Are SPY and STEN in the same category?

SPY is a stock ETF and STEN is a buffer ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.

Which returned more over the last year, SPY or STEN?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPY returned +13.6% and STEN +12.6%.

Which is cheaper, SPY or STEN?

SPY is cheaper, by 0.41 percentage points a year. That is about $41 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

SPY vs STEN: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SPY returned +13.6% to STEN's +12.6%, and SPY charges 0.09% to STEN's 0.50%.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $814.8bn for SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust and $57m for iShares Large Cap 10% Target Buffer Sep ETF.

SPY on its own →STEN on its own →

At a glance

+13.6%

SPY total return, 1 year

+12.6%

STEN total return, 1 year

0.09%

SPY expense ratio

0.50%

STEN expense ratio

Pair scorecard

SPY costs 0.41 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.0 point; SPY is far larger, $814.8bn against $57m.

SPY vs STEN: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	SPY	STEN
Return
Measure	SPY	STEN
Total return, 1 year	+13.6%	+12.6%
Drawdown
Measure	SPY	STEN
Index fall to the buffer		1.5%
Fund price fall to the buffer		1.2%
Benchmark
Measure	SPY	STEN
What it tracks	S&P 500 Index	IVV
The outcome period
Measure	SPY	STEN
Room to the cap		17.9%
Buffer left, in index points		9.5% of 9.5%
Days left in the period		338
Period ends		Sep 30, 2027
Cost and size
Measure	SPY	STEN
Expense ratio	0.09%	0.50%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$814.8bn	$57m
Holdings
Measure	SPY	STEN
Holdings in common	not published
In the S&P 500, by weight	100%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	38.1%

Method

Side by side

SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust STEN iShares Large Cap 10% Target Buffer Sep ETF

Where it sits Stock ETF Buffer ETF

Issuer State Street iShares

What it is Tracks the S&P 500 Defined outcome, 0% to 10% on IVV

Total return, 1 year +13.6% +12.6%

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

Gap to its benchmark −0.1 pts vs VOO +0.2 pts vs IVV

Expense ratio 0.09% 0.50%

Holdings 504 not read by ETFIQ

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $814.8bn $57m

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

Alert

About each fund

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%.

STEN

From its price on Oct 27, 2026, the fund can gain about 17.9% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 1.2% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, IVV can fall 1.5% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 9.5% of the 9.5% buffer still sits below today's IVV level. 338 days remained on Oct 27, 2026. On Sep 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Are SPY and STEN in the same category?: SPY is a stock ETF and STEN is a buffer ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
Which returned more over the last year, SPY or STEN?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPY returned +13.6% and STEN +12.6%.
Which is cheaper, SPY or STEN?: SPY is cheaper, by 0.41 percentage points a year. That is about $41 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

SPY vs TEND SPY vs TENJ SPY vs TENM DMAX vs SPY STEN vs VOO SPYM vs STEN IVV vs STEN MMAX vs SPY

Where to next

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF →SPY on its own →STEN on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →SPY dividend history →SPY holdings →STEN dividend history →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

SPY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

State Street website ↗

STEN filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

iShares page for STEN ↗

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

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

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

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