AIOO vs EALT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 9, 2026 EALT can fall 6.5% before its buffer engages and AIOO 0.5%. Net assets: $63m on Oct 8, 2026 for AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer100 Protection ETF - Jan, and $189m on Oct 9, 2026 for Innovator U.S. Equity 5 to 15 Buffer ETF - Quarterly.

AIOO costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.5 points; EALT is 3.0 times larger.

AIOOEALT
Expense ratio0.64%0.69%
Net assets, as of Oct 8, 2026$63m$188m
Total return, 1 year+3.9%+6.4%
What it tracksSPYSPY
Holdings in commonnot published
Index fall to the buffer2.0%6.9%
0.5%
AIOO can fall this far before its buffer
6.5%
EALT can fall this far before its buffer
uncapped
AIOO can still gain
5.3%
EALT can still gain
AIOONo cap
No capAIOO: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer Floor; no cap; No cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.full floor beneathfull floor0% period startno cap, 29.83% participation+2.1% gained, no capTODAY · SPY +2.1%No capAIOO: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer Floor; no cap; No cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.full floor beneathfull floor0% startno cap+2.1% gained, no capTODAY · SPY +2.1%

AIOO: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer Floor; no cap; No cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

EALTBetween buffer and cap
Between buffer and capEALT: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +1.6%; buffer −5 to −15; cap +7.0%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.10 pts of buffer−15.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% period start+7.0% capfirst 5 pts are yours to lose+2.1% gain captured+4.9% more to the capTODAY · SPY +2.1%Between buffer and capEALT: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +1.6%; buffer −5 to −15; cap +7.0%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.−15.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% start+7.0% cap10 pts of bufferfirst 5 pts are yours to lose+2.1% gain captured+4.9% more to the capTODAY · SPY +2.1%

EALT: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +1.6%; buffer −5 to −15; cap +7.0%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

EALT: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +1.6%; buffer −5 to −15; cap +7.0%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

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

AIOO has no cap. It takes 30% of whatever the index does, where EALT takes all of the rise up to 7.0% and nothing above it.

Where each one stands today

AIOO resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 83 days from now; EALT runs to Dec 31, 2026, 83 days. A fall from here reaches AIOO’s buffer after 0.5% and EALT’s after 6.5%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Performance, window by window

Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowAIOOEALTAIOOEALT
3 months+0.8%+2.6%−2.3 pts−0.5 pts
6 months+3.0%+7.1%−11.6 pts−7.5 pts
1 year+3.9%+6.4%−12.2 pts−9.6 pts
3 yearsnot published+43.0%not published−36.2 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

AIOO
AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer100 Protection ETF - Jan · Absorbs the whole loss on SPY and does not cap the gain, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026
EALT
Innovator U.S. Equity 5 to 15 Buffer ETF - Quarterly · Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 15.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 7.0%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 100% 5% to 15%
Outcome period Oct 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026 Sep 30, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026
Days left 83 83
Starting cap uncapped +7.0%
Can still gain uncapped 5.3%
Fall before buffer 0.5% 6.5%
Protection left, index points 100.0% of 100.0% 10.0% of 10.0%
Index return this period +2.1% +2.1%
Fund return this period +0.5% +1.6%
State today Uncapped Open
Expense ratio 0.64% 0.69%
Net assets, AIOO as of Oct 8, 2026 and EALT as of Oct 9, 2026 $63m $189m

As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

AIOO in plain words

This fund has no cap. It takes a share of any further rise in SPY. The fund's price can fall 0.5% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 2.0% 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. 83 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and new terms are set.

EALT in plain words

From its price on Oct 9, 2026, the fund can gain about 5.3% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 6.5% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 6.9% 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. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which resets first, AIOO or EALT?
AIOO ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and EALT on Dec 31, 2026. New terms are set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, AIOO or EALT?
AIOO charges 0.64% a year and EALT charges 0.69%, so AIOO is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where these figures came from

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, AIOO against EALT, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/aioo-vs-ealt

Open data

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