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Best Futures Prop Firms 2026

Futures prop firms fund traders on CME-listed contracts — equity indices, energy, metals, rates, currencies — through an evaluation run on a simulated account, typically on NinjaTrader, Tradovate or Rithmic. Three things make the model different from forex. You subscribe monthly instead of buying a challenge once, the loss limit is almost always an intraday trailing drawdown measured from the highest balance reached, and US residents are widely accepted here while many forex firms exclude them altogether.

The ranking below scores these firms on payout reliability, exactly how the trailing drawdown behaves, total cost accumulated up to a first withdrawal, supported platforms and how clearly the rules are written. Contract limits, thresholds and pricing appear in the table below, each dated to its last check.

Verified on 12 firms ranked
Ripe wheat field under a blue sky with scattered clouds
  • Up to 500 K in capital
  • Up to 100 % profit share
  • Withdrawals from 0 days
  • 12 with no time limit

Our ranking

Detailed analysis

1 The5ers

The5ers

Forex / CFD · Futures

86

Coming in at number 1, The5ers has been operating since 2016 and scores 86/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $39 for a 2-phase evaluation. The risk envelope is a static drawdown capped at 10 %, with 5 % allowed per day. Funded traders keep 100 % of profits, with a first withdrawal available after 14 days. Notable freedoms: no time limit, no consistency rule. Available on mt5, ctrader, tradingview.

Founded in Israel in 2016, The5ers is one of the oldest forex prop firms still operating. Its strongest asset is the rulebook: static drawdown across every program, no time limit and no consistency rule. The tradable universe stays narrow, though — forex, indices, metals and futures, with no crypto and no equities.

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2 FundedNext

FundedNext

Forex / CFD · Futures · Crypto

85

Ranked 2 on this list, FundedNext has been operating since 2022 and scores 85/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $59.99 for a 2-phase evaluation. The risk envelope is a static drawdown capped at 10 %, with 5 % allowed per day. Funded traders keep 95 % of profits, with a first withdrawal available after 5 days. Notable freedoms: no time limit, no consistency rule, expert advisors allowed. Available on mt4, mt5, ctrader, match-trader.

On the forex and CFD side, FundedNext runs just two routes: Stellar 1-Step (10% target, 6% max loss) and Stellar 2-Step (8% then 5%, 10% max loss). Both use static drawdown, carry no deadline and come with refundable fees. Pricing is on the high side, and the headline 95% split needs a paid option — the contractual base is 80%.

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3 Bulenox

Bulenox

Futures

81

In third place, Bulenox has been operating since 2022 and scores 81/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $145 for a 1-phase evaluation. Funded traders keep 100 % of profits, with a first withdrawal available after 10 days. Notable freedoms: no time limit, expert advisors allowed, news trading allowed. Available on ninjatrader, rithmic, quantower.

Bulenox is a futures-only firm run from Delaware since 2022. Accounts are sold as renewable monthly subscriptions, $145 to $325 for $25,000 to $150,000, payouts clear every Wednesday, and the first $10,000 goes entirely to the trader. It holds 4.7/5 across 1,761 Trustpilot reviews, but a 40% consistency rule gates withdrawals and drives recurring complaints.

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4 My Funded Futures

My Funded Futures

Futures

80

Ranked 4 on this list, My Funded Futures has been operating since 2023 and scores 80/100 on our scale. The risk envelope is a trailing (end of day) drawdown capped at 4 %. Funded traders keep 90 % of profits, with a first withdrawal available after 1 days. Notable freedoms: no time limit, news trading allowed. Available on ninjatrader, tradovate, tradingview, quantower, volumetrica.

Launched in late 2023 in Delaware, My Funded Futures posts the highest customer satisfaction in our futures database, at 4.9/5 across more than 21,000 reviews. Its four plans share a 6 % target and an end-of-day trailing drawdown that locks above the starting balance. The notable trade-off: over 80 countries are excluded.

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5 TradeDay

TradeDay

Futures

80

In 5th place, TradeDay has been operating since 2020 and scores 80/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $131 for a 1-phase evaluation. Funded traders keep 90 % of profits, with a first withdrawal available after 0 days. Notable freedoms: no time limit, news trading allowed. Available on tradovate, rithmic, ninjatrader, tradingview.

