The Best Funded Trader Program of 2023

Funded trading accounts offer the best of both worlds. You can make money doing something you love while at the same time not risking any of your capital. A funded trader program is especially appropriate for beginners. But what is the best funded trader program? Let’s go through the list of all providers, their pros and cons.

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Best Funded Trader Programs

• Best for Trading Futures: Topstep (20% Off)
• Best Career Path: Earn2Trade (20% Off)

What Makes a Good Funded Trader Program?

Good funded trader programs help you to get started by offering education, webinars, and support. At the same time, excellent institutional-grade trading platforms and trustworthy funded trading account partners are important.

Are Funded Trader Accounts Worth It?

The main benefit of funded trader accounts is the limited risk factor. There is a small monthly fee for real-time data and the platform. In return, you gain access to a funded account once you proved that you have the right skills needed to be successful. Once you got funded, you keep up to 90% of the profit and request a payout to your checking account.

10 Best Funded Trader Programs

1. Topstep

As an industry leader and one of the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies in the United States, Topstep has the brand power and reputation that traders trust. Every trader starts with the Trading Combine to participate in their funded account program. Here, you enter a real-time simulated futures account with $50,000, $100,000 and $150,000 buying power.

You earn a funded trading account after the Trading Combine if you show consistent profitability and manage risk appropriately. The Topstep team allocates funds to your account and lets you trade in real-time with their capital and without personal risks.

• Traders can earn a funded account as soon as after eight traded days (the funded amount is as high as the plan chosen for the Trading Combine)
• Traders can withdraw the full first $5,000 in profits and 90% of profits that exceed that amount, which is industry-leading
• Topstep processes payouts daily (payouts requested before 10 AM CT are processed the same day)
• Trader development with coaches, tools and daily live videos, personalized analytics on the performance and trader bonuses are available

Trading Platforms

The supported trading platforms range from TSTrader, TradingView and NinjaTrader to Sierra Chart, MultiCharts, R|Trader Pro, and many more.

Credibility Check

Topstep discloses the official company name and address on their website: Topstep, LLC, 130 South Jefferson Suite 200, Chicago, Illinois 60661, USA. You can reach them via phone (888 407-1611) and use the contact form within the online help center. Topstep’s Trustpilot score is 4.4/5 based on 1,435 reviews.

Costs

The Topstep pricing starts at $165 per month for the $50k account. The 100k account costs $325 per month, and the $150k account costs $375. The price can be reduced by 20% with the discount offer below. A 14-day free trial is also available.

Payments

Payments to Topstep via credit card, debit card and PayPal. Payouts of profits via ACH wire and worldwide via standard bank wire.

Best Offers

• Topstep 20% Discount (Automatic discount on all account sizes upon checkout.)
• Topstep Free Trial (Test the Topstep futures trading platform for 14 days for free.)

For a detailed look at the entire service, check out our complete TopstepTrader review.

2. Earn2Trade

Earn2Trade offers three different funded trading programs. The Gauntlet Program, The Gauntlet Mini and the brand new Trader Career Path.

The Gauntlet program requires a one-time payment. Traders manage a $25,000 virtual account for 60 days and have to trade at least 30 calendar days and once per week during this time. Successful candidates receive a guaranteed funding offer from Helios Trading Partners or Appius Trading if they comply with the rules and reach the 10% profit target.

The Gauntlet Mini is a program similar to Topstep Futures and Topstep Forex. Traders pay a monthly fee and trade according to the rules. Trading lessons, webinars, and access to Journalytix (TM) are included in the monthly price. After completion, traders receive an offer for a funded trading account.

The newest program offered by Earn2Trade is the Trader Career Path. Here, traders start with a $25,000 virtual capital account and get funded with a $25,000 account once they make it through the Evaluation. The unique angle here is that traders can scale their trading careers and manage accounts worth up to $200,000 without paying a monthly subscription fee after the Evaluation.

All three offers come with an 80%/20% profit split, where traders can withdraw 80% of their profits from the funded account.

