Prop Firm Rules Matrix 2026: Every Firm Compared

Updated October 1, 2026•By the ElitePropX Research Team
Five panels listing the rules that decide a prop firm evaluation: profit target, daily loss limit, maximum drawdown, consistency rule and minimum trading days
Almost no evaluation is lost on analysis — it is lost on one of these five rules.

Every prop firm comparison eventually shows you the same trap: the rules that decide whether you pass are buried three clicks deep in a help centre, and the numbers move while the comparison page stays still. This page is the opposite approach — one matrix of the numbers that actually decide outcomes, with the source we read each one from and an honest confidence label on every row.

Read the caveat before the table, because it is the most important line here. Prop firms revise targets, drawdown mechanics and consistency thresholds without warning, sometimes between one evaluation and the next. The matrix below reflects what we could verify on 2026-10-01. Where a value came from a firm's own site it is labelled as such; where we could only find it in third-party write-ups it is labelled accordingly; and where we could not confirm it at all, it is marked as unconfirmed rather than guessed. When this page and your firm's live dashboard disagree, the dashboard is right.

The 2026 prop firm rules matrix

Firm / model Market Profit target Daily loss limit Max loss Drawdown type Min trading days Consistency
FTMO
1-Step Challenge		 Forex / CFD 10% 3% 10% (end-of-day trailing) Trailing (EOD) 4 Best Day Rule: best day ≤ 50% of positive days' profit
FTMO
2-Step Challenge		 Forex / CFD 10% then 5% 5% 10% (static) Static 4 per phase None
FundedNext
Stellar 1-Step		 Forex / CFD 10% 3% 6% (static) Static 2 None during the challenge
FundedNext
Stellar 2-Step		 Forex / CFD 8% then 5% 5% 10% (static) Static 5 per phase None during the challenge
Topstep
Trading Combine		 Futures Per account size Per account size End-of-day trailing Trailing (EOD) 2 (fastest possible pass) Consistency Target: best day must stay below 55% of the profit target
Apex Trader Funding
Evaluation (EOD and Intraday)		 Futures Per account size Per account size Trailing - end-of-day or intraday, chosen per account Trailing (EOD or Intraday) None published None during the evaluation; a consistency rule applies to PA/funded accounts
FundingPips
2 Step Standard		 Forex / CFD 8% (Phase 1) Per model Per model Static 3 per phase None during the challenge
E8 Markets
E8 One		 Forex / CFD Per account Per account Dynamic (trailing) Trailing (dynamic) None None during the challenge; a 40% Best Day rule applies on the Performance account
Take Profit Trader
Evaluation		 Futures $1,500 to $9,000 by account size None (removed) End-of-day trailing during the evaluation Trailing (EOD eval, intraday funded) 3 50%

The drawdown type column deserves more attention than it usually gets. A static limit sits below your starting balance and never moves, so profit does not shrink your remaining room. A trailing limit follows your equity high-water mark upward, which means a strong week quietly reduces the buffer you have left — and a normal pullback can breach a limit you believed was safely behind you. Two firms can advertise the same “10% maximum loss” with completely different difficulty.

Confidence, not certainty

Rows labelled third-party only or unconfirmed have not been read on the firm's own site. They are directionally useful and should never be the basis of a purchase decision. Check the specific account you intend to buy, because many firms sell several drawdown models under one brand.

What actually changed in 2026

The reason this page exists in its current form is that a surprising number of rulebooks moved this year, and the most-linked comparison pages still describe the previous version. These are the shifts worth knowing about.

