Are PJAN and SPY in the same category?

PJAN is a buffer ETF and SPY 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, PJAN or SPY?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PJAN returned +10.8% and SPY +13.6%.

Which is cheaper, PJAN or SPY?

SPY is cheaper, by 0.70 percentage points a year. That is about $70 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

PJAN vs SPY: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, PJAN returned +10.8% to SPY's +13.6%, and SPY charges 0.09% to PJAN's 0.79%.

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Net assets: $1.4bn on Oct 28, 2026 for Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Jan, and $814.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust.

PJAN on its own →SPY on its own →

At a glance

+10.8%

PJAN total return, 1 year

+13.6%

SPY total return, 1 year

0.79%

PJAN expense ratio

0.09%

SPY expense ratio

Pair scorecard

SPY costs 0.70 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.8 points; SPY is far larger, $814.8bn against $1.4bn.

PJAN vs SPY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	PJAN	SPY
Return
Measure	PJAN	SPY
Total return, 1 year	+10.8%	+13.6%
Drawdown
Measure	PJAN	SPY
Index fall to the buffer	11.6%
Fund price fall to the buffer	8.9%
Benchmark
Measure	PJAN	SPY
What it tracks	SPY	S&P 500 Index
The outcome period
Measure	PJAN	SPY
Buffer left, in index points	15.0% of 15.0%
Days left in the period	64
Period ends	Dec 31, 2026
Cost and size
Measure	PJAN	SPY
Expense ratio	0.79%	0.09%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$1.4bn	$814.8bn
Holdings
Measure	PJAN	SPY
Holdings in common	not published
In the S&P 500, by weight		100%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund		38.1%

Method

Risk and return

Jan 11, 2019 to Oct 23, 2026 · 406 weekly returns

PJAN SPY

Return

Total return edge SPY +97.6% +229.0%

Annualized edge SPY +9.1% +16.5%

Price return edge SPY +97.6% +193.4%

Risk

Volatility edge PJAN 9.2% 18.0%

Max drawdown edge PJAN −18.8% −31.8%

Downside capture 53.2% 100.0%

Beta 0.49 1.00

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge SPY 0.69 0.78

Sortino edge SPY 0.99 1.14

Treynor 0.130 0.133

Calmar edge SPY (slight) 0.49 0.52

Against the benchmark

Alpha −0.5% a year −0.1% a year

Alpha t-stat −0.53 −0.51

Information ratio −0.80 −0.15

Tracking error 9.7% 0.4%

Each against its own benchmark: PJAN against SPY, Jan 11, 2019 to Oct 23, 2026; SPY against VOO, Sep 17, 2010 to Oct 23, 2026.

Reading

SPY returned more: +229.0% to +97.6%. PJAN swung less: 9.2% to 18.0%. PJAN fell less at its worst: −18.8% to −31.8%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: PJAN vs SPY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	PJAN	SPY	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+97.6%	+229.0%	SPY	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+9.1%	+16.5%	SPY	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	+97.6%	+193.4%	SPY	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	9.2%	18.0%	PJAN	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	6.4%	12.3%	PJAN	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−18.8%	−31.8%	PJAN	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	34.9%	99.8%		Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	53.2%	100.0%		Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	0.49	1.00	Not an edge	How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared	0.91	1.00	Not an edge	Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.69	0.78	SPY	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.99	1.14	SPY	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	0.130	0.133		Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	0.49	0.52	SPY (slight)	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	SPY	VOO		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	−0.5% a year	−0.1% a year	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	−0.53	−0.51	Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−2.5% to +1.4%	−0.3% to +0.1%	Includes zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	−0.80	−0.15		Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	9.7%	0.4%	Not an edge	How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 406 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Side by side

PJAN Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Jan SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

Where it sits Buffer ETF Stock ETF

Issuer Innovator State Street

What it is Defined outcome, 15% on SPY Tracks the S&P 500

Total return, 1 year +10.8% +13.6%

Its benchmark over the same days +12.4% (SPY) +13.7% (VOO)

Gap to its benchmark −1.6 pts vs SPY −0.1 pts vs VOO

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.09%

Holdings not read by ETFIQ 504

Net assets, PJAN as of Oct 28, 2026 and SPY as of Oct 27, 2026 $1.4bn $814.8bn

PJAN and SPY on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-8B5E8592A3

PJAN and SPY do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

What each follows. PJAN follows SPY and SPY follows S&P 500 Index.
One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 PJAN returned +10.8% and SPY +13.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.8 points.
Cost. PJAN charges 0.79% of assets a year and SPY 0.09%, a gap of 0.70 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

PJAN

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +12.3% for the period on Oct 28, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 2.4% as the period runs out.

The fund's price can fall 8.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 11.6% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 64 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

SPY

SPY tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.6% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 504 positions, with the top ten at 38.1%.

Questions people ask

Are PJAN and SPY in the same category?: PJAN is a buffer ETF and SPY 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, PJAN or SPY?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PJAN returned +10.8% and SPY +13.6%.
Which is cheaper, PJAN or SPY?: SPY is cheaper, by 0.70 percentage points a year. That is about $70 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

IVV vs PJAN PJAN vs VOO PJAN vs SPYM BALT vs SPY DDEC vs SPY BAPR vs SPY DMAY vs SPY BNOV vs SPY

Where to next

PJAN on its own →SPY on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →SPY dividend history →SPY holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

PJAN filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

Innovator page for PJAN ↗

SPY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

State Street website ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, PJAN against SPY, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pjan-vs-spy

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