In the list below, you can find my personal opinion of the top futures proprietary trading firms. Over the past few years, I have thoroughly reviewed and tested numerous prop firms. They offer not only the Futures Market, but also other instruments like Forex, stocks, …. I also analyzed the positive and the negative opinions of other traders in order to learn their experiences working with them. Finally, I present my evaluation along with some of the key features of each firm:
What Are Futures Prop Firms in 2024?
Futures prop firms provide access to trading specific stocks, commodities and cryptocurrencies at agreed upon prices and quantities until an expiration date arrives. Futures companies allow their users to perform these operations by offering them a funded account to work from. This enables them to trade profitably, earning money through trades that reap dividends for themselves and increasing their stake of profits. While futures trading can be complex and costly, when done properly it can prove extremely lucrative.
| Propietary Trading Firm | Access Fee | Main Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | For For For |
| |
 | For $147/month a balance of 25k For $167/month a balance of 50k For $187/month a balance of 75k For $207/month a balance of 100k For $297/month a balance of 150k For $517/month a balance of 200k For $657/month a balance of 300k Prices for Rithmic/NinjaTrader plans (Tradovate/NinjaTrader plans available) |
| |
 | For $165/month a balance of 50k For $205/month a balance of 100k For $295/month a balance of 150k For $515/month a balance of 250k |
|
The following table compares the characteristics of the futures trading firms:
| Futures Propietary Firm | Access Fee | Profits | Profit Target | Max. Drawdown | Financial Instruments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | For For For | Of the first $10,000 you generate, 100% and 90% from that amount. | 6% | 4% to 3%
(the percentage varies depending on the account you choose). | Futures Markets: CME Exchange (22 instruments) NYMEX Exchange (7) COMEX Exchange (6) CBOT Exchange (14) | |
| | For $147/month a balance of 25k For $167/month a balance of 50k For $187/month a balance of 75k For $207/month a balance of 100k For $297/month a balance of 150k For $517/month a balance of 250k For $657/month a balance of 300k | 100% of the first $25,000. 90% from that amount. | 6% in most accounts (5.66% to 6.66%) | No daily drawdown. Max trailing threshold: 6% to 2.5% ( depending on the account you choose). | Futures Markets: CME Exchange (23 instruments) NYMEX Exchange (7) COMEX Exchange (7) CBOT Exchange (13) EUREX (11) ICE (8) | |
| | For $165/month a balance of 50k For $205/month a balance of 100k For $295/month a balance of 150k For $515/month a balance of 250k For $655/month a balance of 300k | 100% of the first $12,500. Then 80% of the profit. | 12,5% and go down to 6,67% | No daily drawdown. 10% to 2.5% Max trailing drawdown (the percentage varies depending on the account you choose). | Equity Futures, Foreign Exchange Futures, Energy Futures, Interest Rate Futures, Metals Futures, Cryptocurrency Futures |
What makes these the best proprietary trading firm?
Futures are among the most actively traded financial products around the globe. Futures contracts are available for all kinds of assets, including equity indexes and metals. They also include currency pairs, cryptocurrencies, agricultural products, currencies, energy, metals. Both speculative purposes (trying to take advantage of price fluctuations to gain profits) and hedging purposes are possible. They are used by portfolio managers, companies, etc.
We can mention the following benefits of the futures markets:
- This is a market that has greater transparency because we have easy access to information about prices, participants, transaction volume, etc.
- The futures market is open nearly 24 hours per day, unlike the majority of underlying assets, which are only traded a few times a week.
- Trading costs are very low.
- Leverage is high.
- Short trades are easy to open.
- The volatility on the futures markets is high.
Futures also have a number of disadvantages:
- Trading other instruments requires a higher level of knowledge.
- It takes a lot of time to develop a successful trading strategy.
- Average capital is required to generate significant returns.
In this last point, proprietary trading firms can add value to traders who have a profitable strategy by giving them the option of:
- The ability to trade with a larger balance compared to what they could do using their own capital.
- Profit split scheme that is generous for traders (up to 90%).
- The trader does not have to take on any significant risk, as their money is not at risk.
Find the best prop firms that can provide you with a funded trading account to trade Forex, stocks, and cryptocurrencies (see more information on: What are some of the best prop trading firms for cryptocurrencies?) are easy to trade as there are a wide variety of companies available. Here you can find what I believe to be the top proprietary trading firms of today. You will also see popular prop companies such as The Funded Trader and The Trading Pit, ….
