Futures vs Forex Prop Firm Cost & Buffer Calc

Account size

Also sets the buffer and forex fee below

Gross funded profit ($)

The same profit on both firms

Futures buffer ($)

Profit that stays in the account before a futures payout

Futures monthly fee ($)

Paid each month until you pass

Months to pass

Months of the futures fee counted

Futures activation fee ($)

0 if the plan has none

Forex one-time fee ($)

Refunded with the first payout at some firms

Forex fee refunded (%)

100% at FTMO, 70% at The5ers; 0 if none

Instrument

CME NQ / MNQ against the NAS100 CFD.

Risk per trade ($)

Stop distance (points or $)

In index points

$50K, $3,500 gross profit: cash from the first payout after the buffer and all fees

Forex/CFD pays $1,787 more on the first payout (no buffer, fee refunded)

US futures firm (CME, 90% split, buffer)

$1,013

Take-home after fees

Upfront cost (2 months + activation): $247
Withdrawable above the $2,100 buffer: $1,400
Payout at a 90% split: $1,260

At $250 risk: 5.0 micros (0.50 minis). 1 NQ = $20/pt ($500 risk) · 1 MNQ = $2/pt ($50 risk)

Forex/CFD firm (80% split, 100% fee refund, no buffer)

$2,800

Take-home with the refund

One-time fee: $299 (refunded $299)
Withdrawable profit, no buffer: $3,500
Payout at an 80% split: $2,800

At $250 risk: 10.00 lots (1.00 lots on a 10-CFD spec). 1.00 lot NAS100 = $1/pt (1-CFD spec) or $10/pt (10-CFD spec)

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Writing about it instead? Cite the method and link the page:

The math: FuturesNet = (Profit − Buffer) × 0.90 − Fees · 1 MGC (10 oz) = 0.10 Lot XAUUSD ($10 per $1 move)

Read the full guide

How do US futures and forex/CFD prop firms differ on buffers, upfront fees and contract-to-lot sizing?

Traders switching between US futures prop firms (CME contracts such as MNQ, NQ, MES, ES, MGC and GC) and forex/CFD prop firms (NAS100, SPX500 and XAUUSD lots) meet three mathematical differences on their first payout: (1) most US futures accounts require building a $2,000–$3,100 payout buffer before withdrawing, whereas CFD firms pay once each firm's own minimum is met (for example $300 or $500 of profit at The5ers, 2% growth at FundedNext, a 14-day wait at FTMO) and refund 70%–100% of the one-time evaluation fee; (2) futures evaluations charge monthly subscriptions plus an activation fee on some plans; and (3) a 0.10 mini lot of XAUUSD (10 oz) carries the exact same $10 per $1.00 move as 1 Micro Gold contract (MGC).

Method and privacy

Method: Futures 1st payout net = max(0, profit − buffer) × 0.90 − (months × monthlySub + activationFee). Forex/CFD 1st payout net = profit × 0.80 + oneTimeFee × refundPct − oneTimeFee. Position sizing converts dollar risk ÷ stop distance using CME tick/point specs (NQ $20/pt, MNQ $2/pt, ES $50/pt, MES $5/pt, GC $100/$1, MGC $10/$1) against CFD lot specs.

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Common questions

Why does a Forex/CFD prop firm often put more cash in your pocket on Payout #1 than a Futures prop firm?

Most US Futures prop firms require keeping a $2,000 to $3,100 buffer in the account before you can withdraw (or lock your MLL at Start + $100 upon withdrawal), and charge monthly evaluation subscriptions plus an activation fee on some plans. Forex/CFD 2-step evaluations have no buffer lock: you can withdraw once each firm's own minimum is met (for example $300 or $500 of profit at The5ers, 2% growth or a full cycle at FundedNext, and a 14-day wait after the first trade at FTMO), and most refund 70% to 100% of your one-time evaluation fee with your reward.

How many Micro Gold (MGC) or Micro Nasdaq (MNQ) contracts equal my usual XAUUSD or NAS100 CFD lot size?

On Gold, 1 Standard Lot of XAUUSD (100 oz) moves $100 per $1.00 change in gold price—identical to 1 full COMEX Gold contract (GC). A 0.10 mini lot of XAUUSD (10 oz) moves $10 per $1.00 change—identical to 1 Micro Gold contract (MGC). On Nasdaq-100, 1 MNQ contract moves $2.00 per index point ($0.50 per 0.25 tick), which equals 2.00 lots on a $1/point CFD broker or 0.20 lots on a $10/point CFD broker.

How do daily drawdown resets differ between US Futures and Forex/CFD prop firms?

Most US Futures evaluations (like Topstep, LucidPro, LucidFlex, MyFundedFutures, and Alpha Futures) have either no daily loss limit or a soft daily loss limit tied to the trading day, which ends at 5:00 PM CT on Topstep and 6:00 PM ET on Alpha Futures. Most Forex/CFD prop firms enforce a hard daily stop-out floor that resets at 00:00 server time or 5:00 PM EST, measured from the day-start balance (FundedNext) or from the higher of your closed balance or floating open equity (The5ers, Goat Funded Trader).

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