The 5 best Gold IRA companies of 2026, scored on the fees they'd rather quote by phone.

These dealers were scored on the same six-axis rubric and reviewed in full, but rank below the five above. The rating is out of 5.

• Advantage Gold: 2.5/5
• Sanctuary Metals: 2.3/5
• United States Precious Metals: 2.3/5
• Beverly Hills Precious Metals: 2.3/5
• American Alternative Assets: 2.3/5
• Colonial Metals Group: 1.5/5
• Fidelity precious metals IRA: 4.1/5, for existing Fidelity IRA holders
• Regal Assets: not rated; the record ends in a $49 million judgment

All of them are summarised in the reviews hub.

Published account fees are flat and small. The dealer spread between buy and sell price never appears on a fee schedule, and it can be materially larger than the published annual fees. Augusta Precious Metals buys back with zero commission under a written repurchase commitment, and Goldco pledges a best-available-price buyback with no liquidation fees. American Hartford Gold states a buy-back commitment with no back-end fees on its own gold IRA page, with no price terms. Birch Gold Group and Noble Gold Investments offer buybacks with no written pledge on file. Zero commission does not mean zero spread: ask every company for the repurchase spread on the exact coin, in writing, before funding. Verified November 2, 2026.

A gold IRA has three parties. The dealer sells the metal. The custodian holds the IRA, reports to the IRS and processes RMDs. The depository stores and insures the metal. You pay the custodian and the depository, not the dealer, so the search for the best gold IRA custodian usually comes down to which custodians a dealer works with and whether you may pick. Equity Trust Company appears at four of the five companies ranked here. Each row below comes from the company's own site, checked November 2, 2026.

Custodian fees are flat, not a percentage of the balance. On the schedules published here, setup runs about $50, the annual custodian or maintenance fee about $125, and storage $100 to $160. The fees that rarely make a comparison table are the ones charged on the way out. Noble Gold, for example, lists $75 for an in-kind distribution and $250 to close the account. Ask any custodian for its exit fees before you open the account, and ask whether storage is segregated or pooled by default.

• A home-storage pitch. IRC 408(m)(3)(B) requires IRA bullion to sit with a trustee. The Tax Court taxed a couple on metal kept at home in McNulty v. Commissioner (2021). The rules are in our IRA-eligible gold guide.
• A push toward proof or rare coins. They carry a higher premium over spot than bullion and are harder to sell at a fair price. Get the premium on the exact coin in writing.
• A bonus-metal offer you cannot price. The bonus is paid out of the premium you pay. Compare the cost per ounce with and without it.
• A buyback promise with no terms. "We buy back" is not a written commitment on price or fees. The buyback table above shows what each company states.
• Deadline pressure. A direct trustee-to-trustee transfer has no 60-day clock, so nothing about the rollover needs to close this week.
• A regulator or court record. Check the BBB complaint file, CFTC and SEC releases and federal court dockets. Our Regal Assets and Colonial Metals Group reports show what a bad record looks like.

If you want gold exposure without a custodian or depository, a gold ETF can sit in an ordinary IRA at most brokerages. It has no storage fee, but it charges an expense ratio and you never own a specific bar. Existing Fidelity IRA holders can also buy bullion through Fidelity's precious metals IRA. Compare total cost over the years you plan to hold, not the first-year fees.

The company mails an information kit and a specialist calls you; expect a sales call, with nothing charged and no account opened. A direct trustee-to-trustee rollover from a 401(k), 403(b), TSP or existing IRA is not a taxable event and carries no early-withdrawal penalty; the dealer, the custodian and your current plan administrator each handle part of the paperwork. Some providers advertise account setup within about one business day, and transfer completion depends on the custodian and the originating institution. Before you buy metal, get the dealer spread over spot on the exact coin in writing. The full process, deadlines and tax rules are in the Gold IRA rollover rules guide.

What is the best Gold IRA company in 2026?

Augusta Precious Metals ranks first in The Gold IRA Desk's 2026 comparison for investors rolling over $50,000 or more. Goldco ranks first for $25,000 to $50,000 accounts, and Birch Gold Group has the lowest entry minimum among the five companies compared. Rankings come from the six axes on the methodology page: account minimum, phone-first service, buyback program, fee transparency, RMD handling and sales pressure.

How much money do I need to open a Gold IRA?

Published minimums range from $5,000 (Birch Gold Group) to $50,000 (Augusta Precious Metals). Noble Gold starts at $20,000 and Goldco at $25,000 per its own cost page. American Hartford Gold publishes no minimum on its own site; third-party reviews report $10,000.

What fees do Gold IRA companies charge?

Expect three fees: setup ($50–$80), annual custodian or administration (~$75–$150), and storage (~$100–$150). That totals roughly $225–$285 per year at the companies that publish a schedule here. Augusta now quotes ranges rather than fixed figures, and American Hartford Gold publishes no schedule. The larger, less visible cost is the dealer spread over the metal spot price, which every company quotes by phone.

How should I compare Gold IRA companies?

On the same six axes, with evidence for each: the account minimum, phone-first service, the buyback commitment in writing, fee transparency, how RMDs are handled, and sales pressure after the kit request. Check the storage arrangement and depository too. Then ask each for the premium over spot on the exact coin in writing, because that figure is never on a fee schedule.

Are the companies on this page paying to be ranked?

No. Some links are affiliate links (marked "sponsored"), and we may earn a referral commission at no cost to you, but rankings come from a published six-axis rubric applied identically to every company, including ones we have no relationship with. The methodology page shows the full scoring.

What will a $100,000 Gold IRA cost per year in fees, and which company is cheapest?

Published fees are flat, not a percentage of the balance, so a $100,000 account costs about the same as a $50,000 one: roughly $225 to $285 a year after setup. Goldco publishes about $225. Birch publishes about $235, and Augusta runs about $235 on its custodian Equity Trust's schedule. Noble charges $285 flat. American Hartford Gold publishes no schedule; third parties report about $175 under $100,000. Over fifteen years the published spread is under $1,000, which is smaller than the difference in dealer premium over spot between two quotes on the same coin. Ask for the premium on the exact coin in writing before you compare annual fees.

Which custodian do these Gold IRA companies use?

Augusta Precious Metals and Goldco use Equity Trust Company. Birch Gold Group works with Equity Trust or GoldStar Trust Company, and American Hartford Gold with Equity Trust or Entrust. Noble Gold names Equity Institutional. Each company names its custodians on its own site, checked November 2, 2026. The custodian charges the setup and annual account fees, so ask the dealer whether you can choose one.

Can I keep Gold IRA metals at home?

No. IRC 408(m)(3)(B) requires IRA bullion to be in the physical possession of a trustee or custodian. In McNulty v. Commissioner (2021) the Tax Court treated metal an IRA owner kept at home as a distribution and taxed its full value. A company that pitches home storage for IRA metal is selling a tax problem.

Which metals can go in a Gold IRA?

Gold of at least 0.995 fineness, silver of 0.999, and platinum and palladium of 0.9995, held by a trustee. American Gold Eagles qualify by statute although they are 91.67% gold. The IRS publishes no list of approved coins, so a dealer calling a product IRA-approved is giving its own reading of IRC 408(m)(3).