TradeDay was founded in Chicago in 2020 by two former institutional market professionals, and that background shows in the rulebook: no daily loss limit, news trading and scalping allowed, and withdrawals available from day one. The May 2026 rework dropped static drawdown accounts in favour of two paths, Quick Pay and Fast Pass.

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6 Earn2Trade

Earn2Trade

Futures

79

In 6th place, Earn2Trade has been operating since 2016 and scores 79/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $150 for a 1-phase evaluation. Funded traders keep 80 % of profits. Notable freedoms: no time limit, news trading allowed. Available on ninjatrader, tradovate, tradingview, rithmic.

Earn2Trade does not fund traders itself: it is a US evaluation and education platform founded in 2016, with capital supplied by partner firms Helios, Appius and Kronos. Its TCP and Gauntlet Mini programs bill monthly, $150 to $550, cover CME futures only, cap the split at 80% and run a trailing EOD drawdown.

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7 Goat Funded Trader

Goat Funded Trader

Forex / CFD · Futures · Crypto · Stocks

78

In 7th place, Goat Funded Trader has been operating since 2023 and scores 78/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $36 for a 2-phase evaluation. The risk envelope is a static drawdown capped at 10 %, with 4 % allowed per day. Funded traders keep 100 % of profits. Notable freedoms: no time limit, expert advisors allowed, news trading allowed. Available on mt5, tradelocker, ctrader.

Goat Funded Trader launched in 2023 out of Hong Kong. It publishes a full price grid, runs static drawdown across its three evaluation models, and pays every 14 days with a profit split from 80 % up to 100 %. The counterweight: its Trustpilot score is suspended over fake reviews, rules tightened in summer 2026, and 29 countries are excluded.

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8 Top One Futures

Top One Futures

Futures

78

Coming in at number 8, Top One Futures has been operating since 2025 and scores 78/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $39 for a 1-phase evaluation. Funded traders keep 90 % of profits. Notable freedoms: no time limit, news trading allowed. Available on tradingview, tradovate, ninjatrader.

Launched in Wyoming in April 2025, Top One Futures built its name on fast payouts and a 4.8/5 Trustpilot rating. Its four programs span monthly subscription, $39 access and instant funding. Two reservations: displayed prices include a permanent promotion, and a rules revision was applied to already-open accounts.

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9 Elite Trader Funding

Elite Trader Funding

Futures

77

Coming in at number 9, Elite Trader Funding has been operating since 2022 and scores 77/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $99 for a 1-phase evaluation. Funded traders keep 100 % of profits, with a first withdrawal available after 8 days. Notable freedoms: no time limit. Available on ninjatrader, tradingview, rithmic, tradovate.

At Elite Trader Funding the funded account stays simulated: the headline split is 100%, but payouts are capped at $25,000 per trader, after which moving to the LIVE ELITE program on an 80/20 split becomes mandatory. Six futures evaluation models, $47 resets, but activation fees of $177 to $307 and $87 a month once funded.

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10 Topstep

Topstep

Futures

77

Coming in at number 10, Topstep has been operating since 2012 and scores 77/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $49 for a 1-phase evaluation. The risk envelope is a trailing (end of day) drawdown capped at 4 %. Funded traders keep 90 % of profits, with a first withdrawal available after 5 days. Notable freedoms: no time limit. Available on ninjatrader, tradovate, rithmic.

Founded in Chicago in 2012, Topstep is the oldest futures prop firm. It charges a monthly subscription rather than a one-off ticket, with a 6 % target and a trailing drawdown that locks once the starting balance is cleared. Its 90 % profit split and first withdrawal after five winning days are among the best in the segment.

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11 E8 Markets

E8 Markets

Forex / CFD · Crypto · Futures

76

Ranked 11 on this list, E8 Markets has been operating since 2021 and scores 76/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $110 for a 1-phase evaluation. Funded traders keep 100 % of profits. Notable freedoms: no time limit, news trading allowed. Available on mt5, ctrader, tradelocker, match-trader.

