Funded trading accounts offer the best of both worlds. You can make money doing something you love while at the same time not risking any of your capital. A funded trader program is especially appropriate for beginners. But what is the best funded trader program? Let’s go through the list of all providers, their pros and cons.
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Best Funded Trader Programs
- Best for Trading Futures: Topstep (40% Off)
- Best Career Path: Earn2Trade (20% Off)
- Best for Trading Forex: FTMO
What Makes a Good Funded Trader Program?
Good funded trader programs help you to get started by offering education, webinars, and support. At the same time, excellent institutional-grade trading platforms and trustworthy funded trading account partners are important.
Are Funded Trader Accounts Worth It?
The main benefit of funded trader accounts is the limited risk factor. There is a small monthly fee for real-time data and the platform. In return, you gain access to a funded account once you proved that you have the right skills needed to be successful. Once you got funded, you keep up to 90% of the profit and request a payout to your checking account.
7 Best Funded Trader Programs
1. Topstep
As an industry leader and one of the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies in the United States, Topstep has the brand power and reputation that traders trust. Every trader starts with the Trading Combine to participate in their funded account program. Here, you enter a real-time simulated futures account with $50,000, $100,000 and $150,000 buying power.
You earn a funded trading account after the Trading Combine if you show consistent profitability and manage risk appropriately. The Topstep team allocates funds to your account and lets you trade in real-time with their capital and without personal risks.
- Traders can earn a funded account as soon as after eight traded days (the funded amount is as high as the plan chosen for the Trading Combine)
- Traders can withdraw the full first $5,000 in profits and 90% of profits that exceed that amount, which is industry-leading
- Topstep processes payouts daily (payouts requested before 10 AM CT are processed the same day)
- Trader development with coaches, tools and daily live videos, personalized analytics on the performance and trader bonuses are available
Trading Platforms
The supported trading platforms range from TSTrader, TradingView and NinjaTrader to Sierra Chart, MultiCharts, R|Trader Pro, and many more.
Credibility Check
Topstep discloses the official company name and address on their website: Topstep, LLC, 130 South Jefferson Suite 200, Chicago, Illinois 60661, USA. You can reach them via phone (888 407-1611) and use the contact form within the online help center. Topstep’s Trustpilot score is 4.3/5 based on 1,386 reviews.
Costs
The Topstep pricing starts at $165 per month for the $50k account. The 100k account costs $325 per month, and the $150k account costs $375. The price can be reduced by 20% with the discount offer below. A 14-day free trial is also available.
Best Offers
- Topstep 40% Discount (Automatic discount on all account sizes upon checkout.)
- Topstep Free Trial (Test the Topstep futures trading platform for 14 days for free.)
For a detailed look at the entire service, check out our complete TopstepTrader review.
2. Earn2Trade
Earn2Trade offers three different funded trading programs. The Gauntlet Program, The Gauntlet Mini and the brand new Trader Career Path.
The Gauntlet program requires a one-time payment. Traders manage a $25,000 virtual account for 60 days and have to trade at least 30 calendar days and once per week during this time. Successful candidates receive a guaranteed funding offer from Helios Trading Partners or Appius Trading if they comply with the rules and reach the 10% profit target.
The Gauntlet Mini is a program similar to Topstep Futures and Topstep Forex. Traders pay a monthly fee and trade according to the rules. Trading lessons, webinars, and access to Journalytix (TM) are included in the monthly price. After completion, traders receive an offer for a funded trading account.
The newest program offered by Earn2Trade is the Trader Career Path. Here, traders start with a $25,000 virtual capital account and get funded with a $25,000 account once they make it through the Evaluation. The unique angle here is that traders can scale their trading careers and manage accounts worth up to $200,000 without paying a monthly subscription fee after the Evaluation.
All three offers come with an 80%/20% profit split, where traders can withdraw 80% of their profits from the funded account.
Trading Platforms
About 20 trading platforms can be used. The most popular ones are NinjaTrader and Finamark, R|Trader and Overcharts, but also Agena Trader, MultiCharts and many more platforms are supported.
Credibility Check
The company behind this is Earn2Trade LLC, with a registered office at 30 N Gould St. STE 4000, Sheridan, WY 82801, USA. You can reach out to them via email at contact@edaily.vn. Earn2Trade’s rating score at Trustpilot is 4.7/5 based on 976 reviews.
Costs
The Earn2Trade Trader Career Path with $25k starting capital costs $150 per month. The Gauntlet Mini program comes with 5 different account sizes (25k for $150, 50k for $170, $75k for $245, $100k for $315k and the $150k account for $350 per month). Finally, the traditional Gauntlet challenge is available for a $343.2 one-time payment. There are no free trials for the Earn2Trade accounts, but discounts of 20%-40% are available below.
Best Offers
- Gauntlet Mini Accounts 20%-40% Off
- Trader Career Path 20% Off
You find all details and a platform walk-through in the comprehensive Earn2Trade review.
3. FTMO
FTMO is an award-wining prop trading firm specialized in forex trading. In 2021 they paid over $23,000,000 from USD FTMO Accounts to their FTMO traders with an average payout processing time of only 8 hours.
