BAPR vs PAPR: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 9, 2026 BAPR can fall 11.5% before its buffer engages and PAPR 8.9%. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $417m for Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Apr and $964m for Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Apr.

Both cost 0.79% a year; their one-year returns differ by 4.3 points; PAPR is 2.3 times larger.

BAPRPAPR
Expense ratio0.79%0.79%
Net assets$417m$964m
Total return, 1 year+17.3%+13.0%
What it tracksSPYSPY
Holdings in commonnot published
Index fall to the buffer16.5%
11.5%
BAPR can fall this far before its buffer
8.9%
PAPR can fall this far before its buffer
5.0%
BAPR can still gain
3.9%
PAPR can still gain
BAPRAt its cap
At its capBAPR: reference +19.7% since period start, fund +12.4%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +18.5%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.9 pts of buffer+18.5% gain captured−9.0% floor0% period start+18.5% capTODAY · SPY +19.7%At its capBAPR: reference +19.7% since period start, fund +12.4%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +18.5%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.9 pts+18.5% gained−9.0% floor0% start+18.5% capTODAY · SPY +19.7%

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.

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.

PAPRAt its cap
At its capPAPR: reference +19.7% since period start, fund +9.2%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +14.0%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.15 pts of buffer+14% gain captured−15.0% floor0% period start+14.0% capTODAY · SPY +19.7%At its capPAPR: reference +19.7% since period start, fund +9.2%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +14.0%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.15 pts+14% gained−15.0% floor0% start+14.0% capTODAY · SPY +19.7%

PAPR: reference +19.7% since period start, fund +9.2%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +14.0%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

PAPR: reference +19.7% since period start, fund +9.2%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +14.0%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · PAPR 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 →

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; PAPR runs to Mar 31, 2027, 173 days. BAPR can still gain 5.0% before its cap, PAPR 3.9%. A fall from here reaches BAPR’s buffer after 11.5% and PAPR’s after 8.9%. 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
WindowBAPRPAPRBAPRPAPR
3 months+2.9%+2.4%−0.3 pts−0.7 pts
6 months+9.0%+6.6%−5.6 pts−8.0 pts
1 year+17.3%+13.0%+1.3 pts−3.0 pts
3 years+55.5%+40.5%−23.7 pts−38.7 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

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
PAPR
Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Apr · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 14.0%, over a period ending Mar 31, 2027
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% +14.0%
Can still gain 5.0% 3.9%
Fall before buffer 11.5% 8.9%
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% +9.2%
State today At cap At cap
Expense ratio 0.79% 0.79%
Net assets $417m $964m

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.

PAPR in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +14.0% 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 8.9% 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 PAPR?
From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, BAPR can gain about 5.0% before its cap and PAPR about 3.9%, so BAPR has more room left this period.
Which resets first, BAPR or PAPR?
BAPR ends its outcome period on Mar 31, 2027 and PAPR on Mar 31, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, BAPR or PAPR?
BAPR and PAPR both charge 0.79% a year, so neither 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, BAPR against PAPR, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bapr-vs-papr

Open data

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