AJAN vs JANP: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Oct 9, 2026 JANP can fall 9.7% before its buffer engages and AJAN 3.9%, and JANP resets 365 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $42m for Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - Jan 2028 and $53m for PGIM S&P 500 Buffer 12 ETF - January.
JANP costs 0.29 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 9.1 points; JANP is 1.2 times larger.
| AJAN | JANP | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.79% | 0.50% |
| Net assets | $42m | $53m |
| Total return, 1 year | +4.4% | +13.5% |
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| Index fall to the buffer | 12.4% | |
AJAN: reference +14.2% since period start, fund +3.4%; buffer Floor; cap +13.3%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
JANP: reference +14.2% since period start, fund +10.2%; buffer 0 to −12; cap +13.9%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
JANP: reference +14.2% since period start, fund +10.2%; buffer 0 to −12; cap +13.9%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
These are two different products. AJAN is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. JANP 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. JANP has 83 days of its period left and AJAN has 448, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.
Where each one stands today
JANP resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 83 days from now; AJAN runs to Dec 31, 2027, 448 days. AJAN can still gain 9.0% before its cap, JANP 2.9%. A fall from here reaches AJAN’s buffer after 3.9% and JANP’s after 9.7%. 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 | AJAN | JANP | AJAN | JANP |
| 3 months | +1.1% | +3.2% | −2.1 pts | 0.0 pts |
| 6 months | +3.0% | +9.7% | −11.6 pts | −4.9 pts |
| 1 year | +4.4% | +13.5% | −11.6 pts | −2.5 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
As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
AJAN in plain words
SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +13.3% 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 9.0% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 3.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 12.4% 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. 448 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Dec 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
JANP in plain words
SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +13.9% 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 2.9% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 9.7% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. Protection left, in index points: 12.0% of the 12.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 83 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.
Questions people ask
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.
ETFIQ, AJAN against JANP, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ajan-vs-janp
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). AJAN against JANP. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ajan-vs-janp
[AJAN against JANP (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ajan-vs-janp)
Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.