Firm guides

One page per firm per intent: how to pass, payout rules, plans compared, and head-to-head comparisons, all built from the rules cards verified in September 2026. 98 articles. Related hubs: /firms/, /blog/prop-firm-payout-rules-compared, /compare/.

Firm guides

GOAT Funded Trader vs Instant Funding (2026): drawdown, consistency, payouts

Two instant-funded CFD accounts with different floors: 6% trailing plus a 3% daily limit vs Smart DD 10% tightening to 5%. Every rule side by side.

Firm guides

Alpha Capital Group payout rules: Bi-Weekly vs On-Demand and the road to Alpha Prime

Alpha Capital Group payout paths: Bi-Weekly (every 14 days from the first trade, $100 minimum, 5 trading days on one strategy before the first, no Best Day rule) vs On-Demand (any time once the 40% Best Day rule and 2% gross profit are met); 80% split with a 90% add-on; Alpha Prime live tier at 60% with salary after $40,000 in one payout or five payouts.

Firm guides

Alpha Capital Group programs compared: Pro, One, Swing, Three

Alpha Capital Group programs compared: Alpha Pro (static 6/8/10%, balance-based daily loss on the 8% and 10% variants), Alpha One (6% trailing that locks at start), Alpha Swing (weekend holding, 10% static), Alpha Three; no consistency in evaluation, 40% Best Day only on On-Demand payouts.

Firm guides

Alpha Futures payout rules: 5 winning days, up to 4 requests a month

Alpha Futures payouts: 5 winning days of $200+ per request, up to 4 requests per month, 50% of profit per request, caps by plan and size (Zero 25K $1,000 to 100K $2,500, Advanced up to $15,000), $200 or $1,000 minimums, 90% flat on Zero, Advanced and Direct, Standard tiered 70–90%.

Firm guides

Alpha Futures plans compared: Zero, Standard, Advanced, Direct

Alpha Futures plans after the July 2026 restructuring: Zero (4% EOD, no consistency in evaluation, 40% Qualified, $0 activation), Standard (50% then 40%), Advanced (40% then none, locked floor, no scaling), Direct (instant, 20%); Daily Loss Guard, AlphaTrader and TradingView via Plus500 since 4 September.

Firm guides

Apex payout rules: what a Performance Account must satisfy before every request

Apex Trader Funding Performance Account payout rules in one table: Safety Net (start + drawdown + $100), 5 qualifying days, 50% consistency, $500 minimum, six-payout ladder with caps, 100% of the first $25,000 then 90/10, bracket orders, 30-day inactivity.

Firm guides

Blue Guardian models compared: Instant, One Step, Two Step, Guardian X

Blue Guardian models compared: Instant (20% consistency, on-demand payouts, 3% daily), One Step and Two Step Standard and Pro (6% EOD trailing locking at start + $100, 4–5% daily, 25–30% consistency by model once funded, none on 14-day models), Guardian X (news allowed at every stage); Guardian Shield 2% auto-close on all.

Firm guides

Blue Guardian payout rules: 14 days, 5 profitable days and the 24-hour guarantee

Blue Guardian payouts: challenge-funded accounts 14 days after the first trade then every 14 days, Instant on demand, 5 profitable days of 0.5% before withdrawal, model-specific consistency (20% / 25% / 30% / none), $100 minimum, 24-hour processing guarantee that raises the split to 100% if missed.

Firm guides

BrightFunded 1-Step vs 2-Step Classic vs 2-Step Bright

BrightFunded 2.0 plans compared: 1-Step (6% trailing on highest equity, locks at +6%, 3% daily, 10% target) vs 2-Step Classic (10% static, 5% daily, 10% then 5%) vs 2-Step Bright (static, tighter); 5 trading days per phase, no consistency rule at any stage, 5-minute funded news window, leverage by asset.

Firm guides

BrightFunded payout rules: 80% to 100%, 24-hour processing, scale-up

BrightFunded payouts: 80% from the first payout, 90% with a paid add-on, 100% after the third scale-up; requests processed within 24 hours; weekly or bi-weekly cycles by plan; no consistency rule; scale-up of +30% every 4 months when profitable in 2 of 4 months with 10% total profit.

