Buyer's Guide

What Is a Funded Trading Account? 3 Ways to Get One in 2026

Q: Is a funded trading account real money?

The payouts are; the balance usually is not. At most prop firms the account runs on simulated prices from the live market, and the money that reaches you is the firm paying your share of the profit. Some firms move a trader who keeps being paid onto a live account, on terms they set, so read the firm's own description of the account before you buy. Either way the balance is not a deposit: you cannot withdraw it, and the word funded does not make it yours.

Q: What happens if you break a rule on a funded account?

It depends on the rule. Breaking a hard rule, such as the maximum loss or a daily loss limit, closes the account: payouts you have already received are yours, the profit still on the account is lost, and at most firms the fee is not refunded. Breaking a soft rule usually costs less: a firm can remove the profit from trades that broke a news or consistency rule and keep the account open. You never owe the firm the losses on the account. To start again you buy a new evaluation or a reset.

This page explains what a funded trading account is and the three ways to get one. For each route we name the firm we score highest and show what it asks of you before your first payout.

By John McLarenData checked up to 4 November 2026

Fact-checked by Gabriele Nigro · 5 November 2026

The best firm for each way to get funded

Prop firms with their lowest list price, profit split, largest account, markets and platforms, drawdown type, consistency rule and payout terms
Firm	Editorial score	Starting priceCost per $1K	Profit split	Largest account	Markets and platforms	Drawdown	Payouts
The5ersLegal entity in IsraelRead The5ers full review Visit The5ersChecked 17 Oct 2026	88	Starting at $19Cost per 1K $1.25	50% to 100%	$250,000	ForexIndicesMetalsCommoditiesCryptoStocksEnergiesFuturesBlackArrow	Static, Trailing (end of day)	Every 14 days
E8 MarketsLegal entity in United StatesRegulator warningRead E8 Markets full review Visit E8 MarketsChecked 27 Oct 2026	94	Starting at $28Cost per 1K $2.80	80% to 100%	$500,000	ForexMetalsEnergiesIndicesCryptoStocksE8 TerminalTradovate	Balance-based, Static, Trailing (end of day)	On request, Every day, Every 5 profitable days
Lucid TradingLegal entity in United StatesRead Lucid Trading full review Visit Lucid TradingChecked 17 Oct 2026	85	Starting at $65Cost per 1K $1.53	90%	$150,000	FuturesNinjaTraderTradovateMotiveWaveQuantowerTradeseaSierra ChartJigsawBookmapATASR\|Trader ProMultiCharts	Trailing (end of day), Other (see source)	On request, Every day, Per profit goal, up to 5

The5ers
Legal entity in IsraelRead The5ers full review Visit The5ersChecked 17 Oct 2026
ForexIndicesMetalsCommoditiesCrypto
Editorial score
88
Starting price
$19
Cost per $1K
$1.25
Profit split
50% to 100%
Largest account
$250,000
Drawdown
Static, Trailing (end of day)
Payouts
Every 14 days
BlackArrow
E8 Markets
Legal entity in United StatesRegulator warningRead E8 Markets full review Visit E8 MarketsChecked 27 Oct 2026
ForexMetalsEnergiesIndicesCrypto
Editorial score
94
Starting price
$28
Cost per $1K
$2.80
Profit split
80% to 100%
Largest account
$500,000
Drawdown
Balance-based, Static
Payouts
On request, Every day
Lucid Trading
Legal entity in United StatesRead Lucid Trading full review Visit Lucid TradingChecked 17 Oct 2026
Futures
Editorial score
85
Starting price
$65
Cost per $1K
$1.53
Profit split
90%
Largest account
$150,000
Drawdown
Trailing (end of day)
Payouts
On request, Every day
NinjaTraderTradovateMotiveWave

Quick answer

A funded trading account is a simulated account a prop firm gives you once you pass its evaluation, or at once if you buy direct funding, and the firm pays you part of the profit you make on it. By our editorial score, the best firm for each route is The5ers for a two-step evaluation (88 out of 100), E8 Markets for a one-step evaluation (94) and Lucid Trading for direct funding (85), with facts checked up to November 4, 2026.

The rows run in route order, not score order. Each row sums up every programme the firm sells, as our firm directory does, while each card below follows only the programme the firm sells for its route, so a card's figures can differ from its row.

Best for a two-step evaluation

Why is The5ers our pick for a two-step evaluation?

No firm selling a two-step evaluation scores higher than The5ers, at 88 out of 100. Here is what its route, High Stakes (New), asks of you before the first payout. You pay $19 for a $2,500 account, with sizes up to $100,000. You pass two targets, 10% in the first step and 5% in the second, without breaking the loss limits. You then wait 14 days from the day the funded account opens before you can ask to be paid, and after that you can ask every 14 days. What you keep is 80% of the profit at first, rising to 100% as the account scales, and the fee is partly returned once you are funded and paid. Take this route if you want a small first fee and are in no hurry: of the three routes here, it puts the most in front of a first payout, two targets and then a 14-day wait.

Read our The5ers review

Best for a one-step evaluation

Why is E8 Markets our pick for a one-step evaluation?

E8 Markets has the highest score of any firm selling a one-step evaluation, 94 out of 100, and its route, E8 Pro, puts little in front of a first payout. You pay $28 for a $5,000 account at the smallest loss limit and split on offer, with sizes up to $500,000. You pass one target, set by the maximum loss you choose at checkout. You can then ask for a payout every day once the account is up by a minimum amount. Each request releases half of the profit, the smallest payout is $100, and you keep 80% or 100% of the released half, as chosen when you buy. The fee is not returned. It fits you if you trade consistently and want frequent payouts, because the risk sits in one rule: a loss of 2.5% of the starting balance in a single day ends the account, in the test and once funded.

