Prop firm rules look similar on the pricing page and behave very differently on a live account. The same trade that is fine at one firm is a breach at another, and the difference is rarely the profit target. It is the news window, the weekend rule, the hedging definition, the way a trading day is counted and the moment your daily loss limit resets. This comparison puts the current rules of ten prop firms next to Dolvero, rule by rule, with a link to the official page for every value.
- News windows range from 2 minutes (FTMO, The5ers, Maven) to 30 minutes. Most firms only restrict the funded account, so the rule changes the day you get funded. Dolvero applies one clear window on both stages and offers a News Trading add-on that removes it entirely, so a news trader knows the terms before paying.
- Weekend holding is allowed almost everywhere on the evaluation, yet FTMO Standard, FundingPips Master and Alpha Pro close funded traders out on Friday. Dolvero makes it a choice: the Weekend Holding add-on unlocks it on the evaluation and the funded account alike.
- Hedging across accounts is prohibited everywhere. Inside one account it is allowed at 6 of 10 firms; Dolvero keeps it prohibited because the same mechanism sits behind most coordinated abuse, which keeps the evaluation meaningful and the payout pool clean for honest traders.
- Minimum trading days are 3 to 5 per phase, but the definition matters: FTMO counts any day with a trade, The5ers, Maven, Goat and Dolvero count only days that close at least 0.5% in profit, which is why a Dolvero pass means five genuinely good sessions.
- Only two of the eleven firms cap risk per trade. Dolvero limits each trade idea to 2% of balance, which rules out passing on one oversized bet; traders who size larger by design take the No Risk Limit add-on.
- On the 2-Step, Dolvero has no consistency rule, no inactivity rule and no time limit, releases approved payouts to the payment provider within 24 hours and refunds the fee on the second payout.
How to read this comparison
Every value below was checked on 10 September 2026 against the firm's own rules page, trading objectives page or help center. Where a help center blocked direct access, the value comes from the search engine snippet of that exact official page and is marked in the sources. Where a firm's own pages disagree with each other, we say so rather than pick a side. The products compared are the standard two-phase forex and CFD evaluations:
| Firm | Product examined | Platform note |
|---|---|---|
| Dolvero | 2-Step Challenge (CFD, MT5 and WebTrader) | Crypto evaluations on Bybit have separate rules |
| FTMO | FTMO Challenge, 2-step Standard | Swing account type has different news and weekend rules |
| FundedNext | Stellar 2-Step | |
| FundingPips | 2 Step Standard | Help center values via search snippet |
| The5ers | High Stakes | Product page and 2-Step FAQ disagree on daily loss |
| E8 Markets | E8 Classic | Help center values via search snippet |
| Alpha Capital Group | Alpha Pro, 10% variant | Swing plan is a separate product |
| FXIFY | Two Phase Standard | Program page has no rule table |
| Maven Trading | Two-Step Challenge | |
| Goat Funded Trader | 2 Step GOAT Model | |
| Funded Trading Plus | 2-Step Classic |
News trading
This is the rule with the widest spread. Three questions decide whether you are safe: how long is the window, does it apply on the evaluation or only once funded, and does a stop loss or take profit that fires inside the window count against you.
| Firm | Window | Evaluation | Funded | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolvero | 30 min before and after | restricted, add-on lifts it | restricted, add-on lifts it | Every high-impact event (NFP, CPI, rate decisions, GDP, central bank speeches). With the News Trading add-on there is no window at all, on the evaluation and on the funded account. |
| FTMO | 2 min before and after | free | restricted | Listed events only. A stop loss or take profit executed inside the window is a breach on the Standard account. Swing account has no restriction. |
| FundedNext | 5 min before and after | free | restricted | Only 40% of profit made in the window counts, losses count in full. Stop loss and take profit included. |
| FundingPips | 5 min before and after | free | restricted | Affected currency only, soft breach. Trades opened at least 5 hours earlier are exempt. |
| The5ers | 2 min before and after | no execution in window | Holding through news allowed, profit made in the window is deducted. Stage split not stated. | |
| E8 Markets | 5 min before and after | free | restricted | Profit made in the window is removed, no breach. |
| Alpha Capital | 5 min before and after | free | restricted | Listed USD, AUD, CAD, EUR, GBP events. Includes stop loss and take profit, soft breach. Swing plan exempt. |
| FXIFY | not stated | not stated for Two Phase | Program page prohibits "high leverage news trading" only. A 5-minute blackout is stated for Crypto and Instant Lite. | |
| Maven | 2 min before and after | restricted | restricted | Red-folder events. Profit made in the window does not count. |
| Goat Funded Trader | 5 min before and after | capped | capped | Allowed, but profit from trades opened or closed in the window is capped at 1% of initial balance. |
| Funded Trading Plus | none | allowed | allowed | "We allow news trading" per the risk review policy. |
Two practical points. First, the window is measured in the firm's server time, so a trader in a different time zone comparing an economic calendar in local time will misjudge it. Second, at FTMO, FundedNext and Alpha a pending stop loss that fires inside the window counts as an execution. If you hold through news, widen or remove the stop before the window opens, or accept the risk consciously.
