The Best Funded Futures Option for Each Trader (by Cost)

This post may contain affiliate links. By purchasing products through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. In addition, any charts for financial instruments in this article are for education only. The examples shown here do not constitute trading advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any financial instrument. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of future performance. If you would like to learn more, please read this Disclaimer for details.

After comparing all of the funded futures accounts in this article, I put together a more comprehensive comparison guide below. We can see a couple patterns here.

Each firm typically offers both the $50,000 and $100,000 funded futures accounts, with 6-10 and 10-14 full-sized futures contracts, respectively. These are offered at around $160-$180 per month for $50k accounts, and $200-300 per month for $100k accounts. There are sometimes smaller or larger accounts, which do not scale uniformly in drawdown or price, but allow reasonable growth for the capable trader.

The drawdowns are always quite tight, which is definitely a limitation. You cannot give all your trades a ton of breathing room if the drawdown is small. Thus, you must trade more accurately to succeed. I believe this is a good thing for your development, as it makes the evaluation more challenging, but take that how you will.

When it comes to deciding where to start, there’s a few questions to ask yourself.

How much capital do you want to invest in this endeavor?

If you’re like me, you’re going into this with very little of your own money. This means you are probably not going for the max-sized account, and will not be looking to pay any unnecessary fees up front.

You’ll also feel a lot better once you start withdrawing some profits. Thus, the primary goal should be to get funded quickly with a smaller account, with a straightforward payout system, to start pulling out profits as soon as possible. I’ve covered the withdrawal processes in this article.

If you’re going into this with a lot of capital, however, you may have a different mindset. You can start earning a lot more money by using bigger positions on some of these larger accounts, and fees may not be as much of an issue because of how much you can earn.

Withdrawing profits immediately might not be a priority then, so you may look for the type of accounts that foster long-term growth while providing that extra size you prefer to trade.

Are you going to trade frequently enough to offset any monthly fees?

If you plan on trading infrequently because you are working full-time or managing a business, you might consider an account without monthly fees.

In some situations, like with Apex Trader or Leeloo Trading, you can waive the monthly fee with a single cost upon getting funded. If you’re not already sold on one of those firms, this is a big advantage they offer over others.

If you plan to trade everyday, though, and don’t know how long you will be using the funded account, paying a lower monthly cost might work out fine. Then, as you make profits each month, you can easily cover it.

Some of you might even consider canceling your account when you no longer wish to continue (or sign up for a new evaluation, and waive the fee the next time you’re funded). In this case, accounts that require a much larger fee to waive the monthly cost (like at Leeloo Trading) may not be ideal.

Are you a professional trader?

If you are, you will have to identify yourself as a professional trader in the contract upon getting funded, which means you will be subject to higher data fees than a non-professional. Depending on the firm, this may end up being a higher expense than you expected.

Can you wait for a sale?

You’re probably getting excited about finally having a pile of money bigger than Walter White’s. But if you can be patient, some firms offer sales every few weeks, sometimes as much as 90% off. Apex Trader, Bulenox, and Leeloo Trading offer some of the largest and most frequent sales. If you can take advantage of these sales, it will bring your first account’s costs down dramatically.

On to the Best Accounts at Each Size…

With all of that said, let’s take a look at the best accounts at each major tier. Note that I am skipping some account sizes, like $75,000 and $200,000, because very few companies offer those. If you’re set on that account size, you should be able to make the decision pretty easily yourself.

Also, I am not including sales for cost calculations in the next section. To see a beautiful compilation of accounts with sales applied, check out FundedFilter.

The Best $50,000 Funded Futures Account (by Cost)

Update: Sometime in 2025, MyFundedFutures raised all their prices again. As a result, they are no longer the best firm for $50k accounts if you only go by cost.

If you want the best overall $50,000 account, I recommend OneUp Trader. There are no funded account fees, and the the initial price is still among the cheapest available. This means you’re getting an account at $150/month, with no strings attached. There are occasionally sales and you may be able to get a $15-75 discount if you ask them directly. They are currently offering a 15-20% discount on all new evaluations (first timers only).

Several firms with more frequent sales can look more appealing. But even if you can waive their monthly fee (waiving this fee costs $250 at Leeloo, $140 at Apex, $175 at Bulenox, etc.), OneUp is still ultimately cheaper. The gap widens as you trade for more months, due to the accumulating monthly fees on accounts that don’t allow you to waive them.

