A detailed breakdown of how these two firms compare across costs, drawdown rules, payout structure, and trading restrictions.
E8 Futures is $264 cheaper to get started. E8 Futures charges $0 one-time. Trade Day charges $125/mo (monthly subscription) plus a $139 activation fee.
E8 Futures uses EOD Trailing drawdown at 4% ($2,000 buffer once locked at initial), while Trade Day uses .
1 min trading days
1d eval + 5d winning + 5d processing
5 min trading days required
5d eval + 30d processing
E8 Futures gets you funded faster, with an estimated ~11 days to first payout (1d eval + 5d winning + 5d processing). E8 Futures has no consistency rule, meaning you could pass the evaluation in a single profitable day. Trade Day requires your best day to be no more than 30% of total profit.
E8 Futures offers up to 80% profit split(On Demand payouts, $100 min), while Trade Day offers up to 95%(On Demand payouts, $250 min). The 15 percentage point difference in profit split can add up significantly over time — on a $10,000 profit, that's $1,500 more in your pocket.
When comparing withdrawal frequency, the gap between payouts matters. 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. Trade Day has no minimum profitable days requirement between withdrawals.
Both firms require clearing a buffer zone before your first payout — you must earn above your starting balance plus the drawdown amount before any withdrawal is allowed. Check the and detail pages for the exact buffer amounts.
News trading allowed · Only 1 min trading days
Starting at $110 · One-time fee (no subscription)
No strong style match
E8 Futures is a stronger fit for day traders and budget traders (news trading 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, E8 Futures reaches break-even on day 9 while Trade Day reaches it on day 12. E8 Futures costs $264 less to get started. E8 Futures projects $196/mo more in funded earnings.
Choose E8 Futures if you want:
E8 Futures requires a minimum of $150 daily profit for a day to count toward payout eligibility. Trade Day has no qualifying day minimum.
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. Trade Day has no best-day cap.
Both firms require a safety net before payouts: E8 Futures at $2,000 and Trade Day at $2,000. You must build this buffer above your starting balance before requesting your first withdrawal.
Trade Day applies a 50%/50% split on buffer zone withdrawals until the buffer clears.
Choose Trade Day if you want:
Overall, E8 Futures scores higher (72 vs 62) on our trader-friendliness index. Key advantages: lower starting cost, more forgiving drawdown rules, faster path to funded, more lenient consistency rules. That said, Trade Day wins on better profit split, fewer trading restrictions. See the full glossary to understand any unfamiliar terms, or explore trading styles to find the best firm for your approach.