Best Silver IRA Companies

A silver IRA lets you hold physical silver coins and bars inside a retirement account. You cannot open one at an ordinary brokerage, and you cannot keep the metal at home, so the company you choose does a lot of the work: it helps you open the account, sells you the silver, and arranges the vault that stores it.

We compared three of the best-known silver IRA companies on what can be checked from the outside: how long each has been in business, its Better Business Bureau record, how much it asks you to start with, where it stores silver, and what it says about buying your silver back. Our ranking for 2026 is Augusta Precious Metals first, Goldco second and American Hartford Gold third.

The short version: Augusta is our first pick if you are moving $50,000 or more. Goldco is the one to look at if you care most about how you will eventually sell. American Hartford Gold has the lowest published starting amount of the three.

The best silver IRA companies at a glance

Every entry comes from the company's own website or its Better Business Bureau profile, read on October 1, 2026. Where a company does not publish something, we say so.

What a silver IRA is

A silver IRA is a self-directed individual retirement account that holds physical silver in place of, or alongside, stocks and funds. It follows the same tax rules as any other IRA. A traditional silver IRA is funded with pre-tax money and taxed when you withdraw. A Roth silver IRA is funded with after-tax money, and qualified withdrawals are tax-free.

What makes it different is the cast of characters. Three separate parties are involved, and it helps to know which one does what.

• The dealer is the silver IRA company itself. It sells you the coins and bars.
• The custodian holds the account, moves the money from your existing plan, and reports to the IRS.
• The depository is the vault that stores the silver. The tax code does not allow you to hold IRA metals yourself.

The three companies below are dealers. Each works with a custodian and with one or more depositories, and each helps you with the paperwork for all three.

If you are still weighing silver against gold, our comparison of a gold IRA vs. a silver IRA covers how the two metals behave inside a retirement account.

How we ranked them

We did not open accounts with these companies or test them as customers. The ranking rests on what each company publishes and on its public record, weighed like this.

• Track record (30%). Years in business, and Better Business Bureau rating and accreditation.
• Clarity before the sale (25%). How much you can learn about the process and the company's terms before you give a phone number or send money.
• Buyback (15%). Whether the company states a buyback policy in plain words, and what conditions come with it.
• Storage (15%). Whether depositories are named, and whether you have a choice. This matters more for silver than for gold, for reasons explained below.
• Starting amount (15%). How much you need to begin, and whether the figure is published.

We leave company costs out of the ranking and out of this article. The figures that circulate online are often wrong or out of date. Ask each company for its current schedule in writing.

This is general information. It cannot account for your savings, your taxes or your plans, and it is not a recommendation to buy.

1. Augusta Precious Metals

Best for larger rollovers and buyers who want to learn first.

Augusta Precious Metals has been in business since 2012. It holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, where it has been accredited since February 2015. It sells both gold and silver, for retirement accounts and for cash purchases.

What puts Augusta first is how much it explains before any money moves. The company has its own education team, led by director of education Devlyn Steele, and it offers a one-on-one web conference that walks through how metals are priced, who the custodian and depository are, and what to ask of any dealer. For someone opening a first silver IRA, that is useful whichever company they end up choosing.

Augusta also publishes the details many companies leave to a phone call. Its website names its custodian, Equity Trust Company, and its storage partner, Delaware Depository. It states its minimum too.

What to know before you call

• The minimum purchase is $50,000, and it applies to IRA and cash purchases alike. Below that, Augusta is not the company for you.
• The one-on-one web conference is offered to retirement savers with $100,000 or more in savings.
• On buybacks, Augusta says it has never declined one. It also says that no dealer can legally guarantee a future repurchase and that its policy can change.

Who it suits: savers rolling over a larger balance who want to understand the process properly before they commit.

Buy silver from Augusta Precious Metals

2. Goldco

Best for buyers who want a stated buyback policy.

