Best Futures Prop Firms (NEW 2026 UPDATED)

Overview

The presenter compares five futures prop firms and two honorable mentions, focusing on account costs, evaluation rules, drawdowns, payout limits, and payout timing. The firms are presented in no particular order.

The presenter says 50K accounts often offer the best profit-to-drawdown ratio, while favoring 150K accounts at Topstep. No specific futures contracts, stock tickers, ETFs, bonds, commodities, or cryptocurrencies are named. The video concerns futures prop-trading accounts and briefly compares the futures and CFD prop-firm markets.

Firms Reviewed

FundedNext

• The presenter calls the 50K account the cheapest at $70, comparing it with Topstep’s $49 per month plus a $149 activation fee.
• He cites a 95% profit split and a $1,500 maximum withdrawal. He says the funded account has no consistency rule, though his comments about the account’s rules are somewhat contradictory.
• The Rapid plan has Pro and Daily options. The Daily option has a $1,000 daily loss limit, which he prefers.
• The Legacy plan has been retired. The Direct plan has a 20% consistency rule, a $1,200 maximum withdrawal, and end-of-day trailing drawdown.
• The presenter favors the Flex account for its claimed return relative to cost, and also likes Rapid Daily. He says accounts end after five payouts, a practice he considers common but undesirable.
• He reports receiving multiple payouts and says he received a promised $1,000 bonus after a payout was not delivered within the firm’s stated 24-hour window.
• He estimates that a maximum payout could amount to roughly 24 times the $70 entry cost.

Tradeify

• The presenter reports receiving two maximum payouts that week and favors the Select 50K plan.
• Select challenge terms he cites include a $3,000 profit target, a $2,000 trailing maximum drawdown, and a selectable 40% or 50% consistency rule. He chose 40%.
• He says the Flex option has a $2,500 maximum withdrawal, compared with $1,500 for the FundedNext Flex account.
• Funded payout options include Flex, with payouts every five days, and Daily, which has a daily loss limit. He prefers Flex.
• He describes Growth as similar to FundedNext Rapid but cheaper because it has a daily loss limit.
• Lightning is described as a direct-funding-style plan. The presenter says its consistency threshold rises after a payout, making the next payout easier.
• He prefers Select over the direct-style option.

Topstep

• The presenter favors the 150K account, saying it is relatively easy for him to pass and obtain payouts.
• His chosen setup costs $229 per month, has no activation fee, and has the “Responsible Trading Advantage” turned off. He cites a 55% consistency target.
• Under the Standard payout rules, he says traders need at least five winning days of $150, must maintain their balance between payouts, and face a $5,000 payout cap. Turning on the Responsible Trading Advantage doubles the cap to $10,000.
• He says his payouts are typically around $3,000 and reports that fast payouts have landed in his bank account.
• For comparison, he cites 50K pricing of $49 per month plus a $149 activation fee, or $95 per month without that arrangement.
• He reports receiving multiple payouts and calls Topstep reliable, but says he has no affiliate code or link for it.

My Funded Futures

• The presenter’s preferred plan is Pro, described as a $159 one-time payment for a 50K account.
• Pro has a consistency rule during the challenge but, according to the presenter, none on the funded account. Payouts are available every two weeks, with no activation fee.
• He says traders receive three payouts before being moved to a live account and describes the payout process as easy. He says the firm presents the possibility of making up to $100,000 within three payouts.
• Other plans include Builder and Rapid End of Day. He dislikes Rapid because of its funded-stage intraday drawdown.
• He cites challenge profit targets of $3,000 and maximum drawdowns of $1,500 or $2,000, depending on the plan.
• For one funded plan, he cites a soft $1,000 daily loss limit and says the first payout becomes available after the account is $500 above the buffer. He describes another plan as allowing up to five payouts before moving to live.
• Rapid End of Day allows daily payout requests after clearing the buffer. The minimum payout is $500, and he says traders must make at least another $500 for a subsequent payout.
• He reports receiving multiple payouts.

Apex Trader Funding

• The presenter highlights the ability to trade up to 20 accounts, which he sees as the firm’s main advantage for scaling.
• He cites a $20 entry cost for a 50K account plus a $100 activation fee, or $120 total. He compares this with roughly $200 for Topstep’s $49 monthly fee plus $149 activation fee.
• For the new end-of-day trailing accounts, he cites a $1,500 maximum payout and illustrates the potential as $1,500 × 20 accounts × five payouts = $150,000.
• He prefers the cheaper intraday trailing drawdown accounts because he says he does not want a daily loss limit. He acknowledges that traders dislike intraday trailing drawdown.
• He says accounts may move to live after five payouts. He also mentions legacy accounts with uncapped payouts after reaching a threshold, but says those accounts can still move traders to live.
• He reports both denied and paid payouts and notes that Apex has introduced “packs.”

Honorable Mentions

Lucid Trading

• The presenter favors Lucid Flex, describing a 50% consistency rule and a consistency requirement during the challenge.
• Lucid Pro can reportedly be passed in one day but has a funded-stage consistency rule. Lucid Daily and Direct are compared with other daily-payout and instant-funding plans.
• He says Lucid always trails drawdown.
• He has not received a payout from Lucid, so he limits his endorsement.

Take Profit Trader

• The firm recently reduced its minimum trading days from five to three, according to the presenter.
• It has a 50% challenge consistency rule and has removed the daily loss limit.
• The presenter says traders can request a payout on the same day they are funded.
• He has not received a payout from the firm.

Framework and Key Cautions

The presenter’s comparison considers:

• Upfront and activation fees.
• Challenge profit targets, drawdown rules, and consistency requirements.
• Funded-stage daily loss limits and drawdown mechanics.
• Maximum payouts, payout cadence, and the number of payouts allowed before transfer to live.
• Whether multiple accounts can be traded to increase potential returns.

He cautions that firms increasingly cap payouts or move traders to live after a set number of withdrawals. He says these limits constrain traders’ upside but also limit firms’ exposure and help them offer cheaper plans.

His account preferences are based on his own experience and stated trading style. He specifically dislikes daily loss limits and, for some plans, consistency rules.

Disclosures

The presenter says he is not paid to make the video, but receives a kickback when viewers use his Kimmel code. He reports personal payouts from FundedNext, Tradeify, Topstep, My Funded Futures, and Apex, including both denied and successful payouts from Apex. He says he has not yet received payouts from Lucid or Take Profit Trader. He also promotes paid one-on-one mentorship.

Presenter/source: Kimmel, from Kimmel Trading.