Firm guides

Bulenox Option 1 vs Option 2: which format for a systematic strategy

Bulenox Option 1 (real-time trailing, full contracts from day one, no daily loss limit) vs Option 2 (end-of-day drawdown, daily loss limit, scaling plan 2 → 4 → 7 on a 50K): same drawdown amounts, same $100 lock, same 40% Master payout rule; which option for which strategy.

Firm guides

Bulenox payout rules: every Wednesday, 40%, first three capped

Bulenox Master Account payouts: weekly every Wednesday after 10 trading days, 40% consistency on every request, $1,000 minimum, first three payouts capped by size, 100% of the first $10,000 then 90/10, no reset on the Master Account.

Firm guides

E8 Markets E8 One vs Signature: which one for a systematic strategy

E8 Markets E8 One vs E8 Signature compared: intraday vs end-of-day dynamic drawdown, customizable 4–14% limit that widens per payout on E8 One, 40% vs 35% Best Day rule at payout, weekend rule, up to 100% vs 80% split, 5 profitable days at 0.3% and a 14-day first-payout wait.

Firm guides

E8 Markets payout rules: 14-day wait, profit gate, Best Day check

On demand after 14 days once net profit tops half the daily limit, five days of 0.3%, Best Day 40% (35% Signature), split up to 100% on E8 One.

Firm guides

FTMO 1-Step vs 2-Step vs Swing: every rule compared

FTMO 2-Step, Swing and the new 1-Step Challenge compared: 10% static vs 10% EOD trailing maximum loss, 5% vs 3% daily, 4 minimum days vs none, no consistency vs the 50% Best Day rule, news and weekend rules, leverage, 80–90% vs 90% split, refundable vs non-refundable fee.

Firm guides

FTMO payout rules and scaling plan: 14-day cycles, 80% to 90%

FTMO payouts: first request 14 days after the first funded trade, 14-day cycles, about 8-hour processing, 80% rising to 90% through the scaling plan (+25% balance every 4 months at 10% profit), MetriX review instead of a consistency percentage; 1-Step pays 90% from the first payout.

Firm guides

Funded Futures Family payout rules: qualifying days, 40% and the Mon/Thu windows

Funded Futures Family payouts: request-based Monday and Thursday windows via Rise, 3 / 5 / 7 qualifying days of $200+ by plan, 40% consistency per cycle (25% S2F), Prime buffer of drawdown + $100, Premier+ 50% of profit per request up to $1,000–$3,000, Velocity Daily Payout add-on, 90/10, Professional and Live tiers after five payouts.

Firm guides

Funded Futures Family plans compared: Prime, Premier+, Velocity, Straight-to-Funded

Funded Futures Family plans since April 2026 compared: Prime (EOD both stages, $2,100 buffer, 40% once funded), Premier+ (EOD or intraday in evaluation, 40% funded from 9 September 2026, flat caps 2/4/6/10), Velocity (intraday, Daily Payout add-on), Straight-to-Funded (25%); no daily loss limit, automation prohibited.

Firm guides

Funded Trading Plus FT+ 2.0: Instant vs 1-Step Express vs 2-Step Classic

Funded Trading Plus FT+ 2.0 programs compared: Instant Funding (6% trailing, 6% daily, 50% consistency from day one, no news or weekends), 1-Step Express (6% trailing, 4% daily, 35% in evaluation then 50% funded), 2-Step Classic (8% static, 4% daily, 7%+7% targets, consistency disputed); no minimum days; weekly payouts from day one.

Firm guides

Funded Trading Plus payout rules: weekly from day one, $50 minimum

Funded Trading Plus payouts: weekly from the first active trading day, $50 minimum, 1–3 days to arrive, 80% split with 90% and 100% as a paid add-on at checkout or through profit milestones (20% and 30% cumulative), 35% / 50% consistency where it applies, scaling to $2.5M.

Firm guides

FundedNext Futures: Flex vs Legacy vs Rapid vs Bolt

FundedNext Futures programs compared: Flex (40% in the challenge, none once funded, 3/5/8 minis), Legacy (funded gets +2 minis, 50% withdrawal cap until 30 benchmark days), Rapid (micros at 5x, no benchmark days), Bolt (DLL, micros at 3x); EOD trailing on all; benchmark days $200/$250.

