Which Prop Firm is best for you?

Tradeify, TakeProfit Trader, TopStep, MyFundedFutures, Apex — and many more.

There are so many prop firms available right now that it can be overwhelming to figure out which one is the best fit for you. Between different rules, pricing structures, and trading conditions, making the right choice isn’t easy.

That’s why we’ve decided to put together an article comparing the most popular prop firms — to help you find the one that best aligns with your goals, trading style, and budget.

Evaluation Accounts Pricing

There are plenty of different prop firms out there, each offering various account sizes and types. It’s important to carefully review all the options when deciding which firm and account type best suit your trading style and needs. Every trader is different, and so are our preferences and priorities.

Some traders may prefer a more affordable account with stricter rules, while others might choose to pay a bit more in exchange for greater flexibility in their trading.

Below, we’ve provided a table outlining different prop firms, the account sizes they offer, the most current pricing, commonly available promos, and any additional fees you should be aware of.

Evaluation rules

Goals and max drawdown

Each evaluation account comes with a specific set of rules that must be met in order to pass. These rules vary depending on both the account type and the prop firm you’re using. Some firms have more rules, others have fewer—but all prop firms share two key requirements:

1. The Profit Target – the minimum amount of profit you need to generate to pass the evaluation.
2. The Maximum Drawdown – the maximum loss you’re allowed to incur before failing the evaluation.

Understanding and managing these two critical metrics is essential to successfully passing any prop firm evaluation.

Below, we’ve outlined the profit targets and maximum drawdowns for various account types across different prop firms to help you compare and choose the best fit for your trading style.

25K Account 

50K Account

75K Account

100K Account

150K Account

200K Account

250K Account

300K Account

Aside from the profit target and maximum drawdown, many prop firms have additional rules and conditions that must be met to successfully pass the evaluation.

In this next section, we’ll cover some of the most important and commonly shared rules across various prop firms. We’ll explain what each rule means and provide the specific values or limits set by different firms, so you can better understand how they compare and what to expect.

Minimum days required to trade:

This refers to the minimum number of trading days required to pass the evaluation. It means you must actively trade for at least that number of days—while also meeting the specified profit target and staying within the maximum drawdown limit.

1. Tradeify: 1 day
2. TakeProfit Trader: 5 days
3. TopStep: 2 days
4. My Funded Futures: 2 days
5. Apex: 1 day
6. Top One futures: 1 day
7. The futures Desk: 5 – 12 days

Daily Drawdown: 

1. Tradeify: No
2. TakeProfit Trader: No
3. TopStep: Yes
4. My Funded Futures: Yes
5. Apex: No
6. Top One futures: Yes
7. The Futures Desk: Yes

Consistency rule in eval:

The consistency rule ensures that traders pass the evaluation through steady, reliable performance—not just one lucky day. It requires you to demonstrate consistent trading over time.

The rule is typically defined by a percentage, which sets a limit on how much profit you can make on your best day relative to your total profits. For example, if the consistency rule is 50%, your highest-profit day cannot exceed 50% of your total profit when you reach the profit target.

So, if your profit target is $1,500, your best day cannot exceed $750. If you happen to exceed that amount, don’t worry—it just means your new profit target will be adjusted to twice your best day’s profit.

1. Tradeify: N/A
2. TakeProfit Trader: 50%
3. TopStep: 50%
4. My Funded Futures: 50%
5. Apex: N/A
6. Top One futures: N/A
7. The Futures Desk: 8%-20%

Sim Funded Account Rules 

Required Buffer

Most prop firms, after you pass the evaluation phase and move to a sim-funded account, will require you to first build a profit buffer before you can request your first payout. The amount and structure of this buffer vary from firm to firm. This requirement is designed to ensure consistent performance and risk management before allowing withdrawals.

