{"url":"https://etfiq.com/learn/how-much-does-a-buffer-etf-cost","section":"learn","title":"How much does a buffer ETF cost? | ETFIQ","description":"As of Nov 4, 2026, the median buffer ETF charges 0.79% a year, against 0.55% for all ETFs, across 431 single-period funds. Updated every trading night.","as_of":"Nov 4, 2026","structured_data":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https://etfiq.com/learn/how-much-does-a-buffer-etf-cost#article","headline":"How much does a buffer ETF cost?","description":"As of Nov 4, 2026, the median buffer ETF charges 0.79% a year, against 0.55% for all ETFs, across 431 single-period funds.","url":"https://etfiq.com/learn/how-much-does-a-buffer-etf-cost","mainEntityOfPage":"https://etfiq.com/learn/how-much-does-a-buffer-etf-cost","dateModified":"2026-11-04","datePublished":"2026-11-04","author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"ETFIQ Research","url":"https://etfiq.com"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"ETFIQ Research","url":"https://etfiq.com"},"about":"How much does a buffer ETF cost?","inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://etfiq.com/learn/how-much-does-a-buffer-etf-cost#questions","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Does the fee include the cost of the options?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The fee covers running the fund. The options cost shows up as the cap on the gain."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Where do I see a buffer ETF\u2019s cap?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"On each fund page, with the issuer\u2019s published terms and the date."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How many buffer ETFs are there?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"ETFIQ covers 524 buffer ETFs as of Nov 4, 2026; 431 are single-period funds with current terms."}}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"ETFIQ","item":"https://etfiq.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Learn","item":"https://etfiq.com/learn/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How much does a buffer ETF cost?","item":"https://etfiq.com/learn/how-much-does-a-buffer-etf-cost"}]},{"@type":"WebPage","name":"How much does a buffer ETF cost?","description":"As of Nov 4, 2026, the median buffer ETF charges 0.79% a year, against 0.55% for all ETFs, across 431 single-period funds. Updated every trading night.","url":"https://etfiq.com/learn/how-much-does-a-buffer-etf-cost","dateModified":"2026-11-04","isPartOf":{"@type":"WebSite","name":"ETFIQ","url":"https://etfiq.com"},"speakable":{"@type":"SpeakableSpecification","cssSelector":[".lede",".faq"]},"publisher":{"@id":"https://etfiq.com/#org"}}],"characters":1961,"truncated":false,"content":"ETFIQ / Learn / How much does a buffer ETF cost? \n \n How much does a buffer ETF cost?\n Data as of Nov 4, 2026. Rebuilt every trading night.\n As of Nov 4, 2026, the median buffer ETF charges 0.79% a year, against 0.55% for all ETFs, across 431 single-period funds.\n \n In plain words\n A buffer ETF uses options to cushion the first part of an index fall over a set period, in exchange for a cap on the gain. The options cost money, and a yearly fee comes on top.\n The median fee across 431 single-period funds is 0.79%, against 0.45% for stock ETFs. The larger cost in a strong year is the cap: past it the fund stops gaining. ETFIQ shows each fund\u2019s fee, remaining cap and buffer left today.\n Questions\n Does the fee include the cost of the options? The fee covers running the fund. The options cost shows up as the cap on the gain.\n Where do I see a buffer ETF\u2019s cap? On each fund page, with the issuer\u2019s published terms and the date.\n How many buffer ETFs are there? ETFIQ covers 524 buffer ETFs as of Nov 4, 2026; 431 are single-period funds with current terms.\n Where to next\n Buffer ETFs Buffer ladder builder Screener: filter every ETF What is an ETF expense ratio? What is the cap on a buffer ETF? What is a buffer ETF outcome period? All ETF explainers How ETFIQ computes these numbers \n Cite this page. ETFIQ, How much does a buffer ETF cost?, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/learn/how-much-does-a-buffer-etf-cost Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms. The underlying files are at Open data .\n Other forms Plain ETFIQ, How much does a buffer ETF cost?, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/learn/how-much-does-a-buffer-etf-cost APA ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). How much does a buffer ETF cost?. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/learn/how-much-does-a-buffer-etf-cost Markdown [How much does a buffer ETF cost? (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/learn/how-much-does-a-buffer-etf-cost)","source":"ETFIQ, independent ETF data. Recomputed nightly from public filings and prices.","publisher":{"@id":"https://etfiq.com/#org","name":"ETFIQ","url":"https://etfiq.com"},"license":"https://etfiq.com/license/","license_text":"Data ETFIQ computes is free to use with attribution: ETFIQ (etfiq.com). Issuer data stays under its owner's terms.","citation":"ETFIQ, How much does a buffer ETF cost?, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/learn/how-much-does-a-buffer-etf-cost"}