Futures Prop Firms - The Best For 2024 - Living From Trading (2024)

Futures trading can be quite expensive, and when our account is small, it’s difficult to cover the costs and even make a profit on top of that.

The solution that a lot of traders find is to apply to a futures funded account from a proprietary firm.

In this article, you’ll learn what are the top best futures trading prop firms and you’ll be able to compare them to choose the best one for your personal situation.

The Top 3 Best Futures Prop Firms

Let’s start with the list of the 3 best futures proprietary trading firms.

Topstep

Rating: 4.9

REVIEW

Topstep is a Futures prop firm, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded in 2010. Read the full Topstep review

FEATURES

Instruments: Equity Futures, Foreign Exchange Futures, Agricultural Futures, Energy, Interest Rates Futures, Metals Futures.

Max balance: $150,000

Profit split: 90%

Cost: from $165/month

Platforms: TSTrader, NinjaTrader, Quantower, TradingView, Sierra Chart, T4, Jigsaw Daytradr, Multicharts, R|Trader Pro, VolFix, Trade Navigator, ATAS OrderFlow Trading, MotiveWave, Bookmap, Investor/RT

Apex Trader Funding

Rating: 4.9

REVIEW

Apex Trader Funding is a Futures prop firm, located in Austin, Texas, USA. It was founded in 2021. Read the full Apex Trader Funding review

FEATURES

Instruments: Equity Futures, Foreign Exchange Futures, Agricultural Futures, Energy, Interest Rates Futures, Metals Futures, Crypto Futures.

Max balance: $300,000

Profit split: 90%

Cost: from $137/month

Platforms: NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView, Wealthcharts (web platform), Trader, ATAS, Bookmap, Edgeclear, Finamark, Jigsaw Trading, Motivewave, Quantower, Rithmic, Sierra Chart, Volfix, and Rithmic

The Trading Pit

Rating: 4.8

REVIEW

The Trading Pit is a Futures, and Forex prop firm, located in Liechtenstein. It was founded in 2021. Read the full The Trading Pit review

FEATURES

Instruments: Forex, Indices, Metals, Commodities, Stocks, Crypto, Equity Futures, Foreign Exchange Futures, Agricultural Futures, Energy, Interest Rates Futures, Metals Futures, Crypto Futures.

Max balance: $5,000,000

Profit split: up to 80%

Cost: from €99/month

Platforms: MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, ATAS, Quantower, R/Trader, Bookmap, Sierra Charts, Jigsaw, and Volfix

Other Interesting Futures Prop Trading Firms

These futures prop firms are not at the top 3, but are also interesting, and generally not really far away from the previous ones in terms of quality and services provided.

Prop Firm Type Profit Split Cost Max Balance Rating Review Visit
Futures 80% from $150/month $150,000

4.8

Read review
Futures 90% from $145/month $100,000

4.8

Read review
Futures Prop Firms - The Best For 2024 - Living From Trading (6) Futures 90% from $125/month $250,000

4.7

Read review
Futures Prop Firms - The Best For 2024 - Living From Trading (7) Futures 80% from $150/month $400,000

4.7

Read review
Futures Prop Firms - The Best For 2024 - Living From Trading (8) Futures up to 80% from $89/month $200,000

4.7

Read review
Futures 90% from $115/month $250,000

4.7

Read review
Futures up to 90% from $26/month $300,000

4.6

Read review
Futures Prop Firms - The Best For 2024 - Living From Trading (11) Futures 90% from $99/month $250,000

4.6

Read review
Futures 80% from $80/month $300,000

4.0

Read review

How Should I Choose A Futures Prop Firm

If you are undecided between two or more futures prop trading firms, you can use our prop firm comparison tool. Just choose the firms that you want to compare and immediately check the results with a detailed comparison.

Compare Any Prop Firm

How Were These Futures Prop Trading Firms Chosen And Rated

The futures prop firms that appear here were rated based on different factors, which include:

  • Difficulty: How easy it is to pass the prop firm challenges or evaluations.
  • Futures platforms: The range of futures trading platforms available.
  • Customer support: How fast and reliable the prop firm’s customer support is in solving your problems and answering your questions.
  • Profit split: How much of the profits the prop firm shares with you.
  • Instruments: How vast the range of futures instruments available to trade is.
  • Cost: How much does a futures funded account cost to apply and maintain.
  • User Rating: How good the futures prop firm is rated by other users.

What Can You Trade On A Futures Prop Firm

Typically, you can trade CME Futures Assets with futures prop trading firms. That includes CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX.

The instruments available in the vast majority of the futures proprietary trading firms are:

  • Equity Futures
  • Foreign Exchange Futures
  • Agricultural Futures
  • Energy Futures
  • Interest Rate Futures
  • Metals Futures
  • Crypto Futures

How Big Are The Funded Accounts

The maximum futures prop firm’s funded accounts typically go from $150,00 to $400,000.

These accounts are not limited by margin but by the maximum number of contracts that you can trade based on the account size. This is a typical characteristic of futures trading funding.

How Much Is The Profit Split

For instant funded accounts, the profit split is not big, usually around 50%.

For funded accounts after a challenge, the payout is between 80% and 90%. This means that the futures proprietary firm only keeps 10% to 20% of the profits that you made.

Besides that, it’s also normal that the trader gets 100% of the first profits. This ranges between the first $5,000 and $10,000 in profits.