1. Tradeify: Value of the max drawdown + $100.
2. TakeProfit Trader: Value of the max drawdown.
3. TopStep: N/A
4. My Funded Futures: Depend on account type: Expert account: Value of the max drawdown, Starter account – no buffer.
5. Apex: Value of the max drawdown + $100.
6. Top One futures: N/A.
7. The Futures Desk: Value of the max drawdown

Consistency rule:

Some prop firms may adjust their consistency rule requirements after you pass the evaluation. For example, a firm that enforced a consistency rule during the evaluation phase might remove it once you’ve passed, trusting that you’ve proven your ability to trade responsibly.

On the other hand, some firms make it easier to pass the evaluation by not requiring a consistency rule upfront—but then introduce it once you move to a sim-funded account to ensure you maintain disciplined, responsible trading while generating profits. 

In other cases, the consistency rule remains the same throughout both the evaluation and sim-funded phases, with no major changes in requirements.

1. Tradeify: Advanced/Growth Sim Funded Accounts – 35%, Straight to Sim Funded Accounts – 20%.
2. TakeProfit Trader: N/A.
3. TopStep: N/A.
4. My Funded Futures: 40%.
5. Apex: 30%.
6. Top One Futures: 25%.
7. The Futures Desk: N/A

Profit split:

Different prop firms have varying rules when it comes to profit splits. Most firms offer traders 100% of the first $10,000 to $25,000 in profits. After that initial threshold, the profit split typically shifts to anywhere between 80% and 90% in favor of the trader on a sim-funded account.

1. Tradeify: Traders keep 90% of profits from the start.
2. TakeProfit Trader: Traders keep 80% of profits in PRO accounts and 90% in PRO+ accounts.
3. TopStep: Traders keep 90% of profits by default, with the first $10,000 paid out at 100%.
4. MyFundedFutures: Traders keep 90% of withdrawn profits, with the first $10,000 paid out at 100%.
5. Apex: Traders earn 90% of profits by default, with the first $25,000 in payouts paid out at 100%.
6. Top One Futures: Traders earn 90% of profits.
7. The Futures Desk: Traders earn 80% of profits..

Withdrawal Rules

When it comes to payouts, once you have crossed the required buffer, you become eligible to request a withdrawal from your account—provided you have met all the requirements and adhered to the rules set by the specific prop firm for their sim-funded accounts. Each prop firm has its own withdrawal policies and rules that you must follow.

1. Tradeify: 
   • Reach the buffer: the value of the max drawdown + $100.
   • Trade at least 10 days, with a minimum of 5 profitable days.
     • $150 profit/day for 50K accounts
     • $200 profit/day for 100K accounts
     • $250 profit/day for 150K accounts
   • No single day’s profit can exceed 35% (advanced or growth account) or 20% (straight to funded account) of your total profit during the payout period.
2. TakeProfit Trader: 
   • Reach the required buffer (equal to the value of the max drawdown). You can withdraw anything above that buffer.
3. TopStep: 
   • After completing five winning trading days, you may request a payout of up to 50% of your account balance per request.
4. My Funded Futures: 
   • At least 5 winning days (Starter plan only).
   • No single day’s profit can exceed 40% of your total profits since the start of the account or since the last balance recorded after the last payout.​
   • Every 14 calendar days (Expert plan only).
5. Apex: 
   • Traders must have completed at least 8 separate trading days to request a payout and at least 5 of these trading days must show a profit of $50 or more.
   • No single day’s profit can exceed 30% of the total profit accumulated since the last approved payout or since the start of trading if no payouts have been made.
   • For the first three payouts, a “safety net” must be in place, defined as the drawdown amount plus an additional $100.
6. Top One Futures:
   • There must be at least 10 trading days between each payout.
   • To qualify for a payout, you’ll need to reach the following profit targets within that period:
     • 1st payout: 6% profit based on your starting balance.
     • 2nd payout: 5% profit relative to your balance at the time.
     • All subsequent payouts: 4% profit relative to your balance at the time.
7. The Futures Desk:
   • Reach the required buffer (equal to the value of the max drawdown). You can withdraw anything above that buffer.