Firm guides

FundedNext Futures payout rules: benchmark days, caps and splits

FundedNext Futures payouts: Flex needs 5 benchmark days of $200+ per withdrawal and $500 minimum profit in the cycle; Legacy caps withdrawals at 50% of profit until 30 benchmark days; Rapid eligible after 3 days with no benchmark days; 24–48 h processing; split up to 95% on Flex.

Firm guides

FundedNext payout cycles: 5-day vs 14-day, first payout timing

FundedNext CFD payouts by model: Stellar 1-Step first payout 5 days after passing then every 5 business days; 2-Step 21 days then 14-day cycles; Instant on demand from 5% growth; splits 80–95% (Instant 70–80%); refunded fees; the disputed consistency check.

Firm guides

FundedNext Stellar programs compared: 2-Step, 1-Step, Lite, Instant

FundedNext CFD programs side by side: Stellar 2-Step (10% static, 5% daily, 5 days, first payout 21 days), 1-Step (6%, 3%, 2 days, payout in 5 days), Lite (1% per position), Instant (6% trailing, no target, 70–80% split); 40% news rule, EAs on MT4/MT5 only.

Firm guides

FundingPips payout cycles: which one to lock before the first trade

FundingPips reward cycles explained: weekly 60%, bi-weekly 80%, monthly 100% and On Demand 90% on 2 Step Standard, which carry the 35% consistency score and 7 profitable days, plus Pro, Flex, 1 Step and Zero.

Firm guides

FundingPips Zero rules: what replaces the evaluation

Every FundingPips Zero rule on one page: no evaluation, 5% intraday trailing maximum loss, 3% daily, 1% risk per trade idea, 15% consistency score, 7 profitable days of 0.25% per 30 days, 3% cushion, news as a hard breach, 95% split.

Firm guides

GOAT Funded Trader 2-Step vs 1-Step vs Instant: which one, if any

GOAT Funded Trader programs compared: 2-Step (10% static, 3 days, 15% consistency once funded), 1-Step (6% static), Instant GOAT, Premium and Pro and Pay Later (trailing, 3% daily on the higher of balance or equity, 15–30% consistency, floating-loss closure at 1–2%, tightened to 1% from 2 September 2026).

Firm guides

GOAT Funded Trader payout rules: 48-hour guarantee, caps and the ladder

GOAT Funded Trader payouts: 80% split scaling to 92%, 95% and 100% through the ladder, 48-hour guarantee with a $1,000 penalty, 6% cap on the first two payouts on some models, $100 minimum from 30 July 2026, 3 or 5 minimum days per period, 15–30% consistency by model, Instant accounts double at 10% profit.

Firm guides

Lucid Trading payout rules: buffer, cycles and caps by plan

Lucid Trading payouts by plan: 90/10 and $500 minimum everywhere; LucidPro 3-day cycle with a $2,100 buffer and 40% rule; LucidFlex 5 profitable days, 50% of profit per request, $2,000 cap; LucidDaily daily; five payouts to the live pool.

Firm guides

Lucid Trading plans compared: LucidPro vs Flex vs Daily vs Direct

Lucid Trading plans side by side: LucidPro (40% consistency once funded, $2,100 buffer), LucidFlex (50% in evaluation only), LucidDaily (intraday funded, news hard breach, daily payouts), LucidDirect (instant, 20%); drawdown, caps, minimum days, payouts.

Firm guides

Maven Trading programs compared: One-Step, Two-Step, Three-Step, Instant

Maven Trading programs compared: static drawdown in evaluations, 8% trailing from highest equity once funded, 2–4% daily in evaluation and 4% daily once funded, no consistency in evaluation and 20% funded, minimum days by program, 1% per trade on Instant, EAs prohibited, payouts every 10 business days at 80%.

Firm guides

MyFundedFutures payout rules by plan: buffers, caps, minimums

MyFundedFutures payouts by plan: Rapid daily with buffer, Rapid EOD $2,100 buffer then $500 net, Pro 14 days with $1,000 minimum and $100,000 lifetime cap, Builder every 48 hours with $2,000 cycles and 50% consistency, splits 90/10 and 80/20.

