Best Prop Firms for $25K Accounts

What a $25K account means

A $25K account gives you a simulated balance of $25,000 to trade under the firm's rules. On forex and CFD programs the rules are usually percentages, so a 5% daily loss limit is $1,250 and a 10% maximum loss is $2,500. On futures programs the account is often labelled 25K and the rules are set in dollars instead, with a fixed maximum loss and a cap on the number of contracts. The firms listed above sell at least one program at this size, and the list changes as firms add or retire sizes.

A worked example

Take a made up futures 25K account with a $1,500 maximum loss. The label says $25,000, but the money that can actually be lost is $1,500, or 6% of the balance, against $2,500 on a forex account of the same size with a 10% limit. Contract size then decides how quickly that room goes. A full size Nasdaq 100 futures contract moves $20 per index point and the micro contract $2.

A 30 point move in Nasdaq 100 futures can happen within minutes, so on this made up account two full size contracts would leave almost no room for a second losing trade. Micro contracts let the same idea be traded at a size the drawdown can absorb. The figures are an illustration, not any firm's plan.

Who this suits

A $25K account suits traders stepping up from a first small account, futures traders who plan to trade micro contracts, and traders who want payouts larger than a $10K account can produce without paying for a $50K or $100K evaluation. It suits traders less well if their strategy needs several full size contracts or wide stops, because the dollar maximum loss leaves little room for either.

The trade offs

The fee is lower than on larger sizes, but so is the dollar room. On futures programs the maximum loss is often a trailing figure, so it follows your highest balance and can tighten quickly after a winning day. The contract cap may be smaller than your usual size, and some futures programs add an activation fee or a monthly fee to the evaluation price. On forex and CFD programs the percentages are usually the same as on larger sizes, so the account is not an easier test, and payouts stay modest: a 3% month is $750 of profit, or $600 at an 80% split.

How firms differ at this size

Futures firms set the maximum loss in dollars, and both the amount and the way it trails differ: some trail in real time, some at the end of the day and some offer a static option. Contract caps, daily loss limits and the way micro contracts count towards the cap also vary. Forex and CFD firms that sell $25,000 differ on format, target, fee and whether the payout terms match their bigger accounts. Some firms allow several 25K accounts to be traded together, while others cap the number of accounts or the total allocation.

What to check before you buy

• Maximum loss in dollars. Compare it with your usual stop size and your worst losing day.
• Drawdown type. Check whether it is static, trailing at the end of the day or trailing in real time, and where it stops trailing.
• Contract or lot limits. Read the cap and how micro contracts count towards it.
• All the fees. Add activation, monthly, reset and data fees to the evaluation price.
• Payout terms. Check the minimum payout, the first payout date and any payout cap at this size.

How to compare the firms listed

Compare the maximum loss in dollars first, since it is the real risk budget at this size. Then compare how it is measured, because a static or end of day limit leaves more room than a real time trailing limit of the same amount. Put the total cost next to it, including any activation or monthly fee, and work out the price per $1,000 of account size. Finish with the payout side: first payout timing, profit split, payout caps and any consistency rule. Each firm's profile sets out its programs, and the comparison table filters firms by platform and country.

For drawdown mechanics, see trailing vs static drawdown and futures drawdown rules explained. The guide to account size covers choosing between sizes, and the futures hub lists futures prop firms. Neighbouring sizes are listed under $10K accounts and $50K accounts.