Which has more room to gain, BOCT or DDFO?

From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, BOCT can gain about 18.4% before its cap and DDFO about 9.9%, so BOCT has more room left this period.

Which resets first, BOCT or DDFO?

BOCT ends its outcome period on Sep 30, 2027 and DDFO on Sep 30, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, BOCT or DDFO?

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

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BOCT vs DDFO: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 9, 2026 BOCT can fall 1.5% before its buffer engages and DDFO 0.6%. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $307m for Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Oct and $143m for Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - Oct.

Both cost 0.79% a year; their one-year returns differ by 6.2 points; BOCT is 2.1 times larger.

	BOCT	DDFO
Expense ratio	0.79%	0.79%
Net assets	$307m	$143m
Total return, 1 year	+14.9%	+8.7%
What it tracks	SPY	SPY
Holdings in common	not published
Index fall to the buffer	2.0%

1.5%

BOCT can fall this far before its buffer

0.6%

DDFO can fall this far before its buffer

18.4%

BOCT can still gain

9.9%

DDFO can still gain

BOCTBetween buffer and cap

BOCT: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +1.5%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +20.2%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

DDFOBetween buffer and cap

DDFO: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +10.7%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

These are two different products. DDFO is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. BOCT 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

BOCT resets first, on Sep 30, 2027, 356 days from now; DDFO runs to Sep 30, 2027, 356 days. BOCT can still gain 18.4% before its cap, DDFO 9.9%. A fall from here reaches BOCT’s buffer after 1.5% and DDFO’s after 0.6%. 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	BOCT	DDFO	BOCT	DDFO
3 months	+4.5%	+2.4%	+1.4 pts	−0.8 pts
6 months	+12.7%	+6.0%	−1.9 pts	−8.6 pts
1 year	+14.9%	+8.7%	−1.1 pts	−7.3 pts
3 years	+55.6%	not published	−23.6 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

BOCT

Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Oct · Absorbs the first 9% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 20.2%, over a period ending Sep 30, 2027

DDFO

Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - Oct · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 10.7%, over a period ending Sep 30, 2027

Issuer Innovator Innovator

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 9% 15%

Outcome period Sep 30, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027 Sep 30, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027

Days left 356 356

Starting cap +20.2% +10.7%

Can still gain 18.4% 9.9%

Fall before buffer 1.5% 0.6%

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

Index return this period +2.1% +2.1%

Fund return this period +1.5% +0.6%

State today Open Open

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.79%

Net assets $307m $143m

As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

BOCT in plain words

From its price on Oct 9, 2026, the fund can gain about 18.4% 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 2.0% 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. 356 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Sep 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

DDFO in plain words

From its price on Oct 9, 2026, the fund can gain about 9.9% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.6% 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, BOCT or DDFO?: From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, BOCT can gain about 18.4% before its cap and DDFO about 9.9%, so BOCT has more room left this period.
Which resets first, BOCT or DDFO?: BOCT ends its outcome period on Sep 30, 2027 and DDFO on Sep 30, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, BOCT or DDFO?: BOCT and DDFO both charge 0.79% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

BOCT vs PQX BOCT vs PMOC BOCT vs PQXV BOCT vs PQXX DDFO vs OCTW DDFO vs GSEP DDFO vs DSEP DDFO vs ZOCT

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

Where these figures came from

BOCT and DDFO filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Innovator page for BOCT ↗Innovator page for DDFO ↗

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, BOCT against DDFO, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/boct-vs-ddfo

Open data

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