Last updated March 10, 2024

Trading with prop firm capital is one of the best ways to increase your earning potential. We'll help you choose the best companies so you can get started trading with a futures prop firm today.

Top Prop Firms for 2024

Header
apex trader funding logo - logo is a gold crown above round eyes and "atf.com"
image link to earn2trade.com - earn2trade logo
uprofit logo
Topstep logo
BluSky Trading Company logo
image link to elitetraderfunding.com - elite trader funding logo
takeprofit trader logo best prop firms

Name

Apex Trader Funding

Earn2Trade

uprofit

Topstep

BluSky Trading

Elite Trader Funding

TakeProfit Trader

Passability*

Minimum Days to a Check**

Initial Balance

$25k - $300k

$25k - $400k

$9k - $150k

$50k-$150k

$25k - $150k

$10k - $250k

$25k - $150k

Profit Split

90%

80%

80%

90%

80 - 90%

90%

80-90%

Tradable Assets

Futures (indices, metals, oil, currencies etc.)

Futures (indices, metals, oil, currencies etc.)

Futures (indices, metals, oil, currencies etc.)

Futures (indices, metals, oil, currencies etc.)

Futures (indices, metals, oil, currencies etc.)

Futures (indices, metals, oil, currencies etc.)

Futures (indices, metals, oil, currencies etc.)

Full Review

Coming Soon!

Coming Soon!

Coming Soon!

Offer

Swipe table left and right to see all prop firms rated.

Name

Apex Trader Funding

Earn2Trade

uprofit

Topstep

BluSky Trading

Elite Trader Funding

TakeProfit Trader

Passability*

Minimum Days to a Check**

Initial Balance

$25k - $300k

$25k-$400k

$9k - $150k

$50k-$150k

$25k - $150k

$10k - $250k

$25k - $150k

Profit Split

90%

80%

80%

90%

80 - 90%

90%

80-90%

Tradable Assets

Futures (indices, metals, oil, currencies etc.)

Futures (indices, metals, oil, currencies etc.)

Futures (indices, metals, oil, currencies etc.)

Futures (indices, metals, oil, currencies etc.)

Futures (indices, metals, oil, currencies etc.)

Futures (indices, metals, oil, currencies etc.)

Futures (indices, metals, oil, currencies etc.)

Full Review

Coming Soon

Coming Soon

Coming Soon

Offer

*Passability is a relative, subjective rating based on the rules, goal-to-drawdown ratio, and observation of traders in the evaluations, compared to the other programs available. Passable does not mean easy.
**Results not guaranteed. This is a rating of the shortest possible amount of time it would take to get paid if you are successful. In some cases, that may depend on what part of the month it is when you pass, and that is also factored in. Most traders lose.

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Table of Contents (click dots to collapse)

Not all prop firms are alike. Since you're likely looking for an online prop firm, we'll look at the futures trading funding companies. I've traded with several of these (and with a brick-and-mortar prop firm) and studied the rest in detail to make the best picks. More on that later, but let’s get to it.

What is the Best Prop Trading Firm?

  1. Apex Trader Funding - best of the best for futures traders
  2. Earn2Trade (Trader Career Path) — best one-account prop firm
  3. UProfit — best futures program if you want anytime withdrawals and don’t like monthly data fees.
  4. Topstep - Best Futures Trading Education in a Prop Firm
  5. BluSky Trading Company — best for traders who want to avoid funded account setup fees.
  6. Elite Trader Funding — best for futures traders who want multiple accounts with End-of-Day drawdown limits.
  7. TakeProfit Trader — best prop firm for day 1 payouts.

My Verdict — Best of the Best

Price: Starts at $147/mo before discount

Screenshot of proof page for Apex Trader Funding, best prop trading firm

Apex Trader Funding is a proprietary trading firm offering maximum payouts and large scaling opportunities. We think it’s the best because you can trade the same strategy across 20 accounts at a 90% profit share, with up to $6,000,000 in capital.