Trading Platforms

About 20 trading platforms can be used. The most popular ones are NinjaTrader and Finamark, R|Trader and Overcharts, but also Agena Trader, MultiCharts and many more platforms are supported.

Credibility Check

The company behind this is Earn2Trade LLC, with a registered office at 30 N Gould St. STE 4000, Sheridan, WY 82801, USA. You can reach out to them via email at support@earn2trade.com. Earn2Trade’s rating score at Trustpilot is 4.7/5 based on 1,079 reviews.

Costs

The Earn2Trade Trader Career Path with $25k starting capital costs $150 per month. The Gauntlet Mini program comes with 5 different account sizes (50k for $170, 100k for $315, $150k for $350 and the $200k account for $550 per month). Finally, the traditional Gauntlet challenge is available for a $343.20 one-time payment. There are no free trials for the Earn2Trade accounts, but discounts of 20%-40% are available below.

Payments

Payments to Earn2Trade via credit card, debit card and PayPal. Payout of profits via bank wire, PayPal, Payoneer, Revolut, Wise and crypto.

Best Offers

• Gauntlet Mini Accounts 20% Off
• Trader Career Path 40% Off

You find all details and a platform walk-through in the comprehensive Earn2Trade review.

3. FTMO

FTMO is a prop trading firm specializing in forex trading with its headquarters in Prague, Czech Republic.

At FTMO, you go through a 3-step process to qualify for a funded trading account.

1. First, you enter the FTMO Challenge, where you have to reach the defined profit goals within 30 days.
2. Then you enter the 60-day Verification process, where you have to prove that you can repeat the FTMO Challenge success.
3. Once you make it through the 2-step evaluation process with the FTMO Challenge and Verification, you receive an offer from FTMO to trade their capital on accounts ranging from $10,000 up to $400,000.

The standard Profit Split is 80:20, where the trader keeps 80% of profits ready to withdraw.

You can trade 44 currency pairs and 10 of the most popular cryptocurrencies. In addition, some cash indices, commodities and stock CFDs are also available for trading.

Trading Platforms

The three most popular forex trading platforms, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 or cTrader, are available. However, due to regulations, cTrader is not available for U.S. residents.

Credibility Check

The company discloses its address on the website: FTMO Evaluation Global s.r.o., Opletalova 1417/25 in 110 00 Prague, Czech Republic, including their registration ID and VAT.

Costs

Traders pay the fee once per FTMO Challenge. While the currency of the funded account can be USD, GBP, EUR, CZK, CAD AUD and CHF, the challenge fee is only charged in Euro. The participation fee starts at 155 EUR for the 10k account. The 25k costs 250 EUR, the 50k 345 EUR, 100k 540 EUR, and 200k 1,080 EUR.

So, compared to Topstep and Earn2Trade, it’s more than double the amount you pay for the 50k account size.

Payments

Payments to FTMO via credit card, debit card, bank wire, crypto, Google Pay and Skrill. Payout of profits via regular bank account wire.

Best Offer

Discounts are not available at this time.

For insights into the entire challenge, evaluation process, account and costs, see our FTMO review.

4. Fidelcrest

Fidelcrest is a newly funded trading account provider. The proprietary trading company was founded by a team of Forex traders and professionals in 2018. Based on their website, Fidelcrest currently has 6,000 active traders worldwide, offers 1,000+ tradeable instruments. The profit share during the verification phase is 40%, followed by 70%-80% after that.

Trading Platforms

Fidelcrest traders can trade using MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 or cTrader platforms.

You can use demo accounts from the brokers Fidelcrest Markets, TradeView, IC Markets, XM Markets, Blueberry Markets, Purple Trading, Pepperstone and RoboForex during the Fidelcrest Trading Challenge and Verification. Live accounts will be held with one of the partnering prop firms.

One disadvantage of Fidelcrest compared to the funded accounts mentioned above is that you have to trade the same instruments in Phase 1 and Phase 2. The problem is that each trading period requires a new account (based on their knowledge base section account management, how is my account monitored). If your broker of Phase 2 does not support the instrument of your broker in Phase 1, then you have a problem since you can not trade the same instruments as required.

