Futures prop firms sell evaluation accounts: you pay a fee, trade futures under the firm’s rules and become eligible for payouts once you pass. The ranking above orders firms by Fintrev score out of 10, and the field is tight: The5ers, Apex Trader Funding and Earn2Trade all score 7.9, and the thirteenth entry, Alpha Futures, scores 7.1. With less than a point separating first and last, the real question is whose rules fit the way you trade: drawdown type, profit target relative to the loss limit, and payout conditions.
Where the leading entries differ
- The5ers is the only top-five entry with percentage-based rules and permitted weekend holding, and its program covers forex as well as futures. See the The5ers review.
- Apex Trader Funding pairs a 100% split and a low entry fee with a tight $25K intraday trailing limit and a 3-step path.
- Earn2Trade allows news trading and gates payouts behind profitable days.
- Lucid Trading has the lowest target-to-loss ratio among comparable entries, with EOD drawdown and a $600 daily limit. See the Lucid Trading review.
- Traders Launch allows EAs, with no minimum days and daily payouts, though its split and targets depend on configuration.
Further down, Upcomers is a multi-asset program (forex, futures, crypto, perpetuals, stocks) that allows weekend holding and EAs, which matters for swing or automated traders, though its user rating is the lowest in the ranking.
How we checked the firms in this list
We ran these checks on 2026-11-13, connecting from Tallinn, Estonia, in the EU. For all 15 brands we opened the official site and recorded which legal entities it names. Fourteen sites opened normally. Hola Prime’s official site could not be read from the EU, so what we saw there is limited. Register lookups are on record for only two brands. Tradeify was confirmed on NFA BASIC (US) for 0575972, with the status NFA Member Approved. Alpha Futures was confirmed on Companies House (UK) for 15655643, status Active, incorporated 17 April 2024. The other 13 brands have no register lookup on record, so we cannot tell you what a register would show for them.
We also followed each site’s main sign-up button to see what came next. At 13 of the 15 brands it opened a checkout without an account, including Apex Trader Funding, The5ers and Upcomers. Bulenox and FundedElite were different. Their buttons led to a sign-in or account page before any payment screen. Trustpilot scores give a rough sense of spread. My Funded Futures (MFFU) showed 4.9 from 22,937 reviews, while Upcomers showed 2.9 from 585 reviews. Review volume matters too, and Traders Launch’s 4.5 rests on just 82 reviews. Archive history can add context. The5ers has a first archive capture of 2016-05-16, and Funded Futures Family’s first capture is 2024-05-09. Alpha Futures’ first capture, 2024-04-20, falls days after its recorded incorporation date.
These checks have limits. We did not open accounts, pay for evaluations, trade or request payouts, so nothing here tells you how a firm handles traders or withdrawals.
What the order is based on
Each firm is placed by its Fintrev score, and partner commissions do not affect scores. Where scores tie, as at 7.9 and 7.8, treat the tied firms as equals and choose on terms.
The score and the user rating are separate figures. The user rating (stars plus review count) reflects what customers report. The score is our assessment. They do not always move together:
- My Funded Futures (MFFU) has the highest user rating in the ranking, 4.9 from 22,823 reviews, yet ranks ninth with a 7.5 score.
- Upcomers has the lowest user rating, 2.9 from 578 reviews, and still scores 7.3.
- Traders Launch ranks fifth at 7.8 on 82 reviews, a much thinner base than firms rated on thousands.
A star rating built on tens of thousands of reviews carries more weight than one built on a few dozen, so if customer experience matters most, read the rating alongside the review count.
Why the fee column is not a like-for-like price
Each firm’s fee belongs to one specific challenge and account size, and the sizes differ. Apex Trader Funding’s $17 is for a $25K Intraday Trail account. Funded Futures Family’s $70 is also a $25K account. Earn2Trade’s $43 is for a $50K Gauntlet Mini. Most other entries quote a $100K account. Comparing $17 with $186 therefore compares a $25K product with a $100K one.
Two more things separate the headline fee from what you will actually spend:
- Discounts. Several fees are discounted from a list price (Apex $17 against $167, TradeDay $108 against $240). Codes can expire, so the list price is the steadier reference for repeat purchases.
- Resets and recurring charges. Some futures firms bill the evaluation monthly until you pass, cancel or reset; others charge once, sometimes with an activation fee for the funded account. A low monthly price can cost more than a higher one-time fee if passing takes several months.
Refund terms also vary. The5ers and Upcomers refund the challenges shown; TradeDay’s Quick Pay is non-refundable.
Drawdown: the rule that ends accounts
The maximum loss limit is the furthest your account can fall before it fails. How that limit is measured matters as much as its size.
Intraday trailing vs. end of day
An intraday trailing drawdown follows your highest unrealized equity during the session. An end-of-day (EOD) drawdown updates only from the closing balance. A static drawdown stays fixed at a set level below the starting balance.
Hypothetical example, for mechanics only: a $100K account has a $2,000 trailing limit, so the floor starts at $98,000. A trade runs to $1,500 of open profit, then reverses and closes at breakeven.
- Under intraday trailing, the floor rose to $99,500 when equity peaked at $101,500. After closing at $100,000, you have only $500 of room left.
- Under EOD trailing, the floor is recalculated from the closing balance of $100,000, so it stays at $98,000 and you keep the full $2,000.
