Augusta Precious Metals charges a one-time setup fee of $250, which includes a $50 custodian application fee, $100 first-year custodian fee, and $100 first-year storage fee. From the second year onward, the recurring annual cost is $200 ($100 custodian + $100 storage). Augusta also offers a fee waiver program where all customers qualify for zero setup, custodian, and storage fees for up to 10 years.

Augusta partners with multiple IRS-approved depositories across the United States. The primary facility is Delaware Depository, with additional locations in Los Angeles CA, Salt Lake City UT, Las Vegas NV, Dallas TX, Boulder City NV, and others. Customers can choose between segregated storage, where their specific metals are held separately, or non-segregated storage, where metals are pooled with others of the same type at a lower cost.

Augusta Precious Metals is among the companies with strong customer ratings in this comparison. The company may be worth considering for high-net-worth, retirement-focused investors with a minimum of $50,000 to invest who are prioritizing lifetime support and an education-focused onboarding process.

Goldco charges a one-time setup fee of $80, which includes a $50 custodian application fee and a $30 wire fee. Annual recurring costs range from $180 to $275 per year, depending on the custodian and storage type selected. This breaks down to $80 to $125 for the custodian fee and $100 to $150 for storage. Rather than fee waivers, Goldco offers promotional free silver for qualifying accounts, with up to 5% back on investments of $50,000 to $100,000 and up to 10% back on investments above $100,000.

Goldco partners with Brink's Global Services as its preferred depository, with Delaware Depository also available. Both are fully insured, IRS-approved storage facilities. Customers can choose between non-segregated storage at $100 per year, where metals are pooled with others of the same type, or segregated storage at $150 per year, where their specific coins are kept separately.

Goldco is among the well-established Gold IRA providers in this comparison, offering a straightforward rollover process and dedicated account support.The company may be worth considering for retirement-focused investors with $25,000 or more who are looking to transfer existing retirement funds into a precious metals IRA.

Birch Gold Group requires a minimum investment of $10,000 to establish an account.

Birch Gold Group uses a flat annual fee structure. The one-time setup fee is $80, which includes a $50 account setup fee and a $30 wire transfer fee. Annual recurring costs are approximately $235 per year, broken down as roughly $125 for custodian fees and $110 for storage. Customers who transfer over $500 qualify for a first-year fee waiver covering setup, storage, and admin fees.

Birch Gold Group stores assets across multiple IRS-approved depositories, with Delaware Depository as the primary facility. Additional storage locations include Brink's Global Services, Texas Precious Metals Depository, International Depository Services, and Texas Bullion Depository. Customers can choose between segregated storage, where their specific metals are held separately, or non-segregated storage, where metals are pooled with others of the same type at a lower cost. Delaware Depository carries up to $1 billion in insurance through Lloyd's of London.

American Hartford Gold requires a minimum investment of $10,000 for a Gold IRA rollover and $5,000 for cash purchases.

American Hartford Gold charges no setup fee of its own. The custodian application fee through Equity Trust is $50 as a one-time charge. Annual recurring costs range from $175 to $225 per year, broken down as $75 to $125 for the custodian fee and $100 for storage. Customers who invest $50,000 or more qualify for a first-year fee waiver, while those investing $100,000 or more receive a three-year fee waiver. Promotional free silver of up to $10,000 to $15,000 is also available on qualifying purchases, though terms change periodically.

American Hartford Gold partners with three IRS-approved depositories: Brink's Global Services, Delaware Depository, and International Depository Services. Storage locations span Delaware, Nevada, Texas, Salt Lake City, New York, and Los Angeles. Customers can choose between segregated storage, where their specific metals are held separately, or non-segregated storage at a lower cost. All shipments are fully insured and tracked at no additional charge. Delaware Depository carries insurance through Lloyd's of London.

Noble Gold Investments requires a minimum investment of $20,000 for a Gold or Silver IRA. For investors not looking to open an IRA, home delivery is available with a minimum of $2,000, and Royal Survival Packs start at $5,000.

