Select 2 or more firms to compare evaluation costs, drawdown rules, profit splits, payout structures, and trading restrictions across the CME futures prop firms we track.
Specific tiers and funded paths from the selected firms, ranked with public-rule fit and blockers visible.
| Category | Alpha Futures· Zero Checked Jun 16, 2026 · help.alpha-futures.com(91%)· 84 changes pending review since Apr 6, 2026May be out of date | Apex Trader Funding· Intraday Trail Checked Jul 10, 2026 · apextraderfunding.com(76%)· 77 changes pending review since Sep 30, 2026May be out of date |
|---|---|---|
| Account Size | $25K | $25K |
| Overall Score | ||
| Trader Friendliness | 70/100Good | 72/100Good |
| Cost Summary | ||
| Eval Cost | $79/moUnknownNot independently verified | $20(Regular price $199; current public one-time price $19.9.)UnknownNot independently verified |
| Total to Start | $79(first mo + activation) | $89(eval + activation) |
| Monthly Cost (Funded) | — | — |
| Activation Fee | $0 | $69 |
| Reset Fee | $69 | — |
| Evaluation Rules | ||
| Profit Target | $1,500 (6%)UnknownNot independently verified | $1,500 (6%)UnknownNot independently verified |
| Min Trading Days | 1 day | 1 day |
| Min Days to Funded | 1 day | 1 day |
| Pass Rate | N/A | N/A |
| Drawdown Rules | ||
| Type | EOD Trailing | Intraday Trailing |
| Max Drawdown | $1,000(4%)UnknownNot independently verified | $1,000(4%)UnknownNot independently verified |
| Daily Loss Limit | $500 | None |
| Daily Loss Limit Breach | Soft | Soft |
| Lock Behavior | Locks at $25,000 after $1,000 profit | Trails indefinitely |
| Strictness | Moderate | Strict |
| Trading Restrictions | ||
| News Trading | Evaluations have no news trading restrictions. Premium and Advanced Qualified accounts have no news restriction. Standard legacy and Zero Qualified accounts may hold through news but cannot execute orders within 2 minutes before or after high-impact news. All paths still prohibit all-or-nothing gambling behavior. | News trading is allowed for your normal trading strategy. Using news trading strategies that chase the market or place orders on both sides to gamble the outcome of news is not allowed. Non-directional bracket trading (orders left open on both sides) to catch windfall moves is also prohibited. |
| Automation | Semi-Auto Only | Banned |
| Hedging | Banned | Banned |
| Scalping Rules | Trades under 10 ticks AND under 2 minutes flagged as microscalping(min 2min) | None |
| Overnight Holds | ||
| Must Be Flat By | 4:20 PM ET | 4:59 PM ET |
| Inactivity Limit | 10 days | — |
| Weekend Holding | Unknown | Must Flat |
| Account Rolling | Prohibited. Account Rolling (max leverage with no plan, hitting MLL, then buying more accounts) and Account Stacking (excessive evaluations and storing multiple passed accounts) are both banned. | Stockpiling evaluation accounts prohibited. Purchasing multiple discounted evaluations to cycle through and intentionally blow up accounts in pursuit of windfall profits is not permitted. |
| Min Payout | $200 | $500 |
| Funded Account | ||
| Payout Accessibility | 74/100 | 59/100 |
| Consistency Rule | 40% max/dayModerate | 50% max/dayFavorable |
| Funded Rules | ||
| Funded Consistency | 40% max/day | 50% max/day |
| Funded Daily Loss Limit | $500(soft) | $1,250(soft) |
| Buffer Requirement | None | $1,100 |
| Activation Fee | $0 | $69 |
| Min Profitable Days | 5 days | 5 days |
| Profit Split | 90% UnknownNot independently verified | 100% UnknownNot independently verified |
| Payout Frequency | On Demand | Weekly |
| Max Payout | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Winning Days | 5 days | 5 days($100+) |
| Days Between Payouts | — | 5 trading days |
| Qualifying Day Min | $200/day | $100/day |
| Max Payout % | 50% of profit | — |
| Min Balance for Payout | — | $26,600 |
| Min Balance After Payout | — | $26,100 |
| Max Payouts | — | 6 total |
| Account Closure | — | total_payouts: 6 (closes) |
| Min Payout | $200 | $500 |
| Withdrawal Fee | — | — |
| Processing Time | 48 business hours | 5-11 business days |
| Payout Methods | Rise | ACH direct deposit (US), Plane (international) |
| Max Contracts | 1 full / 10 micro | 4 full / 40 micro |
| Max Accounts | 5 accounts | 20 accounts |
| Platforms | Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView, Quantower | Rithmic, Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView, WealthCharts |
| Live Transition | +$40K payable balance or 5 payouts per account; Alpha may move the trader to LIVE earlier after review | — |
| Buffer Amount | — | $1,100 |
| Min Payout | $200 | $500 |
| Max Per Request | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Funded Fee | — | $0/mo |
| Payout Caps | No cap | $1,000 → $1,000 → $1,000 → $1,000 → $1,000 → $1,000 |
| Account Lifecycle | ||
| Max Funded Accounts | 5 | 20 |
| Inactivity Limit | 10 days | — |
| Quick Math | ||
| Eval + Activation | $79 $79/mo eval | $89 $20 eval + $69 activation |
| Daily Profit Target | $1,500/day over 1 day | $1,500/day over 1 day |
| First Payout Timeline | Needs model proof Missing public evidence: Activation Fee, Buffer Clearance Required, Funded Monthly Fee, Max Payout Per Request, Min Payout Amount, Min Profitable Days Before Payout, Payout Processing Time, PublicSourceUrls. | Needs model proof Missing public evidence: Activation Fee, Buffer Clearance Required, Fee Monthly|Fee Onetime, Field Evidence Ledger, Funded Monthly Fee, Max Payout Per Request, Min Trading Days, Payout Processing Time. |
| Best Profit Split | 90% | 100% |
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