Which has more room to gain, APOC or DMAR?

From their prices on Oct 13, 2026, APOC can gain about 3.6% before its cap and DMAR about 3.3%, so APOC has more room left this period.

Which resets first, APOC or DMAR?

APOC ends its outcome period on Mar 31, 2027 and DMAR on Mar 19, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, APOC or DMAR?

APOC charges 0.79% a year and DMAR charges 0.85%, so APOC is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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APOC vs DMAR: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 13, 2026 DMAR can fall 13.4% before its buffer engages and APOC 0.6%, and DMAR resets 12 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 12, 2026: $78m for Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 6 Mo Apr/Oct and $466m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - March.

APOC costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 9.9 points; DMAR is 6.0 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

APOC vs DMAR: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
	APOC	DMAR
Expense ratio	0.79%	0.85%
Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026	$78m	$466m
Total return, 1 year	+3.4%	+13.3%
What it tracks	SPY	SPY
Holdings in common	not published
Index fall to the buffer	1.9%	20.7%

0.6%

APOC can fall this far before its buffer

13.4%

DMAR can fall this far before its buffer

3.6%

APOC can still gain

3.3%

DMAR can still gain

APOCFull floor

APOC: reference +1.9% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer Floor; cap +4.3%; Full floor. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

DMARAt its cap

DMAR: reference +19.8% since period start, fund +8.7%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +13.1%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

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

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

Where each one stands today

DMAR resets first, on Mar 19, 2027, 157 days from now; APOC runs to Mar 31, 2027, 169 days. APOC can still gain 3.6% before its cap, DMAR 3.3%. A fall from here reaches APOC’s buffer after 0.6% and DMAR’s after 13.4%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Performance, window by window

Performance, window by window: APOC vs DMAR: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
	Total return		Gap to the reference's price return
Window	APOC	DMAR	APOC	DMAR
3 months	+1.6%	+2.5%	−2.3 pts	−1.4 pts
6 months	+3.1%	+5.8%	−10.3 pts	−7.6 pts
1 year	+3.4%	+13.3%	−15.8 pts	−5.8 pts
3 years	not published	+42.1%	not published	−38.2 pts
Since launch Not the same days: APOC Oct 2024 · DMAR Mar 2021	+6.4%	+54.2%	−30.4 pts	−44.0 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

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

DMAR

FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - March · Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 30.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 13.1%, over a period ending Mar 19, 2027

Issuer Innovator First Trust

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 100% 5% to 30%

Outcome period Sep 30, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027 Mar 23, 2026 to Mar 19, 2027

Days left 169 157

Starting cap +4.3% +13.1%

Can still gain 3.6% 3.3%

Fall before buffer 0.6% 13.4%

Protection left, index points 100.0% of 100.0% 25.0% of 25.0%

Index return this period +1.9% +19.8%

Fund return this period +0.6% +8.7%

State today Open At cap

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.85%

Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026 $78m $466m

As of Oct 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About APOC

From its price on Oct 13, 2026, the fund can gain about 3.6% 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 1.9% 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. 169 days remained on Oct 13, 2026. On Mar 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

About DMAR

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +13.1% for the period on Oct 13, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 3.3% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 13.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 20.7% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 25.0% of the 25.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 157 days remained on Oct 13, 2026. On Mar 19, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, APOC or DMAR?: From their prices on Oct 13, 2026, APOC can gain about 3.6% before its cap and DMAR about 3.3%, so APOC has more room left this period.
Which resets first, APOC or DMAR?: APOC ends its outcome period on Mar 31, 2027 and DMAR on Mar 19, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, APOC or DMAR?: APOC charges 0.79% a year and DMAR charges 0.85%, so APOC is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

APOC vs GMAR APOC vs DSEP APOC vs BAPR APOC vs GSEP DMAR vs PBAP DMAR vs UAPR DMAR vs XMAR DMAR vs CPSP

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

Where these figures came from

APOC filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Innovator page for APOC ↗DMAR filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for DMAR ↗

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, APOC against DMAR, data as of Oct 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/apoc-vs-dmar

Open data

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