Choosing an account
How to compare futures prop firms before you buy
Compare futures prop firms by the account stage, usable loss allowance, total fees, payout conditions and trading setup. Choose the program that fits your routine before comparing discounts.
Start with a side-by-side rule sheet
Choose two or three programs and record the account size, stage, options, final checkout price and date checked. Compare the same stage at each firm.
| Compare | Record for each exact program | Why it changes the decision |
|---|---|---|
| Account stage | Evaluation, simulated-funded, or separately approved live | The next stage may introduce a different rule set. |
| Loss boundary | Starting floor, trailing method, lock point, breach trigger | Advertised account size is not the usable loss allowance. |
| Total fees | Purchase, renewals, activation, resets, and required extras | A lower entry price may not mean a lower total cost. |
| Payout access | Qualifying days, consistency, buffer, cap, and split | Profit earned and profit eligible for a request differ. |
| Trading setup | Platform, data connection, products, and position limits | Your existing setup may require a different connection or license. |
Sources: Boxcar account stages · Boxcar drawdown and daily loss limits · Boxcar payout eligibility by plan · Boxcar billing and reset fees
Know which account stage you are buying
At Boxcar, an Eval is a simulated account with a profit target and trading rules. Simulated-funded trading can qualify for real approved payouts. Live trading requires a separate review and account terms. BoxcarFunded skips the Eval and starts at simulated-funded.
Topstep likewise describes its Express Funded Account as simulated funded-level trading earned after passing the Trading Combine. For a direct-funded option, compare its drawdown and payout rules with the funded stage of the evaluation you would otherwise buy.
Sources: Boxcar account stages · Topstep Express Funded Account parameters
Measure the room above the loss floor
A Boxcar $50K account with a $2,000 Maximum Loss Limit starts with a $48,000 loss floor. The account label is a simulated starting balance, not cash you own or can withdraw. Touching the floor breaches the account.
Intraday drawdown follows the highest real-time balance, including unrealized profit. End-of-day (EOD) drawdown follows the highest qualifying closing balance. The current floor is enforced throughout the session in both cases.
In this example, both accounts start at $50,000 with no previous higher balance or locked floor. Open profit lifts equity to $51,000, then the trade closes with a $50,300 balance. The table shows how those Boxcar mechanics leave different loss allowances; another provider may calculate or lock its floor differently.
| Point in the example | Intraday loss floor | EOD loss floor |
|---|---|---|
| Start at $50,000 | $48,000 | $48,000 |
| Open profit lifts equity to $51,000 | $49,000 | $48,000 |
| Qualifying day closes at $50,300 | $49,000 | $48,300 for the next session |
Sources: Boxcar drawdown and daily loss limits · Boxcar account stages
Check what a daily loss limit stops
At Boxcar, hitting a Daily Loss Limit (DLL) closes positions and locks trading until the next session. It does not by itself breach the account; reaching the Maximum Loss Limit does. Record whether a DLL is required or optional, how it changes after funding, and whether selecting it changes the purchase price.
Sources: Boxcar drawdown and daily loss limits · Boxcar billing and reset fees
Calculate eligibility before the profit split
Check required trading or profit days, cycle profit, consistency, the balance retained after payment, and the request cap. BoxcarPrime, for example, requires consistency and a retained buffer. BoxcarFlex requires qualifying profit days and limits a request to 50% of cycle profit, subject to its size-based cap. The plan guide supplies the exact amounts for each size.
Boxcar has a $500 minimum gross request and a 90% trader share of approved payout profit. Earning profit does not automatically make that full amount eligible for a request. Daily request access also does not promise same-day payment.
Sources: Boxcar payout eligibility by plan · Boxcar risk disclosure
Fill in a total-cost worksheet
Compare the same path: evaluation entry through a chosen number of simulated-funded billing periods, or direct entry to simulated-funded. Keep optional tools separate from the setup you actually need.