Tradeify, Bulenox, and BluSky Trading are the only firms that can compare, and that’s assuming you catch them during a sale. If you do get Apex or Bulenox at 70%-90% off, your total may come down to about $170-200 for your funded account (sales typically reduce the evaluation fee, not the activation fee). Depending on the other factors like their rules and profit withdrawal system, you may decide that one of these other companies is more advantageous for you.

With BluSky, it’s comparable, but the $10/month fee will gradually add up. They also have some sales of 30-40% off occasionally, and I’d say offering 10 contracts compared to OneUp’s 6 is their sole advantage.

Finally, UProfit gets an honorable mention for charging only $78/mo for the evaluation. But the activation fee is $149, and they offer just 3 contracts on the $50k account.

Considering Leeloo? Don’t forget the Profit Split

Leeloo’s Entry (LE) accounts offer steep discounts, but the cost is that you will get a lower profit split than what is typically available from funding companies today. While 90/10 is the new standard, the Leeloo Entry accounts offer a 50/50 split.

Still, if you’re working with a small budget, and want to go right to trading larger sizes, giving up some of that profit initially to recoup your expenses could be a valid approach.

$50,000 AccountsContractsCostReset FeeActivation FeeMonthly Fee (Funded)Waiving Monthly Fee1st Funded Month Total Cost^
Apex Trader (Rithmic/WC)10 (100 micros)$187/mo$80$0$85/mo$140$272/$347
Apex Trader (Tradovate)10 (100 micros)$187/mo$100$0$105/mo$160$292/$347
BlueGuardian (Guardian)4$119/mo$150$99$0N/A$218
BlueGuardian (Standard)4$160/mo$70$0$0N/A$160
BluSky Trading10 (100 micros)$204/mo$65$0$140/mo per exchangeN/A$344
Bulenox7$175/mo$78$148$0 ($116/mo for professionals, per exchange)N/A$323
DayTraders (Trailing)5 (50 micros)$190**N/A$130$0N/A$320
DayTraders (Static)3 (30 micros)$200**N/A$130$0N/A$330
Earn2Trade (Mini Gauntlet)6$170/mo$100$139^^$0 ($135/mo for professionals, per exchange traded)N/A$170
EliteTrader (1 Step)8 (80 micros)$165/mo$75$0*$80/mo$150$245/$315
EliteTrader (EOD Drawdown)8 (80 micros)$295/mo$75$0*$80/mo$420$375/$715
FundedFutures (Standard)4 (40 micros)$150/mo$100$120$126/mo per exchangeN/A$396
FundedFutures (Express)4 (40 micros)$175/mo$100$120$126/mo per exchangeN/A$421
Leeloo Trading (Entry LE)8 (80 micros)$38/mo$85$0$44/mo$250$82/$288
Leeloo Trading (Foundation)8 (80 micros)$180/mo$85$0$88$250$268/$430
ContractsCostReset FeeActivation FeeMonthly Fee (Funded)Waiving Monthly Fee1st Funded Month Total Cost^
LucidTrading (Pro)4 (40 micros)$155**$90$0$0N/A$155
MyFunded Futures (Starter)3$97/mo$100$0$0 ($39/mo for Level 2, $124/mo for professionals)N/A$97
MyFunded Futures (Expert)5$227/mo$165$0$0 ($39/mo for Level 2, $124/mo for professionals)N/A$227
OneUp Trader6$75/mo$100$0$75N/A$150
Purdia Capital5 (50 micros)$179/mo$99$130$0N/A$309
TakeProfit Trader6$170/mo$100$130$0 ($122/mo for each additional exchange)N/A$300
TickTick Trader10$160/mo$85$149$0N/A$309
TopStep5$49/moN/A$149$116/mo (per exchange traded)N/A$314
TradeDay (EOD)5 (50 micros)$165/mo$59$139$122/mo (per exchange traded)N/A$426
TradeDay (Intraday)5 (50 micros)$99/mo$59$139$122/mo (per exchange traded)N/A$360
Tradeify (Advanced)5 (50 micros)$69/mo$45$125$0N/A$194
Tradeify (Growth)5 (50 micros)$139/mo$85$0$0N/A$224
UProfit Trader3$78/mo$99$149$0N/A$227
^This amount is based on the evaluation price and first month of funding for non-professionals, and the second price is with monthly costs waived.
^^ charged only at the first successful withdrawal.
*Listed it under the monthly fee waiver, but EliteTrader calls it an “activation fee” for some reason
**one-time fee

Whichever you choose, I recommend that you compare the rules and profit withdrawal system first. Then, you can be sure you’re not giving up something important by saving a bit of money up front.

My top 4 suggestions for the $50,000 account are: OneUp Trader, Bulenox, Tradeify, and MyFundedFutures.