Goldco holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and has been accredited there since December 2011, the longest accreditation of the three. It offers silver IRAs and gold IRAs, and it also sells silver directly for delivery.

Goldco's buyback wording is the most specific we found. The company says it will buy back metals purchased from Goldco at any time. Its "highest price" promise applies once three years have passed since your first purchase, and no specific rate is guaranteed. That is not a guarantee of what you will receive, but it is a clearer statement than most dealers put in writing, and for silver, where the gap between buying and selling prices can be wide, the way out deserves as much attention as the way in.

Goldco also runs a free silver promotion on qualifying orders.^* Treat it as a promotion with conditions: read the terms, and compare the total ounces you would receive for the same money elsewhere.

What to know before you call

• Goldco does not publish a minimum purchase on the pages we checked. Ask.
• It says IRA metals go to an independent, insured depository, but it does not name the depository or its custodian on the pages we checked. Ask for both, and for whether storage is segregated or commingled.
• The buyback promise carries no guaranteed rate.

Who it suits: buyers who care most about how they will eventually sell, and who are comfortable getting the remaining details by phone.

Buy silver from Goldco

3. American Hartford Gold

Best for smaller first purchases.

American Hartford Gold is the youngest of the three, in business since 2015. It holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and has been accredited since June 2016. Despite the name, it sells silver coins, bars and rounds as well as gold, for retirement accounts and for delivery to your door.

Its main advantage is access. American Hartford Gold publishes a $10,000 minimum for an IRA, the lowest published starting amount on this list. For someone who wants to move a modest part of a retirement account into silver, that is the difference between being able to start and not.

It is also the most open about storage. The company names its depositories, including Brink's Global Services and Delaware Depository, and gives you a choice between them. Its custodian is Equity Trust Company. Storage is commingled by default, which means you get back silver of the same type and quality but not the identical pieces. Segregated storage, where your own bars and coins are kept apart, is available if you ask for it.

What to know before you call

• American Hartford Gold is candid that it cannot legally guarantee to buy your metal back. It asks clients to contact it first when they want to sell.
• Its pages list slightly different sets of depositories, so confirm which one would hold your silver.
• The minimum for a cash purchase is not published.

Who it suits: first-time buyers starting with a smaller amount, and buyers who want a say in where their silver is stored.

Buy silver from American Hartford Gold

Side by side

Why storage matters more with silver

Silver is bulky. For the same amount of money, silver takes up many times the space that gold does, and it weighs far more. That has three practical effects on a silver IRA.

First, storage is a bigger part of the picture. The depository charges for holding your metal, and a large silver holding fills more shelf than a gold holding of the same value. When you ask a company for its written schedule, ask specifically how storage is charged for silver.

Second, the choice between commingled and segregated storage is worth a moment's thought. Commingled storage pools your silver with other clients' metal of the same kind. Segregated storage keeps your own pieces apart. Both are legitimate. Ask which one a company's quote assumes.

Third, bars and coins behave differently. Large bars usually carry a smaller premium over the market price of silver than coins do, so more of your money goes into metal. Coins are easier to sell in small amounts. Many account holders keep some of each.

Which silver qualifies for an IRA

The rules come from the tax code and apply whichever company you use.

• Silver must be at least 99.9% pure.
• Coins must come from a national mint, and bars from an accredited refiner.
• The metal must be held by a bank or an approved trustee. In practice that means a depository.

The American Silver Eagle and the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf are the coins most often held in a silver IRA. Bars from accredited refiners qualify as well.

Collectible and rare coins do not qualify. Neither do the older U.S. dimes, quarters and half dollars that are 90% silver, nor jewelry or silverware. If a salesperson steers you toward "exclusive" or "limited" coins for a retirement account, that is a warning sign. Our gold scammer list shows how regulators have treated dealers who did exactly that.

How to open a silver IRA

The steps are much the same at all three companies.