Boxcar Eval fees do not automatically renew, and there is no Eval-to-funded activation fee. Selecting a Daily Loss Limit can lower the price of Prime, Flex or Payout; record that rule choice beside the price. Eligible failed evaluations and purchased direct-funded BoxcarFunded accounts can be reset through My Portal. A funded account earned by passing an evaluation needs a new evaluation after a breach; live accounts cannot be reset.
| Cost line | What to enter | Check before totaling |
|---|---|---|
| Entry and renewals | First payment plus each later renewal. | Count the first subscription period once; check the renewal price after any introductory discount. |
| Reset or new attempt | Price for each planned retry at the applicable stage. | Check eligibility and whether a reset changes the billing date or adds another charge. |
| Stage activation | Each fee due when moving to the next stage. | Do not assume a low evaluation price includes funded access. |
| Market data | Rate for the required exchanges and depth tier x billed periods. | Check what is included at each stage and whether charges are prorated. |
| Software and connections | Required licenses, connection fees and hosting for the same period. | Avoid counting an included service twice; list optional tools separately. |
| Payout delivery | Any payment, conversion or network charge for the chosen method. | Record whether it is paid separately or deducted from the trader share; count it once. |
Sources: Boxcar billing and reset fees · Boxcar account resets · Boxcar Level 2 market data · Boxcar supported platforms · Topstep Express Funded Account parameters
Worked example: a cheaper entry can cost more
These are invented USD prices for two hypothetical evaluation programs, not quotes from Boxcar or a competitor. Both paths use three paid evaluation periods, one paid evaluation reset, then one simulated-funded period. Assume rates stay fixed, the reset does not restart billing, evaluation subscriptions stop at passing, and there are no other purchases or charges.
Program A charges $80 per evaluation period, $50 per reset and $100 to activate simulated-funded. Program B charges $200 once, $100 per reset and no activation fee. Both charge $15 for data and $20 for software in each of the four periods.
| Cash cost before any payout | Program A | Program B |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluation entry and renewals | $80 x 3 = $240 | $200 once |
| One evaluation reset | $50 | $100 |
| Simulated-funded activation | $100 | $0 |
| Four data periods | $15 x 4 = $60 | $15 x 4 = $60 |
| Four software periods | $20 x 4 = $80 | $20 x 4 = $80 |
| Total cash paid | $530 | $440 |
Sources: Boxcar billing and reset fees · Topstep Express Funded Account parameters · Boxcar risk disclosure
Change the timeline and separate payout deductions
With one evaluation period and one simulated-funded period instead, keeping the same single reset, A costs $80 + $50 + $100 + $30 + $40 = $300. B costs $200 + $100 + $30 + $40 = $370. The lower-cost option reverses when the timeline changes. Neither timeline predicts passing or payout eligibility.
For a separate hypothetical payout calculation, assume a $1,000 gross payout is already approved, the trader share is 90%, and a $10 payment fee is deducted from that share. Cash received is $1,000 x 90% - $10 = $890. The $10 is an invented fee, not a quoted Boxcar charge. Do not also add it to upfront spending if you already subtract it from the receipt.
Keep trading commissions in the net trading result used to assess progress and payout eligibility. If that result already includes commissions, do not subtract them again. Simulated trading losses and the advertised account balance are not cash purchase charges in this worksheet.
Sources: Boxcar payout eligibility by plan · Boxcar supported products and commissions · Boxcar account stages
Check the connection and contract exposure
Confirm the platform, data connection, license requirements and permitted products. Boxcar uses Rithmic for all account types; its supported platforms include NinjaTrader, Rithmic Trader Pro, MotiveWave and Quantower. Check the full list and account-specific setup instructions before buying.
CME specifies $5 per index point for MES and $2 for MNQ. A ten-point move against two MES contracts is a $100 loss before fees and slippage: 10 × 2 × $5. Compare that exposure with the remaining loss allowance and the account’s position limit.
Sources: Boxcar supported platforms · CME Micro E-mini product specifications
Test the rules against your trading routine
Resolve conflicting official terms with the provider before paying. Evaluation fees can be lost, and simulated results do not establish future live performance. Check the situations your trading routine is likely to encounter:
- Does the session cutoff fit your holding time?
- Do news, automation and copier rules permit your strategy?
- Does your usual position size fit the funded-stage limit?
- Would your largest profitable day satisfy any consistency test?
- How much loss allowance remains after the payout you plan to request?
Sources: Boxcar account stages · Boxcar risk disclosure · Boxcar drawdown and daily loss limits · Boxcar payout eligibility by plan