Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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Buffer ETFs

BAPR vs DOCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Oct 28, 2026 BAPR can fall 11.4% before its buffer engages and DOCT 6.3%, and BAPR resets 198 days sooner.

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Net assets: $417m on Oct 28, 2026 for Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Apr, and $421m on Oct 27, 2026 for FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - October.

At a glance
11.4%
BAPR can fall this far before its buffer
6.3%
DOCT can fall this far before its buffer
5.0%
BAPR can still gain
12.7%
DOCT can still gain
BAPR At its cap
At its capBAPR: reference +18.7% since period start, fund +12.4%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +18.5%; At its cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.9 pts of buffer+18.5% gain captured−9.0% floor0% period start+18.5% capTODAY · SPY +18.7%At its capBAPR: reference +18.7% since period start, fund +12.4%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +18.5%; At its cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.+18.5%−9.0% floor0% start+18.5% cap9 pts of bufferTODAY · SPY +18.7%

BAPR: reference +18.7% since period start, fund +12.4%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +18.5%; At its cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

BAPR: reference +18.7% since period start, fund +12.4%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +18.5%; At its cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.
DOCT Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capDOCT: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.25 pts of buffer+13% more to the cap−30.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% period start+14.2% capfirst 5 pts are yours to lose+1.2% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +1.2%Between buffer and capDOCT: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.25 pts of buffer−30.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% start+14.2% capfirst 5 pts are yours to lose+1.2% gain captured+13% more to the capTODAY · SPY +1.2%

DOCT: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

DOCT: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

Pair scorecard

BAPR costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.1 points.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

BAPR vs DOCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureBAPRDOCT
Return
Total return, 1 year+16.2%+10.1%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer15.7%6.1%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.79%0.85%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026$417m$421m
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · DOCT scores higher If the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
IQ Buffer Score15.6BAPR72.1DOCT

How much of a bear-market fall the buffer would absorb from today's level, ranked against 292 buffer ETFs on stocks with a live outcome period. 100 is best. How it is computed

0.2, the lowest in this set 99.8, 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 →

Method

Window by window

Window by window: BAPR vs DOCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowBAPRDOCTBAPRDOCT
3 months+3.9%+4.3%−1.9 pts−1.5 pts
6 months+6.3%+6.8%−2.3 pts−1.7 pts
1 year+16.2%+10.1%+3.8 pts−2.3 pts
3 years+62.3%+44.1%−25.8 pts−44.0 pts
Since launchNot the same days: BAPR Apr 2019 · DOCT Aug 2020+117.8%+285.9%−52.4 pts+157.4 pts

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

Side by side

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 DOCT FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - October · Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 30.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 14.2%, over a period ending Oct 15, 2027
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 9% 5% to 30%
Outcome period Mar 31, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027 Oct 19, 2026 to Oct 15, 2027
Days left 154 352
Starting cap +18.5% +14.2%
Can still gain 5.0% 12.7%
Fall before buffer 11.4% 6.3%
Protection left, index points 9.0% of 9.0% 25.0% of 25.0%
Index return this period +18.7% +1.2%
Fund return this period +12.4% +0.5%
State today At cap Open
Expense ratio 0.79% 0.85%
Net assets, BAPR as of Oct 28, 2026 and DOCT as of Oct 27, 2026 $417m $421m

As of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

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

They do not reset together. BAPR has 154 days of its period left and DOCT has 352, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.

Where each one stands today

BAPR resets first, on Mar 31, 2027, 154 days from now; DOCT runs to Oct 15, 2027, 352 days. BAPR can still gain 5.0% before its cap, DOCT 12.7%. A fall from here reaches BAPR’s buffer after 11.4% and DOCT’s after 6.3%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-960B0B13CF

BAPR and DOCT are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

  1. Protection and cap. BAPR: Absorbs the first 9% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 18.5%, over a period ending Mar 31, 2027. DOCT: Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 30.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 14.2%, over a period ending Oct 15, 2027. The starting caps are 4.3 points apart.
  2. Outcome period. BAPR runs Mar 31, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027 with 154 days left; DOCT runs Oct 19, 2026 to Oct 15, 2027 with 352 days left.
  3. One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 BAPR returned +16.2% and DOCT +10.1% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 6.1 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund
BAPR

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +18.5% for the period on Oct 28, 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 11.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 15.7% 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. 154 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On Mar 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

DOCT

From its price on Oct 28, 2026, the fund can gain about 12.7% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 6.3% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 6.1% 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. 352 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On Oct 15, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, BAPR or DOCT?
From their prices on Oct 28, 2026, BAPR can gain about 5.0% before its cap and DOCT about 12.7%, so DOCT has more room left this period.
Which resets first, BAPR or DOCT?
BAPR ends its outcome period on Mar 31, 2027 and DOCT on Oct 15, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, BAPR or DOCT?
BAPR charges 0.79% a year and DOCT charges 0.85%, so BAPR is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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Sources and dates

Links are sources, not endorsements. 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 number 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 number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

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ETFIQ, BAPR against DOCT, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bapr-vs-doct

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