Unit trust and ETF fees, side by side
The total expense ratio, transaction costs and total investment charge that South African fund houses publish for their flagship balanced and equity unit trusts and their main index trackers, copied from each fund's own fact sheet or minimum disclosure document and linked back to it, plus what that comes to in rand on the amount you enter. The table is in fund-house order — we don't rank or recommend.
- 5 fund houses
- 13 of 14 funds with published figures
- Unit trusts and ETFs
- Last checked
Cost a year on the amount entered
R100 000 invested for 10 years.
Fund-house order, not a ranking. Sort the table and the chart follows.
| Fund house | Fund | Type | Category | TER | Transaction costs | TIC (TER + TC) | Cost a year | Cost over the years | Figures for | Notes | Source | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10X | 10X S&P SA Top 50 ETF | ETF | SA equity (Top 50 index) | Data pending | Data pending | Data pending | Data pending | Data pending | Data pending | The newest MDD we could find for this ETF is dated 30 Sep 2025 - over a year old - so no figure is shown until a current one is published. | 10X Investments website | |
| 10X | 10X SA Equity Fund (A class) | Unit trust | SA equity | 0.42% | 0.03% | 0.45% | R450 | R4 500 | 12 months to 30 Sep 2026 | Management fee 0.35% plus VAT. No initial fee. | 10X SA Equity Fund MDD, 30 Sep 2026 | |
| 10X | 10X Your Future Fund (A class) | Unit trust | Balanced (multi-asset) | 0.61% | 0.04% | 0.65% | R650 | R6 500 | 12 months to 30 Sep 2026 | Management fee 0.50% plus VAT. No initial fee. | 10X Your Future Fund MDD, 30 Sep 2026 | |
| Allan Gray | Allan Gray Balanced Fund | Unit trust | Balanced (multi-asset) | 1.65% | 0.07% | 1.72% | R1 720 | R17 200 | 3 years to 30 Sep 2026 | Includes a performance fee. The annual management fee came to 1.61%; it moves between 0.5% and 1.5% (excl. VAT) with performance against the benchmark. | Allan Gray Balanced Fund page (costs) | |
| Allan Gray | Allan Gray Equity Fund | Unit trust | SA equity | 1.60% | 0.09% | 1.69% | R1 690 | R16 900 | 3 years to 30 Sep 2026 | Includes a performance fee. The annual management fee came to 1.56%: 1.13% at benchmark performance plus 0.43% for outperformance. | Allan Gray Equity Fund page (costs) | |
| Coronation | Coronation Balanced Plus Fund (A class) | Unit trust | Balanced (multi-asset) | 1.61% | 0.18% | 1.79% | R1 790 | R17 900 | 3 years, fact sheet at 31 Aug 2026 | Fund management fee 1.24% of the TER. The 1-year figures are the same. | Coronation Balanced Plus comprehensive fact sheet, 31 Aug 2026 | |
| Coronation | Coronation Top 20 Fund (A class) | Unit trust | SA equity | 1.16% | 0.25% | 1.42% | R1 420 | R14 200 | 3 years, fact sheet at 31 Aug 2026 | Performance-linked fee: 0.99% for performance in line with the benchmark, adjusted up or down for out- or under-performance. 1-year figures: TER 0.58%, TC 0.24%, TIC 0.82%. | Coronation Top 20 comprehensive fact sheet, 31 Aug 2026 | |
| Satrix | Satrix 40 ETF | ETF | SA equity (Top 40 index) | 0.10% | 0.03% | 0.13% | R130 | R1 300 | 3 years to 30 Sep 2026 | Annual management fee 0.09%. 1-year figures: TER 0.10%, TC 0.02%, TIC 0.12%. Incl. VAT. | Satrix 40 ETF MDD, 30 Sep 2026 | |
| Satrix | Satrix Balanced Index Fund (A1 class) | Unit trust | Balanced (multi-asset) | 0.54% | 0.08% | 0.62% | R620 | R6 200 | MDD at 30 Sep 2026 | Manager annual fee 0.40%. The MDD shows the TER and TC; the TIC here is the two added together. | Satrix Balanced Index Fund MDD, 30 Sep 2026 | |
| Satrix | Satrix MSCI World Feeder ETF | ETF | Global equity (MSCI World index) | 0.32% | 0.00% | 0.32% | R320 | R3 200 | 3 years to 30 Sep 2026 | Annual management fee 0.12%. 1-year figures: TER 0.25%, TC 0.00%, TIC 0.25%. Incl. VAT. | Satrix MSCI World Feeder ETF MDD, 30 Sep 2026 | |
| Satrix | Satrix S&P 500 Feeder ETF | ETF | Global equity (S&P 500 index) | 0.25% | 0.00% | 0.25% | R250 | R2 500 | 3 years to 30 Sep 2026 | Annual management fee 0.16%. The 1-year figures are the same. Incl. VAT. | Satrix S&P 500 Feeder ETF MDD, 30 Sep 2026 | |
| Sygnia | Sygnia Itrix MSCI World Index ETF | ETF | Global equity (MSCI World index) | 0.71% | 0.00% | 0.71% | R710 | R7 100 | Sep 2026 | Figures for buying through a broker or other platform. Through Sygnia's own Alchemy platform the TER and TIC are 0.59%. Management fee 0.60% a year excl. VAT on the first R100m. | Sygnia Itrix MSCI World Index ETF fact sheet, Sep 2026 | |
| Sygnia | Sygnia Itrix S&P 500 ETF | ETF | Global equity (S&P 500 index) | 0.19% | 0.00% | 0.19% | R190 | R1 900 | Sep 2026 | Annual management fee 0.15% a year excl. VAT. | Sygnia Itrix S&P 500 ETF fact sheet, Sep 2026 | |
| Sygnia | Sygnia Itrix Top 40 ETF | ETF | SA equity (Top 40 index) | 0.15% | 0.05% | 0.19% | R190 | R1 900 | Sep 2026 | Annual management fee 0.09% a year excl. VAT. TIC as Sygnia publishes it (TER plus TC, rounded). | Sygnia Itrix Top 40 ETF fact sheet, Sep 2026 |
Percentages are a year, as each fund house publishes them, including VAT unless the note says otherwise. Where a fact sheet gives 1-year and 3-year figures, the table shows the 3-year ones and the note gives the 1-year ones. "Cost a year" is the TIC applied to the amount entered; "Cost over the years" is that times the number of years, with no growth assumed — on a growing investment the rand cost grows too. Advice fees, platform or broker fees and brokerage on ETF trades are not included. Click a heading to sort; click again to reverse, a third time for fund-house order.
How to read the table
- The TER is what the fund itself costs to run - the management fee, any performance fee, admin, audit and VAT - as a percentage of the fund's value, measured over the period shown.
- Transaction costs (TC) are the cost of buying and selling the fund's investments - brokerage, taxes and spreads inside the fund.
- The TIC is TER plus TC - the total cost of the fund itself, and the figure the rand columns use.
- Performance fees move from year to year - funds that charge one (marked in the notes) can show a higher or lower TER in the next period.
- These are past costs, not a promise - every fact sheet says the current TER may not be an accurate indication of future TERs.
- A figure we could not read off a current fact sheet shows "Data pending" - we leave it blank rather than guess.
Facts, not advice. This is published cost information and a simple sum, shown side by side. The funds in this table can have very different risk and returns, and a lower cost does not mean a better fund. MaxWealth does not rank, recommend or sell any fund, and is not paid by any fund house. Read the fund's own minimum disclosure document before you invest.