Best Gold Portfolio Trackers Compared (2026)
Looking for a straightforward way to track gold, silver, platinum and palladium in one place? This comparison sets out the realistic options for monitoring a physical precious-metals stack in 2026. We look at Hold Gold, a free browser-based tracker, against two honest alternatives many people already use: a do-it-yourself spreadsheet and generic stock-focused investment apps. Each suits a different person, so we explain what each does well, where it falls short, and who it genuinely fits best.
| Tool | Tracks all 4 metals | Live spot prices | Portfolio analytics | Free | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hold Gold | Yes | Yes (hourly) | Yes | Yes | Tracking a physical precious-metals stack |
| Spreadsheet (DIY) | Manual | No (manual entry) | Manual | Yes | Full custom control, willing to maintain it |
| Generic investment/portfolio apps (stocks-focused) | Rarely | Sometimes | Yes | Varies | Mixed stock/ETF portfolios |
Hold Gold
Hold Gold is a free, browser-based tracker built specifically for physical precious metals. It covers all four major metals — gold, silver, platinum and palladium — and pulls live spot prices that update hourly, so your holdings are valued without manual lookups. You get portfolio analytics, metal value and premium calculators, plus goals and scenario planning to model different outcomes. It works in multiple currencies and 11 languages, and runs in your browser with nothing to install. You can view live prices without an account; an optional account lets you save a portfolio. It is privacy-focused and does not sell your data. The trade-off is that it concentrates on metals rather than acting as an all-asset wealth dashboard, so if you want shares, crypto and metals together in one screen, it is not designed for that. For someone tracking a stack of coins and bars, that focus is the point.
Spreadsheet (DIY)
A do-it-yourself spreadsheet is the classic starting point, and for good reason: it is free, completely flexible, and yours to shape however you like. You decide the columns, the formulas, the layout and the metals you track. If you enjoy tinkering and want total control over how premiums, purity and weight are recorded, nothing beats it for customisation. The honest downside is maintenance. Spot prices do not appear by themselves — you either type them in by hand or wire up external data feeds, which can be fiddly and break over time. Analytics are only as good as the formulas you build, and a single mistaken cell can quietly distort your totals. There is no mobile-friendly interface unless you create one. A spreadsheet suits methodical people who value control and do not mind the upkeep, but it asks for ongoing effort that a purpose-built tracker handles automatically.
Generic investment apps
Generic investment and portfolio apps are built mainly around shares, funds and ETFs, and many people already use one for their broader finances. Their strength is consolidated reporting across mainstream markets, often with solid charts and performance analytics for stock-style assets. If your main goal is a mixed portfolio of equities and funds, with metals as a minor footnote, one of these may already cover most of your needs. The honest limitation is that physical precious metals are rarely a first-class feature. Tracking coins and bars by weight, purity and premium often does not fit neatly into a stocks model, and live spot pricing for all four metals is inconsistent across these tools. Free tiers vary, with deeper analytics sometimes behind a subscription. They are a reasonable fit for equity-led investors, but a poor match for someone whose portfolio is mostly a physical metals stack they want valued accurately.
What is the best free gold portfolio tracker?
The best free option depends on what you hold. If your portfolio is mainly physical gold, silver, platinum or palladium, a dedicated free tool like Hold Gold is well suited, because it covers all four metals, applies hourly live spot prices and includes analytics and calculators without a paywall. A DIY spreadsheet is also free but needs manual upkeep. Generic investment apps may be free in part but rarely handle physical metals well, so they fit equity-led portfolios better than a metals stack.
Can I track silver, platinum and palladium too?
Yes. A precious-metals tracker like Hold Gold covers all four major metals — gold, silver, platinum and palladium — not gold alone. Each can be recorded by weight and purity and valued using live spot prices. A spreadsheet can track them too, but you maintain the data yourself. Generic stock-focused apps rarely support all four metals as a built-in feature.
Do I need an account to check live prices?
With Hold Gold you can view live spot prices without creating an account. An account is optional and is used to save and analyse your own portfolio across sessions. So if you simply want to glance at current gold, silver, platinum or palladium prices, you can do that straight away in your browser with nothing to sign up for.