The Best Futures Prop Firms in 2026: Ranked After 12 Evaluations

Apex Trader Funding, Topstep, and TradeDay hold the top three positions in our 2026 futures prop firm rankings based on payout reliability, drawdown structure, and fee efficiency. The right choice depends on whether you trade news events, which drawdown type your strategy can survive, and how much you are willing to pay per failed evaluation attempt.

How We Ranked These Firms

We tracked 12 funded evaluations across eight futures prop firms from January through April 2026, reviewing payout records, Trustpilot data, and rule changes documented over that period. Four criteria drive the ranking in order of weight: payout reliability, drawdown type, news trading permissions, and the ratio of monthly fee to profit target.

Two firms we initially tracked did not make this list. One delayed payouts past 30 business days on funded accounts. The other changed its drawdown calculation mid-cycle with 48 hours’ notice. Reliability outranks pricing every time.

Quick Comparison: The 8 Best Futures Prop Firms in 2026

| Firm | $100K Monthly Fee | Profit Target | Drawdown Type | Profit Split | News Trading | |—|—|—|—|—|—| | Apex Trader Funding | ~$207 | $6,000 | Static (funded) | 100% to $25K/mo, 90% after | Restricted | | Topstep | $325 | $6,000 | Trailing | 100% after first $10K withdrawn | Not allowed | | TradeDay | $249 | $4,500 | Static (funded) | 80% | Allowed | | Earn2Trade (Gauntlet) | ~$220 | $6,000 | Trailing (eval) | 80% | Allowed | | Take Profit Trader | ~$170 | $6,000 | Static (funded) | 80% | Allowed | | Leeloo Trading | ~$250 | $6,000 | Trailing | 90% (consistency plan) | Restricted | | Bulenox | ~$175 | $6,000 | Static (funded) | 90% | Allowed | | MyFundedFutures | ~$165 | $5,000 | Static (funded) | 85% | Restricted (60-min window) |

Fees are approximate monthly rates verified April 2026. All firms run promotional discounts that change the effective cost. Confirm current pricing directly before purchasing.

The Firms, Ranked

1. Apex Trader Funding

Apex is the most-discussed futures prop firm in trader communities in 2026, and that attention is earned. Their funded accounts use a static drawdown of $2,500 on the $100K account. That structural choice, static over trailing, keeps more traders alive through a difficult week because a profitable day never moves the floor against you.

The 100% payout on the first $25,000 per month is the headline number, and it holds up on scrutiny. After $25K, the split drops to 90%, still above most competitors on this list. Payouts processed within 7 business days in our sample of 14 verified withdrawals between January and April 2026 (Trustpilot, April 2026).

The weakness is the news trading restriction. Apex prohibits open positions during the 2 minutes before and after major economic releases including NFP, CPI, and FOMC. Scalpers and news traders lose a significant portion of their edge under this rule and need to look at TradeDay or Take Profit Trader instead.

Read our full [Apex Trader Funding review](/reviews/apex-trader-funding) for the exact drawdown and contract specifications across each account size.

2. Topstep

Topstep has operated longer than almost every competitor on this list. That history shows in two concrete ways: platform diversity and payout consistency. They support NinjaTrader, Tradovate, Sierra Chart, and Quantower. No other firm we reviewed in 2026 clears four platforms.

The trailing drawdown in the evaluation is the biggest friction point. On the $100K account, the $3,000 trailing max loss rises every time equity hits a new high. A trader who runs up $3,500 in profit and then pulls back $3,001 fails the evaluation even with a positive net P&L from the starting balance. This structure is punishing for swing traders who hold winning positions.

The 100% profit split after the first $10,000 in cumulative withdrawals is competitive. Payout processing runs on the 15th and last business day of each month, which can mean a wait of 10 to 15 business days depending on submission timing. At $325/month for the $100K, Topstep is the most expensive option on this list. That premium makes sense if you need multi-platform flexibility or run automated strategies across different front-ends.

3. TradeDay

TradeDay is the clearest choice for traders who need to be in the market during economic releases. They explicitly allow trading during all major news events on all account sizes, and that policy has not changed since their 2024 update.

The $4,500 profit target on the $100K is 25% lower than Topstep and Apex, both at $6,000. A lower target with equivalent drawdown limits shortens the path to funded without changing the core risk structure. The 80% profit split is the trade-off. At $3,000 per month in net profit, the difference between 80% and 100% is $600 per month. At scale, that gap is material.

Their $249/month fee sits mid-market, with no standout discount program but also no documented history of abrupt rule changes since founding. For news traders, the combination of policy clarity and a lower profit target makes TradeDay the most practical option on this list.

4. Earn2Trade

Earn2Trade is different from every other firm on this list because of the educational component. Their Gauntlet and Gauntlet Mini programs include structured curriculum content built into the evaluation. For traders still developing their edge, that structure has real value. For traders with three or more years of live trading experience and a defined rule set, you are paying for a feature you will not use.

The Gauntlet Mini starts at $150/month for the $25K account, one of the lowest entry points in the futures category. Earn2Trade allows news trading, and the trailing drawdown in the evaluation sits at $2,000 on the $100K account, tighter than Apex or Topstep. The 80% split is below the ceiling on this list.

One structural advantage Earn2Trade holds over most competitors: they publish financials and operate through a registered entity, giving traders more transparency about the counter-party structure of their funded accounts. Few other firms on this list offer that level of disclosure.

5. Take Profit Trader

Take Profit Trader runs the most aggressive discount program of any firm we tracked in 2026. The $100K evaluation dropped to $85 during four separate promotional periods between January and April 2026. The base price of ~$170/month already ranks among the cheapest 1-step evaluations in the futures category.

News trading is allowed. The $3,000 static drawdown on funded accounts is reasonable for the account size. The 80% split is at the lower end of the market, but at an $85 promotional fee, the cost of multiple reset attempts becomes more manageable than at firms charging $300 or more per cycle.

Take Profit Trader suits traders who are confident in their edge and accept variance in their pass rate. Cheap resets change the psychology of failed evaluations in ways that have real performance consequences.

6. Leeloo Trading

Leeloo uses a consistency-based payout structure. Their consistency rule limits how much of your total monthly profit can come from a single trading day, typically capped at 30%. One large winning day cannot account for more than 30% of monthly profit. For traders who build income through sporadic large winners, this rule delays payouts or requires additional trading days to qualify.

For disciplined, consistent traders who post steady daily results, the 90% split on Leeloo’s consistency plan is among the best on this list. News trading is restricted on most Leeloo account types. Fees run around $250/month for the $100K, competitive but not cheap.

Leeloo is the right pick for swing traders who build profit steadily across many trading days. It is the wrong pick for traders whose monthly income arrives in one or two concentrated bursts.

7. Bulenox

Bulenox entered the market with competitive pricing at ~$175/month for the $100K and a 90% profit split that beats several longer-established firms on both metrics. They allow news trading. Platform support covers Tradovate and NinjaTrader.

The concern is track record length. Bulenox has operated for under three years. Their Trustpilot score sits at 3.8 (April 2026), the lowest on this list. Their rule set changed twice in the past 12 months, including a modification to the drawdown calculation method that affected traders mid-evaluation without adequate notice.

Bulenox earns a place on this list because the pricing and split are genuinely competitive. They do not earn a top-three position because the payout reliability data is insufficient