Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VOO vs ZALT: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VOO returned +13.7% to ZALT's +7.9%, and VOO charges 0.03% to ZALT's 0.69%.
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Net assets: $1.0tn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, and $839m on Oct 28, 2026 for Innovator U.S. Equity 10 Buffer ETF - Quarterly.
Pair scorecard
VOO costs 0.66 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.8 points.
| Measure | VOO | ZALT |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.7% | +7.9% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Index fall to the buffer | 1.2% | |
| Fund price fall to the buffer | 0.9% | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P 500 Index | SPY |
| The outcome period | ||
| Room to the cap | 2.6% | |
| Buffer left, in index points | 10.0% of 10.0% | |
| Days left in the period | 64 | |
| Period ends | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.69% |
| Net assets, VOO as of Sep 30, 2026 and ZALT as of Oct 28, 2026 | $1.0tn | $839m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 100% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 39.1% | |
Side by side
VOO and ZALT on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
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%.
ZALT
From its price on Oct 28, 2026, the fund can gain about 2.6% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 1.2% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 10.0% of the 10.0% 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.
Questions people ask
- Are VOO and ZALT in the same category?
- VOO is a stock ETF and ZALT 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, VOO or ZALT?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VOO returned +13.7% and ZALT +7.9%.
- Which is cheaper, VOO or ZALT?
- VOO is cheaper, by 0.66 percentage points a year. That is about $66 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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ETFIQ, VOO against ZALT, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/voo-vs-zalt
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VOO against ZALT. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/voo-vs-zalt
[VOO against ZALT (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/voo-vs-zalt)
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