Futures prop firms, compared

A futures prop firm gives traders an account for exchange-traded futures, such as equity index, energy, metal and currency contracts, and pays a share of the profits under its rules. You usually pass an evaluation first, or buy a straight-to-funded account where offered, and trade through platforms such as NinjaTrader, Tradovate, Rithmic, Quantower or TradingView.

With end-of-day (EOD) trailing drawdown, your drawdown floor moves up only when your balance closes the day at a new high, not with every peak during the session. Intraday trailing follows your highest balance or equity in real time, which is usually stricter on a volatile day. Many firms stop trailing once the floor reaches the starting balance. Each futures program on Prop Firm Mirror states its drawdown type and limit as the firm describes them.

A consistency rule limits how much of your profit can come from a single day, usually stated as a percentage of total profit or of the profit target. It can apply during the evaluation, before each payout on the funded account, or both, and many futures programs have one. Each firm's page quotes the rule per program, and the interactive comparison can filter to programs without a consistency rule.

Both exist. Some futures evaluations are a monthly subscription until you pass, others are a one-time fee, and some firms charge an activation fee when you move to a funded account while others charge none. Prop Firm Mirror lists each program's price and billing as the firm publishes it, with activation and reset fees in the price notes where the firm states them.

Payouts usually depend on several conditions at once: a minimum number of trading or winning days, a minimum payout amount, often a buffer or a cap on each withdrawal, the consistency rule and the profit split. The details differ by firm and program, so each firm's page lists its profit split, payout frequency, minimum payout and consistency rule as published, with the source.

Rules differ. Some futures programs allow trading through economic releases, while others require you to be flat for a few minutes around major reports, sometimes only on funded or live accounts. Check the news rule quoted for each program on the firm's page, or filter to programs that allow news trading in the interactive comparison.