The Best Part:

  • You can copy-trade 20 accounts for up to $6,000,000 in capital by making trades in only one account, and keep 90% of your profits from day one.
  • Free monthly reset included with subscription renewal if your account is blown.

The Worst Parts:

  • Evaluation accounts have an intraday trailing threshold which may rise even if you didn’t realize profits. On a funded account, it stops trailing when your drawdown level reaches starting balance +$100.
  • Withdrawals are twice monthly which is an improvement from the once-a-month policy.

Get it if you want to trade futures for maximum profit share, using NinjaTrader or Quantower copy-trader to trade up to 20 accounts in one.

I recommend you start with the $50k FULL plan, because of its favorable drawdown-to-profit-target ratio. The $25k has the best ratio, but the $50k is almost as good and gives you more room to work with.

Get up to 90% off Apex using the offer below. Click to get the best current deal:

Best For

Apex Trader Funding is best for experienced traders who want to trade for a living and maximize their earning potential long term.

Top Features

  • Get 100% of your first $25,000 in profits in your funded account, and 90% beyond that, the highest split available across the industry.
  • Trade up to 20 contracts with one login, to scale up easily without having to push buttons on multiple accounts.
  • No failing by scaling using too many contracts, proprietary technology prevents you from getting in more contracts than your account allows.
  • No daily drawdown limits, just a simple max drawdown so you can focus on long term success. 
  • One-step evaluation process lets you get funded in as little as 7 days, so you can start earning real profits after two weeks. 
  • Trade your normal strategies during the news and follow a few other simple rules.
  • Free evaluation reset on your subscription renewal date if account is blown, so you don’t have to buy a reset if you don’t want to (and they’re $80 here, cheaper than most).

Learn more about features, benefits and drawbacks in my Apex Trader Funding Review.

Pricing

Screenshot of pricing page for Apex Trader Funding, best prop trading firm

Apex Trader Funding offers 8 funding programs. Since 7 of them are mostly similar other than account sizes, I’ll cover 4 of those and one that’s different - and some other important items:

  • $50k FULL: $167/mo for traders wanting to give Apex a try with the potential to put a little more money in their pocket.
  • $100k FULL: $207/mo for traders wanting to start with Apex and potentially earn some real income. This plan has a favorable profit-target/drawdown percentage ratio. It’s also cheaper than most $100k programs out there.
  • $250k FULL: $517/mo for traders serious about giving themselves the potential to make serious money with Apex.
  • $300k FULL: $657/mo for traders wanting to maximize their potential profits with Apex.
  • $100k STATIC: $137/mo for traders who don’t like a trailing threshold. This account comes with a static drawdown of $625 and a $2,000 profit target to get funded.
  • Data Fees: Like most firms, Apex Professional Accounts pass data fees on to the trader - BUT, unlike most firms, theirs are only $85/mo per account, while most firms charge $130+/mo.
  • Data Fees:  Professional Account traders can save fees long-term by opting for a one-time data fee.
  • Evaluation resets: $80/Reset, as many times as you want. Free reset of blown accounts included with each subscription renewal.

Try Apex Trader Funding today. Visit the Apex Trader Funding coupon page to grab the code that will always give you the maximum discount.

My Verdict — Best One-Account Prop Firm

Price: Starts at $190 (less with coupon below)

best prop firm for beginners futures traders - diagram of the Trader Career Path program

Earn2Trade Trader Career Path is a prop firm program designed to take you from a $50k evaluation to a $400k funded account quickly. I think it’s great for beginners because of its simple progression, contract availability, and reasonable risk rules.

The Best Part:

  • Get a $20k Fixed Drawdown limit when you reach the $400k funded level, way bigger than offered by any other firm.
  • You can choose live margin accounts once you get funded, as opposed to other firms that place you in LiveSim and move you into live at their discretion.

The Worst Part:

  • It’s not the absolute fastest route to a $400k account, since you’ll work your way up to it rather than jumping right in. This could work to your advantage though. Even pros at the big Wall Street firms start small and get bigger as they prove themselves. This way you can get paid during that process.

