A detailed breakdown of how these two firms compare across costs, drawdown rules, payout structure, and trading restrictions.
E8 Futures is $379 cheaper to get started. DayTraders charges $379 one-time. E8 Futures charges $0 one-time.
DayTraders uses Intraday Trailing drawdown at 5% ($2,500 buffer once locked at initial), while E8 Futures uses .
50% consistency → need 2+ profitable days
2d eval
1 min trading days
1d eval + 5d winning + 5d processing
DayTraders gets you funded faster, with an estimated ~2 days to first payout (2d eval). E8 Futures has no consistency rule, meaning you could pass the evaluation in a single profitable day. DayTraders requires your best day to be no more than 50% of total profit.
DayTraders offers up to 80% profit split(Daily payouts, $500 min), while E8 Futures offers up to 80%(On Demand payouts, $100 min).
When comparing withdrawal frequency, the gap between payouts matters. DayTraders has no minimum profitable days requirement between withdrawals. E8 Futures requires 5 profitable trading days between each withdrawal — at 20 trading days per month, that works out to roughly 4 payouts per month.
E8 Futures requires clearing a buffer zone before your first payout — you must earn above your starting balance plus the drawdown amount before any withdrawal is allowed. has no buffer requirement, meaning payouts are available from day one.
News trading allowed · Only 2 min trading days
Starting at $150 · One-time fee (no subscription)
Overnight holding allowed · News trading OK
News trading allowed · Only 1 min trading days
Starting at $110 · One-time fee (no subscription)
Both firms work well for day traders and budget traders. DayTraders is a stronger fit for swing traders (overnight holding allowed). Explore all trading styles to see which firms match your approach.
Based on $500/day profit, 20 trading days/month, 55% win rate
At $500/day profit, DayTraders reaches break-even on day 11 while E8 Futures reaches it on day 9. E8 Futures costs $379 less to get started.
Choose DayTraders if you want:
Choose E8 Futures if you want:
DayTraders has a lifetime withdrawal cap of $150,000across all accounts — once you've withdrawn that much total, the account is done.
To count as a qualifying day toward payouts, DayTraders requires at least $200 in daily profit, while E8 Futures requires $150. The lower bar at E8 Futures is easier to meet on choppy trading days.
E8 Futures caps any single trading day at 35% of your payout cycle's total profit — designed to encourage consistent performance rather than one-hit profits. DayTraders has no best-day cap.
DayTraders requires a minimum account balance of $52,600 before you can request a payout. E8 Futures has no minimum balance requirement.
DayTraders requires at least $52,000 to remain in the account after each withdrawal, limiting how much you can take out at once. E8 Futures has no post-withdrawal balance floor.
E8 Futures requires a $2,000 safety net buffer before your first payout. DayTraders has no safety net requirement.
DayTraders caps each withdrawal at $2,000 per request. E8 Futures has no per-request cap.
Overall, E8 Futures scores higher (72 vs 59) on our trader-friendliness index. Key advantages: lower starting cost, more forgiving drawdown rules. That said, DayTraders wins on faster path to funded, fewer trading restrictions, more lenient consistency rules. See the full glossary to understand any unfamiliar terms, or explore trading styles to find the best firm for your approach.