Noble Gold Investments uses a straightforward flat fee structure with no hidden charges. The one-time setup fee is $80. The annual flat rate is $275 total, broken down as $125 for custodian services and $150 for segregated storage. This flat rate includes insurance, security, and real-time online account access via the custodian portal. Noble Gold does not offer a fee waiver program, so these costs apply from the first year onward.

Noble Gold partners exclusively with International Depository Services (IDS) for precious metals storage. IDS operates three locations: Dallas TX, which serves as Noble Gold's exclusive facility, New Castle DE, and Mississauga Ontario Canada. All IDS facilities are COMEX, CME, LBMA, and ICE-approved. Importantly, Noble Gold offers segregated storage only, meaning each customer's metals are held separately in their name and never pooled with other investors' holdings. All stored assets are insured via an all-risk policy underwritten by Lloyd's of London, included within the $150 annual storage fee.

Advantage Gold requires a minimum investment of $25,000 for IRA rollovers, though this figure is not published on the official website and direct confirmation with Advantage Gold is recommended.

Advantage Gold uses a transparent fee structure, though specific figures are not published on the official website and are disclosed during the account setup process. The one-time setup fee is $50. Annual recurring costs range from $195 to $375 per year depending on the custodian and storage type selected.

Using STRATA Trust with non-segregated storage gives the lowest annual cost of $195 per year, while using Equity Trust with segregated storage brings the annual cost to $375 per year. Customers who invest $50,000 or more in a rollover transaction qualify for a first-year fee waiver. Free fully insured shipping is also included for first deliveries on orders of $25,000 or more.

Advantage Gold partners with two IRS-approved depositories: Brink's Global Services, with vault locations in Los Angeles CA and Salt Lake City UT, and Delaware Depository, with locations in Wilmington DE and Boulder City NV.

Customers can choose between segregated storage at $150 per year, where their specific metals are held separately, or non-segregated storage at $100 per year, where metals are pooled with others of the same type. Delaware Depository carries $1 billion in all-risk insurance through Lloyd's of London, and Brink's carries full all-risk insurance including Lloyd's of London coverage.

Orion Metal Exchange requires a minimum investment of $5,000, with $10,000 needed to qualify for promotional offers such as fee waivers and free storage.

Orion Metal Exchange offers a relatively straightforward fee structure, though specific figures are not published on the official website and some inconsistency exists across sources. The one-time setup fee is reported at $50 by Money.com as of April 2026, though some sources cite $250. Direct confirmation with Orion is recommended before proceeding.

The annual IRA service fee is $90 per year, with storage costing $100 per year for non-segregated storage or $175 per year for segregated storage. Total annual costs for accounts up to $500,000 are approximately $190 per year. Orion offers promotional fee waiver programs where a $10,000 investment qualifies for one year of free storage, a $30,000 investment qualifies for one year of free storage, insurance, and custodian services, and higher amounts may unlock up to three years free. Note that Orion does not offer a price match guarantee. This feature is not confirmed in available data for this company.

Orion Metal Exchange works with three primary IRS-approved depositories: Brink's Global Services, Delaware Depository, and International Depository Services. The company also works with all legitimate IRS-approved depositories nationwide, giving customers maximum flexibility in choosing their preferred storage location.

Customers can choose between non-segregated storage at $100 per year, where metals are pooled with others of the same type, or segregated storage at $175 per year, where their specific metals are held separately. All partnered depositories are insured by Lloyd's of London for the full value of holdings, with insurance included within the storage fee.

Lear Capital requires a minimum investment of $10,000 to open a Gold IRA, confirmed directly on the official fee and transparency page. For direct precious metals purchases outside of an IRA, minimums vary by product type.

Lear Capital is one of the few Gold IRA companies to publish its full fee structure directly on its official website. The one-time setup cost is $80, which includes a $50 custodian application fee and a $30 wire fee. The first-year total is $315 for non-segregated storage or $365 for segregated storage.

