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.
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| Category | Alpha Futures· Zero ✓ Verified 5 days ago | Topstep ✓ Verified 5 days ago |
|---|---|---|
| Account Size | $25K | $50K |
| Overall Score | ||
| Trader Friendliness | 70/100Good | 72/100Good |
| Cost Summary | ||
| Eval Cost | $79/mo | $49/mo |
| Total to Start | $79(first mo + activation) | $198(first mo + activation) |
| Monthly Cost (Funded) | — | — |
| Activation Fee | $0 | $149 |
| Reset Fee | $69 | $49 |
| Evaluation Rules | ||
| Profit Target | $1,500 (6%) | $3,000 (6%) |
| Min Trading Days | 1 day | 2 days |
| Min Days to Funded | 1 days | 2 days |
| Pass Rate | N/A | 12.4% |
| Drawdown Rules | ||
| Type | EOD Trailing | EOD Trailing |
| Max Drawdown | $1,000(4%) | $2,000(4%) |
| Daily Loss Limit | $500 | $1,000 |
| DLL Breach Type | — | Soft |
| Lock Behavior | Locks at $25,000 after $1,000 profit | Locks at $50,000 after $2,000 profit |
| Strictness | Moderate | Moderate |
| Trading Restrictions | ||
| News Trading | Eval: no restrictions. Standard/Zero Qualified: no orders 2 min before or 2 min after high-impact news (ForexFactory red folder USD events). Speeches: 4-min window from start time only. Advanced Qualified: no restrictions but all-or-nothing gambling still banned. First violation = warning + profit void; subsequent = account breach. | No explicit news trading restriction. CBOT commodity market pause 7:45-8:30 AM CST on TopstepX (exchange-level, no orders accepted during pause). No swing trading allowed — all positions must close by 3:10 PM CT daily. |
| 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 | 3:10 PM CT |
| 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. | No Restriction |
| Min Payout | $200 | $125 |
| Funded Account | ||
| Payout Accessibility | 73/100 | 76/100 |
| Consistency Rule | 40% max/dayModerate | None |
| Funded Rules | ||
| Funded Consistency | 40% max/day | None |
| Funded DLL | $500 | $1,000(soft) |
| Buffer Requirement | None | None |
| Activation Fee | $0 | $149 |
| Min Profitable Days | 5 days | 5 days |
| Profit Split | 90% | 100%(First $10K) 90% |
| Payout Frequency | On Demand | Daily |
| Max Payout | — | $5,000 |
| Winning Days | 5 days | 5 days |
| Days Between Payouts | — | 5 trading days |
| Qualifying Day Min | $200/day | $150/day |
| Max Payout % | 50% of profit | 50% of profit |
| Min Payout | $200 | $125 |
| Withdrawal Fee | Free | $30 |
| Processing Time | 48 business hours | 1-3 business days |
| Payout Methods | Rise | Wire/ACH ($30), Wise (Free) |
| Max Contracts | 1 full / 10 micro | 5 full / 50 micro |
| Max Accounts | 3 accounts | 5 accounts |
| Platforms | Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView, Quantower | TopstepX, Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView, Quantower |
| Min Payout | $200 | $125 |
| Max Per Request | $1,000 | $5,000 |
| Withdrawal Fee | — | $30 |
| Post-Payout DD | — | Converts to Static ($0) |
| Account Lifecycle | ||
| Max Funded Accounts | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Inactivity Policy | 10 days | None |
| Quick Math | ||
| True Cost to Start | $79 $79/mo eval | $198 $49/mo eval + $149 activation |
| Daily Profit Target | $1,500/day over 1 day | $1,500/day over 2 days |
| First Payout Timeline | ~54 days 1d eval + 5d winning + 48d processing | ~10 days 2d eval + 5d winning + 3d processing |
| Best Profit Split | 90% | 100% |