ALDB vs BUFR: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

Aptus Laddered Deep Buffer ETF

ALDBBCboe

FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF

BUFRCCboe

Overlap

0.0%by weight

Expense ratio

ALDB −0.65pt a year

ALDB0.30%BUFR0.95%

Avg volume · 30D

BUFR 184.8×the volume

ALDB6.84KBUFR1.26M

ALDB vs BUFR Performance

Jul 31, 2026 – Nov 2, 2026

+1.5%ALDB+1.4%BUFR

Expense ratio: ALDB 0.30%, better; BUFR 0.95%
Fund size: ALDB $12M; BUFR $10.9B
1Y total return: ALDB No data; BUFR +10.5%
Holdings: ALDB 5; BUFR 13
Avg volume (30D): ALDB 6.84K sh; BUFR 1.26M sh, better
NAV per share: ALDB $25.67; BUFR $37.40
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for ALDB, BUFR, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	ALDB	BUFR
Cost30% weight	A100Higher	F24
Mission25% weight	Not scored	Not scored
Risk15% weight	B56Higher	C47
Tradability15% weight	C41	A91Higher
Holdings10% weight	D39	A71Higher
Durability5% weight	F11	A92Higher

Rank among S&P 500 Laddered Buffer funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. ALDB and BUFR are both graded against the same 18 S&P 500 Laddered Buffer funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

S&P 500 Laddered Buffer⁠

Category · 18 funds

See all 18 ›

ALDB ranks 3rd and BUFR 8th of 18 funds in the S&P 500 Laddered Buffer Category.

Rank 1BBUFPPGIM Laddered S&P 500 Buffer 12 ETFScore 69
Rank 2BPBFRPGIM Laddered S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETFScore 68
Rank 3BALDBAptus Laddered Deep Buffer ETFScore 65
Rank 4BIVVMiShares Large Cap Moderate Quarterly Laddered ETFScore 64
Rank 8CBUFDFT Vest Laddered Deep Buffer ETFScore 52
Rank 8CBUFRFT Vest Laddered Buffer ETFScore 52
Rank 8CSPBXAllianzIM 6 Month Buffer10 Allocation ETFScore 52

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

ALDBBAptus Laddered Deep Buffer ETF

BUFRCFT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF

In short

ALDB No data

BUFR Most buffer ETFs make you pick a start month. BUFR skips the calendar: twelve underlying FT Vest buffer funds on a rolling monthly ladder, each cushioning the first 10% of S&P 500 ETF losses in exchange for a cap.

Stated mandate

ALDB No data

BUFR The Fund seeks capital appreciation through U.S. large-cap equity exposure and a laddered portfolio of twelve underlying buffer ETFs. Those underlying ETFs seek SPY price-return exposure up to caps while buffering the first 10% of SPY losses.

Why people hold it

ALDB No data

BUFR The ladder is the whole idea: twelve underlying buffer funds resetting on a staggered schedule, so one purchase date doesn't lock you into a single year's cap and buffer.ftportfolios.com
Each sleeve is built to absorb the first 10% of SPY's price decline over its outcome period. A defined cushion written into the fund's documents, not a manager's judgment call.
One ticker replaces a twelve-fund do-it-yourself ladder, and it's a multi-billion-dollar, actively traded name in a corner of the market full of thin ones.
Running since 2020, it sits in the upper half of its buffer peer group on our review, with a wide underlying basket rather than a single-month bet.

Worth knowing

ALDB No data

BUFR The convenience costs: 0.95% a year, richer than the typical fund in its buffer group, and cheaper defensive structures exist (SWAN at 0.49%, DMAX at 0.53%).
Caps are the trade for the cushion. The sleeves track SPY's price return only, so dividends and the top of a big rally stay outside the deal.
Laddering blends outcomes rather than delivering one: each sleeve sits at a different point in its own period, so your protection at any moment is partial, not a clean 10% floor.

Full ALDB profile⁠

Full BUFR profile⁠

ALDB vs BUFR Holdings

How ALDB and BUFR differ

Overlap by weight

0.0%

Shared holdings make up 0.0% of ALDB and 0.0% of BUFR.

