Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

vsCompare their flowsaskIQ about these two fundsAsk the committee about these two funds
Across categories

SPYM vs XBAP: Differences, Returns & Fees

Share
Share on XDownload as PDF

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, SPYM returned +14.8% to XBAP's +13.9%, and SPYM charges 0.02% to XBAP's 0.79%.

askIQ about this page

askIQ about SPYM and XBAP

Net assets: $181.7bn on Nov 3, 2026 for State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF, and $129m on Nov 4, 2026 for Innovator U.S. Equity Accelerated 9 Buffer ETF - Apr.

At a glance
+14.8%
SPYM total return, 1 year
+13.9%
XBAP total return, 1 year
0.02%
SPYM expense ratio
0.79%
XBAP expense ratio

Pair scorecard

SPYM costs 0.77 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.9 points; SPYM is far larger, $181.7bn against $128m.

SPYM vs XBAP: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureSPYMXBAP
Return
Total return, 1 year+14.8%+13.9%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer15.2%
Fund price fall to the buffer10.0%
Benchmark
What it tracksS&P 500 IndexSPY
The outcome period
Buffer left, in index points9.0% of 9.0%
Days left in the period147
Period endsMar 31, 2027
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.02%0.79%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$181.7bn$128m
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
In the S&P 500, by weight100%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund37.3%

Method

Side by side

SPYM State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF XBAP Innovator U.S. Equity Accelerated 9 Buffer ETF - Apr
Where it sits Stock ETF Buffer ETF
What it is Tracks the S&P 500 Defined outcome, 9% on SPY
Total return, 1 year +14.8% +13.9%
Its benchmark over the same days +14.8% (IVV) +13.6% (SPY)
Gap to its benchmark 0.0 pts vs IVV +0.3 pts vs SPY
Expense ratio 0.02% 0.79%
Holdings 506 not read by ETFIQ
Net assets, SPYM as of Nov 3, 2026 and XBAP as of Nov 4, 2026 $181.7bn $129m
Former ticker SPLG none

SPYM and XBAP on the fields both publish, as of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Alert

SPYM and XBAP flows, by email on Sundays.

One-click unsubscribe. See Privacy.

About each fund
SPYM

SPYM tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Nov 4, 2026 it returned +14.8% with distributions reinvested, against +14.8% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.02% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Nov 3, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 506 positions, with the top ten at 37.3%.

XBAP

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +15.0% for the period on Nov 4, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 3.6% as the period runs out.

The fund's price can fall 10.0% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 15.2% 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. 147 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Mar 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Are SPYM and XBAP in the same category?
SPYM is a stock ETF and XBAP 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, SPYM or XBAP?
In the year to Nov 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPYM returned +14.8% and XBAP +13.9%.
Which is cheaper, SPYM or XBAP?
SPYM is cheaper, by 0.77 percentage points a year. That is about $77 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, SPYM against XBAP, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spym-vs-xbap

Open data →

Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.