Which has more room to gain, AAPR or XMAR?

From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, AAPR can gain about 10.9% before its cap and XMAR about 2.8%, so AAPR has more room left this period.

Which resets first, AAPR or XMAR?

AAPR ends its outcome period on Mar 31, 2028 and XMAR on Mar 19, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, AAPR or XMAR?

AAPR charges 0.79% a year and XMAR charges 0.85%, so AAPR is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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AAPR vs XMAR: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 9, 2026 XMAR can fall 8.5% before its buffer engages and AAPR 4.3%, and XMAR resets 378 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $71m for Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - Apr 2028 and $160m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - March.

AAPR costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.5 points; XMAR is 2.2 times larger.

	AAPR	XMAR
Expense ratio	0.79%	0.85%
Net assets	$71m	$160m
Total return, 1 year	+7.0%	+11.5%
What it tracks	SPY	SPY
Holdings in common	not published
Index fall to the buffer	16.5%	16.7%

4.3%

AAPR can fall this far before its buffer

8.5%

XMAR can fall this far before its buffer

10.9%

AAPR can still gain

2.8%

XMAR can still gain

AAPRAt its cap

AAPR: reference +19.7% since period start, fund +4.0%; buffer Floor; cap +15.7%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

XMARAt its cap

XMAR: reference +20.0% since period start, fund +8.3%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +12.2%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

These are two different products. AAPR is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. XMAR is a buffer fund, which absorbs the first part of a fall and leaves everything below it with the holder.

Both are already at their cap, so neither gains from more rise in the index before the period ends.

They do not reset together. XMAR has 161 days of its period left and AAPR has 539, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.

Where each one stands today

XMAR resets first, on Mar 19, 2027, 161 days from now; AAPR runs to Mar 31, 2028, 539 days. AAPR can still gain 10.9% before its cap, XMAR 2.8%. A fall from here reaches AAPR’s buffer after 4.3% and XMAR’s after 8.5%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Performance, window by window

	Total return		Gap to the reference's price return
Window	AAPR	XMAR	AAPR	XMAR
3 months	+1.2%	+2.2%	−1.9 pts	−0.9 pts
6 months	+2.8%	+5.9%	−11.8 pts	−8.7 pts
1 year	+7.0%	+11.5%	−9.0 pts	−4.5 pts
3 years	not published	+37.8%	not published	−41.4 pts

Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →

On the same fields

AAPR

Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - Apr 2028 · Absorbs the whole loss on SPY and caps the gain at 15.7%, over a period ending Mar 31, 2028

XMAR

FT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - March · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 12.2%, over a period ending Mar 19, 2027

Issuer Innovator First Trust

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 100% 15%

Outcome period Mar 31, 2026 to Mar 31, 2028 Mar 23, 2026 to Mar 19, 2027

Days left 539 161

Starting cap +15.7% +12.2%

Can still gain 10.9% 2.8%

Fall before buffer 4.3% 8.5%

Protection left, index points 100.0% of 100.0% 15.0% of 15.0%

Index return this period +19.7% +20.0%

Fund return this period +4.0% +8.3%

State today At cap At cap

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.85%

Net assets $71m $160m

As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

AAPR in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +15.7% for the period on Oct 9, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 10.9% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 4.3% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 16.5% 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. 539 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Mar 31, 2028 the period ends and a new cap is set.

XMAR in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +12.2% for the period on Oct 9, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 2.8% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 8.5% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 16.7% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 161 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Mar 19, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, AAPR or XMAR?: From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, AAPR can gain about 10.9% before its cap and XMAR about 2.8%, so AAPR has more room left this period.
Which resets first, AAPR or XMAR?: AAPR ends its outcome period on Mar 31, 2028 and XMAR on Mar 19, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, AAPR or XMAR?: AAPR charges 0.79% a year and XMAR charges 0.85%, so AAPR is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

AAPR vs XBAP AAPR vs BAPR AAPR vs GMAR AAPR vs DDFA XMAR vs ZAPR XMAR vs APOC XMAR vs ARLU XMAR vs APRT

SPY →All buffer ETFs ranked by the Downside Cover Score →How the scores are computed →AAPR on its own →XMAR on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

Innovator page for AAPR ↗XMAR filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for XMAR ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

ETFIQ calculates every figure from each issuer’s published outcome-period terms. Buffer ETFs hold options on an index, not shares, so there is no holdings overlap to report.

Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this page

ETFIQ, AAPR against XMAR, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/aapr-vs-xmar

Open data

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