Firm guides

MyFundedFutures plans compared: Rapid vs Pro vs Builder vs Rapid EOD

MyFundedFutures Rapid, Pro, Builder and Rapid EOD side by side with the legacy Core and Flex: drawdown by stage, no daily loss limit, consistency 50% / 30% and where it applies, minimum days, caps, news, payout cadence, one-time fees since 25 August 2026..

Firm guides

Phidias 2.0: Express to Live vs Fundamental vs Premium

Phidias 2.0 account families compared: Express to Live (static drawdown, 0 minimum days, no consistency, LIVE after the first Cash payout), Fundamental (EOD trailing, intraday only, 3 days, 30% on Cash), Premium (EOD trailing, overnight and weekend, 5 qualifying days, 75% to 100% split); caps 10 / 14 / 17 minis; semi-automated only.

Firm guides

Phidias payout rules: daily, 10-day and 5-day clocks

Phidias payouts by family: Express to Live daily from the first Cash day at 80/20 plus bonus and LIVE conversion; Fundamental every 10 days at 80/20 with 30% consistency; Premium every 5 days on a 75% → 80% → 85% → 90% → 100% ladder with 5 qualifying days; Phidias Wallet processing.

Firm guides

Take Profit Trader payout rules: daily on PRO, with gates the sources dispute

Take Profit Trader payouts: daily eligibility on PRO, the 5-winning-day gate that sources dispute, the reported buffer and 60-day rule, no consistency rule on PRO or PRO+, and how to plan the first request.

Firm guides

Take Profit Trader Test vs PRO vs PRO+: every rule that changes

Take Profit Trader Test vs PRO vs PRO+ compared: EOD trailing on the Test, intraday on PRO, EOD on PRO+; no daily loss limit on the Test, one on PRO; 50% consistency and 3 minimum days on the Test only; bots prohibited on PRO; daily payouts.

Firm guides

The5ers payouts and scale-up ladder: 14 days, then 50% to 100%

The5ers payouts: first payout 14 days after funding, then every two weeks; scale-up ladder doubling to $4M with the split rising 50% → 60% → 80% → 90% → 100%; High Stakes starts at 80%, Pro Growth 75%, Hyper Growth and Bootcamp 50%; no consistency rule at payout.

Firm guides

The5ers programs compared: High Stakes vs Hyper Growth vs Pro Growth vs Bootcamp

The5ers High Stakes, Hyper Growth, Pro Growth and Bootcamp compared: 10% / 6% / 6% / 5% static maximum loss, 5% breach vs 3% pause daily rules, profitable-day minimums, no consistency rule on any program, news windows, 1:100 vs 1:30 leverage, 80% / 50% / 75% starting splits.

Firm guides

Top One Futures payout rules: every 24 hours on Elite Daily, weekly elsewhere

Top One Futures payouts: Elite Daily every 24 hours with a $500 minimum, retained buffer and 50% of each later request from new profit; other programs weekly with per-cycle caps; 90/10 in the simulated stage, 80/20 after live; 5 funded days on Elite Access and Instant; Riseworks processing.

Firm guides

Top One Futures programs compared: Elite Daily, Elite Access, Ignite, Instant

Top One Futures programs compared (August 2026 lineup): Elite Daily (40% in evaluation only, none funded, daily payouts), Elite Access (40% funded only, no DLL in the challenge), Ignite (15%), Instant Sim Funded 2.0 (20%), legacy Elite Challenge and S2F; EOD trailing, no automation, intraday only.

Firm guides

Topstep payout paths: Standard vs Consistency, which pays faster

Topstep Express Funded Account payout paths compared: Standard needs 5 winning days of $150+, Consistency needs 3 trading days with no day above 40% of profit.

Firm guides

TradeDay payout rules: day one on Quick Pay, 50/50 then 80/20

TradeDay payouts: Quick Pay from day one at 50/50 on the first $4,000 of net profit then 80/20 with no buffer; Fast Pass after five profitable days at 80/20 with requests capped at 50% of balance; Funded Live 90/10; no activation fees; drawdown fixed at the starting balance from the first payout.