Weekend holding
| Firm | Evaluation | Funded | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dolvero | close on Friday, or Weekend Holding add-on | close on Friday, or Weekend Holding add-on | No position may be open at any point during the weekend, including crypto pairs that quote on Saturday. Weekend Holding add-on lifts the rule. |
| FTMO | allowed | Standard: close | Swing account allows weekend holding on all stages. |
| FundedNext | allowed | allowed | |
| FundingPips | allowed | not allowed | Described as a temporary change. Open trades are closed on Friday, not treated as a hard breach. |
| The5ers | allowed | allowed | Indices carry high swap. |
| E8 Markets | allowed | allowed | |
| Alpha Capital | allowed | Pro: not allowed | Soft breach, profits removed. Swing, One and Three plans allow it. |
| FXIFY | allowed | allowed | Per FXIFY blog for Two Phase Standard, Classic and Pro. |
| Maven | allowed | allowed | |
| Goat Funded Trader | allowed | allowed | |
| Funded Trading Plus | allowed | allowed |
The pattern is consistent: the evaluation is lenient, the funded account is where the firm carries real exposure and tightens up. If you are a swing trader, the choice is between a firm that allows it outright, a Swing-type product, or an add-on that unlocks it.
Hedging
Every firm prohibits hedging across accounts, whether they are your own accounts or a friend's. The real difference is inside a single account.
| Firm | Inside one account | Across accounts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dolvero | prohibited | prohibited | Offsetting positions on the same or correlated instruments, for example long EURUSD and short USDCHF, are prohibited on one account and across accounts. |
| FTMO | allowed | prohibited | Opposite positions on a single account are allowed. A dedicated Hedging account type exists on FTMO US since January 2026. |
| FundedNext | allowed | prohibited | Group hedging prohibited. |
| FundingPips | listed as forbidden | prohibited | "Hedging" appears in the forbidden strategies list; same-direction copying across own accounts is allowed. |
| The5ers | allowed | prohibited | With a stop loss on every position, per The5ers blog. |
| E8 Markets | allowed | prohibited | |
| Alpha Capital | allowed | prohibited | Both directions on the same instrument allowed on one account. |
| FXIFY | not stated | prohibited | Reverse and group hedging across accounts prohibited. |
| Maven | not exclusively | prohibited | "You cannot exclusively hedge" on a challenge or live account. |
| Goat Funded Trader | prohibited | prohibited | All forms, including within the same account and with other firms. |
| Funded Trading Plus | allowed | prohibited | Including hedging via an EA across accounts. |
A long and a short on the same instrument in one account nets to zero exposure while both legs count as trades. It is the simplest way to fake trading days and consistency, and it is the mechanism behind most coordinated abuse across accounts. Dolvero treats correlated pairs the same way: long EURUSD and short USDCHF is a hedge, not two ideas. The upside for a genuine trader is a funded pool that is not diluted by accounts that never took real risk.
