Which has more room to gain, IBUF or IOCT?

From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, IBUF can gain about 4.0% before its cap and IOCT about 19.2%, so IOCT has more room left this period.

Which resets first, IBUF or IOCT?

IBUF ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and IOCT on Sep 30, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, IBUF or IOCT?

IBUF charges 0.85% a year and IOCT charges 0.85%, so IBUF is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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IBUF vs IOCT: which one stands where?

As of Oct 1, 2026 IBUF can fall 0.0% before its buffer engages and IOCT 0.0%, and IBUF resets 273 days sooner. Innovator International Developed 10 Buffer ETF™ - Quarterly and Innovator Intl Developed Power Buffer ETF - Oct.

0.0%

IBUF can fall this far before its buffer

0.0%

IOCT can fall this far before its buffer

4.0%

IBUF can still gain

19.2%

IOCT can still gain

IBUFBetween buffer and cap

IBUF: reference 0.0% since period start, fund 0.0%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +4.0%; Between buffer and cap.

IOCTBetween buffer and cap

IOCT: reference 0.0% since period start, fund 0.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +19.2%; Between buffer and cap.

ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · IOCT scores higherIf the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?

IBUF 34.3

IOCT 83.8

0.2, the lowest in this set99.8, the highest

A percentile among the 293 buffer ETFs with a live outcome period. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All buffer ETFs ranked by it → How it is computed →

They do not reset together. IBUF has 92 days of its period left and IOCT has 365, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.

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

Where each one stands today

IBUF resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 92 days from now; IOCT runs to Sep 30, 2027, 365 days. IBUF can still gain 4.0% before its cap, IOCT 19.2%. A fall from here reaches IBUF’s buffer after 0.0% and IOCT’s after 0.0%. Both track EFA, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Every figure is ETFIQ’s own, from the issuer’s published outcome-period terms. A buffer ETF holds FLEX options on its reference index rather than shares, so there is no holdings overlap between two of them to report.

Performance, window by window

	Total return		Gap to the reference
Window	IBUF	IOCT	IBUF	IOCT
3 months	−0.1%	+2.3%	−0.9 pts	+1.5 pts
6 months	+5.5%	+6.7%	−1.6 pts	−0.3 pts
1 year	+10.2%	+10.5%	−4.9 pts	−4.5 pts
3 years	not published	+43.9%	not published	−21.8 pts

IBUF and IOCT over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →

On the same fields

IBUF

Innovator International Developed 10 Buffer ETF™ - Quarterly · Absorbs the first 10% of loss on EFA and caps the gain at 4.0%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026

IOCT

Innovator Intl Developed Power Buffer ETF - Oct · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on EFA and caps the gain at 19.2%, over a period ending Sep 30, 2027

Issuer Innovator Innovator

Reference index EFA EFA

Buffer 10% 15%

Outcome period Sep 30, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026 Sep 30, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027

Days left 92 365

Starting cap +4.0% +19.2%

Can still gain 4.0% 19.2%

Fall before buffer 0.0% 0.0%

Protection left, index points 10.0% of 10.0% 15.0% of 15.0%

Index return this period 0.0% 0.0%

Fund return this period 0.0% 0.0%

State today Open Open

Expense ratio 0.85% 0.85%

Net assets $114m $168m

IBUF and IOCT on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

IBUF in plain words

From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 4.0% more before it reaches its cap. Protection left, in index points: 10.0% of the 10.0% buffer still sits below today's EFA level. 92 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

IOCT in plain words

From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 19.2% more before it reaches its cap. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's EFA level. 365 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Sep 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, IBUF or IOCT?: From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, IBUF can gain about 4.0% before its cap and IOCT about 19.2%, so IOCT has more room left this period.
Which resets first, IBUF or IOCT?: IBUF ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and IOCT on Sep 30, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, IBUF or IOCT?: IBUF charges 0.85% a year and IOCT charges 0.85%, so IBUF is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

IBUF vs YSEP IBUF vs QBIF IBUF vs QBIV IBUF vs YDEC IOCT vs OCTI IOCT vs YSEP IOCT vs QBIF IOCT vs QBIV

EFA →IBUF on its own →IOCT on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

IBUF and IOCT filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Innovator page for IBUF ↗Innovator page for IOCT ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page

ETFIQ, IBUF against IOCT, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ibuf-vs-ioct

Open data

Free to use with attribution. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.