Elite Trader Funding vs The5ers: which prop firm is better in 2026?
Across pricing, rules and payout terms, The5ers takes the lead (8 against 5). Elite Trader Funding stays relevant for traders whose priorities differ from the average.
Elite Trader Funding
Futures · Trustpilot 3.8/5
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.
Criteria won : 5 / 33
The5ers
Forex / CFD · Futures · Trustpilot 4.7/5
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.
Criteria won : 8 / 33
Pricing at equal account size
Cheapest evaluation for a 100 K account.
Elite Trader Funding
$205
The5ers
$545
Full comparison
| Criterion | Elite Trader Funding | The5ers |
|---|---|---|
| Trust | ||
| Score | 77/100 | 86/100 ✓ |
| Trustpilot | 3.8/5 | 4.7/5 ✓ |
| Founded | 2022 | 2016 ✓ |
| Headquarters | US | IL |
| Pricing | ||
| Entry price | $99 | $39 ✓ |
| Price for a 100 K account | $205 ✓ | $545 |
| Refundable fee | — | Yes |
| Reset price | $47 | — |
| Account sizes | 250 K | 250 K |
| Rules | ||
| Steps | 1 ✓ | 2 |
| Profit target | — | 10 % |
| Max daily loss | — | 5 % |
| Max total drawdown | — | 10 % |
| Drawdown type | Trailing intraday | Static ✓ |
| Time limit | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Consistency rule | — | No |
| Min trading days | 5 | 3 ✓ |
| Payouts | ||
| Profit split | 100 % ✓ | 80 % |
| Max profit split | 100 % | 100 % |
| First payout | 8 days ✓ | 14 days |
| Payout frequency | a la demande, approbation le jour meme | Premier retrait 14 jours apres l'obtention du compte finance, puis toutes les deux semaines ; retrait minimum de 150 $ |
| Payout methods | — | crypto and rise |
| Scaling plan | — | Yes |
| Max allocation | 250 K | 500 K ✓ |
| Trading | ||
| Platforms and instruments | ninjatrader, tradingview, rithmic, tradovate ✓ | mt5, ctrader, tradingview |
| Instruments | futures | fx, indices, metals, futures ✓ |
| Leverage | — | 1:100 sur High Stakes ; 1:30 sur Hyper Growth et Pro Growth |
| News trading | — | — |
| Weekend holding | Yes | — |
| Expert Advisors | No | — |
| Copy trading | Restricted | Restricted |
| Scalping | Yes | — |
| Hedging | — | — |
Choose Elite Trader Funding if…
- You want the shortest path to funding: 1 evaluation phase against 2 at The5ers.
- You need a platform The5ers does not offer: ninjatrader, rithmic, tradovate.
- Cash flow matters to you: the first withdrawal comes after 8 days rather than 14.
Choose The5ers if…
- You are aiming for size: allocation scales up to 500 K.
- Your budget is the binding constraint: the entry ticket starts at $39, below Elite Trader Funding.
- You want a drawdown you can compute in your head: the limit is fixed on the starting balance and never moves as the account grows.
- You need a platform Elite Trader Funding does not offer: mt5, ctrader.
Our analysis
What reaches your account
Elite Trader Funding keeps 100 % of profits, allows a first withdrawal after 8 days, then pays a la demande, approbation le jour meme. The5ers keeps 100 % of profits, allows a first withdrawal after 14 days, then pays Premier retrait 14 jours apres l'obtention du compte finance, puis toutes les deux semaines ; retrait minimum de 150 $. Payout frequency deserves as much attention as the split itself: a slightly lower share paid every two weeks compounds faster than a headline percentage locked behind a monthly cycle and a long first-withdrawal delay.
Where you actually trade
Elite Trader Funding is the only one of the two to offer ninjatrader, rithmic, tradovate. The5ers covers mt5, ctrader, which its rival does not. Platform choice is not cosmetic: order execution, available order types and the reliability of your automation all depend on it, and switching mid-evaluation is rarely possible.
Track record
The5ers has been running since 2016, 6 years longer than Elite Trader Funding. On Trustpilot they sit at 3.8/5 and 4.7/5 respectively. Our trust pillar scores them 67/100 and 96/100, which weighs age, corporate transparency and public payout evidence. In an industry with no financial regulator overseeing these evaluations, longevity and a verifiable payout history are the closest thing to a guarantee.
What you pay to start
The5ers opens at $39 against $99 for Elite Trader Funding, a substantial gap on the smallest account. At the reference size of 100 K the comparison is $205 for Elite Trader Funding against $545 for The5ers. The headline fee is rarely the real cost, though: what matters is the price of a reset after a failed attempt, whether the fee comes back on the first payout, and whether an activation fee appears when you move to a funded account. Compare those three lines in the table above before deciding on price alone.
Drawdown: the rule that decides
Elite Trader Funding applies a trailing intraday drawdown. The5ers applies a static drawdown capped at 10 %, with a 5 % daily limit. This is the single most consequential difference between the two. A static drawdown is measured once, from the starting balance, and never moves; a trailing drawdown follows your equity upward, so a winning streak raises the floor you can no longer fall below. Intraday trailing is stricter still, because it tracks unrealised peaks reached inside the session — profit you never actually banked can permanently raise your loss threshold.