Which returned more over the last year, SPYM or ZAUG?

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPYM returned +17.6% and ZAUG returned +5.7%, so SPYM returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, SPYM or ZAUG?

SPYM charges 1.30% a year and ZAUG charges 0.79%, so ZAUG is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Are SPYM and ZAUG the same kind of fund?

No. SPYM is an index ETF and ZAUG is a buffer ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

SPYM vs ZAUG: how they differ

Over the year SPYM returned more, +17.6% against +5.7%, and ZAUG charges 0.79% against 1.30%.

State Street(R) SPDR(R) Portfolio S&P 500(R) ETF and Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr August.

SPYM and ZAUG on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	SPYM State Street(R) SPDR(R) Portfolio S&P 500(R) ETF	ZAUG Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr August
Where it sits	Core index fund	Buffer ETF
Issuer	State Street	Innovator
What it is	S&P 500	Defined outcome, 100% on SPY
Total return, 1 year	+17.6%	+5.7%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	+0.1 pts	−11.8 pts
Expense ratio	1.30%	0.79%
Holdings	507	not filed

SPYM in plain words

SPYM is an index equity fund tracking the S&P 500. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 1.30% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 507 positions, with the top ten at 38.1%.

ZAUG in plain words

From its price on Sep 13, 2026, the fund can gain about 7.7% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.7% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 2.3% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 100.0% of the 100.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 323 days remained on Sep 13, 2026. On Jul 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, SPYM or ZAUG?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPYM returned +17.6% and ZAUG returned +5.7%, so SPYM returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, SPYM or ZAUG?: SPYM charges 1.30% a year and ZAUG charges 0.79%, so ZAUG is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Are SPYM and ZAUG the same kind of fund?: No. SPYM is an index ETF and ZAUG is a buffer ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Other comparisons

Where to next

Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

SPYM against ZAUG, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 13, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, SPYM against ZAUG, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spym-vs-zaug Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources