Which has more room to gain, BAUG or ZAUG?

From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, BAUG can gain about 13.9% before its cap and ZAUG about 6.7%, so BAUG has more room left this period.

Which resets first, BAUG or ZAUG?

BAUG ends its outcome period on Jul 31, 2027 and ZAUG on Jul 31, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, BAUG or ZAUG?

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

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BAUG vs ZAUG: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 9, 2026 BAUG can fall 3.3% before its buffer engages and ZAUG 1.5%. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $275m for Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Aug and $163m for Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr August.

Both cost 0.79% a year; their one-year returns differ by 8.1 points; BAUG is 1.7 times larger.

	BAUG	ZAUG
Expense ratio	0.79%	0.79%
Net assets	$275m	$163m
Total return, 1 year	+14.0%	+5.9%
What it tracks	SPY	SPY
Holdings in common	not published
Index fall to the buffer	4.0%

3.3%

BAUG can fall this far before its buffer

1.5%

ZAUG can fall this far before its buffer

13.9%

BAUG can still gain

6.7%

ZAUG can still gain

BAUGBetween buffer and cap

BAUG: reference +4.2% since period start, fund +3.3%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +17.8%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

ZAUGFull floor

ZAUG: reference +4.2% since period start, fund +1.4%; buffer Floor; cap +8.4%; Full floor. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

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

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

Where each one stands today

BAUG resets first, on Jul 31, 2027, 295 days from now; ZAUG runs to Jul 31, 2027, 295 days. BAUG can still gain 13.9% before its cap, ZAUG 6.7%. A fall from here reaches BAUG’s buffer after 3.3% and ZAUG’s after 1.5%. 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	BAUG	ZAUG	BAUG	ZAUG
3 months	+3.8%	+1.5%	+0.6 pts	−1.6 pts
6 months	+11.0%	+3.8%	−3.6 pts	−10.8 pts
1 year	+14.0%	+5.9%	−2.0 pts	−10.1 pts
3 years	+67.4%	not published	−11.8 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

BAUG

Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Aug · Absorbs the first 9% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 17.8%, over a period ending Jul 31, 2027

ZAUG

Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr August · Absorbs the whole loss on SPY and caps the gain at 8.4%, over a period ending Jul 31, 2027

Issuer Innovator Innovator

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 9% 100%

Outcome period Jul 31, 2026 to Jul 31, 2027 Jul 31, 2026 to Jul 31, 2027

Days left 295 295

Starting cap +17.8% +8.4%

Can still gain 13.9% 6.7%

Fall before buffer 3.3% 1.5%

Protection left, index points 9.0% of 9.0% 100.0% of 100.0%

Index return this period +4.2% +4.2%

Fund return this period +3.3% +1.4%

State today Open Open

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.79%

Net assets $275m $163m

As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

BAUG in plain words

From its price on Oct 9, 2026, the fund can gain about 13.9% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 3.3% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 4.0% 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. 295 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Jul 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

ZAUG in plain words

From its price on Oct 9, 2026, the fund can gain about 6.7% 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. Protection left, in index points: 100.0% of the 100.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, BAUG or ZAUG?: From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, BAUG can gain about 13.9% before its cap and ZAUG about 6.7%, so BAUG has more room left this period.
Which resets first, BAUG or ZAUG?: BAUG ends its outcome period on Jul 31, 2027 and ZAUG on Jul 31, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, BAUG or ZAUG?: BAUG and ZAUG both charge 0.79% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

BAUG vs AUGW BAUG vs UAUG BAUG vs DDFG BAUG vs GJUL ZAUG vs GJUL ZAUG vs DJUL ZAUG vs PAUG ZAUG vs FJUL

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

Where these figures came from

BAUG and ZAUG filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Innovator page for BAUG ↗Innovator page for ZAUG ↗

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, BAUG against ZAUG, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/baug-vs-zaug

Open data

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