A
vs
B
Share
Open in the appCompare their flowsAsk IQ about these two funds

DDFF vs DHDG: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 21, 2026 DDFF can fall 6.5% before its buffer engages and DHDG 3.2%, and DHDG resets 16 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 21, 2026: $59m for Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - Feb and $79m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Quarterly 2.5 to 15 Buffer ETF.

Ask IQ about this page

Ask IQ about DDFF and DHDG

Answers cite the figures on this page.

DDFF costs 0.06 points a year less; DHDG is 1.3 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

DDFF vs DHDG: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
DDFFDHDG
Expense ratio0.79%0.85%
Net assets$59m$79m
Total return, 1 yearnot published+13.8%
What it tracksSPYSPY
Holdings in commonnot published
Index fall to the buffer10.5%3.7%
6.5%
DDFF can fall this far before its buffer
3.2%
DHDG can fall this far before its buffer
2.3%
DDFF can still gain
3.7%
DHDG can still gain

Get DDFF and DHDG fund flows by email, every Sunday.

Plus the Friday ETF note. Confirm from the link that arrives, and unsubscribe in one click. See Privacy.

DDFFAt its cap
At its capDDFF: reference +11.7% since period start, fund +6.3%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +9.3%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.15 pts of buffer+9.3% gain captured−15.0% floor0% period start+9.3% capTODAY · SPY +11.7%At its capDDFF: reference +11.7% since period start, fund +6.3%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +9.3%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.15 pts of buffer+9.3%−15.0% floor0% start+9.3% capTODAY · SPY +11.7%

DDFF: reference +11.7% since period start, fund +6.3%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +9.3%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

DDFF: reference +11.7% since period start, fund +6.3%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +9.3%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

DHDGBetween buffer and cap
Between buffer and capDHDG: reference +1.3% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −2 to −15; cap +4.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.12.5 pts of buffer−15.0% floor−2.5% buffer start0% period start+4.5% capfirst 2.5 pts are yours to lose+1.3% gain captured+3.2% more to the capTODAY · SPY +1.3%Between buffer and capDHDG: reference +1.3% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −2 to −15; cap +4.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.12.5 pts−15.0% floor−2.5% buffer start0% start+4.5% capfirst 2.5 pts are yours to lose+1.3% gain captured+3.2% more to the capTODAY · SPY +1.3%

DHDG: reference +1.3% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −2 to −15; cap +4.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

DHDG: reference +1.3% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −2 to −15; cap +4.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

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

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

Where each one stands today

DHDG resets first, on Jan 15, 2027, 86 days from now; DDFF runs to Jan 31, 2027, 102 days. DDFF can still gain 2.3% before its cap, DHDG 3.7%. A fall from here reaches DDFF’s buffer after 6.5% and DHDG’s after 3.2%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Performance, window by window

Performance, window by window: DDFF vs DHDG: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowDDFFDHDGDDFFDHDG
3 months+2.1%+2.9%−1.3 pts−0.5 pts
6 months+4.3%+7.3%−4.4 pts−1.4 pts
1 year–+13.8%–−1.4 pts
Since launch
Not the same days: DDFF Feb 2026 · DHDG Oct 2024
+6.0%+25.2%−5.2 pts−7.2 pts

Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. Source: ETFIQ. – means no data for this window, usually because the fund is younger than it. Open this comparison in the app →

On the same fields

DDFF
Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - Feb · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 9.3%, over a period ending Jan 31, 2027
DHDG
FT Vest U.S. Equity Quarterly 2.5 to 15 Buffer ETF · Absorbs losses from 2.5% to 15.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 4.5%, over a period ending Jan 15, 2027
Issuer Innovator First Trust
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 15% 2% to 15%
Outcome period Jan 31, 2026 to Jan 31, 2027 Oct 19, 2026 to Jan 15, 2027
Days left 102 86
Starting cap +9.3% +4.5%
Can still gain 2.3% 3.7%
Fall before buffer 6.5% 3.2%
Protection left, index points 15.0% of 15.0% 12.5% of 12.5%
Index return this period +11.7% +1.3%
Fund return this period +6.3% +0.5%
State today At cap Open
Expense ratio 0.79% 0.85%
Net assets $59m $79m

As of Oct 21, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About DDFF

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +9.3% for the period on Oct 21, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 2.3% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 6.5% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 10.5% 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. 102 days remained on Oct 21, 2026. On Jan 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

About DHDG

From its price on Oct 21, 2026, the fund can gain about 3.7% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 3.2% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 3.7% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 12.5% of the 12.5% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 86 days remained on Oct 21, 2026. On Jan 15, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, DDFF or DHDG?
From their prices on Oct 21, 2026, DDFF can gain about 2.3% before its cap and DHDG about 3.7%, so DHDG has more room left this period.
Which resets first, DDFF or DHDG?
DDFF ends its outcome period on Jan 31, 2027 and DHDG on Jan 15, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, DDFF or DHDG?
DDFF charges 0.79% a year and DHDG charges 0.85%, so DDFF is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
DDFF vs DDTFDDFF vs ZFEBDDFF vs FEBTDDFF vs UFEBDHDG vs FEBUDHDG vs NVBWDHDG vs DDTNDHDG vs NVBT
SPY →All buffer ETFs ranked by the Downside Cover Score →How the scores are computed →DDFF on its own →DHDG on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →
Where these figures came from
DDFF filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Innovator page for DDFF ↗DHDG filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for DHDG ↗

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 pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, DDFF against DHDG, data as of Oct 21, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ddff-vs-dhdg

Open data

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