Credibility Check

Fidelcrest Ltd has its headquarters in Arch. Makariou III & 1-7 Evagorou, MITSI 3, 1st floor, office 102 C 1065 Nicosia, Cyprus. Their company registration and tax number are listed on ther website. Fidelcrest currently has 436 reviews on Trustpilot with an average rating of 4.4/5. You can connect with their team via email (support@fidelcrest.com).

Payments

Payments to Fidelcrest via Skrill, Neteller, Paysafecard, Przelewy24, iDEAL and Klarna. Payouts of profits via wire transfer, PayPal, Skrill and Neteller.

Costs

Fidelcrest offers four ProFX Normal accounts for forex trading with sizes of $50,000 to $400,000, with one-off evaluation fees ranging from $349 to $1,499. ProFX Aggressive accounts and smaller account sizes are also offered.

5. The5ers

The5ers go an entirely different route compared to the other programs mentioned in this list. Each funded trading account is a live funded trading account with real money, funded by The5ers and tradeable by subscribers.

Tradeable securities are all forex majors like EUR/USD, USD/CHF and major crossings like AUD/CAD and GBP/JPY. Each trader has to pass the Level 1 Program with a profit target ranging between 10% and 25%.

Once the profit target was archived by trading according to the rules, the Level 1 Program will be closed. The profit will be paid out based on the profit split, and a new trading account on the next higher funding level will start with you as a Portfolio Manager Partner.

There is another main differentiator compared to the other trading accounts in the list. The5ers offers a profit split of 50:50. That means that the trader keeps 50% of the profit, while with other programs like Topstep, the trader keeps 80% of the profit.

Trading Platforms

Each of the programs is hosted on the MetaTrader 5 trading platform.

Credibility Check

The5ers fully discloses their headquarters in 14 Haroshet st, Raanana, Israel and office address in Enstar House, 168, Praed Street, London, United Kingdom, W2 1RH. You can contact them via telephone (929 955-5595) and email (help@the5ers.com). Currently, 676 ratings on Trustpilot score the The5%ers Traders Funding & Growth Program with 4.8/5 on average.

Costs

The participation fee ranges from $275 to $875.

Payments

Payments to The5ers via credit card, debit card and bank wire. Payouts of of profits from The5ers via Deel.

6. City Traders Imperium

City Traders Imperium is a London-based company established in 2018 by Daniel Bautista Martin and Martin Najat. The relatively new forex funded trader program provider offers a revenue share of 50% – 70%.

Traders can use all kinds of trading strategies, and attendees have one year to complete the Evaluation Phase. Those who succeed will continue to trade on the Portfolio Manager level. The tradeable assets are limited to forex pairs and gold for the $10,000 account, and indices are available on all forex funded accounts with a minimum of $20,000.

One thing to keep in mind is that any trade closed without a stop loss order in place will be considered as a violation of the risk management rules.

Trading Platforms

The trading platform offered is MetaTrader 5.

Credibility Check

City Trader Imperium fully discloses their company address 152-160 Kemp House, City Rd, EC1V 2NX, London, UK on ther website and company registration data. You can reach them via email at ctisupport@citytradersimperium.com. The Trustpilot rating is currently at 4.8/5 based on 786 reviews.

Costs

The pricing is in GBP. During the evaluation, the offered account sizes range from $2,500 to $17,500 with one-time payments of £109-£649, which currently equals $150-$893.

Payments

Payments to CTI via credit card, debit card, bank wire, and USDT crypto. Withdrawal of profits via a bank wire is possible.

7. OneUp Trader

Whether if you are just starting or a seasoned professional, OneUp Trader offers funded accounts where you can showcase your skills and make some money along the way.

There are two steps to get started:

• Get evaluated
• Get funded

The evaluation process begins with OneUp’s Trading Evaluation program. Next, the team puts you through a real-time day trading simulator where you can trade, track, measure and showcase your abilities.

