Quick verdict — picks by use case
- Longest operating record: Topstep (founded 2012, 14 years and counting)
- Fastest payouts: TradeDay (same-day, on-demand, min $250) and Tradeify (processing in as little as 60 minutes)
- Highest split: Apex (100% of approved payouts, capped at six per account)
- Skip the evaluation: Tradeify’s Lightning Funded; prefer a fixed loss floor: TradeDay’s static-drawdown account
For transparency: we currently have no affiliate relationship with any of these seven futures firms.
If you would rather trade on MT4/MT5 or stick with FX and CFDs, see our FX prop firm comparison instead.
TL;DR — the seven futures specialists at a glance
Futures prop firms evaluate traders on CME products and fund the ones who pass. While most of the prop industry is built around FX and CFDs, only a handful of firms specialize in futures. This guide compares seven of them.
The four long-standing names first:
| Topstep | Apex Trader Funding | MyFundedFutures | Earn2Trade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 | 2021 | 2023 | 2016 |
| Base | Chicago, USA | USA | USA | USA |
| Model | Subscription, $49–$149/mo | Subscription, $137/mo+ (lump-sum plans too) | Subscription, $80–$385/mo | Subscription, $130/mo+ |
| Profit split | 90/10 (legacy accounts: 100% on first $10,000) | 100% of approved payouts, max 6 per account (legacy accounts: 100% on first $25,000, then 90%) | 90% (after conditions) | 80% |
| Payout cycle | Per winning-day requirement (five $150+ days) | 5 qualifying days (roughly weekly; legacy: 8 days) | 14 days | Monthly |
| Platforms | NinjaTrader / Tradovate / TradingView | Rithmic / Tradovate / NinjaTrader / TradingView | NinjaTrader / Tradovate / TradingView | Helix / Rithmic / Finamark |
And three more futures specialists worth a place on the shortlist:
| TradeDay | Take Profit Trader | Tradeify | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 | 2021 | 2024 |
| Base | Chicago, USA | Windermere, FL, USA | Boca Raton, FL, USA |
| Model | Subscription, from ~$62.5/mo | Subscription, $150–$360/mo | One-time purchase, $99–$796 |
| Profit split | 50/50 in buffer → 80/20 above $4,000 → 90/10 live | 80/20 (PRO) → 90/10 (PRO+) | 90% (100% on first $15,000), 80% live |
| Payout cycle | Same-day / on-demand (min $250) | On-demand, daily from day one | On-demand (as little as 60 min) |
| Platforms | Tradovate / NinjaTrader / TradingView / Jigsaw | TradingView / Tradovate / NinjaTrader | Tradovate / NinjaTrader / TradingView / TradeSea / WealthCharts |
If you only remember one thing: Topstep is the reference point — the oldest futures evaluation in the industry. Apex competes on payout speed and multiple accounts, Earn2Trade is the education-first veteran, and among the newer names TradeDay stands out for offering a static (non-trailing) drawdown option.
How futures props differ from FX props
Coming from the FX prop world, four things change.
1. You trade CME products
The instruments are CME-listed futures: E-mini S&P 500 (ES), Nasdaq (NQ), crude oil (CL), gold (GC), interest rates, and currency futures. Beginners generally start with the micro contracts (MES, MNQ), one tenth the size of the E-minis. There are no FX pairs or CFDs.
2. Rules are dollar-based, not percentage-based
An FX prop says “10% max loss.” A futures prop says “$2,000 max loss.” On top of that, Topstep and Apex use a trailing drawdown: the loss threshold trails your account’s high water mark, so a winning streak that you partially give back can still breach the rule. Read the rules first — see the Topstep rules breakdown and Apex rules breakdown.
3. Platforms are NinjaTrader / Tradovate, not MT4/MT5
None of the seven supports MT4/MT5. You will be working in NinjaTrader, Tradovate, Rithmic connections, TradingView integrations, or Earn2Trade’s own Helix. If you are migrating from MT4/MT5, budget real time for the switch.
4. The US session is the main event
CME liquidity concentrates in US market hours, and overnight sessions trade with much lower liquidity. More on what this means by region below.
If your edge is in stocks rather than futures, Trade The Pool, the stock-trading sister brand of The5%ers, is the specialist option.
The seven firms, one by one
Topstep — the original, since 2012
Topstep was founded in 2012 in Chicago and has been running its Trading Combine longer than any other futures evaluation — 14 years as of 2026, with no regulatory enforcement actions on record. If operating record is your first filter, start here.
- Trading Combine subscription: $49–$149 per month depending on account size
- 90/10 split for new accounts (accounts predating January 12, 2026 keep 100% of the first $10,000)
- $50K plan reference figures: $3,000 target, $2,000 max loss, $1,000 daily loss
- No minimum trading days; unlimited time while the subscription is active
- No monthly fee on the funded account; sustained performance can lead to Live Funded
The signature rule is the Trailing Maximum Drawdown — in the $50K Combine it locks at $50,000 once the account reaches +$2,500.
Apex Trader Funding — payout speed and multiple accounts
Apex Trader Funding, founded in 2021 in the US, is the other household name in futures funding, built around cash-flow-friendly mechanics.