At FTMO, you go through a 3-step process to qualify for a funded trading account.
- First, you enter the FTMO Challenge, where you have to reach the defined profit goals within 30 days.
- Then you enter the 60-day Verification process where you have to prove that you can repeat the FTMO Challenge success.
- Once you make it through the 2-step evaluation process with the FTMO Challenge and Verification, you receive an offer from FTMO to trade their capital on accounts ranging from $10,000 up to $400,000.
The standard Profit Split is 80:20, where the trader keeps 80% of profits ready to withdraw. However, there is also a Scaling Plan for funded accounts where traders can increase the Profit Split in their favor as high as 90:10 with account sizes as large as $2,000,000.
You can trade 44 currency pairs and 10 of the most popular cryptocurrencies. In addition, some cash indices, commodities and stock CFDs are also available for trading.
While Topstep has exceptional strengths in futures trading, FTMO shines when it comes to currencies.
Trading Platforms
The three most popular forex trading platforms MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 or cTrader, are available for free.
Credibility Check
The company transparently discloses its address on the website: FTMO Evaluation Global s.r.o., Opletalova 1417/25 in 110 00 Prague, Czech Republic, including their registration ID and VAT. FTMO won the Technology Fast 50 award by Deloitte three years in a row and rates at 4.9/5 stars on Trustpilot based on 2,974 reviews.
Costs
Traders pay the fee once per FTMO Challenge. While the currency of the funded account can be USD, GBP, EUR, CZK, CAD AUD and CHF, the challenge fee is only charged in Euro. The participation fee starts at 155 EUR for the 10k account. The 25k costs 250 EUR, the 50k 345 EUR, 100k 540 EUR, and 200k 1,080 EUR.
Best Offer
Click here to start the FTMO free trial and to compare the challenge types.
For insights into the entire challenge, evaluation process, account and costs, see our FTMO review.
4. Fidelcrest
Fidelcrest is a newly funded trading account provider. The proprietary trading company was founded by a team of Forex traders and professionals in 2018. Based on their website, Fidelcrest currently has 6,000 active traders worldwide, offers 1,000+ tradeable instruments. The profit share during the verification phase is 40%, followed by 70%-80% after that.
Trading Platforms
Fidelcrest traders can trade using MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 or cTrader platforms.
You can use demo accounts from the brokers Fidelcrest Markets, TradeView, IC Markets, XM Markets, Blueberry Markets, Purple Trading, Pepperstone and RoboForex during the Fidelcrest Trading Challenge and Verification. Live accounts will be held with one of the partnering prop firms.
One disadvantage of Fidelcrest compared to the funded accounts mentioned above is that you have to trade the same instruments in Phase 1 and Phase 2. The problem is that each trading period requires a new account (based on their knowledge base section account management, how is my account monitored). If your broker of Phase 2 does not support the instrument of your broker in Phase 1, then you have a problem since you can not trade the same instruments as required.
Credibility Check
Fidelcrest Ltd has its headquarters in Arch. Makariou III & 1-7 Evagorou, MITSI 3, 1st floor, office 102 C 1065 Nicosia, Cyprus. Their company registration and tax number are listed on ther website. Fidelcrest currently has 270 reviews on Trustpilot with an average rating of 4.4/5. You can connect with their team via email (support@fidelcrest.com).
Costs
Fidelcrest offers four ProFX Normal accounts for forex trading with sizes of $50,000 to $400,000, with one-off evaluation fees ranging from $349 to $1,499. ProFX Aggressive accounts and smaller account sizes are also offered.
5. The5ers
The5ers go an entirely different route compared to the other programs mentioned in this list. Each funded trading account is a live funded trading account with real money, funded by The5ers and tradeable by subscribers.
Tradeable securities are all forex majors like EUR/USD, USD/CHF and major crossings like AUD/CAD and GBP/JPY. Each trader has to pass the Level 1 Program with a profit target ranging between 10% and 25%.
Once the profit target was archived by trading according to the rules, the Level 1 Program will be closed. The profit will be paid out based on the profit split, and a new trading account on the next higher funding level will start with you as a Portfolio Manager Partner.
There is another main differentiator compared to the other trading accounts in the list. The5ers offers a profit split of 50:50. That means that the trader keeps 50% of the profit, while with other programs like Topstep, the trader keeps 80% of the profit.
Trading Platforms
Each of the programs is hosted on the MetaTrader 5 trading platform.
Credibility Check
The5ers fully discloses their headquarters in 14 Haroshet st, Raanana, Israel and office address in Enstar House, 168, Praed Street, London, United Kingdom, W2 1RH. You can contact them via telephone (929 955-5595) and email (help@the5ers.com). Currently, 565 ratings on Trustpilot score the The5%ers Traders Funding & Growth Program with 4.8/5 on average.
Costs
The participation fee ranges from $275 to $875.
6. City Traders Imperium
City Traders Imperium is a London-based company established in 2018 by Daniel Bautista Martin and Martin Najat. The relatively new forex funded trader program provider offers a revenue share of 50% – 70%.
