Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
BAUG vs VOO: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, BAUG returned +12.1% to VOO's +13.7%, and VOO charges 0.03% to BAUG's 0.79%.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about BAUG and VOO
Net assets: $271m on Oct 28, 2026 for Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Aug, and $1.0tn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard S&P 500 ETF.
Pair scorecard
VOO costs 0.76 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.6 points.
| Measure | BAUG | VOO |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +12.1% | +13.7% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Index fall to the buffer | 3.2% | |
| Fund price fall to the buffer | 2.9% | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | SPY | S&P 500 Index |
| The outcome period | ||
| Room to the cap | 14.4% | |
| Buffer left, in index points | 9.0% of 9.0% | |
| Days left in the period | 276 | |
| Period ends | Jul 31, 2027 | |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.79% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, BAUG as of Oct 28, 2026 and VOO as of Sep 30, 2026 | $271m | $1.0tn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 100% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 39.1% | |
Side by side
BAUG and VOO on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
BAUG
From its price on Oct 28, 2026, the fund can gain about 14.4% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 2.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 3.2% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 9.0% of the 9.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 276 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On Jul 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
VOO
VOO tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.7% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 507 positions, with the top ten at 39.1%.
Questions people ask
- Are BAUG and VOO in the same category?
- BAUG is a buffer ETF and VOO is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, BAUG or VOO?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BAUG returned +12.1% and VOO +13.7%.
- Which is cheaper, BAUG or VOO?
- VOO is cheaper, by 0.76 percentage points a year. That is about $76 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, BAUG against VOO, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/baug-vs-voo
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). BAUG against VOO. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/baug-vs-voo
[BAUG against VOO (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/baug-vs-voo)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.