Get it if you want to become a funded trader with a big account, and you want to get your feet wet first. 

I recommend you get the $50k Trader Career Path for $190 (less with the link below) and work your way up to a $400k account.

Best For

Earn2Trade is best for beginners who want to trade real money in futures for real profits without investing their own savings.

What I like about trading with Earn2Trade Trader Career Path:

  • Trade with a prop firm’s real money, and withdraw your profits, with a minimum withdrawal of $100, one of the lowest minimums around.
  • Trade up to a $400k account with a fixed drawdown that gives you more room to trade once you have some profits
  • Fast trading account setup sends you your account information and clear instructions so you can get set up within 10 minutes of signup and start trading immediately - or prepare your platform for the next morning.
  • Micro futures contracts are available as 1/10 of a mini so you can avoid blowing up the account, and scale in/out of positions to fit your trading strategy.
  • Just a few simple risk rules to stay within to keep your account and pass the evaluation.
  • Trade with the trading platform of your choice, like Quantower, NinjaTrader 8, Bookmap, or 16 others.
  • Responsive support answers questions quickly - both before signup and after you’ve joined, and an active discord server has lots of helpful users.
  • Beginner-friendly dashboard includes tools and guides for learning trading, improving, and tracking your progress.

Learn more about features, benefits, and drawbacks in my Earn2Trade Review.

sreenshot of earn2trade beginner prop firm dashboard - best prop trading firm

Just about 1/4 of the trader training webinars inside my dashboard. You’ll get these, plus guides, lessons, and a calendar full of economic events

Just about 1/4 of the trader training webinars inside my dashboard. You’ll get these, plus guides, lessons, and a calendar full of economic events

Pricing

Earn2Trade offers two pricing levels of the Trader Career Path:

  • Trader Career Path 50K (as discussed above): $190/mo until you pass the evaluation and move to the next step, where you can begin to withdraw profits and work to step up to a $400k account.
  • Trader Career Path 25K: $150/mo until you pass to the next step, where you can begin to withdraw earnings and work to step up to a $200k account.
best prop firm #2 is earn2trade, with these trader career path choices. Shows details and cost for the trader career path 50 and trader career path 25

Earn2Trade Also Offers Regular Evaluations, called Gauntlet Mini Programs. However, I'm not discussing these, because the Trader Career Path is where it's at with this company.

That $400k funded account with $20k fixed loss limit is a great launchpad for a trading career.

All programs can be canceled by you at any time.

3. UProfit

My Verdict — Best For Futures Traders Who Want Anytime Withdrawals and Don’t Like Monthly Fees

Screenshot from UProfit prop firm home page

Price: Starts at $89/month

UProfit is a proprietary trading firm offering large amounts of funding to new and experienced traders after an affordable evaluation period. I like it because of anytime withdrawals, simple rules, and they don’t charge any monthly fees on funded accounts.

The Best Part:

  • Get a $200k funded account with no monthly fees in as little as 5 days, and then start adding more accounts to scale.

The Worst Part:

  • Profit share is 80%, which isn’t the highest out there, but most still very competitive.

Get it if you want to scale up to large buying power quickly without having to worry about withdrawal restrictions and monthly fees on your funded accounts.

I recommend you get the $100k plan for $315/month (much less with my coupon), then start adding $200k accounts to scale up.

Best For

UProfit Trading is best for anyone from beginners to experienced traders who want to maximize their earnings, withdraw profits frequently, without paying monthly fees forever.

