Which has more room to gain, AUGM or GAUG?

From their prices on Oct 13, 2026, AUGM can gain about 6.4% before its cap and GAUG about 11.5%, so GAUG has more room left this period.

Which resets first, AUGM or GAUG?

AUGM ends its outcome period on Aug 20, 2027 and GAUG on Aug 20, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, AUGM or GAUG?

AUGM and GAUG both charge 0.85% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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AUGM vs GAUG: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 13, 2026 GAUG can fall 2.0% before its buffer engages and AUGM 1.6%. Net assets on Oct 12, 2026: $66m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Max Buffer ETF - August and $423m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - August.

Both cost 0.85% a year; their one-year returns differ by 5.3 points; GAUG is 6.4 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

AUGM vs GAUG: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
	AUGM	GAUG
Expense ratio	0.85%	0.85%
Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026	$66m	$423m
Total return, 1 year	+6.1%	+11.4%
What it tracks	SPY	SPY
Holdings in common	not published
Index fall to the buffer	1.5%

1.6%

AUGM can fall this far before its buffer

2.0%

GAUG can fall this far before its buffer

6.4%

AUGM can still gain

11.5%

GAUG can still gain

AUGMFull floor

AUGM: reference +1.5% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer Floor; cap +8.0%; Full floor. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

GAUGBetween buffer and cap

GAUG: reference +1.5% since period start, fund +1.2%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +13.8%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

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

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

Where each one stands today

AUGM resets first, on Aug 20, 2027, 311 days from now; GAUG runs to Aug 20, 2027, 311 days. AUGM can still gain 6.4% before its cap, GAUG 11.5%. A fall from here reaches AUGM’s buffer after 1.6% and GAUG’s after 2.0%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Performance, window by window

Performance, window by window: AUGM vs GAUG: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
	Total return		Gap to the reference's price return
Window	AUGM	GAUG	AUGM	GAUG
3 months	+1.3%	+2.4%	−2.6 pts	−1.4 pts
6 months	+3.6%	+6.8%	−9.8 pts	−6.6 pts
1 year	+6.1%	+11.4%	−13.1 pts	−7.7 pts
3 years	not published	+43.4%	not published	−36.9 pts
Since launch Not the same days: AUGM Aug 2024 · GAUG Aug 2023	+14.2%	+42.8%	−24.9 pts	−34.4 pts

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

On the same fields

AUGM

FT Vest U.S. Equity Max Buffer ETF - August · Absorbs the whole loss on SPY and caps the gain at 8.0%, over a period ending Aug 20, 2027

GAUG

FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - August · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 13.8%, over a period ending Aug 20, 2027

Issuer First Trust First Trust

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 100% 15%

Outcome period Aug 24, 2026 to Aug 20, 2027 Aug 24, 2026 to Aug 20, 2027

Days left 311 311

Starting cap +8.0% +13.8%

Can still gain 6.4% 11.5%

Fall before buffer 1.6% 2.0%

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

Index return this period +1.5% +1.5%

Fund return this period +0.7% +1.2%

State today Open Open

Expense ratio 0.85% 0.85%

Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026 $66m $423m

As of Oct 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About AUGM

From its price on Oct 13, 2026, the fund can gain about 6.4% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 1.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 1.5% 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. 311 days remained on Oct 13, 2026. On Aug 20, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

About GAUG

From its price on Oct 13, 2026, the fund can gain about 11.5% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 2.0% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. 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, AUGM or GAUG?: From their prices on Oct 13, 2026, AUGM can gain about 6.4% before its cap and GAUG about 11.5%, so GAUG has more room left this period.
Which resets first, AUGM or GAUG?: AUGM ends its outcome period on Aug 20, 2027 and GAUG on Aug 20, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, AUGM or GAUG?: AUGM and GAUG both charge 0.85% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

AUGM vs FAUG AUGM vs DAUG AUGM vs BSEP AUGM vs USEP GAUG vs CPSA GAUG vs PBSE GAUG vs CPST GAUG vs SEPT

State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust →All buffer ETFs ranked by the Downside Cover Score →How the scores are computed →AUGM on its own →GAUG on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

AUGM and GAUG filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for AUGM ↗First Trust page for GAUG ↗

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, AUGM against GAUG, data as of Oct 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/augm-vs-gaug

Open data

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