Which has more room to gain, AOCT or XBOC?

From their prices on Oct 13, 2026, AOCT can gain about 20.1% before its cap and XBOC about 12.3%, so AOCT has more room left this period.

Which resets first, AOCT or XBOC?

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

Which is cheaper, AOCT or XBOC?

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

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AOCT vs XBOC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 13, 2026 XBOC can fall 1.2% before its buffer engages and AOCT 1.0%, and XBOC resets 366 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 13, 2026: $61m for Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - Oct 2028 and $60m for Innovator U.S. Equity Accelerated 9 Buffer ETF - Oct.

Both cost 0.79% a year; their one-year returns differ by 5.8 points.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

AOCT vs XBOC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
	AOCT	XBOC
Expense ratio	0.79%	0.79%
Net assets	$61m	$60m
Total return, 1 year	+6.7%	+12.5%
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

1.2%

XBOC can fall this far before its buffer

20.1%

AOCT can still gain

12.3%

XBOC can still gain

AOCTFull floor

AOCT: reference +2.0% since period start, fund +1.0%; buffer Floor; cap +21.3%; Full floor. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

XBOCBetween buffer and cap

XBOC: reference +2.0% since period start, fund +1.2%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +13.7%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

These are two different products. AOCT is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. XBOC 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. XBOC has 352 days of its period left and AOCT has 718, 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

XBOC resets first, on Sep 30, 2027, 352 days from now; AOCT runs to Sep 30, 2028, 718 days. AOCT can still gain 20.1% before its cap, XBOC 12.3%. A fall from here reaches AOCT’s buffer after 1.0% and XBOC’s after 1.2%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Performance, window by window

Performance, window by window: AOCT vs XBOC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
	Total return		Gap to the reference's price return
Window	AOCT	XBOC	AOCT	XBOC
3 months	+2.0%	+3.0%	−1.5 pts	−0.4 pts
6 months	+4.2%	+7.4%	−7.8 pts	−4.6 pts
1 year	+6.7%	+12.5%	−10.7 pts	−4.8 pts
3 years	not published	+40.0%	not published	−40.3 pts
Since launch Not the same days: AOCT Oct 2024 · XBOC Oct 2021	+12.6%	+52.0%	−24.2 pts	−27.1 pts

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

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

XBOC

Innovator U.S. Equity Accelerated 9 Buffer ETF - Oct · Absorbs the first 9% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 13.7%, over a period ending Sep 30, 2027

Issuer Innovator Innovator

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 100% 9%

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

Days left 718 352

Starting cap +21.3% +13.7%

Can still gain 20.1% 12.3%

Fall before buffer 1.0% 1.2%

Protection left, index points 100.0% of 100.0% 9.0% of 9.0%

Index return this period +2.0% +2.0%

Fund return this period +1.0% +1.2%

State today Open Open

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.79%

Net assets $61m $60m

As of Oct 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About AOCT

From its price on Oct 13, 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. 718 days remained on Oct 13, 2026. On Sep 30, 2028 the period ends and a new cap is set.

About XBOC

From its price on Oct 13, 2026, the fund can gain about 12.3% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 1.2% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. Protection left, in index points: 9.0% of the 9.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 352 days remained on Oct 13, 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 XBOC?: From their prices on Oct 13, 2026, AOCT can gain about 20.1% before its cap and XBOC about 12.3%, so AOCT has more room left this period.
Which resets first, AOCT or XBOC?: AOCT ends its outcome period on Sep 30, 2028 and XBOC on Sep 30, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, AOCT or XBOC?: AOCT and XBOC both charge 0.79% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

AOCT vs OCTU AOCT vs OCTT AOCT vs PBOC AOCT vs QBSF XBOC vs CPST XBOC vs XSEP XBOC vs SIXO XBOC vs ZOCT

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

Where these figures came from

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

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 pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, AOCT against XBOC, data as of Oct 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/aoct-vs-xboc

Open data

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