  • FTMO — 1-Step Challenge. FTMO's 1-Step product, with a 3% daily loss limit and a published Best Day Rule, is the significant 2026 change - most comparison pages still describe only the classic 2-step structure.
  • FundedNext — Stellar 1-Step. The 3% daily / 6% static structure and the 2-day minimum are current; older write-ups quote a 5% daily limit.
  • FundedNext — Stellar 2-Step. FundedNext now publishes every model on one page, which makes the Lite (8%/4%, 4% daily, 8% max) and Instant (6% trailing, no target) variants easy to confuse with the standard 2-Step.
  • Topstep — Trading Combine. The 55% Consistency Target and the 5/10/15-contract caps for $50K/$100K/$150K are the numbers to quote. Traders also report that payout eligibility now requires five winning days of at least $150 each - third-party reports only, confirm on the dashboard.
  • Apex Trader Funding — Evaluation (EOD and Intraday). Apex now sells two drawdown models side by side - end-of-day trailing and real-time intraday trailing - over a 30-day assessment. Most comparisons were written when only one model existed.
  • FundingPips — 2 Step Standard. Minimum trading days moved: accounts opened before 26 August 2026 keep a 1-day minimum, while resets and new accounts need 2 days. A 2 Step Flex model (12% maximum drawdown, no consistency rule, no time limit) launched in June 2026.
  • E8 Markets — E8 One. E8 Zero launched in July 2026 and drops both the consistency rule and the trailing drawdown, so the E8 line now spans trailing and non-trailing one-step models.
  • Take Profit Trader — Evaluation. The evaluation was cut from 5 trading days to 3 in August 2026, and the drawdown type now differs between the evaluation (end-of-day) and the PRO funded account (intraday).

The pattern across most of those changes is a drift toward simpler rulebooks: fewer minimum days, no consistency rule during the challenge, and static drawdown where it used to trail. That is genuinely good news for traders, but it also means advice written eighteen months ago is now not just stale but actively misleading — a plan built around a 5-day minimum and a trailing limit is wasted work if the current account asks for three days and no consistency rule.

How to use the matrix

  1. Find your model, not your brand

    Almost every firm here sells more than one structure. Identify the exact product name — Stellar 2-Step, Trading Combine, E8 One — before reading across the row.

  2. Compare target against drawdown, not target alone

    The number that predicts difficulty is the gap between the profit target and the maximum loss. A smaller target against a tighter drawdown is harder than a larger target against a generous one.

  3. Check when the consistency rule bites

    Some firms apply it during the evaluation, some only at payout. The second kind is the one that leaves a profitable account temporarily unpayable, which is why it is worth knowing before your first trade rather than your first withdrawal.

  4. Confirm on the dashboard before buying

    Treat this page as the map, not the territory. Open the live rulebook for the account in front of you and reconcile it against the row here.

Sources we read

Each row above is traceable to one of the following. Where a row is labelled third-party only, the firm's own page could not be read at the time of writing, so it is cited honestly rather than upgraded to official on optimism.

Frequently asked questions

The FAQ block below covers which rules matter most, how drawdown type changes difficulty, whether consistency rules apply during the evaluation or at payout, and how often these numbers change.

Which prop firm rule fails the most traders?
The maximum daily loss limit. It is measured live on equity including floating loss, and breaching it ends the evaluation immediately regardless of how much overall drawdown remained. The drawdown type — static versus trailing — is the second most consequential rule.
Is a trailing drawdown harder than a static drawdown?
Yes, at the same percentage. A static floor is fixed below your starting balance, so profit never reduces your room. A trailing floor follows your equity high-water mark upward, so a strong run shrinks the buffer you have left and a normal pullback can breach a limit you thought was behind you.
Does the consistency rule apply during the evaluation or only at payout?
It varies by firm. Some apply it during the evaluation, others only when you request a withdrawal — and some have no consistency rule during the challenge at all. The payout-only version is the dangerous one, because it can leave a profitable evaluation unpayable until you generate enough additional profit.
How often do prop firm rules change?
More often than most comparison pages are updated. Drawdown mechanics, minimum trading days, consistency thresholds and news policies are all subject to revision, sometimes between one evaluation and the next. Several major firms changed their evaluation structures during 2026.
Can I trust the numbers on this page?
Treat them as a sourced starting point, not a guarantee. Each row states whether it was read on the firm's own site, found only in third-party write-ups, or could not be confirmed. Always check the live rulebook for the exact account you intend to buy.
Does a passing service need to know the current rules?
Yes — how a challenge is passed depends on the exact drawdown model, the minimum-day requirement and whether a consistency rule applies during the evaluation or at payout. ElitePropX passes every major firm compared here for a flat $220, with retries covered on managed accounts and no profit split taken.

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