Since I actually trade, it’s easy to pick the best prop firms.
My #1 pick is MyFundedFutures (top firms will be covered below)
The easiest path to funding - funding in as little as 1 day with the biggest max drawdown
The fastest payouts - I got one in 4 minutes!
FOUR different evaluation plans to fit ALL traders - (full guide below)
No activation fees
Always get the highest discount for all MyFundedFutures plans by clicking here and using code Iman. Until January 31st, code Iman gets a special discount on the Starter Plus 50k account.
I partner with the firms that I think are the best, and using my link and code supports me at no extra cost to you. I also make unaffiliated reviews of firms that I think aren’t good (like Tradeify).
How can you tell which prop firms are the best?
There’s only a couple things that matter - the ease/difficulty of the evaluations, how much it costs to get funded, and if the firm is actually paying their traders. When a prop firm stops being the best, then move on and trade somewhere else. All we care about as traders is making money, so choose whichever firm fits that goal.
(Explained below) The Easiest + Cheapest 50k Trading Accounts
| TradeDay | Topstep | MyFundedFutures (STARTER) | Apex (at 80% off) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max drawdown | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,500 | **$2,500 |
| Profit target | $2,500 | $3,000 | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Drawdown to profit target ratio | 2:2.5 (.8) | 2:3 (.67) | 2.5:3 (.834) | 2.5:3 (.834) |
| Drawdown type | EOD | EOD | EOD | Intra (**BAD**) |
| Activation fee for funding | $139 | $149 | NO FEE | $140 |
| Cost of a reset | $100 | $49 | $92 | $80 |
| Cost to get funded on first try | $271 | $198 | $92 | $177 |
| Payout denial problem? | No | No | No | YES, AVOID |
| Minimum days to get funded | 7 | 2-3 | 1 | Usually 7 |
#1) Overall Best Futures Prop Firm: MyFundedFutures
Regardless of which plan you go with, one of their best features is the industry’s fastest customer service team and fastest payout approvals. Payout requests are approved from a couple hours to even just a few minutes, and no other firms of this size are doing it that fast. That’s part of how they’ve built up such a great reputation.
MFFU’s starter plan (only a 50k account) - the best choice for 95% of traders
Low costs and by far the easiest path to funding!
0 consistency or minimum trading day rules in the evaluation
Fair evaluation (one of the best max drawdowns and profit targets in the industry)
MFFU’s expert plans - truly for experts
Expert evaluations are harder and more expensive
However, the payout policy has no consistency rules or minimum trading days!
How to always get the best discount:
Go to MyFundedFutures and use code Iman to automatically get the highest discounts (it updates if there’s any special sales going on)
For a full guide on all 4 of MFFU’s accounts and ALL the differences:
Click here to see my FULL guide on MyFundedFutures - it has detailed breakdowns of the evaluation, funded account, and payout policies for ALL 4 accounts. The information that you’ve seen on this page is just a brief introduction, whereas the full guide is practically their entire website condensed into an easy-to-read page.
What if you could skip the entire evaluation?
Purdia Capital does instant funding with 1 profit target. After you hit that target, you are put on a LIVE account and can withdraw as much money as you’d like. Then, enjoy daily payouts without ANY ridiculous trading restrictions used by other firms. For a full review and guide on them, click here. They also offer regular evaluations with live funding as the target, and it’s all covered. For some general information, let’s say you’re trading the 100k instant funding account (which code Iman gets an exclusive extra $50 off compared to the code on their website).
Once you reach the “profit target for first payout” (making +$3,000), have traded for at least 10 days, and 5 of those days were at least +$200, stop.
Purdia contacts you, and you start the onboarding process to be put on the live account.
The profit target you hit ($3,000) becomes the starting balance on the live account.
Once your live account is ready, you can continue trading and/or withdraw as much as you’d like.
Enjoy daily payouts and no annoying rules!
Clicking here and using code Iman gets you an exclusively high discount on that 100k account, but click here for the full guide on Purdia. You’ll find unique discount codes (including some that aren’t mine) to ensure that you get the best deal. Purdia is a newer firm, so that always comes with risks. Do not choose them before reading the entire review. If safety is a priority, then only trade with established names. Previous instant funding firms have failed because they kept their “funded” traders on sim accounts, and their payouts were exclusively paid for by purchases of new accounts. Purdia actually funds you, so the money you make is real.
#2) Best for smaller accounts, reputation, and longevity: TradeDay
Tradeday is not the cheapest firm, but they do have 2 accounts that are hard to beat. I recommend them for their 25k and 10k accounts. This is because their max drawdown is equal to their profit target, which you can see below.
25k account has a max drawdown of $1,500 and a profit target of $1,500
10k account has a max drawdown of $1,000 and a profit target of $1,000
Go to Tradeday and use code Iman to automatically get the highest discounts. Most people like to wait for when they do big sales before getting an account, but they only do that a few times per year. Join my free prop firm Discord server to be notified when that happens!
#3) Topstep and TopstepX
Topstep is my #3 pick specifically for Topstep’s own trading platform called TopstepX (and for being a safe pick). However, when compared to MyFundedFutures, you’re paying more money for harder evaluations. So, traders need to evaluate what is most important to them. Profit targets are larger and the max drawdowns are smaller, but they do allow certain scalping strategies that other firms may not. Purdia is a firm that specifically allows scalping along with much more, and that’s covered below.
