Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
DOCT vs PAUG: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Oct 28, 2026 DOCT can fall 6.3% before its buffer engages and PAUG 2.5%, and PAUG resets 76 days sooner.
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Net assets: $421m on Oct 27, 2026 for FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - October, and $1.0bn on Oct 28, 2026 for Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Aug.
DOCT: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.
DOCT: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.PAUG: reference +3.3% since period start, fund +2.4%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +13.8%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.
PAUG: reference +3.3% since period start, fund +2.4%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +13.8%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.Pair scorecard
PAUG costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.5 points; PAUG is 2.4 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | DOCT | PAUG |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +10.1% | +9.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Index fall to the buffer | 6.1% | 3.2% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.85% | 0.79% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $421m | $1.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | not published | |
How much of a bear-market fall the buffer would absorb from today's level, ranked against 292 buffer ETFs on stocks with a live outcome period. 100 is best. How it is computed
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 →
Window by window
| Total return | Gap to the reference's price return | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | DOCT | PAUG | DOCT | PAUG |
| 3 months | +4.3% | +2.4% | −1.5 pts | −3.5 pts |
| 6 months | +6.8% | +5.6% | −1.7 pts | −2.9 pts |
| 1 year | +10.1% | +9.6% | −2.3 pts | −2.8 pts |
| 3 years | +44.1% | +54.9% | −44.0 pts | −33.1 pts |
| Since launchNot the same days: DOCT Aug 2020 · PAUG Aug 2019 | +285.9% | +90.4% | +157.4 pts | −71.5 pts |
Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. Open this comparison in the app →
Side by side
As of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
They do not reset together. PAUG has 276 days of its period left and DOCT has 352, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.
Where each one stands today
PAUG resets first, on Jul 31, 2027, 276 days from now; DOCT runs to Oct 15, 2027, 352 days. DOCT can still gain 12.7% before its cap, PAUG 11.0%. A fall from here reaches DOCT’s buffer after 6.3% and PAUG’s after 2.5%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.
DOCT and PAUG are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- Protection and cap. DOCT: Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 30.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 14.2%, over a period ending Oct 15, 2027. PAUG: Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 13.8%, over a period ending Jul 31, 2027. The starting caps are 0.4 points apart.
- Outcome period (similar). DOCT runs Oct 19, 2026 to Oct 15, 2027 with 352 days left; PAUG runs Jul 31, 2026 to Jul 31, 2027 with 276 days left.
- What each follows (similar). Both follow SPY.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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DOCT
From its price on Oct 28, 2026, the fund can gain about 12.7% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 6.3% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 6.1% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 25.0% of the 25.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 352 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On Oct 15, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
PAUG
From its price on Oct 28, 2026, the fund can gain about 11.0% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 2.5% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 3.2% 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. 276 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On Jul 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
Questions people ask
Links are sources, not endorsements. 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 number 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 number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.
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ETFIQ, DOCT against PAUG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/doct-vs-paug
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). DOCT against PAUG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/doct-vs-paug
[DOCT against PAUG (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/doct-vs-paug)
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