Once you pass the evaluation, you get introduced to OneUp’s funding partners. Once you start trading, the first $8,000 in profits are yours to keep, and after that, you take home 80% of all winnings.

What are some other benefits?

• Choose funding options from $25,000 up to $250,000
• Advanced analytics and data that help you become more successful
• Discuss, collaborate and share ideas with One-up Trader’s community members

Trading Platforms

The list of supported platforms includes Ninjatrader, R|Trader, Agena Trader, Photon, eSignal and more.

Credibility Check

Unfortunately, OneUp Trader does not disclose any information about the company and their address and contact data on the website. Also, there is no information available on what company will fund your account and how many traders got funded so far. Oneup Trader has 53 reviews on Trustpilot with an average score of 4.3.

Costs

The smallest account with the 50% profit split costs $105 per month. It goes all the way up to $650 per month for the 80% profit split in the $250,000 account.

Payments

Payments to OneUp Trader via credit card. Payouts can be processed via wire and cryptocurrency. The minimum transfer amount is $1,000.

8. Apex Trader Funding

Apex Trader Funding is a community of traders founded by Darrell Martin in 2008. Today, the community has grown to over 30k members in more than 150 countries.

Apex Trader Funding allows people to trade futures contracts 23 hours a day without daily drawdowns. Still, there is a permanent trailing threshold calculated from the highest account balance. Once the account value falls below the threshold, the participant fails the competition.

Traders must first go through an evaluation for a minimum of 10 trading days. Once passed, they make it to the paid performance account, where traders keep the first $10,000 in profits, then 90% of profits.

The smallest account is the 25k account with $25,000 starting capital, a profit goal of $1,500 in step 1 of the evaluation and a trailing threshold of $1,500.

Trading Platforms

Apex Trader Funding recommends NinjaTrader and the data feed from Rithmic RTrader Pro. WealthCharts, Bookmap, Finamark and other vendors are also supported.

Credibility Check

The company discloses the contact information of Apex Trader Funding Inc. in 2028 E. Ben White Blvd Ste 240-9873, Austin, TX 78741. You can reach them via support@apextraderfunding.com and chat. The rating on Trustpilot is currently 4.8/5, with 872 ratings, while there are also multiple 1-star reviews every month with various complaints.

Costs

During the evaluation process, the funded accounts cost between $147 and $657 per month, depending on the chosen starting capital. An evaluation reset costs $80. The monthly fee for the accounts, once funded, is $85.

Payments

Payments to Apex Trader Funding via credit card. Payouts are available via Deel.

9. The Funded Trader

The Funded Trader was founded by Blake Olson, Angelo Ciaramello and Nick D’Arcangelo – the founders of Forex League and VVS Academy. The service is relatively new and has grown in popularity fast, with an active appearance on YouTube and various Social Media channels.

The offering is multi-folded, and it might be too complex for beginners to make the proper selection. It is possible to select a Standard Challenge or Rapid Challenge with a Swing Trading Account or Regular Account.

In addition, it is possible, to begin with the Royal Challenge.

All three challenge types come with different account sizes ranging from $25,000 to $400,000. The profit split ranges between 80% and 90%. Also, every challenge consists of 3 steps, phase 1 – the evaluation stage, phase 2 – the verification stage, and then phase 3 the funded trader status.

Trading Platforms

Funded accounts can be traded through Eightcap MetaTrader 4, and MetaTrader 5 and the standard commission fee is $5 per standard lot (Forex, Metals, Indices and Crypto CFDs).

Credibility Check

The company discloses the contact information of The Funded Trader LLC at 14001 W HWY 29, Suite 102, Liberty Hill, Texas 78642, United States. You can reach them via support@thefundedtraderprogram.com, chat in 4 languages and via phone. The rating on Trustpilot is currently 4.9/5, with 2,887 ratings. At the same time, there are many 1-star reviews every month with various complaints.

Costs

The Standard Challenge starts at $189 for the 25k account and goes as high as $1,898 for the 400k account.

