Which has more room to gain, AOCT or PMOC?

From their prices on Oct 2, 2026, AOCT can gain about 20.8% before its cap and PMOC about 7.8%, so AOCT has more room left this period.

Which resets first, AOCT or PMOC?

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

Which is cheaper, AOCT or PMOC?

AOCT charges 0.79% a year and PMOC charges 0.50%, so PMOC is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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AOCT vs PMOC: which one stands where?

As of Oct 2, 2026 PMOC can fall 0.8% before its buffer engages and AOCT 0.5%, and PMOC resets 366 days sooner. Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - Oct 2028 and PGIM S&P 500 Max Buffer ETF - October.

PMOC costs 0.29 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.3 points; AOCT is 9.9 times larger.

	AOCT	PMOC
Expense ratio	0.79%	0.50%
Net assets	$47m	$5m
Total return, 1 year	+5.9%	+6.2%
What it tracks	SPY	SPY
Holdings in common	not published

0.5%

AOCT can fall this far before its buffer

0.8%

PMOC can fall this far before its buffer

20.8%

AOCT can still gain

7.8%

PMOC can still gain

AOCTFull floor

AOCT: reference +0.9% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer Floor; cap +21.3%; Full floor.

PMOCFull floor

PMOC: reference +0.9% since period start, fund +0.3%; buffer Floor; cap +8.7%; Full floor.

They do not reset together. PMOC has 363 days of its period left and AOCT has 729, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.

Where each one stands today

PMOC resets first, on Sep 30, 2027, 363 days from now; AOCT runs to Sep 30, 2028, 729 days. AOCT can still gain 20.8% before its cap, PMOC 7.8%. A fall from here reaches AOCT’s buffer after 0.5% and PMOC’s after 0.8%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Every figure is ETFIQ’s own, from the issuer’s published outcome-period terms. A buffer ETF holds FLEX options on its reference index rather than shares, so there is no holdings overlap between two of them to report.

Performance, window by window

	Total return		Gap to the reference
Window	AOCT	PMOC	AOCT	PMOC
3 months	+1.7%	+2.1%	−1.9 pts	−1.5 pts
6 months	+4.9%	+5.2%	−13.0 pts	−12.7 pts
1 year	+5.9%	+6.2%	−10.3 pts	−10.0 pts

AOCT and PMOC over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. 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

PMOC

PGIM S&P 500 Max Buffer ETF - October · Absorbs the whole loss on SPY and caps the gain at 8.7%, over a period ending Sep 30, 2027

Issuer Innovator PGIM

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 100% 100%

Outcome period Sep 30, 2026 to Sep 30, 2028 Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027

Days left 729 363

Starting cap +21.3% +8.7%

Can still gain 20.8% 7.8%

Fall before buffer 0.5% 0.8%

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

Index return this period +0.9% +0.9%

Fund return this period +0.5% +0.3%

State today Open Open

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.50%

Net assets $47m $5m

AOCT and PMOC on the same fields, as of Oct 2, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

AOCT in plain words

From its price on Oct 2, 2026, the fund can gain about 20.8% more before it reaches its cap. 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 0.9% 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. 729 days remained on Oct 2, 2026. On Sep 30, 2028 the period ends and a new cap is set.

PMOC in plain words

From its price on Oct 2, 2026, the fund can gain about 7.8% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.8% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. 363 days remained on Oct 2, 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 PMOC?: From their prices on Oct 2, 2026, AOCT can gain about 20.8% before its cap and PMOC about 7.8%, so AOCT has more room left this period.
Which resets first, AOCT or PMOC?: AOCT ends its outcome period on Sep 30, 2028 and PMOC on Sep 30, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, AOCT or PMOC?: AOCT charges 0.79% a year and PMOC charges 0.50%, so PMOC is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

AOCT vs DDTO AOCT vs DSEP AOCT vs EALT AOCT vs FLAO PMOC vs APOC PMOC vs BALT PMOC vs BOCT PMOC vs CPSO

SPY →AOCT on its own →PMOC on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

Innovator page for AOCT ↗PMOC filings on SEC EDGAR ↗PGIM website ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page

ETFIQ, AOCT against PMOC, data as of Oct 2, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/aoct-vs-pmoc

Open data

Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.