Both models appear in the ranking. TradeDay’s Quick Pay has a $1,000 intraday trailing limit on a $100K account, Apex’s Intraday Trail account $1,000 on $25K, and MFFU’s RAPID $2,000, intraday, on $100K. Lucid Trading, Tradeify, Upcomers and The5ers use EOD limits, and FuturesElite uses EOD trailing. For scalpers who let winners run before taking them back, intraday trailing can end an account that EOD measurement would have kept alive.
Daily loss limits
A daily loss limit ends the session, or the account, after a set loss in one day. Lucid’s PRO EVAL sets $600 on a $100K account, Upcomers $3,000 and The5ers 3%. Tradeify’s 100K Evaluation and Bulenox have no daily loss limit, which leaves room to recover inside a session while the overall drawdown still applies.
Profit target relative to loss room
A useful way to compare evaluations is to divide the profit target by the maximum loss: how many dollars you must make for each dollar you are allowed to lose.
| Challenge (account) | Target | Max loss | Target ÷ max loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid PRO EVAL ($100K) | $1,250 | $1,000 | 1.25 |
| Apex Intraday Trail ($25K) | $1,500 | $1,000 | 1.5 |
| TradeDay Quick Pay ($100K) | $1,500 | $1,000 | 1.5 |
| MFFU RAPID ($100K) | $3,000 | 2,000 | 1.5 |
| Upcomers Futures Horizon ($100K) | $6,000 | $4,000 | 1.5 |
| The5ers Summer Plan Futures ($100K) | 10% | 6% | 1.67 |
| Tradeify 100K Evaluation | $6,000 | $3,000 | 2.0 |
| FuturesElite Elite with DLL ($100K) | $6,000 | $3,000 | 2.0 |
| Bulenox Qualification ($100K) | $6,000 | up to $3,000 | 2.0 |
A lower ratio means a shorter path to the target relative to your risk budget, but it ignores the drawdown model, daily limits and minimum trading days. A 1.5 ratio under intraday trailing can be harder to pass than a 2.0 ratio measured at end of day.
Minimum trading days add time. TradeDay requires 5; Apex, Lucid and MFFU require 1; Traders Launch, Bulenox and Upcomers have no minimum.
Getting paid: split, frequency and conditions
Splits are not always flat. Apex pays 100%. Lucid, Tradeify, FuturesElite and Alpha Futures pay 90%. TradeDay’s split is tiered: 50/50 below $4K of net profit, 80/20 above $4K, and 90/10 in Funded Live, so early payouts on that program are split evenly.
Payouts are often gated by winning days. Earn2Trade pays weekly from $100 after 5 profitable days. FuturesElite requires 6 winning days of $350 each, with its consistency rule met. Alpha Futures allows up to 4 payouts a month, each after 5 winning days of $200 or more. Tradeify requires 5 winning days. Lucid’s frequency depends on configuration: every 5 days with the daily loss limit off, and on demand with it on. MFFU, Bulenox and Traders Launch pay daily.
Withdrawal methods differ as well. Apex pays by ACH transfer. Tradeify pays only in crypto. Lucid uses Plaid, WorkMarket by ADP and crypto. Several others offer Rise, crypto and bank transfer, so traders who cannot receive crypto have fewer options.
Terms to confirm before buying. Some conditions depend on the exact configuration. Bulenox’s Qualification program is described as both trailing and EOD, so check which drawdown applies to your account. Traders Launch pays 55% or 80% depending on configuration, and its three targets ($2,000 / $3,000 / $5,000) and loss limits ($1,000 / $1,000 / $2,000) are not tied to specific accounts, which is why it is left out of the ratio table. Upcomers’ “up to 100%” split is a ceiling, not what every trader receives. Tradeify’s 150K account adds a $250 minimum profit per day to its payout condition, which does not apply to the 100K evaluation.
Evaluation steps and program types
Lucid, Tradeify, TradeDay, Traders Launch, FuturesElite and Alpha Futures run 1-step evaluations. Earn2Trade and MFFU are 2-step. Apex’s Intraday Trail and Bulenox’s Qualification are 3-step. Funded Futures Family’s S2F Payday is an instant account with no evaluation stage; instant programs are compared in instant funding prop firms.
Max allocation is a scaling ceiling, not a starting size, and reaching it depends on each firm’s scaling rules. The5ers scales to $4M, Upcomers and FuturesElite to $1.5M, and Tradeify and Alpha Futures to $750K.
What you are actually buying
A futures prop firm is not a futures broker. In the US, firms holding customer futures funds operate as futures commission merchants under CFTC oversight and NFA membership. Many evaluation-based firms run simulated accounts and are not registered that way, so your fee buys a program, not a deposit into a protected account. If a payout is denied, the trader agreement defines what you can claim; read its sections on rule changes and account termination before paying.
FAQ
What platforms do futures prop firms use?
Platform support varies by firm and account. Common options include Tradovate, NinjaTrader, Rithmic-connected front ends, TradingView and ProjectX, sometimes only through a specific data connection, so confirm your platform is supported for the exact challenge before you buy.
Can I hold futures positions overnight or over the weekend?
It depends on the program. The5ers and Upcomers allow weekend holding. For other firms, check the trader agreement, since intraday-only rules are a common reason funded futures accounts are closed.