From the second year onward, annual recurring costs are $235 per year for non-segregated storage ($125 maintenance + $110 storage) or $285 per year for segregated storage ($125 maintenance + $160 storage). Fee waivers are available but apply to Limited Mintage coins only. Investments of $25,000 to $50,000 qualify for Year 1 free, $50,000 to $75,000 qualify for Years 1 and 2 free, and $75,000 or more qualify for Years 1, 2, and 3 free.

Standard bullion purchases do not qualify for fee waivers. A $500 account credit is also available for new accounts, usable for shipping, insurance, or IRA custodial fees.

Lear Capital uses Delaware Depository as its exclusive IRA storage partner, confirmed directly on the official IRA FAQ. All IRA metals are shipped insured directly to Delaware Depository at no extra cost to the client. Delaware Depository provides comprehensive all-risk insurance underwritten by Lloyd's of London, covering the full value of all stored metals and all shipments.

For eligible accounts, international sub-custody is also available via Bank of Nova Scotia in Toronto and Via MAT International in Zurich. Customers can choose between non-segregated storage at $110 per year or segregated storage at $160 per year.

Note that Brink's Global Services is not a storage partner for Lear Capital IRA accounts. Delaware Depository is the sole confirmed IRA depository.

JM Bullion has no stated minimum investment for IRA purchases. A general $100 minimum applies to all orders.

JM Bullion does not charge its own IRA setup fee. IRA fees vary entirely depending on the custodian and depository chosen by the client and are not published on the official website. The official IRA FAQ confirms that fees vary depending on the size of the account and the metal holdings in the depository.

For non-IRA storage through TDS Vaults, an A-Mark subsidiary, fees are 0.50% per year for bullion or 0.90% per year for numismatic items, plus a $50 handling fee per check-in or check-out at Dallas TX, Las Vegas NV, Singapore, and Toronto locations, or $100 at Zurich.

Investors should contact their chosen custodian directly for full IRA fee details before opening an account.

For IRA metals, JM Bullion works with any IRS-approved depository chosen by the client, with First State Depository cited on the official IRA FAQ. For non-IRA storage, JM Bullion offers TDS Vaults, an A-Mark Precious Metals subsidiary, with locations in Dallas TX, Las Vegas NV, Singapore, Toronto, and Zurich.

All IRA metals are insured by Lloyd's of London. All in-transit shipments are fully insured via a third-party precious metals policy at no extra cost, with FedEx shipments insured up to $100,000.

Silver Gold Bull has no minimum investment requirement for IRA purchases or direct purchases. The company facilitates IRA, RRSP, and TFSA accounts for both US and Canadian investors. It is not a full-service Gold IRA provider and relies entirely on third-party custodians and depositories for IRA administration.

Silver Gold Bull charges no startup fees of its own. IRA fees are charged by the client's chosen custodian and depository. Based on figures confirmed by Bankrate citing Silver Gold Bull directly, the one-time IRA setup fee is $50, the annual custodial maintenance fee is $125 per year, and storage costs $100 per year for pooled non-segregated storage or $150 per year for segregated storage. Total ongoing annual costs therefore range from $225 to $275 per year. Silver Gold Bull does not offer a fee waiver program, so these custodian and storage costs apply from the first year onward. For direct purchases, Silver Gold Bull maintains an average markup of approximately 3% over spot.

For IRA metals, customers select from their chosen custodian's available IRS-approved depositories. Silver Gold Bull does not designate an exclusive IRA depository.

For non-IRA storage, Silver Gold Bull partners with Brink's Global Services Class 3 vaults, offering fully allocated segregated storage across 6 locations in 4 countries, with over $150 million in customer deposits held across all locations. All stored assets are insured by Lloyd's of London, included within the storage fee.

All in-transit shipments are also fully insured at no extra charge, with signature required upon delivery.