Top Features

  • Free Data feed for all platforms that support Rithmic Data, and no licensing fees for Ninja Trader 8, on evaluation OR funded accounts.
  • No monthly fees of any kind once you get funded so you can focus on trading, not covering costs.*
  • Withdrawals processed within 24 hours Monday through Friday without special requirements, so you don’t have to force trades just to make a withdrawal.
  • 100% of first $8,000 in profits goes directly to you so you can taste the fruit of your labor early on and put those profits into scaling more accounts.
  • Trade up to 3 accounts, up to $600,000 with one login so you can use copy-trading to spread risk and stay away from loss limits. Unlimited accounts can be had, but 3 per login.
  • Micro contracts are counted as 1/10 of e-mini contracts so you can trade the right size for your account and scale in and out as needed for your strategy.
  • Trade news events without restrictions or special rules, so you don’t have to worry about losing your account just because of a data release, and you can use strategies that profit from outsized moves on those days.

*there is a small one-time assignment fee to set up the account, but this is much less than what monthly fees would add up to.

Pricing

UProfit offers four evaluation programs, each with 5 trading days minimum:

  • Basic: $9k account for $89/month until funding, for those just getting started with trading. $900 profit target, 5 contracts max (50 micros), $350 Daily Loss Limit, $800 Pro Drawdown
  • Advanced: $50k account for $160/month until funding, for those looking to put a little more profit in their pocket. $2,500 profit target, 6 contracts max (60 micros), $1,100 Daily Loss Limit, $2,000 Pro Drawdown
  • Elite: $100k account for $315/month until funding, for traders planning to earn real income from trading but not ready for the biggest plan. $6,000 profit target, 12 contracts max (120 micros), $2,200 Daily Loss Limit, $3,000 Pro Drawdown
  • Premium: $200k account for $580/month until funding, for traders ready to maximize their earnings as quickly as possible. $10,000 profit target, 20 contracts max (200 micros), $4,000 Daily Loss Limit, $5,000 Pro Drawdown

My Verdict — Best for Futures Traders Who Want Education With Their Prop Firm

Price: Starts at $165/mo

screenshot from home page of topstep, one of the best prop firms

Topstep is a proprietary trading firm for futures traders who want a strong trading community, live trade-along broadcasts, and education. I think it’s also a solid option because of perks like a big funding bonus and a free reset on subscription renewal date for locked accounts. And it has a free trial.

The Best Parts:

  • Monthly subscription includes a free reset for blown accounts, so if you break a rule you can choose to wait for that reset at renewal.
  • Trade up to 3 accounts at once, for up to $450,000 in initial balance.
  • Funded account size and limits are negotiable, once you prove yourself a bit.
  • 90% Profit split means you get to keep more of your earnings here than most other companies allow. This is a tie for highest in the industry.

The Worst Parts:

  • You must collect five trading days over $200 profit between each withdrawal. Those days DO NOT have to be in a row.
  • Additional withdrawal restrictions can be inconvenient but are reasonable and meant to help you keep the account. They get loosened as you prove your discipline.

Get it if you want EOD trailing drawdown, a free trial, maximum funding bonus, and an included monthly reset.

I recommend you start with the $150k initial balance EOD evaluation and add accounts bigger or smaller to get to your desired level.

Top Features

  • Get 100% of your first $10,000 in profit then 90% thereafter
  • If you break a rule and fail, your account will be reset automatically when your subscription renews, or you can buy a reset for $100.
  • Free data feed during evaluation and free NinjaTrader license with evaluation AND funded accounts
  • Trade prop firm capital while only risking your subscription fee.
  • Subscription fee ends when you get funded.
  • Free trial lets you try before you buy an evaluation program.
  • EOD (End of Day) drawdown thresholds so you don’t have to worry about unrealized profits tightening your risk allowance.

Pricing

screenshot of pricing for TopStep prop trading firm for beginners

Topstep offers 3 account sizes:

  • $50,000 Eval: $165/mo until pass, great for newer traders wanting to try out the program
  • $100,000 Eval: $3250/mo until pass, great for newer traders who want the opportunity to withdraw a little more profit
  • $150,000 Account: $375/mo until pass, best for traders who want the chance to earn extra money from trading

Use my coupon for the biggest Topstep discount available

My Verdict — Best New Prop Firm

Price: Starts at $136 (less with coupon)

screenshot of blusky trading web site

BluSky trading company launched in 2022 and is quickly becoming a favorite for trading evaluations. They don't require a minimum number of trading days, don't charge a setup fee for funded accounts, and unlimited payouts.

