Which has more room to gain, APOC or DDFA?

From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, APOC can gain about 3.7% before its cap and DDFA about 3.5%, so APOC has more room left this period.

Which resets first, APOC or DDFA?

APOC ends its outcome period on Mar 31, 2027 and DDFA on Mar 31, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, APOC or DDFA?

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

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APOC vs DDFA: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 9, 2026 DDFA can fall 8.8% before its buffer engages and APOC 0.6%. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $78m for Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 6 Mo Apr/Oct and $57m for Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - Apr.

Both cost 0.79% a year; APOC is 1.3 times larger.

	APOC	DDFA
Expense ratio	0.79%	0.79%
Net assets	$78m	$57m
Total return, 1 year	+3.0%	not published
What it tracks	SPY	SPY
Holdings in common	not published
Index fall to the buffer	2.0%	16.5%

0.6%

APOC can fall this far before its buffer

8.8%

DDFA can fall this far before its buffer

3.7%

APOC can still gain

3.5%

DDFA can still gain

APOCFull floor

APOC: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer Floor; cap +4.3%; Full floor. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

DDFAAt its cap

DDFA: reference +19.7% since period start, fund +9.1%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +13.4%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

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

DDFA is already at its cap, so more rise in the index adds nothing to it before the period ends.

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

Where each one stands today

APOC resets first, on Mar 31, 2027, 173 days from now; DDFA runs to Mar 31, 2027, 173 days. APOC can still gain 3.7% before its cap, DDFA 3.5%. A fall from here reaches APOC’s buffer after 0.6% and DDFA’s after 8.8%. 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	APOC	DDFA	APOC	DDFA
3 months	+1.5%	+2.2%	−1.6 pts	−0.9 pts
6 months	+3.0%	+5.8%	−11.6 pts	−8.8 pts
1 year	+3.0%	not published	−13.0 pts	not published

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

APOC

Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 6 Mo Apr/Oct · Absorbs the whole loss on SPY and caps the gain at 4.3%, over a period ending Mar 31, 2027

DDFA

Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - Apr · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 13.4%, over a period ending Mar 31, 2027

Issuer Innovator Innovator

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 100% 15%

Outcome period Sep 30, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027 Mar 31, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027

Days left 173 173

Starting cap +4.3% +13.4%

Can still gain 3.7% 3.5%

Fall before buffer 0.6% 8.8%

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

Index return this period +2.1% +19.7%

Fund return this period +0.6% +9.1%

State today Open At cap

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.79%

Net assets $78m $57m

As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

APOC in plain words

From its price on Oct 9, 2026, the fund can gain about 3.7% 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. 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. 173 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Mar 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

DDFA in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +13.4% 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 3.5% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 8.8% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 16.5% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, APOC or DDFA?: From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, APOC can gain about 3.7% before its cap and DDFA about 3.5%, so APOC has more room left this period.
Which resets first, APOC or DDFA?: APOC ends its outcome period on Mar 31, 2027 and DDFA on Mar 31, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, APOC or DDFA?: APOC and DDFA both charge 0.79% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

APOC vs SIXO APOC vs CPSP APOC vs BAPR APOC vs PMOC DDFA vs FLAO DDFA vs MARM DDFA vs SIXO DDFA vs XBAP

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

Where these figures came from

APOC and DDFA filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Innovator page for APOC ↗Innovator page for DDFA ↗

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, APOC against DDFA, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/apoc-vs-ddfa

Open data

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