Hold on - are you new to trading with prop firms?
The button here will take you to a page where various prop-firm-related topics are further discussed. It includes articles on strategy tips for trading, how the different drawdown systems work, and the most important rules to look out for when choosing a firm. But, let’s briefly cover the most important parts about finding which firm is best for you.
How to Choose a Prop Trading Firm
Choosing a prop trading firm can be tricky due to how many there are, but going with an established firm is good for many reasons. There are more important factors than just the funding process and costs, so let’s get into what those are. This will ensure you pick a firm that suits your needs.
Company Reputation
There’s a reason Apex isn’t a company I recommend, and I even made a video that made them shut down their entire Discord server (still down months later). You can learn a lot about a firm based on their reviews, and Trustpilot is probably the best resource for this. With financial regulations coming soon from the CME, it’s more important than ever to be careful when picking a firm. Personally, I recommend avoiding new firms until they get more established, because many of the new ones that pop up are just scams.
Customer Support and Reliability
As with anything related to trading and your money, customer support being reliable is essential. The top firms have dedicated support channels, like emails and Discord servers. MyFundedFutures even has a built-in feature to quickly access the support team, and they boast some of (if not the) quickest response times for helping. This is the opposite of Apex, where emails are often ignored for multiple days to weeks. TradeDay is another firm with an extremely great reputation for support. Of course, no firm is perfect, and there will always be a small percentage of complaints. It just becomes a red flag when the volume and severity of those complaints starts increasing.
Flexibility in Trading Platforms and Tools
Many new firms don’t offer the tools and platforms that you’re used to trading with. Traders don’t want to deal with having to learn a new platform, so be sure that the firm you’re looking at has the right tools for you. Firms differ significantly in their available data connections and platforms, especially when it comes to more specific trading strategies (like order flow). More recently, we’ve seen NinjaTrader and Tradovate stop pairing with newer firms. So, make sure you check for this. Some companies have even been creating their own trading software like Topstep and MyFundedFutures. All the firms on this page offer access to the top trading platforms like NinjaTrader (my personal favorite), Tradovate, and TradingView.
Withdrawal and Payout Policies
There are some firms that appear excellent on the surface, but, when you look further into their FAQ and policies, you might find many ridiculous rules. These are typically designed to make it harder for you to get your money, and so those firms should be avoided. The speed at which you can get your money out of your trading account is important, and MyFundedFutures is the industry’s leader when it comes to withdrawal times. One of my payouts was approved 3 minutes after my request, and it was sent to me through Rise just 1 minute later. Nobody else is treating their funded traders like that. Make sure to pay attention to withdrawal limits as well. TradeDay is another company with extremely fast payouts, which is one of the benefits of using a small firm like them. Once you’re live with Purdia, you can request payouts every day!
Funding Costs and Fees
Pay attention to all of the associated costs with becoming a funded trader. Review the evaluation policies and whether the firm has an activation fee or additional further steps to funding. Commissions for trading among firms are mostly identical, but there can be small variations. MyFundedFutures is the only top firm without huge activation fees, which saves traders a significant amount of money. This fee at Topstep is $149, so be sure to factor that into your costs when analyzing which firm to choose!
Do not start trying to get funded until you’re truly ready.
You can always do some “trial runs” of an evaluation by using a sim account and following the position-size rules, drawdown rules, consistency objectives, and minimum trading day rules for the firm you want to use. You’ve heard that you should never risk money you can’t afford to lose, and that extends to trading with firms. Set a budget for yourself for the month, and NEVER get caught in the loop of doing resets one after the other because of going on tilt. Seriously, follow a budget.
Best of luck to you in your trading, and join my free Discord server just for prop-firm traders! https://discord.gg/dX8WEwUrvS
RISK AND AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE - Never risk money you can’t afford to lose!
Futures, foreign currency and options trading contains substantial risk and is not for every investor. An investor could potentially lose all or more than the initial investment. Risk capital is money that can be lost without jeopardizing ones financial security or lifestyle. Only risk capital should be used for trading and only those with sufficient risk capital should consider trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Most traders do not succeed. The links on this site are primarily affiliate links, which financially supports me at no extra cost to you. I partnered with multiple firms, because I don’t see 1 firm that has it all. I like Topstep for TopstepX, TradeDay for the 10k and 25k accounts, and MFFU for being the most affordable while having the best 50k and higher accounts. When firms change, we should change with them. I have been funded with all 3 firms, so I’m recommending a product that I personally use. My partnership with Topstep is ending on 8/24/24. I could stay with them, but they want new partners to only recommend them and nobody else. I have 0 interest in being biased like that, especially since they are clearly not the #1 firm after I found out about MFFU (you should only use Topstep for TopstepX, why pay more money for worse evaluations?). I guess I’m just yapping at this point, though. Does anyone actually read these? @Iman on my prop firm Discord server (link here) and say “I found your secret message on the website.” I might not remember that I wrote this, because that’s how I operate. But, I’ll give you 10,000 imaginary Iman coins. These highly valuable coins that don’t exist can be redeemed for 17 imaginary Imoon coins. These also don’t exist, but it sounds cool. Imoon.