Payments

Payments to The Funded Trader via credit card and ERC 20 crypto network. Payouts are available via cryptocurrency (BTC, ETH, LTC, USDC) and Deel.

10. myForexFunds

myForexFunds is a young brand founded in July 2020, operated and owned by Traders Global Group Incorporated. The brand has grown fast and currently supports over 2,000 customers per day worldwide.

Three different funded programs are offered to ensure that every trader finds the right one to join. The Rapid accounts let beginners trade forex and CFDs, the Evaluation program is made for semi-professional traders, and the Accelerated program allows traders to start with a live-funded trading account from day one.

The account sizes in the Rapid program range from $10k to $100k, the Forex Funded Account Evaluation program accounts range from $5k to $300k, while the Accelerated program accounts range from $2k to $50k.

The profit split ranges from 12.5% in the Rapid accounts, 75% to 85% with the Evaluation accounts, and up to 50% with the Accelerated program.

The profit split is relatively low compared to other vendors.

Trading Platforms

myForexFunds offers two trading platforms – MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. cTrader might be available in the future.

Credibility Check

The company discloses the contact information with Traders Global Group Incorporated, Registration Number: 1264617-0, 9131 Keele Street, Vaughan, Ontario, ON L4K 2N, Canada. You can reach them via support@myforexfunds.com and chat. The rating on Trustpilot is currently 4.9/5, with 7,724 ratings, while there are many monthly complaints with 1-star reviews.

Costs

The registration fee for the Rapid account ranges from $99 to $749, for the Evaluation account from $49 to $979 and for the Accelerated account from $99 to $4,900.

Payouts

Payments to myForexFunds via credit card, debit card and crypto. Payouts are available via cryptocurrency (BTC, ETH, LTC, USDC) and Deel.

Funded Trader Program Summary

There’s no doubt funded trader programs have plenty of benefits. Many providers offer exceptional service and can be a great addition to your trading toolkit. Whether it’s access to advanced software or the idea of using someone else’s money to trade, funded accounts offer a risk-free way to compete against the best.

More importantly, the knowledge you obtain is invaluable. Considering their own money is at stake, providers will do everything in their power to ensure you succeed. They don’t want you draining their bankroll.

So what this means for you is:

• greater guidance,
• mentorship and
• coaching compared to other services.

As well, when competing in the arena, you’re surrounded by other advanced traders. This will help you increase your skill-set and have you climbing up the ladder in no time.

When deciding between the options above, you really can’t go wrong with most of them.

TopstepTrader is the market leader, with over 6,033 funded accounts in 2020 and even more in 2021 and 2022 with $7,950,854 funded trader payouts since 2020. Earn2Trade, Maverick Trading, Fidelcrest, The5ers and City Traders Imperium officially disclose their company address, contact info, and pricing on their website, which is positive.

OneUp Trader does not disclose any company details, and Try Day Trading hides their pricing of up to $22,595 participation fee and $10,000 violation fee in their policies and procedures page, so both could do better. Other companies like Tradenet meanwhile stopped offering funded trading accounts.

If you are looking purely for a funded trader account, TopstepTrader and Earn2Trade are the best choices. However, Maverick Trading is an interesting choice for people with the intention to work for an investment firm managing immense account sizes.

If you are looking for excellent education, I recommend reading my comprehensive best trading courses blog post. And if you consider joining the expensive funded trader programs, then read the detailed reviews first.

Now it is up to you.

Top Offers

If you are looking for a funded trader account with an excellent price-performance ratio, you may focus on the top two:

1. TopstepTrader (Futures Trading) TopstepTrader Free Trial or 20% off (Automatic discount on all account sizes upon checkout)
2. Earn2Trade (Futures Trading) Earn2Trade 40% Off the Trader Career Path, 20% Discount on all other funded account sizes (discount applied automatically).

Comparison

Tradeable Assets and Profit Share

Free Trial and Discounts

Costs Comparison and Headquarters

Payment Methods and Withdrawal Methods

See Also: Best Proprietary Trading Firms

FAQ