SAPO-18, which has a microporous framework structure related to, but crystallographically distinct from, that of the solid acid catalyst SAPO-34, was synthesized hydrothermally from a silicoaluminophosphate gel containing N,N-diisopropylethylamine as a structure-directing template. Although both materials have similar Si/(Si + Al + P) ratios, the content of Bronsted acid sites in SAPO-18 is considerably less than that in SAPO-34. As catalysts for methanol conversion to light olefins, SAPO-18 and SAPO-34 have closely similar initial activity and selectivity, but the lifetime of SAPO-18 is distinctly superior to that of SAPO-34.