It is difficult to find prop firms that offer futures because their offers are drastically reduced. Prop firms offering Forex or Stocks often charge a one-time fee to access the evaluation period. Some even offer Instant Funding with no evaluation or challenge. Prop firms that offer futures require you to pay a month fee in order to gain access. You must pay this fee as long as you don’t exceed the evaluation time. See our comparison table of cheapest prop trading firms. It is therefore important to only work with experienced and reliable prop trading firms who are looking to attract trading talent that will make them money.
The most important factor that I used to compare these firms and not other companies is:
Experience and reputation of prop firms.
Topstep, Apex and Elite Traders Funding are three US firms with many years of experience and have funded thousands of futures traders around the world. Topstep LLC is based out of Chicago. Apex Trader Funding Inc. is based out of Austin, TX. Elite Trader Funding LLC is based out in Delaware. The majority of reviews are positive for these companies. For example, Topstep had an “Excellent rating” on Trustpilot at the time I wrote this article with 4.3 stars out of 5. 74% of the reviews give it a 5-star rating. Apex is rated 4.8 out 5 by Trustpilot, with more than 4100 ratings. Elite Trader Funding, a less well-known company than Topstep and Apex, has a rating of 4.8 out of 5, with 83% of reviews give it 5 stars.
Topstep also offers a discount code on the first month of any funded account. You can keep up to date with offers and promotions at this link: Prop firms promo codes and discounts.
These firms have other positive aspects that I found:
- Profit payments are made in a timely and simple manner.
- Customer support is a good way to solve any doubts that you may have or incidents that might occur.
- Trade Futures in a wide range of products.
- NinjaTrader, … is a professional platform for futures trading.
Is Futures Prop Trading Legal?
Futures contracts are legal agreements between two parties that involve the purchase or the sale of commodities or financial instruments at a specific price in order to be delivered at a future date. Contracts are traded on futures exchanges between buyers and seller. In the United States, for instance, futures trading is regulated and supervised by the CFTC, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which is in charge of market security and participant safety. The CFTC can supervise and sanction any company or person who violates regulations.
Prop trading is legal for futures trading, but it is not regulated to the same extent as trading through a futures broker or managing your capital. Futures trading prop companies are not online brokers or financial intermediaries. The trader trading with a futures firm manages the capital of the firm and not their own. The trading conditions and profit sharing scheme, … is a private agreement between the two parties.
What platforms may i use to work with these future prop firms?
The platform you use depends on the firm with which you are associated. Platforms available vary from one prop firm to another.
The trading platforms they offer are:
Topstep
Topstep supports NinjaTrader, Quantower and other Futures trading platforms. Check the Topstep official website to see current prices and conditions for both trading platforms. Please be aware that there are usually license fees, … and a commission for each futures contract. These may differ if you’re in the challenge phase, or already have a funded futures account.
Apex Trade Funding
Apex offers 2 different programs depending on the trading platform you use: Rithmic/NinjaTrader Plan or Tradovate/NinjaTrader Plan.
ATF’s preferred trading platform for futures is NinjaTrader, and all plans include a free license. NinjaTrader 8 can be used, and older versions are not allowed.
Tradovate is only available on Apex for those who trade futures using NinjaTrader or Tradovate Web/Mobile and TradingView.
Elite Trader Financing
Elite Trader Funding allows you to use any trading platform that is compatible with Rithmic Data, such as:
Ninjatrader 7
Ninjatrader 8
Rithmic Pro
EdgeProX
Motive Wave
Multicharts
ATAS
trade.finamarksys.com
Jigsaw Daytradr
Trade Navigator
VolFix
Bookmap X ray
Inversor/RT (Linnsoft).
Sierra Charts
OptimusFLOW
Some platforms are only available in webtrader format, while others can be downloaded on desktop computers running Windows, MAC and Linux or mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Please visit the official websites of the futures financing prop firms for more information.
Do not hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any questions or want to share your experience of working with another futures prop firm.
Hello, I’m Adrian Perez. Passionate about online businesses, in which I have been working professionally since 2008, and a self-taught investor with more than 10 years of experience. I collaborate on several financial websites and on Opinatron.com I try to publish valuable content related to these topics based on my knowledge and personal experience. These contents should in no way be considered investment advice nor do I offer any type of financial advice. I hope they are useful to you but you are the one who must make your own investment decisions and you are responsible for those decisions. If necessary, seek independent financial advice.