The Best $100,000 Funded Futures Account (by Cost)

For the $100,000 accounts, you’re typically getting double everything the $50,000 accounts offer, but with only a bit of extra drawdown.

If you are confident in your abilities, I recommend one of the Express/Fast Track accounts, available at Leeloo, TickTick Trader, and EliteTrader. The challenge is that you have to trade everyday and pass in 10 trading days, no exceptions. There’s no opportunity to extend it or take a day off.

The Leeloo Trading Express account will cost you about $85 up front, but this fee is refunded upon passing.

TickTick Trader has their own Express $100,000 account, and this account is roughly the same cost in the end (a total cost of $150 for TickTick vs. $250 for Leeloo if you waive the monthly fee).

EliteTrader’s FastTrack costs only $75 for the evaluation, and they offer to waive the monthly fee of $80 during your first month after passing. But there is no option to waive this fee.

Compare these to a traditional $100,000 account, which will cost about $250-400 per month on average, just for the evaluation. So if you’re talented enough to earn $6,000 in 10 days, the express is easily the best option.

If you want a traditional $100,000 evaluation account with no time constraints, UProfit and Earn2Trade are two of the cheapest options.

$100,000 AccountsContractsCostReset FeeActivation FeeMonthly Fee (Funded)Waiving Monthly Fee1st Funded Month Total Cost^
Apex Trader (Rithmic/WC)14 (140 micros)$297/mo$80$0$85/mo$220$382/$417
Apex Trader (Tradovate)14 (140 micros)$297/mo$100$0$105/mo$240$382/$457
BluSky Trading (Premium+)14 (140 micros)$305/mo$65$0$140/mo per exchangeN/A$445
Bulenox12$215/mo$78$248$0 ($116/mo for professionals, per exchange)N/A$463
DayTraders (Trailing)9 (90 micros)$285**N/A$130$0N/A$415
DayTraders (Static)4 (40 micros)$325**N/A$130$0N/A$455
Earn2Trade (Mini Gauntlet)12$315/mo$100$139^^$0 ($135/mo for professionals, per exchange traded)N/A$315
EliteTrader (1 Step)14$205/mo$75$0*$80/mo$225$285/$430
EliteTrader (EOD)14$430/mo$75$0*$80/mo$250$510/$680
EliteTrader (Static)14$135/mo$75$0*$80/mo$175$215/$310
EliteTrader (FastTrack)14$75N/AN/A$80/mo (first month waived)N/A$155
EliteTrader (Diamond Hands)2 (20 micros)$365/mo$75N/A$80/mo$720$445/$1085
FundedFutures (Standard)10 (100 micros)$305/mo$100$120$126/mo per exchangeN/A$551
FundedFutures (Express)10 (100 micros)$330/mo$100$120$126/mo per exchangeN/A$576
ContractsCostReset FeeActivation FeeMonthly Fee (Funded)Waiving Monthly Fee1st Funded Month Total Cost^
Leeloo Trading (Entry LE)12 (120 micros)$58/kmo$85$0$44/mo$250$102/308
Leeloo Trading (Foundation)12 (120 micros)$248.82/mo$85$0$88$250$336.82/ $498.82
Leeloo Trading (Express)12 (120 micros)~$87.09 (refunded on passing)N/A$0$88$250$88/$250
LucidTrading (Pro)6 (60 micros)$275**$165$0$0N/A$275
MyFunded Futures (Expert)10$344/mo$265$0$0 ($39/mo for Level 2, $124/mo for professionals)N/A$344
OneUp Trader12$150/mo$100$0$150N/A$300
Purdia Capital10 (100 micros)$299/mo$99$130$0N/A$429
TakeProfit Trader12$330/mo$100$130$0 ($122/mo for each additional exchange)N/A$460
TickTick Trader14$285/mo$85$249$0 ($12/mo for professionals, per exchange)N/A$534
TickTick Trader (Express)14$99 (refunded on passing)N/A$150 ($99 is refunded)$0 ($12/mo for professionals, per exchange)N/A$150
TopStep10$99/mo$99$149$116/mo (per exchange traded)N/A$364
TradeDay (EOD)10 (100 micros)$275/mo$119$139$122/mo (per exchange traded)N/A$536
TradeDay (Intraday)10 (100 micros)$200/mo$119$139$122/mo (per exchange traded)N/A$461
Tradeify (Advanced)10 (100 micros)$109/mo$69$125NoneN/A$234
Tradeify (Growth)10 (100 micros)$249/mo$169$0NoneN/A$418
UProfit Trader6$116/mo$99$149$0N/A$265
^The first price is the evaluation + first month of funding for non-professionals, and the second price is with monthly costs waived.
^^ charged only at the first successful withdrawal.
*Listed it under the monthly fee waiver, but EliteTrader calls it an “activation fee” for some reason
**one-time fee

For the most cost-efficient $100,000 account, assuming you’re good enough to pass in a shorter period of time, try the Leeloo Express, or the TickTick Trader Express. EliteTrader’s Fast Track $100,000 is comparable initially, but there is no way to waive the $80 monthly fee on Fast Track accounts.