Traders can use all kinds of trading strategies, and attendees have one year to complete the Evaluation Phase. Those who succeed will continue to trade on the Portfolio Manager level. The tradeable assets are limited to forex pairs and gold for the $10,000 account, and indices are available on all forex funded accounts with a minimum of $20,000.
One thing to keep in mind is that any trade closed without a stop loss order in place will be considered as a violation of the risk management rules.
Trading Platforms
The trading platform offered is MetaTrader 5.
Credibility Check
City Trader Imperium fully discloses their company address 152-160 Kemp House, City Rd, EC1V 2NX, London, UK on ther website and company registration data. You can reach them via email at contact@edaily.vn. The Trustpilot rating is currently at 4.8/5 based on 733 reviews.
Costs
The pricing is in GBP. During the evaluation, the offered account sizes range from $2,500 to $17,500 with one-time payments of £109-£649, which currently equals $150-$893.
7. OneUp Trader
Whether if you are just starting or a seasoned professional, OneUp Trader offers funded accounts where you can showcase your skills and make some money along the way.
There are two steps to get started:
- Get evaluated
- Get funded
The evaluation process begins with OneUp’s Trading Evaluation program. Next, the team puts you through a real-time day trading simulator where you can trade, track, measure and showcase your abilities.
Once you pass the evaluation, you get introduced to OneUp’s funding partners. Once you start trading, the first $8,000 in profits are yours to keep, and after that, you take home 80% of all winnings.
What are some other benefits?
- Choose funding options from $25,000 up to $250,000
- Advanced analytics and data that help you become more successful
- Discuss, collaborate and share ideas with One-up Trader’s community members
Trading Platforms
The list of supported platforms includes Ninjatrader, R|Trader, Agena Trader, Photon, eSignal and more.
Credibility Check
Unfortunately, OneUp Trader does not disclose any information about the company and their address and contact data on the website. Also, there is no information available on what company will fund your account and how many traders got funded so far. Oneup Trader has 4 reviews on Trustpilot with an average score of 3.8.
Costs
The smallest account with the 50% profit split costs $105 per month. It goes all the way up to $650 per month for the 80% profit split in the $250,000 account.
Funded Trader Program Summary
There’s no doubt funded trader programs have plenty of benefits. Many providers offer exceptional service and can be a great addition to your trading toolkit. Whether it’s access to advanced software or the idea of using someone else’s money to trade, funded accounts offer a risk-free way to compete against the best.
More importantly, the knowledge you obtain is invaluable. Considering their own money is at stake, providers will do everything in their power to ensure you succeed. They don’t want you draining their bankroll.
So what this means for you is:
- greater guidance,
- mentorship and
- coaching compared to other services.
As well, when competing in the arena, you’re surrounded by other advanced traders. This will help you increase your skill-set and have you climbing up the ladder in no time.
When deciding between the options above, you really can’t go wrong with most of them.
TopstepTrader is the market leader, with over 6,033 funded accounts in 2020 and even more in 2021. Earn2Trade, Maverick Trading, Fidelcrest, The5ers and City Traders Imperium officially disclose their company address, contact info, and pricing on their website, which is positive.
OneUp Trader does not disclose any company details, and Try Day Trading hides their pricing of up to $22,595 participation fee and $10,000 violation fee in their policies and procedures page, so both could do better. Other companies like Tradenet meanwhile stopped offering funded trading accounts.
If you are looking purely for a funded trader account, TopstepTrader and Earn2Trade are the best choices. However, Maverick Trading is an excellent choice for people with the intention to work for an investment firm managing immense account sizes.
If you are looking for excellent education, I recommend reading my comprehensive best trading courses blog post. And if you consider joining the expensive funded trader programs, then read the detailed reviews first.
Now it is up to you.
Top 3 Offers
If you are looking for a funded trader account with an excellent price-performance ratio, you may focus on the top 3:
- TopstepTrader (Futures Trading) TopstepTrader Free Trial or 20% off (Automatic discount on all account sizes upon checkout)
- Earn2Trade (Futures Trading) Earn2Trade 40% Off the Trader Career Path, 20% Discount on all other funded account sizes (discount applied automatically).
- FTMO (Forex Trading) FTMO Free Trial
Comparison
Your Profit Share and Tradeable Assets
Funded Trader Program Tradeable Assets Your Profit Share Topstep Futures Futures 90%-100% Earn2Trade Futures 80% FTMO Forex, Crypto 80%-90% Fidelcrest Forex 40%-70% The 5ers Forex 50% City Traders Imperium Forex, Gold, Indices 50%-70% OneUp Trader Futures 50%-80%
Free Trial, Discounts, and Payments
Funded Trader Program Free Trial Discount Topstep Futures Yes 20% Earn2Trade ✘ 20%-40% FTMO Yes ✘ Fidelcrest ✘ ✘ The 5ers ✘ ✘ City Traders Imperium ✘ ✘ OneUp Trader ✘ ✘