- Subscriptions from $137 per month, with lump-sum plans available
- 100% of each approved payout on current accounts — but capped per payout ($1,000-$5,000 by size) and limited to six payouts per account before it closes
- Payout eligibility every 5 qualifying trading days — roughly weekly, shorter than the 14 days common elsewhere
- Multiple accounts allowed, which enables running separate strategies in parallel
Accounts bought before March 1, 2026 (Legacy) keep the old terms: 100% of the first $25,000 then 90%, on an 8-day cycle. Details in the Apex payout guide.
Two cautions: hedging the same instrument in opposite directions across accounts is prohibited, and the subscription accumulates each month you do not pass. Read the Apex rules breakdown before scaling up.
MyFundedFutures — the newcomer with a 90% split
MyFundedFutures, founded in 2023 in the US, is among the younger firms here and differentiates on its profit split.
- Subscriptions from $80 to $385 per month
- 90% profit split (after conditions are met)
- 14-day payout cycle, accounts up to $150,000
The short operating record is the trade-off. If you want longevity, Topstep and Apex come first; if you try it, keep the account small while the track record matures.
Earn2Trade — the education-first veteran, since 2016
Earn2Trade, founded in 2016 in the US, is one of the longest-running firms in the entire prop industry and the only one here that pairs evaluation with a structured curriculum.
- Three programs: Gauntlet Mini (15 days), the classic Gauntlet (60 days), and the Trader Career Path (education plus evaluation)
- 80% profit split, monthly payouts
- Accounts scale up to $400,000
- Education content is in English
For traders who want to build skills systematically while working toward funding, this is the distinctive option.
TradeDay — the futures specialist with a static-drawdown option
TradeDay, founded in 2020 in Chicago, is a futures-only firm whose standout feature is a choice of drawdown method. Alongside the usual intraday and end-of-day trailing options, it offers a static drawdown with a fixed floor that does not move regardless of profit ($500 on $50K, $1,000 on $100K, $1,500 on $150K) — a genuine differentiator for traders who dislike a trailing threshold creeping up behind a winning streak. The one-phase evaluation has no time limit, and withdrawals are supported from day one (minimum $250, processed in about 24 hours). Watch-out: the static account caps position size in exchange for the fixed floor, and the profit split is only 50/50 inside the buffer zone before stepping up to 80/20 and then 90/10 once funded live.
Take Profit Trader — daily payouts from day one
Take Profit Trader, founded in 2021 in Windermere, Florida, runs a simple one-step “Test” evaluation (6% target, five minimum trading days) and lets you request payouts daily from day one with no fixed window. The higher PRO+ tier — which lifts the split from 80/20 to 90/10 and removes the buffer requirement — unlocks on performance rather than an extra purchase fee, which suits traders who want better terms without more outlay. Watch-out: a one-time $130 activation fee applies when you move to a PRO account, and the BBB currently shows a “Pattern of Complaints” alert, so review the payout terms carefully before signing up.
Tradeify — instant funding and the fastest payouts
Tradeify, founded in 2024 in Boca Raton, Florida, is the newest firm here and leads with an instant-funding plan (Lightning Funded) that skips the evaluation entirely, plus a claimed payout processing time of as little as 60 minutes. Simulated-funded accounts keep 90% of profit and 100% of the first $15,000, which makes early cash flow easier than most. Watch-out: the drawdown is unrealized-value based and monitored tick-by-tick intraday, so a single breach means immediate disqualification — and with under two years of operating history, it is best kept small while its track record matures.
Time zones: can you actually trade this?
This decides more outcomes than profit splits do. The CME main session is a US-daytime market.
- US traders: no conflict; this is your trading day.
- India and Pakistan: the session runs through your evening — workable on top of a day job.
- East Asia (Japan, Korea): the session is late night to early morning. It is doable, but simulate the lifestyle before paying for an evaluation.
Three criteria for choosing
1. Operating record first
Topstep (2012), Earn2Trade (2016), and TradeDay (2020) have the longer records; Apex (2021) and Take Profit Trader (2021) have built solid bases since launch; MyFundedFutures (2023) and Tradeify (2024) are still proving longevity. The longer the record, the lower the platform risk you are taking alongside your trading risk.
2. Model your cumulative subscription cost
Most of these are subscriptions; Tradeify is the exception, sold as a one-time purchase. At $149 per month, six months without passing costs $894 — and resets or reactivation fees can add to that. Estimate honestly how long you need, multiply, and set a hard ceiling before you start.
3. Read payout terms together with the rules
The headline splits — such as Apex’s flat 100% on approved payouts — rarely tell the whole story: Apex caps each account at six payouts, and Topstep dropped its first-profit 100% window for accounts created after January 12, 2026. And a generous split is worthless if the trailing drawdown catches you first. Evaluate split, payout cycle, and drawdown mechanics as one package.
No prop firm, and no article, can guarantee profits. Final investment decisions are your own; this site does not provide investment advice.
Recommended prop firms
The seven firms above are the futures shortlist. If the US session does not fit your schedule, or you want to stay on MT4/MT5, the FX side is the practical alternative — and there, two firms anchor the industry.
The5%ers — start without an evaluation
Operating for 10 years (since 2016). The Instant Funding model starts immediately, with no evaluation pressure, and the profit split scales up to 100%.
→ See The5%ers official site (coupon code “HZZS4” for a discount)
FTMO — the industry standard
Operating for 11 years (since 2015). The orthodox Challenge-then-funding model, with one of the largest published payout track records in the industry.