Expert advisors and bots
| Firm | EAs | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Dolvero | with pre-approval | MT5 and forex: allowed after review, which takes 24 to 48 hours. Crypto evaluations on Bybit: allowed without approval. All account rules apply regardless of execution method. |
| FTMO | allowed | More than 2,000 server requests a day forbidden, 200 orders open at a time. A shared third-party EA risks the capital cap. |
| FundedNext | below $50,000 | Prohibited on accounts of $50,000 and above. No HFT, no tick scalping, no switching from EA to manual between phases. |
| FundingPips | risk manager only | Third-party EAs only as a trade or risk manager. HFT, tick scalping and latency arbitrage forbidden. |
| The5ers | allowed | Not allowed: an EA without your own source code, a third-party EA producing identical trades, HFT, tick scalping, rollover scalping. |
| E8 Markets | allowed | One strategy per user; the same EA run by several users can lead to termination. More than 300 trades a day counts as HFT. |
| Alpha Capital | risk tools only | MT5 only, pre-approval required. Fully automated trading, HFT and latency arbitrage prohibited. |
| FXIFY | with pre-approval | On evaluation and funded accounts after approval. HFT, latency arbitrage and order book spamming prohibited. |
| Maven | not permitted | "Under any circumstances." |
| Goat Funded Trader | allowed | If compliant. HFT, gold arbitrage EAs and third-party EAs marketed to pass assessments prohibited. |
| Funded Trading Plus | allowed | Arbitrage, grid and tick scalping prohibited. |
Copy trading
No firm allows copying a third-party signal provider. The question is whether you may copy your own trades between your own accounts, and under what cap.
| Firm | Own accounts | Third-party signals | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dolvero | coordination prohibited | prohibited | Coordinated strategies across multiple Dolvero accounts are prohibited. One Dolvero account per verified identity, up to 3 funded accounts under it. |
| FTMO | allowed | prohibited | Identical strategies on own accounts up to a $400,000 combined cap on CFD. |
| FundedNext | Challenge accounts only | prohibited | Combined cap $300,000, VPS copier acceptable. Cloud copy services and pass services prohibited. |
| FundingPips | same direction | prohibited | Copying between different users prohibited. |
| The5ers | allowed | prohibited | Own trades only, total size up to $75,000. |
| E8 Markets | allowed | prohibited | Across all own accounts. |
| Alpha Capital | with ownership proof | prohibited | One master account at a time. Not available on cTrader, DXtrade or TradeLocker. |
| FXIFY | with 30-day statement | prohibited | From an external account only with a named 30-day statement. Not on Instant, 2 Phase Pro or Lightning. |
| Maven | not stated | prohibited | Copying from another individual breaches both accounts. |
| Goat Funded Trader | funded to funded only | prohibited | Copying between evaluation accounts, or from evaluation to funded, is forbidden. |
| Funded Trading Plus | allowed | prohibited | Own accounts only. |
Consistency and inactivity
| Firm | Consistency rule on 2-step | Inactivity |
|---|---|---|
| Dolvero | none The 15% rule applies to Instant Funding only | none on 2-Step 7 days on Instant Funding only |
| FTMO | none Best Day 50% applies to 1-step only | Not stated for CFD accounts |
| FundedNext | none 40% best day only with the on-demand reward option | 30 consecutive days |
| FundingPips | 35% on Master plus 7 profitable days of at least 0.5% before a reward, resets after each reward | 30 consecutive days |
| The5ers | funded only 50% requirement after passing | 30 days evaluation, 60 funded |
| E8 Markets | 40% best day Trader stage | 60 days |
| Alpha Capital | on-demand only Best day 40% for on-demand payouts, none for bi-weekly | 30 consecutive days |
| FXIFY | none on Standard 25% on Classic funded, per FXIFY blog | 60 calendar days |
| Maven | Not stated 20% score applies to instant accounts | 30 calendar days |
| Goat Funded Trader | None stated for 2 Step GOAT | 30 consecutive days |
| Funded Trading Plus | 35% per phase 50% on funded, per payout period | one trade per 30 days |
A consistency rule changes how you should trade the evaluation: one strong day can block your payout for weeks. If you take large, infrequent trades, prefer a product without it, or size positions so that no single day can exceed the threshold.
Minimum trading days and what counts as a day
The number is less important than the definition. A firm that counts any day with an open trade lets you satisfy the requirement with five tiny trades. A firm that counts only days closing at least 0.5% in profit requires five genuinely good sessions.
