Are SEPP and VOO in the same category?

SEPP 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, SEPP or VOO?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SEPP returned +10.2% and VOO +13.7%.

Which is cheaper, SEPP or VOO?

VOO is cheaper, by 0.47 percentage points a year. That is about $47 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

SEPP vs VOO: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SEPP returned +10.2% to VOO's +13.7%, and VOO charges 0.03% to SEPP's 0.50%.

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Net assets: $92m on Oct 28, 2026 for PGIM S&P 500 Buffer 12 ETF - September, and $1.0tn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard S&P 500 ETF.

SEPP on its own →VOO on its own →

At a glance

+10.2%

SEPP total return, 1 year

+13.7%

VOO total return, 1 year

0.50%

SEPP expense ratio

0.03%

VOO expense ratio

Pair scorecard

VOO costs 0.47 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.5 points.

SEPP vs VOO: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	SEPP	VOO
Return
Measure	SEPP	VOO
Total return, 1 year	+10.2%	+13.7%
Drawdown
Measure	SEPP	VOO
Index fall to the buffer	0.7%
Fund price fall to the buffer	1.4%
Benchmark
Measure	SEPP	VOO
What it tracks	SPY	S&P 500 Index
The outcome period
Measure	SEPP	VOO
Room to the cap	14.3%
Buffer left, in index points	12.0% of 12.0%
Days left in the period	307
Period ends	Aug 31, 2027
Cost and size
Measure	SEPP	VOO
Expense ratio	0.50%	0.03%
Net assets, SEPP as of Oct 28, 2026 and VOO as of Sep 30, 2026	$92m	$1.0tn
Holdings
Measure	SEPP	VOO
Holdings in common	not published
In the S&P 500, by weight		100%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund		39.1%

Method

Risk and return

May 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026 · 126 weekly returns

SEPP VOO

Return

Total return edge VOO +31.6% +48.0%

Annualized edge VOO +12.0% +17.6%

Price return edge VOO +31.6% +43.5%

Risk

Volatility edge SEPP 8.7% 14.6%

Max drawdown edge SEPP −10.4% −16.7%

Downside capture 58.7% 99.9%

Beta 0.56 1.00

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge VOO (slight) 0.87 0.89

Sortino edge VOO (slight) 1.29 1.37

Treynor 0.134 0.134

Calmar edge SEPP (slight) 1.16 1.05

Against the benchmark

Alpha +0.2% a year 0.0% a year

Alpha t-stat 0.12 0.51

Information ratio −0.79 0.02

Tracking error 7.0% 0.4%

Each against its own benchmark: SEPP against SPY, May 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026; VOO against IVV, Sep 17, 2010 to Oct 23, 2026.

Reading

VOO returned more: +48.0% to +31.6%. SEPP swung less: 8.7% to 14.6%. SEPP fell less at its worst: −10.4% to −16.7%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: SEPP vs VOO: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	SEPP	VOO	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+31.6%	+48.0%	VOO	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+12.0%	+17.6%	VOO	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	+31.6%	+43.5%	VOO	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	8.7%	14.6%	SEPP	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	5.8%	9.5%	SEPP	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−10.4%	−16.7%	SEPP	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	46.2%	99.8%		Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	58.7%	99.9%		Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	0.56	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	0.87	0.89	VOO (slight)	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	1.29	1.37	VOO (slight)	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	0.134	0.134		Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	1.16	1.05	SEPP (slight)	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	SPY	IVV		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	+0.2% a year	0.0% a year	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	0.12	0.51	Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−3.2% to +3.6%	−0.1% to +0.2%	Includes zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	−0.79	0.02		Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	7.0%	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, 126 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Side by side

SEPP PGIM S&P 500 Buffer 12 ETF - September VOO Vanguard S&P 500 ETF

Where it sits Buffer ETF Stock ETF

Issuer PGIM Vanguard

What it is Defined outcome, 12% on SPY Tracks the S&P 500

Total return, 1 year +10.2% +13.7%

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

Gap to its benchmark −2.2 pts vs SPY 0.0 pts vs IVV

Expense ratio 0.50% 0.03%

Holdings not read by ETFIQ 507

Net assets, SEPP as of Oct 28, 2026 and VOO as of Sep 30, 2026 $92m $1.0tn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-D62C457621

SEPP and VOO do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

What each follows. SEPP follows SPY and VOO follows S&P 500 Index.
One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 SEPP returned +10.2% and VOO +13.7% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.5 points.
Cost. SEPP charges 0.50% of assets a year and VOO 0.03%, a gap of 0.47 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

SEPP

From its price on Oct 28, 2026, the fund can gain about 14.3% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 1.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 0.7% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 12.0% of the 12.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 307 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On Aug 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 SEPP and VOO in the same category?: SEPP 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, SEPP or VOO?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SEPP returned +10.2% and VOO +13.7%.
Which is cheaper, SEPP or VOO?: VOO is cheaper, by 0.47 percentage points a year. That is about $47 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

SEPP vs SPY SEPP vs SPYM IVV vs SEPP DDFG vs VOO DDTL vs VOO VOO vs XBJA DDFD vs VOO UMAY vs VOO

Where to next

SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust →SEPP on its own →VOO on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →VOO dividend history →VOO holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

SEPP filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

PGIM website ↗

VOO filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

VOO prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Vanguard page for VOO ↗

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

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, SEPP against VOO, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/sepp-vs-voo

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