The short answer
Our ranked picks
Apex Trader Funding
Cheap one-step evals, steep discounts and a generous profit split.
- Simple one-step evaluation — no second phase to clear
- Frequent, very steep discounts (often up to ~90% off)
- Generous split: keep 100% of your first $25k, then 90%
Tradeify
A fast-rising futures firm with flexible, no-daily-drawdown plans.
- No-daily-drawdown option on some plans gives more breathing room
- Multiple routes to funding: Growth, Straight to Sim Funded and Advanced
- Straight to Sim Funded skips the evaluation for an upfront fee
MyFundedFutures
Fast payouts and a no-daily-drawdown option that traders love.
- Some plans have no daily drawdown limit — rare and trader-friendly
- Fast and frequent payouts in our testing
- Clear plan tiers (Starter, Expert, Milestone) for different goals
E8 Markets
A forex/CFD prop firm with high splits and fast payouts.
- High profit split — up to around 80–100% depending on model
- Reputation for fast payouts, which we found held up in testing
- Multiple models to fit different styles: E8 Account, E8 Track and Elev8
FundedNext
A large, popular forex/CFD prop firm that pays you during the challenge.
- Multiple models to fit different styles: Evaluation, Express and Stellar
- Profit split up to around 90% on a funded account
- Unusual perk: you can earn a share of profit during the challenge phase
How we ranked these firms
We ranked on real cost after discounts, not list price. That matters because several of these firms almost never sell at sticker price — Apex in particular runs near-constant promotions often advertised at up to ~90% off.
Apex tops the list as one of the cheapest ways into a funded futures account when timed with a code. Tradeify and MyFundedFutures follow for frequent promos and low monthly fees, while E8 Markets and FundedNext earn their spots for low one-time entry fees on smaller accounts.
Cheapest is not the same as best value
A low entry price means little if the rules do not fit your style or you pay for several months before passing. We weigh value, not just the headline number: a slightly pricier plan with a no-daily-drawdown rule can be far cheaper in practice if it stops you breaching.
For subscription firms, factor in that you may pay for one or two months before you pass. For one-time-fee firms, the cheapest model depends on which route fits your trading.
How to actually pay less
Never buy at full sticker price. Wait for a promo — they come around often — and compare the cost per account size across models. With Apex, some traders buy several discounted evaluations at once because the firm permits multiple accounts.
Confirm whether platform or data fees apply on top of the challenge price, and whether the fee is refundable. Always check current pricing, as discounts and terms change frequently, especially at newer firms.
Honest caveats
Heavy discounting cuts both ways: at firms like Apex, buying at full price is poor value, and a cheap eval is only cheap if you respect the (often trailing) drawdown rules. A failed cheap challenge still costs you the fee.
Risk note: evaluation and funded prop-firm accounts are simulated until you are funded and paid, rules and pricing change often, and all trading carries risk. A low price does not lower the trading risk — never treat fees as guaranteed income.