Every E8 Markets product is now single-phase: a 6% target, withdrawals available from day three, and a split running from 80% to 100%. The trade-offs are a 35-40% consistency rule, no scaling plan, and a Trustpilot rating suspended in August 2026 for a breach of the platform's guidelines.

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12 FundedNext Futures

FundedNext Futures

Futures

76

Ranked 12 on this list, FundedNext Futures has been operating since 2022 and scores 76/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $69.99 for a 1-phase evaluation. The risk envelope is a trailing (end of day) drawdown capped at 4 %, with 2 % allowed per day. Funded traders keep 95 % of profits. Notable freedoms: no time limit. Available on tradovate, ninjatrader, tradingview.

FundedNext's futures arm went live in April 2025 and runs entirely on one-step evaluations across Tradovate, NinjaTrader and TradingView. Five programs share the same trailing end-of-day drawdown, with no activation fee and pricing from 69.99 USD for a 50K Flex account. The trade-off: every position is closed out before 3:10 pm Chicago time.

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Why this ranking

A cost structure that works nothing like forex

You do not buy a challenge here; you subscribe. The monthly fee opens a simulated evaluation account, and CME market data is usually billed on top. The subscription renews until the target is met, so the true cost is counted in months rather than in a single entry ticket, and three failed attempts add up faster than three failed forex challenges. Moving to a funded account can trigger an activation fee, a different monthly plan, or a choice between the two. One detail catches most newcomers out: many accounts described as funded remain simulated environments, with the firm mirroring selected positions in the market at its own discretion.

Why intraday trailing drawdown ends most accounts

This is the rule that eliminates the most traders in the category, and the one least often read carefully. The loss threshold does not follow the closing balance; it follows the highest point the account reaches during the session, unrealised profit included. A trade that runs deep into profit and gives it back permanently raises your liquidation level. Implementations differ: some firms freeze the trail once the initial buffer is cleared, some let it follow all the way to the starting balance, others recalculate at the end of the day. Same label, three very different products. Check the contract limits at each stage, the requirement to flatten before the close, the penalty for leaving a position open, and whether consistency is judged during evaluation or at payout.

The most accessible segment for US traders

Because the contracts trade on regulated US venues, this is where American traders have by far the widest choice, and eligibility is rarely the obstacle it is in forex. The format rewards disciplined intraday traders who read order flow, think in ticks rather than pips, and can cut a winner to protect a threshold. It works poorly for multi-day swing approaches, which collide with mandatory flat-by-close rules, and poorly for beginners: even in micro contracts, a sizing mistake becomes an instant rule breach with none of the cushioning that fractional forex lots provide. Thin overnight liquidity punishes sloppy entries as well.

Frequently asked questions

How are futures prop firms different from forex prop firms?
Payment structure comes first: a renewing monthly subscription instead of a one-off challenge purchase. Risk rules come second: an intraday trailing drawdown tied to your highest balance, rather than the static or end-of-day thresholds common in forex. The ecosystem differs too, with NinjaTrader, Tradovate or Rithmic platforms, exchange-listed products, separate data fees, and broad acceptance of US residents.
What is an intraday trailing drawdown?
It is a loss threshold that follows your account higher as it grows, tracking the peak balance reached during the session, unrealised profit included. In practice, letting a large winner give back its gains permanently raises the level at which you are liquidated. It rewards taking profit rather than letting trades run, which is the opposite of what many forex traders are used to.
Is a funded futures account real money?
Not always. Several firms keep the account simulated after evaluation and mirror only selected positions in the live market, often after a qualification period or a first payout threshold. Others move traders onto a live account immediately. The difference affects fills, slippage and how payouts are financed, so it is worth confirming in the terms before subscribing.
Do I have to pay for CME market data?
Usually yes, at least on the funded stage. Real-time exchange data is billed as a separate monthly subscription, sometimes bundled during evaluation and charged afterwards. It stacks on top of the platform subscription and any activation fee, so it belongs in your total cost calculation up to the first payout, otherwise comparisons between firms are misleading.

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