The Best Part:

  • No setup fee on funded accounts, until you get upgraded to a live brokerage acct which may include CME data fees.

The Worst Part:

  • Profit-target/loss-limit ratios aren't the best, but are still competitive on the 25k and 50k accounts.

Get it if you want to avoid funded account setup fees.

I recommend you start with the $50k plan and be sure to check out their trading contests for the chance to win cash and funded accounts.

To see the best deal, check out BluSky discount code.

Best For

BluSky Trading evaluations are great for traders who want to avoid setup fees on funded accounts.

Top Features

  • Only one rule that can fail your account that result in a failure - don’t go over your total loss limit.
  • Scale up simply with no required scaling plan and the possibility for a custom offer for successful traders.
  • 80% split moves to 90% once you reach 50K profit on your starting balance, so you’re not leaving anything on the table.
  • Pass in as little as 8 days, or take as long as you need.
  • No trading days requirement in funded accounts, so you could get paid from day 1.
  • Manage risk your way, with no daily loss limit or consistency rule in funded accounts.
  • Live chat, phone, and email support available so you can get the help you need in the way you want to communicate.
  • Bonus: Includes 50% off Tradervue Gold for 6 months ($147 value)
  • Bonus: Win extra cash and free live trading accounts in trading competitions.
screenshot of blusky trading evaluation pricing plans

Pricing

BluSky Trading offers 4 funding programs. There is one static (fixed drawdown) account, and three trailing drawdown accounts:

  • $150K Static Growh: $199/mo for traders wanting a fixed loss limit, in this case $800
  • $25K Advanced: $136/mo for traders wanting to try BluSky's most favorable profit-target/drawdown percentage ratio. It’s also cheaper than most $25K programs out there.
  • $50K Premium: $189/mo for traders wanting a little more room. Still a decent profit/loss ratio here.
  • $100K Premium+: $657/mo for traders wanting to maximize their allowed drawdown with BluSky - However, I don't think this one offers a very good ratio (6,000 goal with $2500 drawdown).
  • $100k STATIC: $137/mo for traders who don’t like a trailing threshold. This account comes with a static drawdown of $625 and a $2,000 profit target to get funded.
  • BlueLive Setup Fees: $0 - unlike many firms, your funded account doesn't have a setup fee.
  • Data Fees: If/when you get upgraded from a funded account to a live brokerge account, the CME will charge a monthly data fee which BluSky passes on to you.
  • Evaluation resets: $85/Reset, as many times as you want. Free reset of blown accounts included with each subscription renewal, but you need to reach out to them to get the account reset.

Try BluSky Trading today. Visit the BluSky Trading discount code page to grab the code that will always give you the maximum discount.

My Verdict — Best Firm that Offers up to 20 Accounts and End Of Day Trailing Drawdown

Price: Starts at $150/mo

screenshot of Elite Trader Funding homepage

Elite Trader Funding is a proprietary trading firm for futures traders who want their loss limit to only be adjusted based on End-of-Day P&L. I think it’s a solid option because of perks like a big funding bonus, low reset fees, and a free reset on subscription renewal date for locked accounts. And it has a free trial.

The Best Parts:

  • Monthly subscription includes a free reset for locked accounts so if you break a rule you don’t have to make an extra purchase mid-month if you would rather not.
  • Trade up to 20 accounts at once, for up to $3,000,000 in initial balance.
  • 90% Profit split means you get to keep more of your earnings here than most other companies allow. This is a tie for highest in the industry.

The Worst Parts:

  • Withdrawals can only be made the 1st of the month and you must request them 10-15 days in advance.
  • Additional withdrawal restrictions can be inconvenient but are reasonable and meant to help you keep the account.

Get it if you want EOD trailing drawdown, a free trial, maximum funding bonus, and an included monthly reset.