Level by level

Holdings0 in both0.0%
Countryby domicile99.5%
Sector11 Sectors100%

Sector

Sector weights in ALDB and BUFR, widest gap first
Sector	More in ALDBMore in BUFR	ALDB	BUFR
Technology	Same weight	40.1%	40.1%
Financials	Same weight	11.3%	11.3%
Communication	Same weight	9.9%	9.9%
Health Care	Same weight	9.4%	9.4%
Consumer Discretionary	Same weight	8.7%	8.7%
Industrials	Same weight	7.6%	7.6%
Consumer Staples	Same weight	4.4%	4.4%
Energy	Same weight	3.4%	3.4%
Utilities	Same weight	1.9%	1.9%
Real Estate	Same weight	1.7%	1.7%
Materials	Same weight	1.6%	1.6%

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in ALDB and BUFR, widest gap first
Country	More in ALDBMore in BUFR	ALDB	BUFR
United States	BUFR +0.5 points	99.5%	100.0%
Switzerland	ALDB +0.3 points	0.3%	0.0%
China	ALDB +0.1 points	0.1%	0.0%
Mexico	ALDB +0.1 points	0.1%	0.0%
Ireland	Same weight	0.0%	0.0%
United Kingdom	Same weight	0.0%	0.0%

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

ALDB100.0%
BUFR83.4%

Securities held

ALDB5
BUFR12

Asset class

ALDB: Equity
BUFR: Multi-Asset

Holdings

Only in ALDB5
In both0
Only in BUFR12

Only in ALDB

5 securities, 100% of ALDB by weight

Aptus October Deep Buffer ETF25.20%
Aptus January Deep Buffer ETF24.95%
Aptus April Deep Buffer ETF24.89%
Aptus July Deep Buffer ETF24.88%
Cash & Other0.08%

Only in BUFR

12 securities, 100% of BUFR by weight

FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - October8.43%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - November8.38%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - September8.36%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - March8.36%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - December8.34%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - February8.33%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - January8.33%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - April8.32%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - July8.30%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - June8.28%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - May8.27%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - August8.27%

Weight gaps

ALDB and BUFR share no securities.

All ALDB holdings⁠All 12 BUFR holdings⁠

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

ALDB vs BUFR Cost

Overpaying BUFR vs ALDB

$11,720

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

ALDB 0.30%
$6,149
BUFR 0.95%
$17,869

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

ALDB 0.30%
BUFR 0.95%
Overpaying

Year by year

Year	ALDB	BUFR	Overpaying
10	$545	$1,678	$1,133
20	$2,113	$6,322	$4,209
30	$6,149	$17,869	$11,720

Expense ratio

0.30%ALDB, cheaper
0.95%BUFR

ALDB0.30%BUFR0.95%

0.30%1.21%

Middle half of S&P 500 Laddered Buffer funds
Median 0.89%

ALDB cheapest of 18 funds

BUFR 12th cheapest of 18 funds

ALDB vs BUFR Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 2, 2026

Payout (12M): ALDB None; BUFR None

Distribution history

ALDBAll ALDB payments⁠

No distribution history available.

BUFRAll BUFR payments⁠

No distribution history available.

ALDB vs BUFR Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: ALDB No dataBUFR 7.1%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: ALDB No dataBUFR 1.50
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: ALDB No dataBUFR −13.7%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: ALDB 0.46BUFR 0.61; Market = 1

ALDB and BUFR in the news

All news⁠

ETF Filings
First Trust sets FSEP's new cap at 16.68% as September buffers roll
Sep 22, 2026BUFR

Popular comparisons

ALDBBvsBUFPB
Aptus Laddered Deep Buffer ETF · PGIM Laddered S&P 500 Buffer 12 ETF
Expense ratio
0.30% · 0.50%
Category
BUFRCvsBUFPB
FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF · PGIM Laddered S&P 500 Buffer 12 ETF
Expense ratio
0.95% · 0.50%
Category
ALDBBvsPBFRB
Aptus Laddered Deep Buffer ETF · PGIM Laddered S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETF
Expense ratio
0.30% · 0.50%
Category
BUFRCvsPBFRB
FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF · PGIM Laddered S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETF
Expense ratio
0.95% · 0.50%
Category
ALDBBvsIVVMB
Aptus Laddered Deep Buffer ETF · iShares Large Cap Moderate Quarterly Laddered ETF
Expense ratio
0.30% · 0.50%
Category
BUFRCvsIVVMB
FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF · iShares Large Cap Moderate Quarterly Laddered ETF
Expense ratio
0.95% · 0.50%
Category

ALDB vs BUFR

In short

Stated mandate

Why people hold it

Worth knowing

How ALDB and BUFR differ

Level by level

Sector

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Concentration

Asset class

Holdings

Only in ALDB

Only in BUFR

Weight gaps

Cost over time

Year by year

Distribution history

Fall from peak · 5 years

Risk facts

First Trust sets FSEP's new cap at 16.68% as September buffers roll