Goldco vs Augusta: Their Free Kits, Minimums and Fees Compared

Start here, because it removes one option for many readers. Goldco’s FAQ says it “generally” requires at least $25,000 available to roll over. Augusta’s FAQ gives a standard minimum initial purchase of $50,000, the same for an IRA or for a cash purchase.

So with $25,000 to just under $50,000, the comparison is over before it starts: only Goldco will take the account. With $50,000 or more, both will, and the rest of this page matters. Goldco hasn’t published a minimum for cash purchases outside an IRA; ask if that’s what you want.

Where the money sits now changes the paperwork, not the minimum. A 401(k) from a former employer moves differently from an IRA; Gold IRA Companies Ranked sets out the steps for each kind of rollover.

Goldco calls its pack the Free 'Gold & Silver Kit' / Ultimate Guide to Gold & Silver. Augusta’s is the Free Gold & Silver IRA Info Kit (2026 Gold IRA Guide, 4 guides). Both are free, both ask for your contact details, and both lead to a call. Neither kit replaces the company’s written fee and transaction terms, which you should ask for separately.

The kits differ more in what follows them than in what’s inside. Augusta says its staff are salaried and earn no product-specific commissions (some may get a fixed, product-neutral incentive), and it locks prices on a recorded order-confirmation call. Goldco doesn’t describe its staff pay on the pages in our record, so that’s worth asking on the first call. Our claim-by-claim guide to reading a kit works for either pack, and goldiracompaniesranked.com describes the free kits other dealers send if you want a wider comparison.

The account fees are not where these two differ much, but they are published differently. Augusta’s cost page gives its own figures: $50 to set up and $125 a year to administer, both charged by Equity Trust, and $110 a year for storage and insurance at Delaware Depository. That’s $285 in the first year and $235 a year after. Augusta doesn’t say which storage type the $110 covers, and it publishes no price for segregated storage.

Goldco names Equity Trust as one of its custodians, and the custodian’s own precious-metals schedule gives $50 to set up, $125 a year to administer, and $110 a year for non-segregated or $160 for segregated storage: $285 in the first year and $235 a year after with non-segregated storage.

Two wrinkles. Goldco’s own cost page is older than the custodian’s schedule and still shows $100 and $150 storage, so plan on the custodian’s figures. Augusta says qualifying accounts may receive up to ten years of eligible fees paid by Augusta, but it doesn’t publish the qualifying terms. Goldco’s FAQ states its fees don’t scale with the size of the account.

The larger cost is the markup on the metal, and neither company publishes it. Augusta says the dealer margin is built into the metal price and that it reviews the spread on each order. Get the figure in writing from both.

Augusta is the more specific of the two: Equity Trust as custodian and Delaware Depository for storage, both named on its cost page. Goldco says it works with several custodians and calls Equity Trust one of them, but it doesn’t publish the full list. It has written at length about Delaware Depository without saying every Goldco IRA is stored there.

That isn’t a problem in itself; it means you have to ask Goldco the question Augusta has already answered. The custodian decides your annual fees and sends your statements, and the depository decides where the metal sits and whether it’s segregated.

Gold IRA Companies Ranked covers the custody questions in more depth in its Goldco write-up.

Promotions. Goldco’s FAQ offers up to 5% back in free silver on $50,000 to $99,999 of its premium coins and 10% on $100,000 and up, for qualified orders and not combined with other offers. Augusta says it doesn’t give free silver or bonus metals; its offer is the fee coverage above. A free-silver bonus tied to premium coins is only worth having if the premium coins’ markup doesn’t eat it.

Price match. Goldco says it will match a competitor’s lower price on the same coin or send a 5-gram silver bar, and that it can change or end this at any time. Augusta offers a 24-hour window to cancel if you find a better offer.

Buyback. Goldco advertises buybacks at “the highest price” with no fees when you sell, without stating conditions. Augusta says a buyback is not obligatory either way, it charges no separate liquidation fee, and Equity Trust charges a $30 processing fee.

Delivery and cancelling. Goldco’s terms say it ships 5 to 14 business days after receiving good funds and may take up to 45. Augusta says some purchases qualify for a 7-day money-back period.

Both hold an A+ from the BBB and a AAA from the Business Consumer Alliance. The counts behind those grades are far apart: the BBB lists 72 complaints against Goldco in three years and 1 against Augusta; the BCA lists 3 and 0. Goldco has been BBB-accredited since December 8, 2011, Augusta since February 16, 2015. On Trustpilot, Goldco shows 4.4 from 1,795 reviews and Augusta 4.8 from 377.

Goldco settled Summerton v. Goldco Direct LLC, W.D. Wis. 3:23-cv-00238, a class action over marketing text messages. The court’s judgment of April 16, 2026 approved $2,000,000 for the settlement class and dismissed the claims with prejudice. A settlement is not a finding that Goldco broke the law.

Augusta signed a consent order with the Minnesota Department of Commerce on August 21, 2019: it had sold bullion to Minnesota customers above the state’s thresholds without registering first, and paid a $3,000 civil penalty plus $45 in costs. The order alleges no misrepresentation or customer loss.

These are totals. Our record has no comparable customer numbers for either company, so a complaint rate can’t be calculated, and we don’t guess at one. Read a handful of recent complaints on each BBB page, with the company’s replies. For how these two sit among the best gold IRA companies on a wider list, see Gold IRA Companies Ranked.