Read our E8 Markets review

Best for direct funding

Why is Lucid Trading our pick for direct funding?

With 85 out of 100, Lucid Trading scores highest of the firms that sell direct funding, and its route, LucidDirect, does not skip the test so much as move it. You pay $329 for a $25,000 account, with sizes up to $150,000, and trade it as a funded account from the first day. Before the first payout the account must reach a set profit goal, your best day may supply no more than 20% of the profit in that payout cycle, each payout is capped, and the smallest is $500. You keep 90% of the profit from the first payout, the maximum loss follows your end-of-day balance up until it locks just above the starting balance, and positions are closed at the end of each trading day. It suits futures day traders who would rather pay more up front than sit an evaluation, knowing the fee is not returned; founded in 2025, Lucid Trading is the newest firm of the three.

Read our Lucid Trading review

How we picked these firms

One firm per route. For each route we took the approved firms that sell a programme of that type at a current list price (14 sell a two-step evaluation, 32 a one-step evaluation, 15 direct funding) and placed the one with the highest editorial score, never the same firm twice. The score reads every firm's published terms, prices and official records the same way; our methodology sets out its seven parts. Nothing commercial counts: no affiliate deal, sponsorship, review rating or upvote. For the three highest scores whatever the route, see our best prop firm guide; for direct funding ranked on price, drawdown and split as well, see our instant funding guide.

How the score works

What is a funded trading account?

A funded trading account is an account a prop firm lets you trade under its rules, with a share of the profit paid to you. It usually comes in two stages. First the evaluation: you pay a fee and trade a demo balance toward a profit target without breaking the loss limits. Then the funded stage: the firm opens the account you are paid from and pays you its agreed share of your profit; at 31 of the 33 firms we compared, at least one programme pays 90% or more. Some firms skip the first stage and sell the funded stage outright. What you pay is both the cost and the risk: the evaluation fee, any reset and any add-on. It is not a brokerage account or a loan: you deposit nothing, and the firm's terms decide what you are paid. FundedFast is a comparison site, not a prop firm or a broker, and nothing here is investment advice.

Which route to a funded account should you take?

Choose by how you want to be tested, what you can pay up front and how soon you need a payout. A two-step evaluation splits the test into two targets, two stages to survive before you are funded; it fits a patient trader who wants to start with a small fee. A one-step evaluation has a single target, so the funded account comes sooner, but everything rests on staying inside one set of limits; it fits a trader whose results are steady from day to day. Direct funding has no target at all: you pay for the funded account outright, and the firm's conditions for the first payout do the work of the test; it fits a trader who would rather pay more than sit an evaluation. Whichever you choose, read the limits of the exact programme you would buy, because firms set them per programme. The cards above show each route at the firm we score highest for it.

Which other firms did we check?

We also checked 30 more firms with a matching programme. They are listed alphabetically.

FAQ

Frequently asked

How much does a funded trading account cost?

From a few dollars for a small evaluation to thousands for the largest accounts, depending on the route and the size. The smallest one-time fee among the 33 firms we compared is $9, at Hola Prime, for a $2,000 account. Direct funding is priced as the funded account itself rather than a test: Lucid Trading asks $329 for $25,000. The fee is paid per attempt, so a failed evaluation means paying again, and some firms return the fee with an early payout; our cheapest prop firm guide adds retries and refunds to the price.

Is a funded trading account real money?

The payouts are; the balance usually is not. At most prop firms the account runs on simulated prices from the live market, and the money that reaches you is the firm paying your share of the profit. Some firms move a trader who keeps being paid onto a live account, on terms they set, so read the firm's own description of the account before you buy. Either way the balance is not a deposit: you cannot withdraw it, and the word funded does not make it yours.

How long does it take to get a funded account?

With direct funding, as soon as the purchase goes through. An evaluation takes as long as you need to reach its targets, and firms set a floor: High Stakes (New) at The5ers asks for at least 3 profitable days in each step and has no deadline, while E8 Pro at E8 Markets has no deadline either but counts only part of any one day's profit toward its target, so even a strong run takes several days. After a pass, the firm checks the account before it opens the funded one.

What happens if you break a rule on a funded account?

It depends on the rule. Breaking a hard rule, such as the maximum loss or a daily loss limit, closes the account: payouts you have already received are yours, the profit still on the account is lost, and at most firms the fee is not refunded. Breaking a soft rule usually costs less: a firm can remove the profit from trades that broke a news or consistency rule and keep the account open. You never owe the firm the losses on the account. To start again you buy a new evaluation or a reset.

Is a funded trading account worth it?

It can be, if you already trade a tested strategy inside fixed loss limits and can afford more than one attempt. Do the sum before you buy: the fee, times the attempts you might need, against the first payout you could realistically reach under the firm's payout conditions. Passing does not guarantee a payout, and it is a poor way to learn to trade, because the rules end an account quickly and each restart costs another fee.

What is the difference between a funded account and a prop firm?

A prop firm is the company; a funded account is what it gives you to trade. The firms on this page are retail prop firms: they sell evaluations or direct funding to anyone who accepts their terms, and pay a share of the profit to traders who keep to their rules, with no salary. A traditional proprietary trading firm hires traders as staff and lets them trade its own capital, with no fee to pay. When people search for a funded account today, they usually mean the retail model.