Otherwise, you should opt for the MyFundedFutures (Starter). They offer less contracts on the Starter account, but after removing their activation fees, they are a good bargain. The other subscription-based models will run you about $300/month.

The Best $150,000 Funded Futures Account (by Cost)

I still recommend OneUp Trader overall here because of their relatively easy and straightforward account. Earn2Trade‘s Mini Gauntlet comes at the same price, but they do charge an additional activation fee at your first withdrawal. Tradeify is another good comparable option at $354. They also have no monthly fees, and the $354 includes the activation, so it comes out to about the same as OneUp.

UProfit seems like a valid option too, but they offer less contracts, so your earning potential is limited if you planned to trade larger size.

If you can pick it up during a steep sale at Apex Trader, I would put Apex first here, but the total cost is still in the $300-$500 range if not. Bulenox, in comparison, costs $827 just to get started in your first month.

Leeloo Trading gets an honorable mention again – even waiving the monthly fee at $250 gives you a significant discount up front.

$150,000 AccountsContractsCostReset FeeActivation FeeMonthly Fee (Funded)Waiving Monthly Fee1st Funded Month Total Cost^
Apex Trader (Rithmic/WC)17 (170 micros)$397/mo$80$0$85/mo$260$482/$657
Apex Trader (Tradovate)17 (170 micros)$397/mo$100$0$105/mo$280$502/$597
BluSky Trading (Static Growth)10 micros -> 1 mini$215/mo$65$0$140/mo per exchange$500$355/$715
Bulenox15$325/mo$78$498$0 ($116/mo for professionals, per exchange)N/A$827
DayTraders (Trailing)12 (120 micros)$350**N/A$130$0N/A$480
DayTraders (Static)4 (40 micros)$400**N/A$130$0N/A$530
Earn2Trade (Mini Gauntlet)15$350/mo$100$139^^$0 ($135/mo for professionals, per exchange traded)N/A$489
EliteTrader (1 Step)18$295/mo$75$0$80/mo$225$375/$520
EliteTrader (EOD Drawdown)18$605/mo$75$0$80/mo$250$685/$855
FundedFutures (Standard)15 (150 micros)$350/mo$100$120$126/mo per exchangeN/A$596
FundedFutures (Express)15 (150 micros)$380/mo$100$120$126/mo per exchangeN/A$626
ContractsCostReset FeeActivation FeeMonthly Fee (Funded)Waiving Monthly Fee1st Funded Month Total Cost^
Leeloo Trading (Entry LE)15 (150 micros)$70/mo$85$0$44/mo$250$114/$320
Leeloo Trading (Foundation)15 (150 micros)$344.96/mo$85$0$88/mo$250$424.96/ $594.96
LucidTrading (Pro)10 (100 micros)$375**$210$0$0N/A$375
MyFunded Futures (Expert)15$477/mo$477$0$0 ($124/mo for professionals)N/A$477
OneUp Trader15$175/mo$100$0$175N/A$350
TakeProfit Trader15$360/mo$100$130$0 ($122/mo for each additional exchange)N/A$490
TopStep15$375/mo$149$149$116/mo (per exchange traded)N/A$414
TradeDay (EOD)15 (150 micros)$375/mo$139$139$122/mo (per exchange traded)N/A$636
TradeDay (Intraday)15 (150 micros)$300/mo$139$139$122/mo (per exchange traded)N/A$561
Tradeify (Advanced)15 (150 micros)$129/mo$99$125$0N/A$354
Tradeify (Growth)15 (150 micros)$249/mo$197$0$0N/A$446
UProfit9$196$99$149$0N/A$345
^This amount is based on the evaluation and first month of funding for non-professionals, and the second price is with monthly costs waived.
^^ charged only at the first successful withdrawal.
**one-time fee

Try OneUp Trader or Tradeify, if you’re looking for the cheapest $150,000 funded account. Earn2Trade and BluSky are decent with a similar cost as well. The upside for OneUp and Tradeify is that once you’re in, there’s no monthly fees, and you won’t have to worry about any consistency or scaling rules.