I recommend you start with the $150k initial balance EOD evaluation and add accounts bigger or smaller to get to your desired level.

Best For

Elite Trader Funding is best for futures traders who want an evaluation with End-of-Day drawdown limits

Top Features

  • Get 100% of your first $12,500 in profit then 90% thereafter
  • Scale up to $3,000,000 in funding by trading up to 20 accounts with one login and have trades copied across accounts from one main account.
  • If you break a rule and fail, your account will be reset automatically when your subscription renews, or you can buy a reset for $75.
  • Micro e-mini contracts are treated correctly as 1/10 of an e-mini contract, crucial for right-sizing your trades, managing risk, and scaling.
  • Free data feed during evaluation and free NinjaTrader license with evaluation AND funded accounts
  • Trade prop firm capital while only risking your subscription fee
  • Subscription fee ends when you get funded and a reasonable data fee of $80/mo from the exchange is passed on to you.
  • Free trial lets you try before you buy an evaluation program
  • EOD (End of Day) drawdown thresholds so you don’t have to worry about unrealized profits tightening your risk allowance.

Pricing

screenshot of pricing table for elite trader funding - best prop firm for crypto and forex

(150k eval not pictured above due to scrolling function on their site)

Elite Trader Funding offers 5 account sizes with the EOD drawdown rule(recommended):

  • $25,000 Eval: $150/mo until pass, great for newer traders wanting to try out the program
  • $50,000 Eval: $170/mo until pass, great for newer traders who want the opportunity to withdraw a little more profit
  • $75,000 Account: $240/mo until pass, best for traders who want the chance to earn extra money from trading
  • $100,000 Eval: $240/mo until pass, best for traders who want the chance to earn a second income from trading
  • $150,000 Account: $340/mo until pass, best for traders who want to earn a full time income and more from trading and scale up using multiple accounts

Use my coupon for 20% off all evaluations

My Verdict — Best for Day 1 Payouts

Price: Starts at $150/mo before discounts

TakeProfit Trader, one of the best prop firms online

TakeProfit trader boasts of allowing payouts from day 1. Of course, you still have to earn their funded account and rack up some profits in it, in order to have something to withdraw. TakeProfit also lets you to reset your pro (funded) account for a fee, which other futures prop firms don't allow. They have a "Pro+" live account which you can get upgraded to after earning some money in Pro.

The Best Part:

  • Withdraw your profits starting day 1. Subject to buffer requirements in Pro, but not Pro+.

The Worst Part:

  • They removed their executions/day limit. So now the biggest limitation is that the daily loss limit is a hard rule, meaning it will terminate your account when hit.

Get it if day 1 profit withdrawals are a top priority for you and you have the discipline to stop yourself from hitting the daily loss limit. 

I recommend you start with the $25K plan for $150/mo since it has the best ratio of profit-target to drawdown amount (1:1).

Best For

Futures traders who want maximum flexibility withdrawing of their profits.

Top Features

  • Build your account at your own pace and desired size with no required scaling plan.
  • Qualify for more freedom, fewer rules, and higher payout percentage in a Pro+ account after proving yourself in a funded Pro account.
  • Pass your trading evaluation in as little as 5 days to qualify for a funded account.
  • If you fail your funded account, you can reset it for a fee, up to three times. No other futures prop firms allow this, even once.
  • Mobile trading available, as well as all desktop programs that support Rithmic or Tradovate (CQG data).
  • No monthly fees on the Pro account so you can start earning before you have to pay data fees.
  • Live chat support available 12 hours a day.
  • Micros are equal to 1/10 mini contracts, as it should be.

Pricing

TakeProfit Trader offers 5 funding programs. Each evaluation program uses an end-of-day (EOD) drawdown.

  • $25K EOD: $150/mo
  • $50K: $170/mo
  • $75K: $245/mo
  • $100K: $245/mo
  • $150K: $360/mo
  • Pro Setup Fee: $130
  • Data Fees: When you graduate from a funded Pro account to a Pro+ live brokerage account, the CME monthly data fee applies: $130/mo.
  • Test (evaluation) resets: $100/Reset, as many times as you want. If your account is blown as of the renewal date, it will be reset upon renewal.

