Core Concepts
A firm provides capital after you prove you can manage risk. Instead of depositing personal savings, you pay a one-time fee, pass a test, and trade with firm capital.
This model has exploded in popularity because it removes the biggest barrier to futures trading: capital. A trader with skill but limited funds can access $50,000, $150,000, or even $300,000 in buying power without risking personal savings.
A futures prop firm provides traders with funded accounts to trade futures contracts. The firm puts up the capital. The trader puts up the skill. The firm enforces risk rules like drawdown limits, daily loss caps, and position sizing restrictions.
Not all prop firms are created equal. Some use simulated environments and never place real trades. Others, like DayTraders.com, offer paths to live funded accounts where traders execute on real markets with real capital behind every order.
Hit the profit target. Stay within drawdown. Respect the daily loss cap. Meet 2 qualifying days.
Trade with firm capital. Profit targets removed. Risk rules stay active. You keep 100% on Pro/S2F.
Add accounts. Move to larger sizes. Or transition to live markets with daily payouts (80/20 split).
At DayTraders.com, evaluations require only 2 qualifying days with no time limit. Rules are transparent before you start and do not change mid-evaluation.
A test environment that mirrors live market data, real spreads, and actual price action. Evaluation accounts include profit targets, drawdown limits, and daily loss limits.
Keep 100% of all profits. No firm cut. Payouts every 8 qualifying days on Pro. Risk rules remain active as a safety net during rough patches.
For Live funded accounts (after S2L eval), the split is 80/20 with daily payout eligibility. Read the full profit splits guide.
Risk only the evaluation fee instead of tens of thousands in personal capital.
Access $25,000 to $300,000 without depositing personal savings.
100% on Pro/S2F. 80% on Live. No ladders or hidden conditions.
Rules enforce risk management that most retail traders never build for themselves.
At DayTraders.com, features like account scaling, free activation on select programs, and included platform licenses remove friction so you can focus on execution.
Higher contract limits. Larger buying power. Best for active traders. Intraday trailing drawdown.
Fixed drawdown. Predictable risk boundaries. Best for conservative strategies and beginners.
Skip the evaluation. Direct funded access. EOD drawdown. For experienced traders.
Path to live funded accounts. Real market execution. Daily payouts. 80/20 split.
Understanding how evaluations work and what each drawdown type means will help you pick the right program. Starting small and scaling up is a proven approach.
All fees are one-time. No monthly subscriptions. No time limits.
Compare these fees to the cost of trading personal capital. A $379 evaluation gives you $50,000 in buying power, and your maximum loss on the evaluation is the fee itself.
