If you trade CME futures — NQ, ES, gold, crude — CFD prop firms are the wrong tool: you need a futures firm, with real exchange data and execution on real or exchange-mirrored contracts. The model differs from FTMO and friends, and the rule that kills most accounts isn't the profit target: it's the trailing drawdown.
How they differ from CFD prop firms
- Real product. You trade CME contracts (or their micro versions MNQ/MES) on exchange data, not CFDs against a broker. An NQ tick is $5; an MNQ tick, $0.50.
- Trailing drawdown. Most futures firms use a loss limit that rises with your equity (sometimes intraday, sometimes end-of-day). It is THE rule to understand before paying: it defines how much air your strategy gets.
- One-phase evaluation. The norm is a single evaluation phase with a profit target + consistency rule, instead of the two phases typical in CFDs.
- Monthly subscription. Many evaluations bill as a recurring monthly fee until you pass, not a one-time payment.
The reference firms
Topstep — the sector veteran and the reputation benchmark. Trading Combine with a target and a trailing drawdown that freezes once you reach a set level. Long payout track record and clear consistency rules.
Apex Trader Funding — popular for aggressive discounts and for allowing many simultaneous accounts. Intraday trailing drawdown on the classic evaluation, which demands careful open-equity management.
Others worth a look — MyFundedFutures, TradeDay and Tradeify compete on variants: end-of-day drawdown (kinder than intraday), plans without consistency rules, or faster payouts. As with CFD firms, conditions change often: use this list as a map and confirm rules, pricing and regional availability on the day you buy.
Choosing by strategy, not by discount
The right question isn't "which firm is best?" but "what drawdown does my system tolerate?". An NQ scalper with tight stops lives fine with intraday trailing. A full-session swing approach that lets positions run needs end-of-day or freezable drawdown. If your system rests on microstructure statistics — like NQ gaps on tick charts — first measure its historical max drawdown at that granularity and compare it against the firm's rule.
The mistakes that kill accounts
- Not knowing whether the trailing is intraday or end-of-day — the difference ends accounts in a single spike.
- Trading macro prints (NFP, FOMC) at full size: index futures move 50–100 points in seconds.
- Ignoring the consistency rule and hitting the whole target in one day.
- Scaling to max size before building a cushion over the drawdown.
Master futures before the challenge
Our full NQ/ES futures guide covers contracts, ticks, sessions, margins and risk management — the groundwork before paying for any evaluation.
Related: NQ gap fill statistics · broker vs prop firm · how to pass a challenge.
Educational content, not financial advice. Verify each firm's current rules before buying an evaluation.