1. Talk to the company and ask your questions. Each one starts with a call or a request for its free guide. Our article on the free gold IRA kit explains what these guides contain and what the follow-up looks like.
2. Open a self-directed IRA. The company helps you apply to the custodian. This is a new account; your existing IRA or 401(k) stays where it is until you move money out of it.
3. Fund it. The custodian arranges a transfer or a rollover from your existing plan. Ask for a direct transfer between institutions, so the money never passes through your hands and no tax deadline starts running.
4. Choose your silver. You pick from coins and bars that meet the IRS rules above.
5. Lock the price. The company confirms the price of each item and you approve the order. Before you approve, ask what the company would pay to buy the same items back today.
6. The silver goes to the depository. You receive confirmation from the custodian, and regular statements after that.

Mistakes to avoid

• Storing IRA silver at home. The U.S. Tax Court confirmed in 2021 that keeping IRA coins at home counts as taking them out of the account, which triggers tax.
• Buying collectibles for a retirement account. They carry large markups and most do not qualify.
• Counting on a bonus without reading its terms. Free silver promotions^* come with conditions. Ask for them in writing.
• Comparing companies on advertising. Compare them on ounces received for the same money, and on what each would pay to buy those ounces back.
• Deciding on the first call. A fair offer is still fair next week.
• Putting everything into one metal. Silver moves more sharply than gold, in both directions. Our guide to gold IRA pros and cons covers the trade-offs of holding metals in a retirement account at all.

FAQ

What is the best silver IRA company?

On the public record, Augusta Precious Metals is our first pick for savers moving $50,000 or more, because of how much it explains and publishes before the sale. For a smaller amount, American Hartford Gold publishes the lowest minimum of the three, at $10,000.

How much do I need to open a silver IRA?

It depends on the company. Augusta Precious Metals states a $50,000 minimum. American Hartford Gold states $10,000 for an IRA. Goldco does not publish a minimum on the pages we checked. These were the published figures on October 1, 2026.

Can I keep the silver from my IRA at home?

No. IRA silver must be held by a bank or an approved trustee, which in practice means a depository. If you want silver at home, buy it with money outside your retirement account. All three companies sell silver for delivery as well.

Can I hold gold and silver in the same IRA?

Yes. A self-directed precious metals IRA can hold both, along with approved platinum and palladium. All three companies on this page sell gold and silver.

What will a silver IRA cost me?

We do not publish cost figures, because the numbers found online are often wrong. The custodian and the depository each charge separately from the dealer, and silver takes more storage space than gold. Ask for every charge in writing before you send money.

Do banks sell silver for an IRA?

Large U.S. banks generally do not sell physical silver at all. Some banks in other countries sell silver bars over the counter, which we cover in our list of banks that sell silver bars. Either way, a silver IRA needs a self-directed custodian and an approved depository, so most people use a specialist company.

Is a silver IRA right for me?

That depends on your circumstances, and a website cannot judge them. Silver pays no interest or dividends, and its price can fall sharply. Speak with a licensed financial professional who is not paid on the sale.

The bottom line

All three companies are established, hold an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and sell IRA-eligible silver. The right one depends mostly on how much you are moving and what you want to know in advance.

• Choose Augusta Precious Metals if you are moving $50,000 or more and want the process explained first.
• Choose Goldco if a written buyback policy matters most to you.
• Choose American Hartford Gold if you are starting with a smaller amount or want to pick your depository.

Whichever you call, ask the same three things: what you will pay per coin or bar, what the company would pay to buy it back today, and where the silver will be stored. For the full comparison across gold and silver, see our ranking of the three companies.

*Applies only to qualified orders. Get up to 5% back in FREE Silver when you purchase $50,000 - $99,999. Get up to 10% in FREE Silver when you purchase $100,000 or more. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Additional rules may apply. Contact your representative to find out if your order qualifies. For additional details, please see your customer agreement. Goldco does not offer financial or tax advice.