Firm guides

TradeDay Quick Pay vs Fast Pass: every rule compared

TradeDay 2.0 routes compared: Quick Pay (intraday or EOD trailing by choice, 5 minimum days, 30% evaluation consistency, day-one funded payouts at 50/50 then 80/20) vs Fast Pass (EOD only, 3 days, 45% in evaluation and, from 26 July 2026, 45% once funded, five profitable days, 80/20).

Firm guides

Tradeify payout rules: gates, caps and buffers by plan

Tradeify payouts by plan: Growth funded (5 profitable days of $150+, $53,000 minimum balance on 50K, 35% consistency, caps by payout number), Select Flex (5 winning days, 50% of profit per request), Select Daily (daily), Lightning (profit goal per cycle, 20–30% ladder), 90/10, $250 minimum.

Firm guides

Tradeify Select Flex vs Daily: the one-time choice after passing

Tradeify Select Flex vs Daily compared: Flex has no daily loss limit and needs 5 qualifying winning days per request with 50% of profit per request; Daily has a daily limit, a buffer and daily eligibility with smaller caps.

Firm guides

FTMO vs The5ers

Static drawdown at both, no consistency rule at either. Daily loss mechanics and the split ladder decide it.

Firm guides

FundingPips vs FundedNext

Published consistency vs a disputed one; reward cycles chosen upfront vs fixed by plan.

Firm guides

FTMO vs FundedNext

Same skeleton, different minimum days, news rule and payout cycle.

Firm guides

We forecast our results before going live — the scorecard

Model locked in April, four live months graded against it — including the drawdown that held.

Firm guides

Stabilizer or engine? Reading a strategy’s risk profile

Income rank and risk rank are different lists. Blow rate, EOD drawdown and trade frequency — the three numbers to check before a strategy touches a funded account.

Firm guides

EOD trail on 50K vs 100K

The buffer grows 1.5x, the target doubles. The math changes.

Firm guides

Trailing vs static vs daily-loss drawdown

Full taxonomy of the three rules that end accounts.

Firm guides

EOD vs intraday trailing drawdown

Which is easier to pass, and why.

Firm guides

Balanced vs growth: the price of safety

Same strategies, different heat — priced.

Firm guides

Two 100K accounts, opposite payout profiles

The faster-paying portfolio is sized closer to the floor — more payouts, more blow.

Firm guides

One strategy per account, or a portfolio?

Both work. Why a portfolio usually lowers blow rate and smooths equity — and the hedging trap to avoid.

Firm guides

Drift Worst Day vs the Daily Limit: Four Tracks, One $5,000 Line

Drift’s worst day per track against a $5,000 daily loss limit: XAU 30%, NAS 35%, MGC 18%, MNQ 11%. Why we read the worst day before the net, and what a fixed-schedule exit does for it.

Firm guides

We Picked the Top 10% Strategies. Holding All of Them Won.

A walk-forward test on our own catalog: rank strategies on the last 1–5 quarters, keep the top 10% or all 16, measure Q3. All 16 held +$26,356 at every lookback; the shortlist faded to $0.9–3.9k.

Firm guides

Walk-forward vs Monte Carlo

What each validates — use both.

Firm guides

Sharpe vs Sortino vs Calmar

Which matters on a funded account.

Firm guides

Win rate vs profit factor: the data

Sixteen combos say the two barely correlate.

Firm guides

In-sample vs out-of-sample testing

The split that separates real edges from overfit results, with practical ratios.

Firm guides

VWAP trading strategy: anchored vs static

Mean reversion to VWAP, anchored variants, and which fits the prop firm constraints.

Firm guides

SMC vs systematic prop trading: which actually passes

Smart Money Concepts (discretionary) vs systematic prop trading compared on drawdown, validation, and scalability.

Firm guides

FTUK plans compared: Instant Funding, Flex, One Step, Two Step, Instant SIM

Six programs, every rule that changes: 6% relative trailing and Account Protector on Instant, 10%/5% static on Two Step, EOD trailing on Instant SIM.

Firm guides

Tradovate vs ProjectX vs Rithmic

2026 update — after the ProjectX shutdown.