What Trading Platforms Are Available?

The vast majority of the most popular futures trading platforms are supported by futures prop firms.

Just to mention some: Ninjatrader, Rithmic, Bookmap, Agena Trader, Motive Wave, Photon, Collective2, InsideEdge Trader, Optimus Flow, ScalpTool, Medved Trader, Quantower, Trade Navigator, Overcharts, Sierra Chart, Volfix, TigerTrade, MultiCharts, QScalp, QST, TSLAB, and more.

Are Futures Prop Firms Legit?

Yes, Futures prop trading firms are legit and exist as real companies. The vast majority is registered in the US.

If you read the individual review for each prop firm you’ll find more details about the company and how to contact them.

Advantages Of Futures Prop Firms

  • When trading Futures, you are trading a “real market”
  • You don’t need to risk your own capital to trade.
  • You can get funded with big-sized accounts, so you don’t need to overleverage and gamble your small account to potentially make decent profits.
  • You are forced to follow proper risk management rules.

Disadvantages Of Futures Prop Firms

  • A lot of futures trading platforms are paid, although some futures prop firms may offer them for free, during the challenge phase and also after you get a funded account.
  • The real-time data is frequently paid as an extra. Some prop firms may offer it for free though.
  • There’s a monthly cost associated, even after you pass the challenge and get a futures funded account.
  • They keep a small part of the profits for them.

Learn More

  • What is prop trading
  • Prop firms comparison tool
  • List of thebest prop trading firms
Futures Prop Firms - The Best For 2024 - Living From Trading (2024)

FAQs

What are the most reputable futures prop firms? ›

Some of the best prop firms for futures are:
  • FTMO.
  • Topstep.
  • IG.
  • DreamTicks.
  • Jane Street.
  • 3Red Partners.
  • The Trading Pit.
May 7, 2024

What is the best futures market to trade? ›

What futures are most profitable? Trading in futures markets such as the Micro E-Mini Russell 2000 (M2K), Micro E-Mini S&P 500 (MES), Micro E-Mini Dow (MYM), and Micro E-Micro FX contracts can be highly profitable due to their distinct market characteristics.

Can you make a living with prop trading? ›

Also known as “prop trading,” it offers higher earnings potential much earlier in your career than jobs like investment banking or private equity. It's arguably the most merit-based industry within finance: if you make millions of dollars for your firm, you'll earn some percentage of it.

Can you trade futures for a living? ›

By focusing on a single market, you can get up to speed quicker. Trading futures for a living is a compelling idea — but to do it successfully, you'll need sufficient startup capital and a well-designed trading plan.

Which prop firm is the most reliable? ›

The most popular prop trading firms and funded programmes
  • Axi Select.
  • FTMO.
  • The Forex Funder.
  • E8 Markets.
  • The 5%ers.
  • Funded Next.
  • Funded Trading Plus.

Who is the worlds best futures trader? ›

Best Futures Traders in the History of Futures Trading
  • Richard Dennis and the Turtle Traders. ...
  • Paul Tudor Jones. ...
  • Ed Seykota. ...
  • Bruce Kovner. ...
  • Larry Williams. ...
  • The Lessons from the Legends.
Feb 25, 2024

What is the average salary for a prop trader? ›

The average prop trading salary in the USA is $210,000 per year or $101 per hour. Entry level positions start at $146,300 per year while most experienced workers make up to $250,000 per year.

How many prop traders fail? ›

The article from Lux Trading Firm provides slightly different results. According to it, 4% of traders, on average, pass prop firm challenges. But only 1% of traders kept their funded accounts for a reasonable amount of time.

Is it possible to live just from trading? ›

Trading is often viewed as a high barrier-to-entry profession, but as long as you have both ambition and patience, you can trade for a living (even with little to no money).

Do you need $25,000 to day trade futures? ›

The $25k requirement for day trading is a rule set by FINRA. It's designed to protect investors from the risks of day trading. By requiring a minimum equity of $25k, FINRA ensures that investors have enough capital to absorb potential losses. But remember, even with $25k, day trading is still a high-risk activity.

How much do successful futures traders make? ›

Futures Trader Salary
Annual SalaryMonthly Pay
Top Earners$192,500$16,041
75th Percentile$181,000$15,083
Average$101,533$8,461
25th Percentile$57,500$4,791

Can you make a lot of money in futures? ›

In the world of futures trading, success can mean significant profits—but mistakes can be extremely costly. That's why it's so important to have a strategy in place before you start trading.

Which prop firm is better than FTMO? ›

FTMO 's top competitors in June 2024 are: FunderPro, the5ers and more. FunderPro is currently rank as the number one on the list of top Forex Prop Firms.

Are prop firms trustworthy? ›

While these laws applied to banks, not all independent prop companies in operation today are covered by the Volcker rule. Prop businesses nowadays are utterly unregulated and far apart from the banking industry. As a result, these internet prop companies are legitimate and not a fraud.

What is the best futures trading broker? ›

Best online brokers for futures
  • Interactive Brokers.
  • E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley.
  • Charles Schwab.
  • tastytrade.
  • TradeStation.

How do I choose a prop trading firm? ›

Don't just pick the first prop trading firm you find. Choose one with a good reputation, support for traders, good tools, safety measures, fair costs, and a friendly community. This way, you can trade smarter and have a better chance at success.

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