Try TakeProfit Trader today. Visit the TakeProfit Trader discount page to grab the link and code that will always give you the maximum discount.

My Top Three Prop Firms

Here’s a quick summary of my top three picks:

  1. Apex Trader Funding - best of the best for futures traders. Apex Trader Funding Discount
  2. Earn2Trade (Trader Career Path) — best for beginner traders of futures to get to trade with real money at a prop firm.
  3. uprofit — best futures program if you want anytime withdrawals and don’t like monthly data fees

Here’s a quick comparison of our top seven picks:

Prop Firm Program

Who's It Best For?

Offer

Pricing

Futures traders

Starts at $147/mo before Offer

Beginner futures traders

Starts at $150/mo before Offer

Futures traders who want anytime withdrawals and no monthly fees

Starts at $89/mo before Offer

Futures traders who want education and EOD drawdown limits

Starts at $165/mo before Offer

Futures traders who want to avoid funded account setup fees.

Starts at $136/mo before Offer

Futures traders who want EOD drawdown limits and 20 accounts

Starts at $150/mo before Offer

Best for Day 1 payouts

Starts at $119 one-time before Offer

Here are the top 30 prop firms we considered in this review:

  1. Apex Trader Funding
  2. Earn2Trade (Trader Career Path)
  3. Uprofit
  4. Topstep
  5. BluSky Trading Company
  6. Elite Trader Funding (EOD Drawdown)
  7. TakeProfit Trader
  8. Trade Day
  9. Funded Trading Plus
  10. OneUp Trader
  11. FTMO
  12. FundedNext
  13. Fidelcrest
  14. Trade The Pool
  15. The Funded Trader
  16. The Alpha Trader Firm
  17. Traders With Edge(Evaluation Programs)
  18. Traders With Edge (Instant Funded)
  19. Top Tier Trader
  20. Audacity Capital
  21. TheProp Trading
  22. ELEV8
  23. Integra Capital
  24. GreatPoint Capital
  25. SMB Capital
  26. Kershner Trading Group
  27. T3
  28. Maverick Trading
  29. SurgeTrader (POSSIBLY FRAUDULENT)
  30. MyForexFunds (FRAUDULENT)

What Is a Prop Trading Firm?

Prop trading firms, a.k.a. prop firms, provide capital for traders in exchange for a share of the trader’s profits. They may also provide education, technology, support, and other resources.

Proprietary firms have been around a long time, but many more firms have launched in the last 5 years, providing more and more traders access to the capital needed to earn a living from trading.

Are Prop Trading Firms Legit?

Yes, prop trading firms are legitimate businesses. Although any industry can have bad actors, I’m not personally aware of any proprietary trading firms that have outright scammed traders.

That said, not all firms are equal, and not all of them operate with the same priorities. Some, especially some of the new ones, seem to be more interested in collecting fees than in having successful traders.

Above all, that is the number one factor I looked for in choosing the best firms. I only want to trade with firms who want traders to succeed, and who set up their programs in the best way possible for trader success. And I want the same for you.

How Do Prop Trading Firms Make Money?

The best prop firms make money by sharing in the profits of their traders, and then helping more and more traders be profitable. They also earn money from fees, but for the best firms, the focus is on trader success. Why? They make more money that way.

For example, a firm keeping 10% of profits from a trader who averages $20,000 profit each month will net them $2,000 a month on average. In three months, they earn $6,000 from that trader, which they hope will continue and grow as the trader grows.

That amount beats what they would earn from an unsuccessful trader who pays $200/mo for three months and then quits - only $600, and no future revenue.

How Do I Choose the Best Prop Trading Firm?

The top priority is long term trading success. So you have to decide based on factors that will help you reach that. It’s a personal decision, and your factors may vary a little from mine. But, since joining my first prop firm in 2007, I have seen many traders succeed, some of them making tens of millions of dollars.