Firm guides

Manual vs automated prop firm strategies

Same rules, two execution paths.

Firm guides

TradersPost vs PineConnector: the automation bridge

How a TradingView alert becomes a live order.

Firm guides

Apex vs Topstep for systematic traders

Drawdown, consistency, news, automation.

Firm guides

strategy() vs indicator for prop alerts

Which carries order details a bridge can use.

Firm guides

Topstep vs MyFundedFutures

Two of the most popular futures props compared.

Firm guides

Lucid vs Tradeify

Both EOD-trailing — which fits which trader.

Firm guides

Apex vs MyFundedFutures (2026)

Two firms, five plans versus two. Drawdown models, consistency thresholds, funded-account fees and which fits a rules-based strategy.

Firm guides

Apex vs Tradeify

The EOD reference vs the fast-payout challenger.

Firm guides

Topstep vs Tradeify

Structure and longevity vs speed.

Firm guides

FTMO vs FundingPips for gold

Best home for an automated XAU system.

Firm guides

How to pass Apex Trader Funding (2026)

The trailing drawdown kills most Apex evaluations. EOD vs intraday, and how to size against the floor.

Firm guides

How to pass the Topstep Trading Combine (2026)

End-of-day trailing MLL, the 50% consistency rule, and the no-news window automated traders miss.

Firm guides

How to pass Take Profit Trader (2026)

Clean EOD Test — but the funded PRO account switches to harsher intraday trailing. Plan for the switch.

Firm guides

How to pass MyFundedFutures (2026)

No daily loss limit — the trailing drawdown is the whole game, and your plan choice picks its type.

Firm guides

How to pass Tradeify (2026)

US futures-focused, 6% target, 2% daily loss (tight). Consistency rule explained.

Firm guides

How to pass Elite Trader Funding (2026)

Choose EOD trailing or a static floor, native TradingView support, no daily loss limit on most plans.

Firm guides

How to pass TradeDay (2026)

Three drawdown types, a clean rulebook, no daily loss limit — but a stricter 30% consistency rule.

Firm guides

How to pass Lucid Trading (2026)

EOD trailing, a no-consistency funded option (Flex), and TradingView via Tradovate. Intraday-only.

Firm guides

How to pass Alpha Futures (2026)

End-of-day trailing MLL on every account; the Advanced plan drops consistency and news rules.

Firm guides

How to pass DayTraders.com (2026)

Every drawdown type, runs on Tradovate/Rithmic, news permitted, pass in as little as two days.

Firm guides

How to pass FundedNext (2026)

Forex-focused 2-step evaluation: 8% / 5% targets, 5% trailing DD, 28-day phase 1. Systematic framework.

Firm guides

How to pass Bulenox (2026)

Choose trailing or EOD at checkout, no news restriction, algo-friendly with metals access for MGC.

Firm guides

How to pass Earn2Trade (2026)

The 2016 veteran: EOD trailing, a career path scaling to $400K, and a stricter 30% consistency rule.

Firm guides

How to pass the FTMO Challenge (2026)

1-Step (trailing) vs 2-Step (static), with daily loss on intraday equity. The forex benchmark.

Firm guides

How to pass The 5%ers (2026)

Respected forex firm with $4M scaling — but EAs, automation and news trading are restricted.

Firm guides

How to pass FundingPips (2026)

Static drawdown, EAs permitted, metals and indices tradable — a natural forex home for automation.

Firm guides

How to pass Funded Trading Plus (2026)

EAs and news allowed, static drawdown on the 2-Step Classic, five platforms, split up to 100%.

Firm guides

How to pass BrightFunded (2026)

2-step static drawdown, no consistency rule, EAs in evaluation — but daily loss counts floating equity.

Firm guides

How to pass Goat Funded Trader (2026)

EA-friendly with static drawdown and gold access — mind the 2-minute hold and gold-arbitrage-EA ban.

Firm guides

Scalping vs swing vs intraday

How holding time changes costs, focus — and whether your prop firm even allows the style.

Firm guides

TradingView plans for alerts

What the free tier can't automate.

Firm guides

Leading vs lagging indicators

Fast-but-false oscillators vs reliable-but-late moving averages — the trade-off you can't escape.