Prop Firm Payout & Rules Comparison (16 Firms)

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Firms to compare

8 US futures firms and 8 forex/CFD firms.

Account size

Profitable trading days completed

Cycle closed profit ($)

The same profit on every firm

Largest single day ($)

37.5% of the cycle

Worst open loss (%)

Tests the 1% to 2% Guardian Shield, Goat Guard and Wave Stop

Calendar days since the first funded trade

FTMO pays 14 days after the first trade; The5ers 14 days after the account starts

All 16 firms, $50K, best day 37.5% of the cycle

13 of 16 firms pay now; the most to you: FundedNext, $3,240

Same trades, 16 rulebooks ($3,600 profit on $50K)

Firm and plan	Today	You keep	Buffer and consistency	What decides it
FundedNextStellar 2-Step On-Demand (90% Split · ≤40% Rule)	Payable	$3,24090% of $3,600	Buffer $0Consistency 40% limit	Eligible for a 90% On-Demand payout ($3,240 net)FundedNext calculator Sourced rules
AquaFundedTwo Step Standard (8% Static · 90% Split · Wave Stop)	Payable	$3,14390% of $3,600	Buffer $0Consistency none funded	0% consistency on Standard (50% on Pro); pays $3,143 after 3% feeAquaFunded calculator Sourced rules
FTMO2-Step Standard Account (80%→90% Scaling)	Payable	$2,88080% of $3,600	Buffer $0Consistency none funded	0% consistency on 2-Step; pays $2,880 14 days after the first trade (+100% challenge fee refund on 1st reward)FTMO calculator Sourced rules
FundingPips2-Step Standard (Weekly 60% / Bi-Weekly 80% / On Demand 100%)	Payable	$2,88080% of $3,600	Buffer $0Consistency none funded	Bi-Weekly 80% ($2,880) has 0% consistency; On Demand 100% needs a 35% best day, 7 days and its strike systemFundingPips calculator Sourced rules
Goat Funded Trader2-Step Standard (5 PM Floor · Goat Guard −2%)	Payable	$2,32880% of $3,000	Buffer $0Consistency none funded	0% consistency; pays $2,328 after 3% fee (capped at 6% / $3,000 on 1st–2nd payout)Goat Funded Trader calculator Sourced rules
The5ersHigh Stakes 2-Step (80%–100% + Scaling)	Payable	$2,31680% of $3,000	Buffer $0Consistency none funded	0% consistency; pays $2,316 net after the 3.5% method fee (+ 70% fee refund on 1st payout); capped at $3,000The5ers calculator Sourced rules
E8 MarketsE8 One (Dynamic Floor Lock · ≤40% Best Day)	Payable	$2,08080% of $2,600	Buffer $1,000Consistency 40% limit	Pays $2,080 net and leaves E8's suggested $1,000 cushion above the floor locked at the startE8 Markets calculator Sourced rules
TopstepExpress Funded XFA (5 Winning Days · 50% Request Cap)	Payable	$1,62090% of $1,800	Buffer $0Consistency none funded	Withdraws 50% of the balance, up to $2,000 ($1,800 gross -> $1,620 net); the first payout sets the loss limit to $0Topstep calculator Sourced rules
Alpha FuturesStandard Qualified (40% Rule · 50% Request Cap)	Payable	$1,62090% of $1,800	Buffer $0Consistency 40% limit	Pays $1,620 net (90% of $1,800, half the profit up to $3,000)Alpha Futures calculator Sourced rules
Apex Trader FundingPerformance Account (50% Rule · Safety Net · 5 Days)	Payable	$1,500100% of $1,500	Buffer $2,100Consistency 50% limit	100% split; pays $1,500 above the $2,100 safety netApex Trader Funding calculator Sourced rules
MyFundedFuturesRapid Sim Funded ($2.1K/$3.1K Buffer · 0% Consistency)	Payable	$1,35090% of $1,500	Buffer $2,100Consistency none funded	0% consistency on Rapid; pays $1,350 net above the $2,100 bufferMyFundedFutures calculator Sourced rules
Lucid TradingLucidPro (40% Rule · $2.1K/$3.1K Buffer · 90% Split)	Payable	$1,35090% of $1,500	Buffer $2,100Consistency 40% limit	Pays $1,350 net at 90% split (MLL locked at Start + $100)Lucid Trading calculator Sourced rules
Take Profit TraderPRO Account (Day-1 Above Buffer · 80/20 Split)	Payable	$1,28080% of $1,600	Buffer $2,000Consistency none funded	0% PRO consistency; withdraws $1,600 above $2,000 Buffer Zone -> $1,280 netTake Profit Trader calculator Sourced rules
Blue GuardianInstant Funded (20% Rule · 1% Shield · 1% Buffer)	Blockedconsistency	$080% of $0	Buffer $500Consistency 20% limit	Best day 37.5% exceeds Instant 20% consistency ruleBlue Guardian calculator Sourced rules
TradeifyGrowth Funded (35% Rule · 5 Qualifying Days)	Blockedconsistency	$090% of $0	Buffer $0Consistency 35% limit	Best day 37.5% exceeds Tradeify Growth 35% consistency ruleTradeify calculator Sourced rules
BulenoxMaster Account (40% Rule · Safety Reserve · 10 Days)	Blockedbuffer, minimum or days	$090% of $0	Buffer $2,600Consistency 40% limit	Requires 10 trading days (5/10) & $1,000 above the $2,600 Safety ReserveBulenox calculator Sourced rules