I have also seen countless traders fail. So I have a good idea of what prop firms can do to help Traders succeed, and what sets them up for failure.

Firms that want traders to succeed…

  • Encourage discipline - Traders are responsible for our own discipline, but we can always improve. Rules, limits, and goals should be set to build and reward disciplined habits.
  • Offer appropriate trading vehicles for the desired risk (like micro futures on small accounts
  • Provide access to capital and remove barriers to entry (costs, technology, etc.)
  • Let traders trade in the way that works best for them
  • Encourage self-reflection - Traders must constantly evaluate their own thoughts and actions, AND commit to actions that will stop leaks in their trading.
  • Encourage self-learning and personal development (not necessarily providing education, but everyone has to start somewhere)
  • Use simple rules that encourage proper risk management
  • Provide the ability to scale up gradually based on performance and risk management

Firm policies that set traders up for failure:

  • Complicated rules that create pitfalls a trader will easily fall into
  • Not allowing appropriate sizing (like treating micro e-mini contracts the same as one e-mini contract)
  • Imposing maximum time limits for goals to be achieved, like 30 days to pass an evaluation. Time pressure causes traders to make bad decisions, build bad habits, and over-trade, among other things.
  • Discouraging slow growth and pressuring traders to get bigger faster. Slow and steady wins the race, and sometimes choosing to trade smaller is the best trade of all.
  • Forcing traders to trade strategies that don’t fit their style, or imposing rules that don’t allow them to trade their strategy properly
  • Charging excessive fees that make it harder for a trader to break even and make a profit each month.

How Much Does a Prop Trader Earn?

Prop Traders don’t earn a salary, and trader profits are not disclosed by firms. Some of the newer funding firms disclose how much they’ve paid out, but there’s no way to know how much the individual traders made.

Trading is a challenging career, and not everyone makes it. Some people never get paid a dime.

I personally know (in real life, not online) several prop traders who have made over $50million in their career as a trader. I know a handful who regularly make several million each year. I know dozens who make 100k-300k per year, with an occasional year of 500k or more.

Fun fact - none of those successful traders go around telling people what they make. I only know because I’ve sat next to them while they did it, and/or watched them on a firm-wide P&L monitor.

None of them brag online. None of them post screenshots on twitter, Instagram, or tiktok.

You’ll see many people these days bragging online about what they make and posting screenshots. I don’t trust any of that. They could be telling the truth, but most of them are trying to sell you a course or something.

The best traders (people I know personally) don’t flash or flex the money they make. And most of them would do the job for much less, because it’s a fun and engaging career.

So what really matters is, do you enjoy it? Does it make you enough to live comfortably? The opportunity is there, and anything above that is a bonus. Make it happen.

What is the Best Prop Trading Firm?

The best prop trading firm is Apex Trader Funding. Best-in-industry profit split, ability to scale, simple rules, affordability, and more, make it the best for traders who want to trade for a living.

The Bottom Line

To recap, here are the best prop firms to try this year:

  1. Apex Trader Funding — best of the best for futures traders
  2. Earn2Trade (Trader Career Path) — best for beginner traders of futures
  3. UProfit — best futures program if you want anytime withdrawals and don’t like monthly data fees
  4. Topstep — Best Futures Trading Education in a Prop Firm
  5. BluSky Trading Company — best for traders who want to avoid funded account setup fees.
  6. Elite Trader Funding — best for futures traders who want an evaluation with End-of-Day drawdown limits.
  7. TakeProfitTrader — best prop firm for day 1 payouts

My top pick is Apex Trader Funding because it offers a 90% profit split, simple rules, and up to $6,000,000 in accounts under one login. Get the best deal on Apex Trader Funding

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Daniel Larsen

Daniel created epicctrader.com to help new and experienced traders level up. He began trading in 2002, and has spent over a decade trading professionally, for prop firms and clients. When he's not at a computer, you can find him on the ocean, in a canyon, or in the mountains.

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