Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
PAUG vs PBAU: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Nov 4, 2026 PBAU can fall 2.5% before its buffer engages and PAUG 2.4%.
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Net assets on Nov 4, 2026: $1.0bn for Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Aug and $40m for PGIM S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETF - August .
PAUG: reference +2.6% since period start, fund +2.2%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +13.8%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
PAUG: reference +2.6% since period start, fund +2.2%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +13.8%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.PBAU: reference +2.6% since period start, fund +2.1%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +12.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
PBAU: reference +2.6% since period start, fund +2.1%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +12.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
PBAU costs 0.29 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.7 points; PAUG is far larger, $1.0bn against $40m.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | PAUG | PBAU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +10.1% | +9.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Index fall to the buffer | 2.5% | 2.6% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.79% | 0.50% |
| Net assets | $1.0bn | $40m |
| 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
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 | PAUG | PBAU | PAUG | PBAU |
| 3 months | +0.7% | +0.9% | +1.1 pts | +1.3 pts |
| 6 months | +4.5% | +4.3% | 0.0 pts | −0.2 pts |
| 1 year | +10.1% | +9.4% | −3.5 pts | −4.1 pts |
| 3 years | +49.7% | – | −26.7 pts | – |
| Since launchNot the same days: PAUG Aug 2019 · PBAU May 2024 | +90.1% | +28.9% | −69.9 pts | −18.3 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
As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
Where each one stands today
PAUG resets first, on Jul 31, 2027, 269 days from now; PBAU runs to Jul 31, 2027, 269 days. PAUG can still gain 11.1% before its cap, PBAU 9.4%. A fall from here reaches PAUG’s buffer after 2.4% and PBAU’s after 2.5%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.
PAUG
From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 11.1% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 2.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 2.5% 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. 269 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Jul 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
PBAU
From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 9.4% 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 2.6% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 20.0% of the 20.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level.
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, PAUG against PBAU, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/paug-vs-pbau
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). PAUG against PBAU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/paug-vs-pbau
[PAUG against PBAU (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/paug-vs-pbau)
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