Get the weekly note
ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

Data as of .

BAPR vs PAUG: which one stands where?

As of Sep 13, 2026 BAPR can fall 10.3% before its buffer engages and PAUG 1.5%, and BAPR resets 122 days sooner.

Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Apr and Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Aug, side by side, buffer ETFs on ETFIQ.

10.3%BAPR can fall this far before its buffer
1.5%PAUG can fall this far before its buffer
6.3%BAPR can still gain
12.1%PAUG can still gain

ETFIQ Downside Cover Score: PAUG scores higher

If the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?

BAPR 20.5PAUG 860.2, the lowest in this set99.8, the highest

A percentile among the 293 buffer ETFs with a live outcome period. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All buffer ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed

BAPRBetween buffer and cap
9 pts of buffer+17.5% gain captured−9.0% floor0% period start+18.5% capTODAY · SPY +17.5%9 pts+17.5% gained−9.0% floor0% start+18.5% capTODAY · SPY +17.5%
PAUGBetween buffer and cap
15 pts of buffer+11.5% more to the cap−15.0% floor0% period start+13.8% capTODAY · SPY +2.3%15 pts−15.0% floor0% start+13.8% capTODAY · SPY +2.3%

Where each one stands today

BAPR resets first, on Mar 31, 2027, 201 days from now; PAUG runs to Jul 31, 2027, 323 days. BAPR can still gain 6.3% before its cap, PAUG 12.1%. A fall from here reaches BAPR’s buffer after 10.3% and PAUG’s after 1.5%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Every figure is ETFIQ’s own, from the issuer’s published outcome-period terms. A buffer ETF holds FLEX options on its reference index rather than shares, so there is no holdings overlap between two of them to report.

Performance, window by window

BAPR and PAUG over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ.
WindowTotal returnGap to the reference
BAPRPAUGBAPRPAUG
3 months+3.0%+2.9%−0.3 pts−0.5 pts
6 months+12.9%+8.7%−3.1 pts−7.3 pts
1 year+16.7%+10.6%−0.8 pts−7.0 pts
3 years+51.3%+46.8%−26.6 pts−31.1 pts
Open the live comparison on ETFIQ
BAPR and PAUG on the same fields, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
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
PAUG
Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Aug
Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 13.8%, over a period ending Jul 31, 2027
IssuerInnovatorInnovator
Reference indexSPYSPY
Buffer9%15%
Outcome periodMar 31, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027Jul 31, 2026 to Jul 31, 2027
Days left201323
Starting cap+18.5%+13.8%
Can still gain6.3%12.1%
Fall before buffer10.3%1.5%
Protection left, index points9.0% of 9.0%15.0% of 15.0%
Index return this period+17.5%+2.3%
Fund return this period+11.1%+1.4%
State todayOpenOpen
Expense ratio0.79%0.79%

BAPR in plain words

From its price on Sep 13, 2026, the fund can gain about 6.3% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 10.3% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 14.9% 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. 201 days remained on Sep 13, 2026. On Mar 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

PAUG in plain words

From its price on Sep 13, 2026, the fund can gain about 12.1% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 1.5% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 2.3% 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. 323 days remained on Sep 13, 2026. On Jul 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, BAPR or PAUG?
From their prices on Sep 13, 2026, BAPR can gain about 6.3% before its cap and PAUG about 12.1%, so PAUG has more room left this period.
Which resets first, BAPR or PAUG?
BAPR ends its outcome period on Mar 31, 2027 and PAUG on Jul 31, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, BAPR or PAUG?
BAPR charges 0.79% a year and PAUG charges 0.79%, so BAPR is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

BAPR against PAUG, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 13, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, BAPR against PAUG, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bapr-vs-paug Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

How every figure is computed · Standards and sources