Select 2 or more firms to compare evaluation costs, drawdown rules, profit splits, payout structures, and trading restrictions across all 14 CME futures prop trading firms.
Specific tiers and funded paths from the selected firms, ranked with public-rule fit and blockers visible.
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| Category | Alpha Futures· Zero ✓ Verified 17 days ago | E8 Markets ✓ Verified 17 days ago |
|---|---|---|
| Account Size | $25K | $25K |
| Overall Score | ||
| Trader Friendliness | 70/100Good | 67/100Good |
| Cost Summary | ||
| Eval Cost | $79/mo | $110GIBBS |
| Total to Start | $79(first mo + activation) | $110(eval + activation) |
| Monthly Cost (Funded) | — | — |
| Activation Fee | $0 | — |
| Reset Fee | $69 | — |
| Evaluation Rules | ||
| Profit Target | $1,500 (6%) | $1,500 (6%) |
| Min Trading Days | 1 day | 1 day |
| Min Days to Funded | 1 days | 1 days |
| Pass Rate | N/A | 17.7% |
| Drawdown Rules | ||
| Type | EOD Trailing | EOD Trailing |
| Max Drawdown | $1,000(4%) | $1,000(4%) |
| Daily Loss Limit | $500 | None |
| DLL Breach Type | Soft | Soft |
| Lock Behavior | Locks at $25,000 after $1,000 profit | Locks at $25,000 after $1,000 profit |
| Strictness | Moderate | Moderate |
| 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. | E8 One Challenge: no news restrictions. E8 One Performance (funded): 5 min before and 5 min after high-impact news, no new orders, no closing trades, no SL/TP triggers, no pending orders. Profits within 10-min window are stripped (no account violation). Speeches: 5 min before until 5 min after end. Non-targeted instruments unaffected. |
| Automation | Semi-Auto Only | Banned |
| Hedging | Banned | Banned |
| Scalping Rules | Trades under 10 ticks AND under 2 minutes flagged as microscalping(min 2min) | 50% of profits from trades held 10+ seconds(min 10s) |
| Overnight Holds | ||
| Must Be Flat By | 4:20 PM ET | 3:10 PM CT |
| Inactivity Limit | 10 days | 7 days |
| Weekend Holding | Unknown | Unknown |
| Account Rolling | No Restriction | No Restriction |
| Min Payout | $200 | $100 |
| Funded Account | ||
| Payout Accessibility | 74/100 | 76/100 |
| Consistency Rule | 40% max/dayModerate | 35% max/dayModerate |
| Funded Rules | ||
| Funded Consistency | 40% max/day | 35% max/day |
| Funded DLL | $500(soft) | $500(soft) |
| Buffer Requirement | None | $1,000 |
| Activation Fee | $0 | $0 |
| Min Profitable Days | 5 days | 5 days |
| Profit Split | 90% | 80% |
| Payout Frequency | On Demand | On Demand |
| Max Payout | $1,000 | — |
| Winning Days | 5 days | 5 days |
| Qualifying Day Min | $200/day | $75/day |
| Best Day Cap | — | 35% max |
| Max Payout % | 50% of profit | — |
| Min Payout | $200 | $100 |
| Withdrawal Fee | Free | Free |
| Processing Time | 48 business hours | 2-5 business days |
| Payout Methods | Rise | Rise |
| Max Contracts | 1 full / 10 micro | 2 full / 20 micro |
| Max Accounts | 5 accounts | 5 accounts |
| Platforms | Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView, Quantower | Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView |
| Live Transition | +$40K payable balance or 5 payouts per account; Alpha may move the trader to LIVE earlier after review | — |
| Buffer Required | No buffer | Yes, must clear buffer before payouts |
| Buffer Amount | — | $1,000 |
| Min Payout | $200 | $100 |
| Max Per Request | $1,000 | — |
| Payout Caps | No cap | $1,000 → $1,000 → $1,250 → $1,250 → $1,500 |
| Account Lifecycle | ||
| Max Funded Accounts | 5 | Unlimited |
| Inactivity Limit | 10 days | 7 days |
| Quick Math | ||
| True Cost to Start | $79 $79/mo eval | $110 $110 eval |
| Daily Profit Target | $1,500/day over 1 day | $1,500/day over 1 day |
| First Payout Timeline | ~8 days 1d eval + 5d winning + 2d processing | ~11 days 1d eval + 5d winning + 5d processing |
| Best Profit Split | 90% | 80% |