25K futures prop firm evaluations, side by side
A 25K evaluation is the cheapest way into a futures prop firm, but it's also the tightest. Most firms want $1,500 of profit with only $1,000 of drawdown, so one bad trade on a full-size contract can take half your room. The table puts every 25K account we track side by side.
The table
| Firm | Account | Price | Usual coupon price | Profit target | Max loss | Drawdown | Daily loss limit | Best-day rule | Activation | Room |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Futures | Zero | $89 /month | $1,500 | $1,000 | end of day | $500, pauses the day | none | $0 | 67% | |
| Apex Trader Funding | EOD Trailing Drawdown | $490 one-time | $49 | $1,500 | $1,000 | end of day | $500, pauses the day | none | $109 | 67% |
| Apex Trader Funding | Intraday Trailing Drawdown | $167 one-time | $16.70 | $1,500 | $1,000 | intraday peak | none | none | $89 | 67% |
| Bulenox | Qualification | $145 one-time | $1,500 | up to $1,500 | your choice | optional | none | not verified | 100% | |
| Lucid Trading | LucidFlex | not verified | $1,250 | $1,000 | end of day | optional | 40% | $0 | 80% | |
| Take Profit Trader | Test account | not verified | $1,500 | $1,500 | end of day | none | 50% | $130 | 100% | |
| Tradeify | Select | not verified | $1,500 | $1,000 | end of day | none | 40% | $0 | 67% | |
| Tradeify | Growth | not verified | $1,500 | $1,000 | end of day | $600, pauses the day | none | $0 | 67% |
"Room" is the max loss divided by the profit target. Most 25K accounts sit at 67%: $1,000 of drawdown against a $1,500 target. Take Profit Trader and Bulenox give you up to $1,500 of drawdown for the same target, which is the most slack you'll find at this size.
Why 25K is harder than it looks
$1,000 is not much room. On one ES contract that's 20 points. On NQ it's 50 points. A normal stop plus a bit of slippage, twice, and you're halfway out. That's why most people who pass a 25K do it on micros: on MES the same $1,000 is 200 points.
The cheap price is the trap. A 25K eval costs a fraction of a 50K, so it's easy to buy another one after you blow it. Add up three resets before you call it the cheap option.
Daily loss limits are small too. Apex End of Day and Alpha Futures stop you for the day at $500, Tradeify Growth at $600. That's half your total drawdown in a single session, so one red morning can park you for the rest of the day.
Not every firm sells one. Topstep and MyFundedFutures start at 50K in the plans we track, so if you want those rules you'll be looking at the 50K comparison.
Who a 25K suits
Traders who already size in micros and want the lowest entry price. If you trade one full contract with a wide stop, a 50K usually gives you a more realistic amount of room for the same style. Practice the size you'll actually trade in the simulator before you pick.
Blow it here, not on a paid eval
Run the same rules on your own trades in the simulator. Free, no card, and a blown account costs you nothing but pride.
Start practicing