***Apex has an additional rule — the 30% Negative P&L Rule — which states that your maximum loss on a single trade cannot exceed 30% of your account balance at the start of the day.

News Trading 

Trading around major economic news releases is often risky and unpredictable. For this reason, many prop firms prefer traders to stop trading a minute or two before and after these announcements to reduce risk and limit profit volatility.

Below is a list of popular prop firms and whether they allow trading during news events.

1. Tradeify: YES
2. TakeProfit Trader: NO for major news
3. TopStep: YES
4. My Funded Futures: NO for major news
5. Apex: YES
6. Top One Futures: YES
7. The Futures Desk: Yes (with small restriction regarding the stop loss and position size)

Live Founded Account Rules

When will you get moved:

The ultimate goal when working with a prop firm is to advance to a live funded account. In a sim-funded account, you are still trading in a simulated environment—your orders aren’t sent to actual market exchanges, but are only simulated. Despite this, you can still make profits and withdraw them.

At this stage, the prop firm is actually paying out of their own pocket for your profits, so it’s in their interest to move you to a live funded account. This allows you to trade in real market conditions, earn real money, and for the firm to generate profits from your successful trading.

Prop firms have different methods for evaluating profitable traders and deciding who qualifies to move into a live funded account. Below, we’ve listed some of the most popular prop firms along with the rules and conditions they use to assess trader performance.

1. Tradeify: Traders become eligible for evaluation after completing four payouts from their simulated funded account.
2. TakeProfit Trader: Traders may be invited to a live account if they have been consistently withdrawing meaningful amounts or have reached $10,000 in daily profit on their simulated funded account.
3. TopStep: Traders can qualify for a live funded account after completing five successful withdrawals from their simulated funded account.
4. My Funded Futures: traders are evaluated individually based on performance.
5. Apex:  evaluation for a live account is done on an individual basis.
6. Top One Futures: After 3 successful payouts, a risk manager will decide whether to keep you in Sim Funded or move you to a Live Account.
7. The Futures Desk: Right after making the buffer

Risk Management 

1. Tradeify: 
   • Position Scaling: Traders start with up to 5 contracts, which can scale up to 15 contracts after reaching $5,000 in profit.
   • Each trader is assigned a dedicated risk manager for coaching, accountability, and ongoing support.
2. TakeProfit Trader:
   • The account balance must not fall below the maximum intraday trailing drawdown limit.
   • PRO+ accounts must be flat (no open positions or pending orders) one minute before, during, and one minute after the following news events:
     • FOMC meeting minutes / announcements
     • Non-Farm Payroll
     • Consumer Price Index (CPI)
   • Additional news restrictions:
     • Crude Oil Inventories – Trading prohibited for crude oil contracts
     • Bond Auctions – Trading prohibited for 10-Year Note and 30-Year Bond
3. TopStep:
   • Daily Loss Limit enforced
   • Maximum position size is enforced and can be adjusted by contacting TopStep support
   • Maximum Loss Limit is set at $0—if your account balance reaches zero, the account is closed
4. My Funded Futures: 
   • Uses a Static Drawdown, meaning the maximum loss limit is fixed and does not trail, helping manage risk more predictably.
5. Apex: 
   • 30% Consistency Rule
   • Until the trailing threshold is hit, traders can only use up to 50% of their max allowed contracts
   • Unrealized losses must stay below 30% of the day’s starting profit balance
   • Stop losses must not exceed 5x the corresponding profit target on any given trade
6. Top One Futures:
   • Your risk manager works with you to set your daily loss limit, max loss (static), and max contract size to protect both you and the firm.
7. The Futures Desk:
   • You’ll get personalized coaching calls to refine your strategy and risk management, along with real-time chat support from seasoned traders who know their way around every major platform.
   • As you demonstrate consistent profitability, you’ll be able to raise your contract limits and daily drawdown thresholds—simply contact support or your risk manager to request an increase.