Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Buffer ETFs

GAPR vs PMAY: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Nov 4, 2026 GAPR can fall 5.9% before its buffer engages and PMAY 5.1%, and GAPR resets 14 days sooner.

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Net assets: $293m on Nov 3, 2026 for FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - April, and $788m on Nov 4, 2026 for Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - May.

At a glance
5.9%
GAPR can fall this far before its buffer
5.1%
PMAY can fall this far before its buffer
5.8%
GAPR can still gain
7.3%
PMAY can still gain
GAPR Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capGAPR: reference +8.0% since period start, fund +5.4%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +12.3%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts of buffer+8% gain captured+4.4% to cap−15.0% floor0% period start+12.3% capTODAY · SPY +8.0%Between buffer and capGAPR: reference +8.0% since period start, fund +5.4%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +12.3%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts+8%−15.0% floor0% start+12.3% cap+4.4% more to the capTODAY · SPY +8.0%

GAPR: reference +8.0% since period start, fund +5.4%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +12.3%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

GAPR: reference +8.0% since period start, fund +5.4%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +12.3%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
PMAY Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capPMAY: reference +6.7% since period start, fund +5.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +13.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts of buffer+6.7% gain captured+6.3% to cap−15.0% floor0% period start+13.0% capTODAY · SPY +6.7%Between buffer and capPMAY: reference +6.7% since period start, fund +5.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +13.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts+6.7%−15.0% floor0% start+13.0% cap+6.3% more to the capTODAY · SPY +6.7%

PMAY: reference +6.7% since period start, fund +5.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +13.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

PMAY costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.4 points; PMAY is 2.7 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

GAPR vs PMAY: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureGAPRPMAY
Return
Total return, 1 year+8.7%+9.1%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer7.4%6.2%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.85%0.79%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$293m$781m
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · PMAY scores higher If the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
IQ Buffer Score71.1GAPR74.1PMAY

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

0.3, the lowest in this set 99.7, the highest

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 →

Method

Risk and return

May 5, 2023 to Oct 30, 2026 · 182 weekly returns · each against SPY
GAPR PMAY
Return
Total return edge PMAY (slight) +42.8% +47.4%
Annualized edge PMAY (slight) +10.7% +11.7%
Price return edge PMAY (slight) +42.8% +47.4%
Risk
Volatility edge GAPR (slight) 6.4% 6.8%
Max drawdown edge GAPR (slight) −8.2% −8.4%
Downside capture 37.9% 40.1%
Beta 0.40 0.44
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge PMAY (slight) 0.91 0.99
Sortino edge PMAY 1.30 1.49
Treynor 0.144 0.154
Calmar edge PMAY (slight) 1.31 1.40
Against the benchmark
Alpha −0.2% a year +0.2% a year
Alpha t-stat −0.14 0.12
Information ratio −1.04 −0.98
Tracking error 8.8% 8.4%
Reading

From May 2023 to Oct 2026, PMAY returned slightly more: +47.4% to +42.8%. GAPR swung slightly less: 6.4% to 6.8%. GAPR fell slightly less at its worst: −8.2% to −8.4%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: GAPR vs PMAY: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureGAPRPMAYSPYEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+42.8%+47.4%PMAY (slight)Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+10.7%+11.7%PMAY (slight)Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return+42.8%+47.4%PMAY (slight)Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility6.4%6.8%GAPR (slight)Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation4.5%4.5%TieLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−8.2%−8.4%GAPR (slight)Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture30.4%33.2%100.0%PMAY (slight)Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture37.9%40.1%100.0%GAPR (slight)Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.400.441.00GAPR lowerHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.780.801.00Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.910.99PMAY (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino1.301.49PMAYReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.1440.1540.149PMAY (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar1.311.40PMAY (slight)Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkSPYSPYSPYThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha−0.2% a year+0.2% a year0.0%Not significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat−0.140.12Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−3.4% to +2.9%−3.1% to +3.5%Both include zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−1.04−0.98PMAY (slight)Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error8.8%8.4%0.0%Not an edgeHow far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 182 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Window by window

Window by window: GAPR vs PMAY: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowGAPRPMAYGAPRPMAY
3 months+1.2%+1.2%+1.6 pts+1.6 pts
6 months+4.2%+3.9%−0.3 pts−0.6 pts
1 year+8.7%+9.1%−4.8 pts−4.5 pts
3 years+37.8%+42.1%−38.6 pts−34.3 pts
Since launchNot the same days: GAPR Apr 2023 · PMAY May 2020+44.1%+67.9%−41.8 pts−103.3 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

GAPR FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - April · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 12.3%, over a period ending Apr 16, 2027 PMAY Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - May · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 13.0%, over a period ending Apr 30, 2027
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 15% 15%
Outcome period Apr 20, 2026 to Apr 16, 2027 Apr 30, 2026 to Apr 30, 2027
Days left 163 177
Starting cap +12.3% +13.0%
Can still gain 5.8% 7.3%
Fall before buffer 5.9% 5.1%
Protection left, index points 15.0% of 15.0% 15.0% of 15.0%
Index return this period +8.0% +6.7%
Fund return this period +5.4% +5.0%
State today Open Open
Expense ratio 0.85% 0.79%
Net assets, GAPR as of Nov 3, 2026 and PMAY as of Nov 4, 2026 $293m $788m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Where each one stands today

GAPR resets first, on Apr 16, 2027, 163 days from now; PMAY runs to Apr 30, 2027, 177 days. GAPR can still gain 5.8% before its cap, PMAY 7.3%. A fall from here reaches GAPR’s buffer after 5.9% and PMAY’s after 5.1%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Client brief:

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About each fund
GAPR

From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 5.8% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 5.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 7.4% 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. 163 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Apr 16, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

PMAY

From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 7.3% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 5.1% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 6.2% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. 177 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Apr 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, GAPR or PMAY?
From their prices on Nov 4, 2026, GAPR can gain about 5.8% before its cap and PMAY about 7.3%, so PMAY has more room left this period.
Which resets first, GAPR or PMAY?
GAPR ends its outcome period on Apr 16, 2027 and PMAY on Apr 30, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, GAPR or PMAY?
GAPR charges 0.85% a year and PMAY charges 0.79%, so PMAY is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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Sources and dates

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.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, GAPR against PMAY, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/gapr-vs-pmay

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