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.
Why this plan/path
This is a partial fit: payout access 78/100.
18 public evidence blockers still reduce confidence. Missing values are not treated as favorable.
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Why this plan/path
This is a partial fit: payout access 85/100.
22 public evidence blockers still reduce confidence. Missing values are not treated as favorable.
Why this plan/path
This is a partial fit: payout access 90/100.
17 public evidence blockers still reduce confidence. Missing values are not treated as favorable.
| Category | Topstep ✓ Verified Apr 11, 2026 | Legends Trading ✓ Verified Apr 6, 2026 | Alpha Futures· Zero ✓ Verified Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account Size | $50K | $25K | $25K |
| Overall Score | |||
| Trader Friendliness | 69/100Good | 72/100Good | 70/100Good |
| Cost Summary | |||
| Eval Cost | $49/mo | $119LTG | $79/mo |
| Total to Start | $198(first mo + activation) | $119(eval + activation) | $79(first mo + activation) |
| Monthly Cost (Funded) | — | — | — |
| Activation Fee | $149 | — | $0 |
| Reset Fee | $49 | — | $69 |
| Evaluation Rules | |||
| Profit Target | $3,000 (6%) | $1,500 (6%) | $1,500 (6%) |
| Min Trading Days | 2 days | — | 1 day |
| Min Days to Funded | 2 days | No minimum | 1 days |
| Pass Rate | 12.4% | N/A | N/A |
| Drawdown Rules | |||
| Type | EOD Trailing | EOD Trailing | EOD Trailing |
| Max Drawdown | $2,000(4%) | $1,250(5%) | $1,000(4%) |
| Daily Loss Limit | $1,000 | None | $500 |
| DLL Breach Type | Soft | — | Soft |
| Lock Behavior | Locks at $50,000 after $2,000 profit | Locks at $25,000 after $1,250 profit | Locks at $25,000 after $1,000 profit |
| Strictness | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Trading Restrictions | |||
| News Trading | 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. | 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. | |
| Automation | Banned | Banned | Semi-Auto Only |
| Hedging | Banned | Banned | Banned |
| Scalping Rules | None | None | Trades under 10 ticks AND under 2 minutes flagged as microscalping(min 2min) |
| Overnight Holds | |||
| Must Be Flat By | 3:10 PM CT | 3:55 PM CT | 4:20 PM ET |
| Inactivity Limit | — | — | 10 days |
| Weekend Holding | Must Flat | Unknown | Unknown |
| Account Rolling | No Restriction | No Restriction | 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. |
| Min Payout | $125 | $500 | $200 |
| Funded Account | |||
| Payout Accessibility | 78/100 | 59/100 | 74/100 |
| Consistency Rule | None | 40% max/dayModerate | 40% max/dayModerate |
| Funded Rules | |||
| Funded Consistency | None | 40% max/day | 40% max/day |
| Funded DLL | $1,000(soft) | $700 | $500(soft) |
| Buffer Requirement | None | $1,000 | None |
| Activation Fee | $149 | $0 | $0 |
| Min Profitable Days | 5 days | 5 days | 5 days |
| Profit Split | 90% | 100% | 90% |
| Payout Frequency | Daily | On Demand | On Demand |
| Max Payout | $5,000 | $800 | $1,000 |
| Winning Days | 5 days | 5 days($100+) | 5 days |
| Days Between Payouts | 5 trading days | 10 trading days | — |
| Qualifying Day Min | $150/day | $100/day | $200/day |
| Max Payout % | 50% of profit | — | 50% of profit |
| Min Payout | $125 | $500 | $200 |
| Withdrawal Fee | $30 | Free | Free |
| Processing Time | 1-3 business days | Quick review | 48 business hours |
| Payout Methods | Wire/ACH ($30), Wise (Free) | Rise | Rise |
| Max Contracts | 5 full / 50 micro | 2 full / 20 micro | 1 full / 10 micro |
| Max Accounts | 5 accounts | 5 accounts | 3 accounts |
| Platforms | TopstepX, Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView, Quantower | Rithmic, Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView, Sierra Chart, Quantower | Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView, Quantower |
| Buffer Required | No buffer | Yes — must clear buffer before payouts | No buffer |
| Buffer Amount | — | $1,000 | — |
| Min Payout | $125 | $500 | $200 |
| Max Per Request | $5,000 | $800 | $1,000 |
| Withdrawal Fee | $30 | — | — |
| Post-Payout DD | Converts to Static ($0) | — | — |
| Account Lifecycle | |||
| Max Funded Accounts | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Inactivity Limit | None | None | 10 days |
| Quick Math | |||
| True Cost to Start | $198 $49/mo eval + $149 activation | $119 $119 eval | $79 $79/mo eval |
| Daily Profit Target | $1,500/day over 2 days | $500/day over 3 days | $1,500/day over 1 day |
| First Payout Timeline | ~10 days 2d eval + 5d winning + 3d processing | ~5 days 5d winning | ~54 days 1d eval + 5d winning + 48d processing |
| Best Profit Split | 90% | 100% | 90% |