-sensitive sectors.
Low-Volatility ETFs FAQ
Which ETFs have the lowest volatility?
As of the October 29, 2026 close, 368 US stock ETFs with more than $100 million in assets had 1-year volatility of 13% or less. The least volatile were Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF (BOXX), Horizon Landmark ETF (BENJ) and Alpha Architect Tail Risk ETF (CAOS).
What is the difference between low-volatility and minimum-volatility ETFs?
Low-volatility funds typically pick the stocks with the lowest past volatility. Minimum-volatility funds use an optimizer to build the lowest-risk portfolio from an index, taking correlations into account and capping sector weights, so they stay closer to the parent index.
Do low-volatility ETFs protect against losses?
They have tended to fall less than the market in sell-offs, but they still lose money when stocks decline. They can also underperform when interest rates rise, because their defensive holdings are often rate-sensitive.
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