Which has more room to gain, NOCT or PQOC?

From their prices on Nov 4, 2026, NOCT can gain about 22.4% before its cap and PQOC about 25.4%, so PQOC has more room left this period.

Which resets first, NOCT or PQOC?

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

Which is cheaper, NOCT or PQOC?

NOCT charges 0.79% a year and PQOC charges 0.50%, so PQOC is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Buffer ETFs

NOCT vs PQOC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Nov 4, 2026 NOCT can fall 0.0% before its buffer engages and PQOC 0.0%.

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Net assets on Nov 4, 2026: $316m for Innovator Growth-100 Power Buffer ETF - Oct and $29m for PGIM Nasdaq-100 Buffer 12 ETF - October.

NOCT on its own →PQOC on its own →

At a glance

0.0%

NOCT can fall this far before its buffer

0.0%

PQOC can fall this far before its buffer

22.4%

NOCT can still gain

25.4%

PQOC can still gain

NOCT Buffer working

NOCT: reference −6.5% since period start, fund −3.1%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +18.7%; Buffer working. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

PQOC Buffer working

PQOC: reference −6.5% since period start, fund −3.6%; buffer 0 to −12; cap +21.4%; Buffer working. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

PQOC costs 0.29 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.3 points; NOCT is 10.9 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

NOCT vs PQOC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Measure	NOCT	PQOC
Return
Measure	NOCT	PQOC
Total return, 1 year	+9.0%	+10.3%
Benchmark
Measure	NOCT	PQOC
What it tracks	QQQ	QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	NOCT	PQOC
Expense ratio	0.79%	0.50%
Net assets	$316m	$29m
Holdings
Measure	NOCT	PQOC
Holdings in common	not published

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

IQ Buffer Score14.6NOCT5.7PQOC

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

NOCT 14.6

PQOC 5.7

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

Window by window

Window by window: NOCT vs PQOC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
	Total return		Gap to the reference's price return
Window	NOCT	PQOC	NOCT	PQOC
3 months	−1.0%	−1.1%	+2.6 pts	+2.4 pts
6 months	+1.9%	+2.1%	+2.4 pts	+2.7 pts
1 year	+9.0%	+10.3%	−2.7 pts	−1.5 pts
3 years	+44.2%	–	−44.0 pts	–
Since launchNot the same days: NOCT Oct 2019 · PQOC Jan 2025	+103.9%	+25.1%	−165.6 pts	−10.5 pts

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

Side by side

NOCT Innovator Growth-100 Power Buffer ETF - Oct · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on QQQ and caps the gain at 18.7%, over a period ending Sep 30, 2027 PQOC PGIM Nasdaq-100 Buffer 12 ETF - October · Absorbs the first 12% of loss on QQQ and caps the gain at 21.4%, over a period ending Sep 30, 2027

Issuer Innovator PGIM

Reference index QQQ QQQ

Buffer 15% 12%

Outcome period Sep 30, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027 Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027

Days left 330 330

Starting cap +18.7% +21.4%

Can still gain 22.4% 25.4%

Fall before buffer 0.0% 0.0%

Protection left, index points 8.5% of 15.0% 5.5% of 12.0%

Index return this period −6.5% −6.5%

Fund return this period −3.1% −3.6%

State today Buffer working Buffer working

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.50%

Net assets $316m $29m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Where each one stands today

NOCT resets first, on Sep 30, 2027, 330 days from now; PQOC runs to Sep 30, 2027, 330 days. NOCT can still gain 22.4% before its cap, PQOC 25.4%. A fall from here reaches NOCT’s buffer after 0.0% and PQOC’s after 0.0%. Both track QQQ, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Alert

About each fund

NOCT

From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 22.4% more before it reaches its cap. Protection left, in index points: 8.5% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's QQQ level. 330 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Sep 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

PQOC

From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 25.4% more before it reaches its cap. Protection left, in index points: 5.5% of the 12.0% buffer still sits below today's QQQ level.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, NOCT or PQOC?: From their prices on Nov 4, 2026, NOCT can gain about 22.4% before its cap and PQOC about 25.4%, so PQOC has more room left this period.
Which resets first, NOCT or PQOC?: NOCT ends its outcome period on Sep 30, 2027 and PQOC on Sep 30, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, NOCT or PQOC?: NOCT charges 0.79% a year and PQOC charges 0.50%, so PQOC is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

NOCT vs CPNS NOCT vs QSPT NOCT vs DDNQ NOCT vs DQSE PQOC vs QBUF PQOC vs QSPT PQOC vs QBQV PQOC vs QBQF

Where to next

QQQ →NOCT on its own →PQOC on its own →PQOC dividend history →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

NOCT filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

Innovator page for NOCT ↗

PQOC filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

PGIM website ↗

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, NOCT against PQOC, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/noct-vs-pqoc

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