The Best $250,000 Funded Futures Account (by Cost)

Some companies don’t even offer accounts this large, so the list is much shorter.

Apex Trader and OneUp Trader win here. OneUp is a flat $650 with no fees afterward, while Apex comes out to $817 if you waive the monthly fee.

On the other hand, you can save some money up front by going with DayTraders, but there’s a lower ceiling there. While most of these accounts offer 25 or more contracts, DayTraders permits only up to 15 contracts on the Trailing Drawdown account, and only 5 contracts on the Static. This is a lot of firepower still, if you know what you’re doing, but it’s worth mentioning.

$250,000 AccountsContractsCostReset FeeActivation FeeMonthly Fee (Funded)Waiving Monthly FeeTotal for 1st Funded Month^
Apex Trader27 (270 micros)$497/mo$80$0$85/mo$300$582/$797
Apex Trader (Tradovate)27$497/mo$100$0$105/mo$320$602/$817
Bulenox25$535/mo$78$898$0 ($116/mo for professionals, per exchange)N/A$1433
DayTraders (Trailing)15 (150 micros)$400**N/A$130$0N/A$530
DayTraders (Static)5 (50 micros)$475**N/A$130$0N/A$605
EliteTrader (1 Step)30 (30 micros)$515/mo$75$0*$80/mo$225$595/$740
FundedFutures (Standard)20 (200 micros)$580/mo$100$120$126/mo per exchangeN/A$826
FundedFutures (Express)20 (200 micros)$690/mo$100$120$126/mo per exchangeN/A$936
Leeloo Trading (Foundation)25 (250 micros)~$590/mo$85$0$88$250~$680/~$840
Leeloo Trading (Entry LE)25 (250 micros)$126/mo$85$0$44/mo$250$170/$376
OneUp Trader25$325/mo$100$0$325N/A$650
TradeDay25 (50 micros)$750/mo$99$139$122/mo (per exchange traded)N/A$1011
^This amount is based on the evaluation and first month of funding for non-professionals, and the second price is with monthly costs waived.
**one-time fee

Try OneUp Trader, Elite Trader, or Apex Trader, if you want the best bargains on the $250,000 account. Leeloo Trading gets another honorable mention here.

The Best $300,000 Funded Futures Account (by Cost)

For the high rollers who want the largest account size possible, the $300,000 account is it. I can’t recall seeing a larger account size at any reputable funding company. There aren’t many options relative to the other more common accounts, but if you insist on going big, here’s what you can find.

DayTraders now offers the cheapest standard $300,000 account, but they offer the lowest number of contracts relative to the competition. If you’re thinking of going with the static drawdown at DayTraders, you can only trade up to 6 e-minis.

Leeloo again offers a good discount, with a lower profit split overall.

$300,000 AccountsContractsCostReset FeeActivation FeeMonthly Fee (Funded)Waiving Monthly FeeTotal for 1st Funded Month^
Apex Trader (Rithmic/WC)35 (350 micros)$597/mo$80$0$85/mo$340$582/$937
ApexTrader (Tradovate)35 (350 micros)$597/mo$100$0$105/mo$360$607/$957
BluSky (Static Blu+)5 (up to 50 minis)$450/mo$65$0$140/mo per exchangeN/A$590
DayTraders (Trailing)20 (200 micros)$525**N/A$130$0N/A$655
DayTraders (Static)6 (60 micros)$575**N/A$130$0N/A$705
EliteTrader (1 Step)30 (30 micros)$655/mo$75$0*$80/mo$225$735/$890
Leeloo Trading (Foundation)30 (300 micros)$763.43/mo$85$0$88$250$851.43/ $1013.43
Leeloo Trading (Entry LE)30 (300 micros)$169/mo$85$0$44/mo$250$213/$419
TradeDay25 (50 micros)$750/mo$99$139$122/mo (per exchange traded)N/A$1011
^This amount is based on the evaluation and first month of funding for non-professionals, and the second price is with monthly costs waived.
**one-time fee

Apex Trader comes out on top due to the fact that they offer the most contracts, but there’s a lot of variance. Be sure to check on the withdrawal systems and rules before going all in on the largest account, especially if it’s your first time.

But when deciding whether it’s worth the investment, consider that depositing $1k in your own account will not even let you trade a full e-mini on NQ or ES in 2025. With these firms, you can get access to up to 35 contracts with less than a $1,000 investment (though you’d want to start with much less than the max). You can make serious money with this much size, if you have a good system and some discipline.

Comments

Leave a Reply