Best Futures Prop Firms

What Are Futures Prop Trading Firms?

Futures proprietary trading firms (prop firms) provide traders with evaluations to prove their trading skill, then fund them with firm capital to trade futures contracts on exchanges like the CME Group. In exchange, traders share a percentage of their profits.

Unlike traditional brokers, prop firms let you trade with significantly more capital than you could afford on your own — often $50,000 to $300,000 — while limiting your personal financial risk to the cost of the evaluation.

Key Metrics to Compare

• Evaluation Fee: The monthly or one-time cost to take the challenge. Look for promotions — Apex regularly offers 80–90% discounts.
• Profit Split: The % of profits you keep. Ranges from 80% (TradeDay start) to 100% (Apex, Elite Trader Funding).
• Drawdown Type: EOD (End-of-Day) trailing is generally more forgiving than real-time Intraday trailing drawdown.
• Consistency Rule: Some firms require no single day to exceed 40–50% of total profits. Firms like Apex have no consistency rule.