ARLU vs UAPR: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 9, 2026 ARLU can fall 13.6% before its buffer engages and UAPR 12.8%. Net assets: $56m on Oct 8, 2026 for AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Apr, and $160m on Oct 9, 2026 for Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - Apr.

ARLU costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.0 points; UAPR is 2.9 times larger.

ARLUUAPR
Expense ratio0.74%0.79%
Net assets, as of Oct 8, 2026$56m$160m
Total return, 1 year+10.0%+12.0%
What it tracksSPYSPY
Holdings in commonnot published
Index fall to the buffer16.5%20.6%
13.6%
ARLU can fall this far before its buffer
12.8%
UAPR can fall this far before its buffer
uncapped
ARLU can still gain
3.9%
UAPR can still gain
ARLUNo cap
No capARLU: reference +19.7% since period start, fund +14.7%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.15 pts of buffer+19.7% gained, no cap−15.0% floor0% period startno capTODAY · SPY +19.7%No capARLU: reference +19.7% since period start, fund +14.7%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.15 pts−15.0% floor0% startno cap+19.7% gained, no capTODAY · SPY +19.7%

ARLU: reference +19.7% since period start, fund +14.7%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

ARLU: reference +19.7% since period start, fund +14.7%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

UAPRAt its cap
At its capUAPR: reference +19.7% since period start, fund +8.4%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +13.0%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.30 pts of buffer+13% gain captured−35.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% period start+13.0% capfirst 5 pts are yours to loseTODAY · SPY +19.7%At its capUAPR: reference +19.7% since period start, fund +8.4%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +13.0%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.30 pts+13%−35.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% start+13.0% capfirst 5 pts are yours to loseTODAY · SPY +19.7%

UAPR: reference +19.7% since period start, fund +8.4%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +13.0%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

UAPR: reference +19.7% since period start, fund +8.4%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +13.0%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · UAPR scores higherIf the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
0.2, the lowest in this set99.8, the highest

A percentile among the 292 buffer ETFs on stocks with a live outcome period. Today's position against one 20% fall; it ignores smaller falls, and stock buffers are never ranked against bond or commodity ones. All buffer ETFs ranked by it → How it is computed →

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

Where each one stands today

ARLU resets first, on Mar 31, 2027, 173 days from now; UAPR runs to Mar 31, 2027, 173 days. A fall from here reaches ARLU’s buffer after 13.6% and UAPR’s after 12.8%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Performance, window by window

Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowARLUUAPRARLUUAPR
3 months+2.3%+2.4%−0.9 pts−0.8 pts
6 months+11.4%+6.2%−3.1 pts−8.4 pts
1 year+10.0%+12.0%−6.0 pts−4.0 pts
3 yearsnot published+38.8%not published−40.4 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

ARLU
AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Apr · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and does not cap the gain, over a period ending Mar 31, 2027
UAPR
Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - Apr · Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 35.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 13.0%, over a period ending Mar 31, 2027
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 15% 5% to 35%
Outcome period Apr 1, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027 Mar 31, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027
Days left 173 173
Starting cap uncapped +13.0%
Can still gain uncapped 3.9%
Fall before buffer 13.6% 12.8%
Protection left, index points 15.0% of 15.0% 30.0% of 30.0%
Index return this period +19.7% +19.7%
Fund return this period +14.7% +8.4%
State today Uncapped At cap
Expense ratio 0.74% 0.79%
Net assets, ARLU as of Oct 8, 2026 and UAPR as of Oct 9, 2026 $56m $160m

As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

ARLU in plain words

This fund has no cap. It takes a share of any further rise in SPY. The fund's price can fall 13.6% 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. 173 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Mar 31, 2027 the period ends and new terms are set.

UAPR in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +13.0% 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 3.9% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 12.8% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 20.6% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 30.0% of the 30.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. On Mar 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which resets first, ARLU or UAPR?
ARLU ends its outcome period on Mar 31, 2027 and UAPR on Mar 31, 2027. New terms are set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, ARLU or UAPR?
ARLU charges 0.74% a year and UAPR charges 0.79%, so ARLU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

It is a place in a set, not a rating or a recommendation.

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, ARLU against UAPR, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/arlu-vs-uapr

Open data

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