Which has more room to gain, AOCT or DDFO?

From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, AOCT can gain about 20.1% before its cap and DDFO about 9.9%, so AOCT has more room left this period.

Which resets first, AOCT or DDFO?

AOCT ends its outcome period on Sep 30, 2028 and DDFO on Sep 30, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, AOCT or DDFO?

AOCT and DDFO both charge 0.79% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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AOCT vs DDFO: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 9, 2026 AOCT can fall 1.0% before its buffer engages and DDFO 0.6%, and DDFO resets 366 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $56m for Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - Oct 2028 and $143m for Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - Oct.

Both cost 0.79% a year; their one-year returns differ by 2.2 points; DDFO is 2.6 times larger.

	AOCT	DDFO
Expense ratio	0.79%	0.79%
Net assets	$56m	$143m
Total return, 1 year	+6.5%	+8.7%
What it tracks	SPY	SPY
Holdings in common	not published
Index fall to the buffer	2.0%

1.0%

AOCT can fall this far before its buffer

0.6%

DDFO can fall this far before its buffer

20.1%

AOCT can still gain

9.9%

DDFO can still gain

AOCTFull floor

AOCT: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +1.0%; buffer Floor; cap +21.3%; Full floor. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

DDFOBetween buffer and cap

DDFO: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +10.7%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

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

They do not reset together. DDFO has 356 days of its period left and AOCT has 722, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.

Both are Innovator funds, so the difference between them is the terms rather than the house.

Where each one stands today

DDFO resets first, on Sep 30, 2027, 356 days from now; AOCT runs to Sep 30, 2028, 722 days. AOCT can still gain 20.1% before its cap, DDFO 9.9%. A fall from here reaches AOCT’s buffer after 1.0% and DDFO’s after 0.6%. 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	AOCT	DDFO	AOCT	DDFO
3 months	+2.1%	+2.4%	−1.0 pts	−0.8 pts
6 months	+4.5%	+6.0%	−10.1 pts	−8.6 pts
1 year	+6.5%	+8.7%	−9.5 pts	−7.3 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

AOCT

Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - Oct 2028 · Absorbs the whole loss on SPY and caps the gain at 21.3%, over a period ending Sep 30, 2028

DDFO

Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - Oct · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 10.7%, over a period ending Sep 30, 2027

Issuer Innovator Innovator

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 100% 15%

Outcome period Sep 30, 2026 to Sep 30, 2028 Sep 30, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027

Days left 722 356

Starting cap +21.3% +10.7%

Can still gain 20.1% 9.9%

Fall before buffer 1.0% 0.6%

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

Index return this period +2.1% +2.1%

Fund return this period +1.0% +0.6%

State today Open Open

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.79%

Net assets $56m $143m

As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

AOCT in plain words

From its price on Oct 9, 2026, the fund can gain about 20.1% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 1.0% 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. 722 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Sep 30, 2028 the period ends and a new cap is set.

DDFO in plain words

From its price on Oct 9, 2026, the fund can gain about 9.9% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 356 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Sep 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, AOCT or DDFO?: From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, AOCT can gain about 20.1% before its cap and DDFO about 9.9%, so AOCT has more room left this period.
Which resets first, AOCT or DDFO?: AOCT ends its outcome period on Sep 30, 2028 and DDFO on Sep 30, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, AOCT or DDFO?: AOCT and DDFO both charge 0.79% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

AOCT vs APOC AOCT vs BOCT AOCT vs CPSO AOCT vs POCT DDFO vs OCTT DDFO vs OCTU DDFO vs XBOC DDFO vs PBOC

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

Where these figures came from

Innovator page for AOCT ↗DDFO filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Innovator page for DDFO ↗

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, AOCT against DDFO, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/aoct-vs-ddfo

Open data

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