Which has more room to gain, XDEC or ZALT?

From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, XDEC can gain about 1.7% before its cap and ZALT about 3.6%, so ZALT has more room left this period.

Which resets first, XDEC or ZALT?

XDEC ends its outcome period on Dec 18, 2026 and ZALT on Dec 31, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, XDEC or ZALT?

XDEC charges 0.85% a year and ZALT charges 0.69%, so ZALT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Share on X Download as PDF Open live

XDEC vs ZALT: which one stands where?

As of Oct 1, 2026 XDEC can fall 7.7% before its buffer engages and ZALT 0.0%, and XDEC resets 13 days sooner. FT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - December and Innovator U.S. Equity 10 Buffer ETF - Quarterly.

7.7%

XDEC can fall this far before its buffer

0.0%

ZALT can fall this far before its buffer

1.7%

XDEC can still gain

3.6%

ZALT can still gain

XDECAt its cap

XDEC: reference +12.0% since period start, fund +7.4%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +10.1%; At its cap.

ZALTBetween buffer and cap

ZALT: reference 0.0% since period start, fund 0.0%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +3.6%; Between buffer and cap.

These are two different products. ZALT is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. XDEC is a buffer fund, which absorbs the first part of a fall and leaves everything below it with the holder.

XDEC is already at its cap, so more rise in the index adds nothing to it before the period ends.

Where each one stands today

XDEC resets first, on Dec 18, 2026, 79 days from now; ZALT runs to Dec 31, 2026, 92 days. XDEC can still gain 1.7% before its cap, ZALT 3.6%. A fall from here reaches XDEC’s buffer after 7.7% and ZALT’s after 0.0%. Both track SPY, 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	XDEC	ZALT	XDEC	ZALT
3 months	+2.4%	+2.0%	−0.2 pts	−0.5 pts
6 months	+8.2%	+5.9%	−8.8 pts	−11.1 pts
1 year	+9.3%	+8.3%	−6.5 pts	−7.4 pts
3 years	+33.2%	not published	−51.8 pts	not published

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

On the same fields

XDEC

FT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - December · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 10.1%, over a period ending Dec 18, 2026

ZALT

Innovator U.S. Equity 10 Buffer ETF - Quarterly · Absorbs the first 10% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 3.6%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026

Issuer First Trust Innovator

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 15% 10%

Outcome period Dec 22, 2025 to Dec 18, 2026 Sep 30, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026

Days left 79 92

Starting cap +10.1% +3.6%

Can still gain 1.7% 3.6%

Fall before buffer 7.7% 0.0%

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

Index return this period +12.0% 0.0%

Fund return this period +7.4% 0.0%

State today At cap Open

Expense ratio 0.85% 0.69%

Net assets $208m $795m

XDEC and ZALT on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

XDEC in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +10.1% for the period on Oct 1, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 1.7% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 7.7% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 10.7% 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. 79 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Dec 18, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

ZALT in plain words

From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 3.6% more before it reaches its cap. Protection left, in index points: 10.0% of the 10.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 92 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, XDEC or ZALT?: From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, XDEC can gain about 1.7% before its cap and ZALT about 3.6%, so ZALT has more room left this period.
Which resets first, XDEC or ZALT?: XDEC ends its outcome period on Dec 18, 2026 and ZALT on Dec 31, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, XDEC or ZALT?: XDEC charges 0.85% a year and ZALT charges 0.69%, so ZALT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

XDEC vs JANW XDEC vs PBJA XDEC vs PMJA XDEC vs PQV ZALT vs GSEP ZALT vs OCTP ZALT vs OCTT ZALT vs OCTU

State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust →XDEC on its own →ZALT on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

XDEC filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for XDEC ↗ZALT filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Innovator page for ZALT ↗

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, XDEC against ZALT, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/xdec-vs-zalt

Open data

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