Which has more room to gain, BAPR or DDFA?

From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, BAPR can gain about 5.0% before its cap and DDFA about 3.5%, so BAPR has more room left this period.

Which resets first, BAPR or DDFA?

BAPR 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, BAPR or DDFA?

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

Share on X Download as PDF Open live Compare their flows Ask IQ about these two funds

BAPR vs DDFA: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 9, 2026 BAPR can fall 11.5% before its buffer engages and DDFA 8.8%. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $417m for Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Apr and $57m for Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - Apr.

Both cost 0.79% a year; BAPR is 7.3 times larger.

	BAPR	DDFA
Expense ratio	0.79%	0.79%
Net assets	$417m	$57m
Total return, 1 year	+17.3%	not published
What it tracks	SPY	SPY
Holdings in common	not published
Index fall to the buffer	16.5%

11.5%

BAPR can fall this far before its buffer

8.8%

DDFA can fall this far before its buffer

5.0%

BAPR can still gain

3.5%

DDFA can still gain

BAPRAt its cap

BAPR: reference +19.7% since period start, fund +12.4%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +18.5%; At its cap. 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. DDFA is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. BAPR is a buffer fund, which absorbs the first part of a fall and leaves everything below it with the holder.

Both are already at their cap, so neither gains from more rise in the index 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

BAPR resets first, on Mar 31, 2027, 173 days from now; DDFA runs to Mar 31, 2027, 173 days. BAPR can still gain 5.0% before its cap, DDFA 3.5%. A fall from here reaches BAPR’s buffer after 11.5% 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	BAPR	DDFA	BAPR	DDFA
3 months	+2.9%	+2.2%	−0.3 pts	−0.9 pts
6 months	+9.0%	+5.8%	−5.6 pts	−8.8 pts
1 year	+17.3%	not published	+1.3 pts	not published
3 years	+55.5%	not published	−23.7 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

BAPR

Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Apr · Absorbs the first 9% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 18.5%, 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 9% 15%

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

Days left 173 173

Starting cap +18.5% +13.4%

Can still gain 5.0% 3.5%

Fall before buffer 11.5% 8.8%

Protection left, index points 9.0% of 9.0% 15.0% of 15.0%

Index return this period +19.7% +19.7%

Fund return this period +12.4% +9.1%

State today At cap At cap

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.79%

Net assets $417m $57m

As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

BAPR in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +18.5% 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 5.0% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 11.5% 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: 9.0% of the 9.0% 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. 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, BAPR or DDFA?: From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, BAPR can gain about 5.0% before its cap and DDFA about 3.5%, so BAPR has more room left this period.
Which resets first, BAPR or DDFA?: BAPR 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, BAPR or DDFA?: BAPR and DDFA both charge 0.79% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

BAPR vs CPSP BAPR vs FOCT BAPR vs PSEP BAPR vs PJUL DDFA vs PAPR DDFA vs GMAR DDFA vs DMAR DDFA vs UAPR

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

Where these figures came from

BAPR and DDFA filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Innovator page for BAPR ↗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, BAPR against DDFA, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bapr-vs-ddfa

Open data

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