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

The math: bestDayShare = bestDay ÷ cycleProfit · netPayout = max(0, profit − buffer) × split × (1 − fee)

Read the full guide

Same trades, 16 prop firm rulebooks: why does one firm pay while another blocks the withdrawal?

Before buying an evaluation or instant account, traders compare prop firm payout and drawdown rules by looking only at headline profit splits (80% vs 90%) and challenge prices. In practice, whether you actually receive cash on your first cycle depends on four structural gates: payout buffers ($2,000–$3,100 on US futures firms like Take Profit Trader, LucidPro, MyFundedFutures Rapid, Apex and Bulenox), best-day consistency caps (20% to 50%: 20% on Blue Guardian Instant and LucidDirect, 35% on Tradeify Growth, 40% on FundedNext On-Demand, LucidPro, Alpha Futures, Bulenox Master and E8 One, 50% on Apex), minimum profitable trading days (3 to 10 days, and a 14-day wait at FTMO and The5ers), and open floating loss shields (-1% to -2% on Blue Guardian, Goat Funded Trader and AquaFunded).

For prop firm teams and review publishers: the rules in each row were checked against each firm's help pages on 2026-10-22. You can embed this interactive comparison on your own review site with the embed code under the calculator, or contact ProEA Partnerships to submit rule updates or inquire about verified placement.

Method and privacy

Method: Simulates one funded cycle across 16 prop firms, each row checked against the firm's help pages on 2026-10-22 (8 US Futures: Topstep, Apex, MyFundedFutures, Take Profit Trader, Lucid Trading, Tradeify, Alpha Futures, Bulenox; 8 Forex/CFD: FTMO, FundedNext, The5ers, FundingPips, E8 Markets, Blue Guardian, Goat Funded Trader, AquaFunded) using each firm's published buffer, payout minimum and cap, consistency cap, minimum profitable days or waiting period, and open-loss rule.

Calculations run entirely in your browser — nothing you type is uploaded. Your last numbers stay in this browser so you can pick up where you left off; Forget them clears them. A link with your numbers carries them after the # sign, which browsers do not send to servers, and the page takes them out of the address before any analytics loads. Copy and download actions save your calculation locally. The site may record coarse tool actions under its privacy policy, without inputs, results, file contents or filenames.

Common questions

Why does the same $3,600 profit pay out immediately on some prop firms but get blocked on others?

Because prop firms gate payouts through four different rules: (1) Payout buffers ($2,000–$3,100 on Take Profit Trader, LucidPro, MyFundedFutures Rapid, Apex PA, and Bulenox Master), (2) Best-day consistency caps (20%–50%: 20% on Blue Guardian Instant and LucidDirect, 35% on Tradeify Growth, 40% on FundedNext On-Demand, LucidPro, Alpha Futures, Bulenox Master and E8 One, 50% on Apex), (3) Minimum profitable trading days (3 to 10 days) or a 14-day wait (FTMO, The5ers), and (4) Open floating loss shields (-1% to -2% on Blue Guardian, Goat Funded Trader, and AquaFunded).

Which funded prop firms have a 0% consistency rule once funded?

Among Forex/CFD firms, FTMO (2-Step), The5ers (High Stakes), FundingPips (Bi-Weekly 80%), Goat Funded Trader (2-Step/1-Step), Blue Guardian (1-Step/2-Step Standard), and AquaFunded (Two Step Standard/Elite, One Step) have no consistency rule once funded. Among US Futures firms, Topstep XFA on its Standard payout path (its Consistency path uses 40%), Take Profit Trader PRO, MyFundedFutures Rapid, LucidFlex, and LucidDaily have 0% funded consistency; Bulenox Master has a 40% rule.

What happens if my open trades dip -1% to -2% during a funded cycle?

On Blue Guardian (Instant/Starter/BNPL at -1%, 1-Step/2-Step Standard at -2%) and AquaFunded (Wave Stop at -2%, Instant Standard at -1%), touching the open floating loss threshold automatically closes all open positions and cuts your profit split to 50% on the first strike (and breaches the account on the second or third strike). On Goat Funded Trader, Goat Guard at -2% on funded evaluation accounts cuts the split to 50% on the first trigger, but your positions stay open and you can keep trading; the second trigger breaches the account.

Rehearse the rules before they cost a payout

Prop challenge practice Trade a prop-style challenge on real gold and Bitcoin replays with the daily-loss and drawdown rules switched on. The first challenge day is free.
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