BOTZ vs ARKQ ETF Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
BOTZ and ARKQ both target robotics and autonomous technology but with fundamentally different approaches. BOTZ is a passive global robotics index including established industrial automation leaders (Fanuc, ABB, Nvidia, Keyence). ARKQ is an active autonomous technology ETF with high-conviction bets on autonomous vehicles, drones, and disruptive technology. BOTZ has less volatility and proven industrial automation businesses; ARKQ has higher upside potential and higher risk from ARK's concentrated disruptive technology bets.
BOTZ vs ARKQ — Global X Robotics & AI ETF (passive global robotics index with established industrial automation leaders in Japan, US, and Switzerland capturing the manufacturing automation cycle) versus ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF (active high-conviction autonomous technology fund betting on Tesla, autonomous vehicles, drones, and 3D printing as disruptive technology winners).
BOTZ holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. ARKQ has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+14.66% vs +0.42% for BOTZ).
- believe industrial automation is a secular theme driven by labor shortages, wage inflation, and manufacturing reshoring — BOTZ's established robot manufacturers (Fanuc, ABB, Keyence) are the proven beneficiaries
- want exposure to established global robotics companies with decades of proven automation technology rather than speculative early-stage autonomous technology bets
- value Nvidia's AI chip inclusion within BOTZ as a large weighting — providing both robotics automation and AI compute exposure in a single thematic ETF
- are comfortable with Japanese yen and Swiss franc currency exposure, industrial capex cycle sensitivity, and 0.68% thematic expense ratio
- trust ARK Invest's research-driven active management to identify autonomous technology winners before passive indices recognize them — the 2020 performance demonstrated ARKQ's potential upside
- want autonomous technology exposure including Tesla self-driving, drone delivery networks, space commercialization, and humanoid robotics beyond what BOTZ's industrial automation index includes
- accept high volatility and drawdown risk for potential outsized returns if ARK's disruptive technology theses materialize — ARKQ's concentrated bets create higher potential return distribution
- are comfortable with ARK's post-2021 underperformance track record, higher concentration in speculative early-stage companies, and the active management fee at 0.75%
| Metric | BOTZ | ARKQ |
|---|---|---|
| ETF scorei | 27.0 | 53.0 |
| Latest closei | $35.01 | $121.57 |
| 1M returni | -3.77% | -3.52% |
| 6M returni | +4.25% | +6.03% |
| 1Y returni | +0.42% | +14.66% |
The ETF score weights long-term returns and risk-adjusted performance most heavily, but still rewards low expense ratios, larger fund size, and broader diversification — so it can favor low-cost, broad, mega-cap funds over smaller thematic or actively-managed funds even when the latter have delivered stronger returns.
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | BOTZ | ARKQ |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $10.09K (+0.9%) started 2025-09-18 | $11.5K (+15.0%) started 2025-09-18 |
| 5Y ago | $9.42K (-5.8%) started 2021-09-20 | $15.57K (+55.7%) started 2021-09-20 |
| 10Y ago | $25.63K (+156.3%) started 2016-09-19 | $64.6K (+546.0%) started 2016-09-19 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | BOTZ | ARKQ |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratioi | 0.68% | 0.75% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $3.44B | $1.92B |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.49% | 0.25% |
| Trailing P/Ei | 33.33 | 36.78 |
| Betai | 1.54 | 1.53 |
| 52-week change | 0.42% | 14.66% |
| Metric | BOTZ | ARKQ |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y returni | +0.42% | +14.66% |
| 6M returni | +4.25% | +6.03% |
| 1M returni | -3.77% | -3.52% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | -0.02 | 0.44 |
| Betai | 1.54 | 1.53 |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.49% | 0.25% |
| 5Y CAGR | -1.45% | +9.05% |
Over the past year, BOTZ and ARKQ have moved strongly in the same direction (correlation of 0.82), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | BOTZ | ARKQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +0.42% | +14.66% |
| CAGRi | +0.43% | +14.67% | |
| Volatilityi | 26.73% | 35.06% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.02 | 0.44 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.03 | 0.63 | |
| Max drawdowni | 19.34% | 23.82% | |
| Current drawdowni | 15.86% | 15.47% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 7.13% | 8.42% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 9.04% | 10.20% | |
| Max daily dropi | 5.24% | 7.12% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 10.01% | 10.43% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | -7.01% | +54.10% |
| CAGRi | -1.45% | +9.05% | |
| Volatilityi | 27.32% | 33.02% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.08 | 0.29 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.12 | 0.42 | |
| Max drawdowni | 55.54% | 55.71% | |
| Current drawdowni | 15.86% | 15.47% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 24.46% | 26.66% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 28.06% | 31.40% | |
| Max daily dropi | 6.83% | 7.54% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 14.98% | 18.75% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +145.84% | +505.69% |
| CAGRi | +9.42% | +19.74% | |
| Volatilityi | 25.85% | 30.26% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.30 | 0.60 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.43 | 0.86 | |
| Max drawdowni | 55.54% | 59.89% | |
| Current drawdowni | 15.86% | 15.47% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 18.18% | 19.19% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 22.99% | 26.46% | |
| Max daily dropi | 12.41% | 10.44% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 21.63% | 19.55% |
| Category | BOTZ | ARKQ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund name | Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF | ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF |
| Type | ETF | ETF |
| Expense ratioi | 0.68% | 0.75% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $3.44B | $1.92B |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.49% | 0.25% |
- Global robotics leader exposure: BOTZ includes Japanese robot manufacturers (Fanuc, Yaskawa), Swiss automation (ABB), and US AI companies (Nvidia) — accessing the full global robotics supply chain
- Industrial automation secular tailwind: labor shortages, wage inflation, and manufacturing reshoring are accelerating industrial robot adoption globally — BOTZ's industrial focus captures this automation cycle
- Nvidia AI chip inclusion: BOTZ's Nvidia weighting provides significant AI chip exposure — a pure beneficiary of AI training and inference compute demand alongside robotics automation holdings
- Active management flexibility: ARKQ's portfolio can shift to concentrate in highest-conviction autonomous technology theses — adapting to emerging opportunities like humanoid robots, autonomous vehicles, or drone networks faster than passive indices
- Autonomous vehicle and drones inclusion: ARKQ's broader autonomous technology mandate includes Tesla (autonomous driving), drone delivery, and space companies not captured in BOTZ's pure robotics focus
- ARK's research-driven concentration: high-conviction concentrated bets can dramatically outperform if ARK's autonomous technology theses prove correct — 2020 returns demonstrated the potential
- 0.68% expense ratio: among the higher thematic ETF expense ratios — investors pay a significant thematic premium vs broader industrials or technology ETFs
- Japanese and Swiss stock currency risk: BOTZ's international holdings introduce yen and franc currency exposure — when these currencies weaken vs USD, international holdings drag US investor returns
- Industrial robotics cycle sensitivity: industrial robot spending correlates with manufacturing capital investment cycles — slowdowns in manufacturing capex reduce robot order growth and BOTZ holdings' revenues
- ARK's poor post-2021 performance: ARKQ and other ARK ETFs dramatically underperformed after 2021 peak — concentrated bets in early-stage growth stocks suffered severe multiple compression in rising rate environments
- 0.75% expense ratio: the highest expense ratio of the robotics/automation ETF pair — active management premium requires consistent outperformance to justify vs BOTZ's passive 0.68%
- Concentration risk in speculative early-stage companies: ARKQ's high-conviction bets in autonomous vehicles, drones, and 3D printing include companies that haven't yet achieved commercial viability — higher failure risk than BOTZ's established global automation leaders
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