Because more futures accounts end on drawdown than on profit targets. End-of-day trailing recalculates once at the close, so intraday swings cannot move your floor. Intraday trailing follows every tick of unrealised profit upward — a winner you never close can permanently raise the level at which you get shut down. That single difference decides more outcomes than the split, the price or the target.

Good firms stop the drawdown trailing once you reach a threshold. Tradeify locks it permanently at your starting balance plus $100 — on a 50K account that is a fixed $50,100 floor that never moves again. A trailing drawdown that never locks is the harshest structure in the category.

At several firms, yes — and it catches people out. Take Profit Trader uses end-of-day drawdown in the Test then switches to intraday trailing on the funded account. Apex drops contract limits from 16 minis to 6 at funding and adds a consistency rule. Passing the evaluation does not mean you have practised under the rules you will actually trade.

Usually not. Most firms auto-flatten at the session break — commonly 4:45 or 5:00 PM ET, earlier on half days — and nothing carries across a weekend. Swing traders should look at forex or stock prop firms instead.

Two firms publish it, which is more than any other category. My Funded Futures reported 20.35% between January 2024 and July 2025. Take Profit Trader reported 16.86% for 2024. So roughly four to five in every six buyers never reach a funded payout. Treat the evaluation fee accordingly.

It caps how much of your total profit may come from a single day — commonly 30% to 50%. At most firms here, breaking it delays your payout rather than closing the account, which is far more forgiving than traders expect. Check which applies before you size a big day.

Almost always simulated, with a live tier at the top for consistent performers — Tradeify Elite, Take Profit Trader PRO+ and Apex's invitation-only live programme. Tradeify is notable for owning a CFTC-registered introducing broker, which is a structural credential most of the category lacks.