| Firm | Minimum days | Definition of a trading day |
|---|---|---|
| Dolvero | 5 per phase | Closed profit of at least 0.5% of starting balance on that day |
| FTMO | 4 per phase | At least one position opened, 00:00 to 23:59 CE(S)T |
| FundedNext | 5 per phase | At least one trade. None on the funded 21-day option |
| FundingPips | 3 per phase | Not stated |
| The5ers | 3 per step | Closed profit of at least 0.5% of initial balance |
| E8 Markets | none | |
| Alpha Capital | 3 per phase | Not stated. First bi-weekly payout needs 5 trading days |
| FXIFY | 5 per phase | Not stated |
| Maven | 3 per phase | Profitable day of 0.5% |
| Goat Funded Trader | 3 per phase | 4 for purchases from 25 July 2026. Profit of at least 0.5% of initial balance, day runs 5pm to 5pm EST |
| Funded Trading Plus | not stated |
Daily loss limit and maximum drawdown
Two details decide how much room you really have: what the daily limit is measured against, and when it resets. A limit based on the higher of balance and equity at reset is tighter than one based on initial balance, because a good day raises the bar for the next one.
| Firm | Daily loss | Based on | Reset | Max drawdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolvero | 5% | starting daily balance | daily, server time | 10% static |
| FTMO | 5% | day's opening balance or equity | 00:00 CE(S)T | 10% static |
| FundedNext | 5% | initial balance plus the day's profit | 00:00 server | 10% static |
| FundingPips | 5% | higher of opening balance or equity | daily | 10% static |
| The5ers | 5% | previous day's closing equity or balance | daily | 10% static 2-Step FAQ states 3% daily, product page 5% |
| E8 Markets | 4% | day's starting balance | daily | 8% floating or closed |
| Alpha Capital | 5% | balance | 00:00 GMT+3 | 10% static 6% and 8% variants have 3% and 4% daily |
| FXIFY | 4% | previous day balance | daily | 10% assessment FAQ says trailing, blog says Classic is static |
| Maven | 4% | higher of equity or balance | 00:00 UTC | 8% static |
| Goat Funded Trader | 4% | higher of balance or equity | 5pm EST | 10% static |
| Funded Trading Plus | 4% | prior day's closed balance | 23:59 server | 8% static |
Dolvero caps each trade idea at 2% of current balance on the 2-Step and 1-Step evaluations. It exists so that nobody passes on a single oversized bet, which is exactly what keeps a Dolvero funded account worth something. Treat the combined open risk of one idea as the number that counts, because several entries in the same direction add up. Traders who size larger by design take the No Risk Limit add-on, which removes the cap while keeping the daily and maximum drawdown limits in place.
Profit split and first payout
| Firm | Split | First payout | Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dolvero | 80%, 90% with add-on | 14 days after first trade | Every 14 days. Approved requests released to the payment provider within 24 hours. Fee refunded on the 2nd payout. |
| FTMO | 80%, 90% via scaling | From day 14 after first trade | Then any following day |
| FundedNext | 80%, 90% via scale-up, 95% add-on | After 21 days | Every 14 days. 3-day option at 60%, on-demand at 90% |
| FundingPips | 60% to 100% by cycle | 7 days after first Master trade at 60% | 80% every 14 days, 100% every 30 days |
| The5ers | 80%, up to 100% at scaling tiers | Every 14 days from funded | $150 minimum |
| E8 Markets | 80% to 100%, chosen at setup | Not stated for Classic | Minimum payout above 50% of daily drawdown |
| Alpha Capital | 80%, 90% with add-on | 14 days after first funded trade | Bi-weekly, $100 minimum. On-demand option with 40% best-day rule |
| FXIFY | up to 90% with add-on | On demand after first closed live trade and 5 trading days | Monthly, bi-weekly with add-on, $50 minimum |
| Maven | 80% | Every 10 business days after first trade | $10,000 cap per 30 days |
| Goat Funded Trader | 80%, 100% add-on | After 3 valid days, capped at 6% or $10,000 for the first two | Bi-weekly |
| Funded Trading Plus | 80%, 90% after 20% profit or add-on | 10 calendar days after account creation | Every 10 days |
The four rules that actually end accounts
Across the breach reviews we publish, the rules that end accounts are rarely the headline numbers. They are the ones people do not read until it is too late.
- The news window in server time. A trader reads "14:30" on a calendar in local time and trades into an event that, in server time, sits inside the window. Convert the window once, write the server offset down, and treat pending stops as executions.
- Daily loss measured on equity, not balance. An open position that draws down through the limit at any moment counts, even if it later recovers and closes green. Size so that the combined open risk stays under the daily limit at all times.
- A "trading day" that is not a trading day. Five days with a trade is not five qualifying days at firms that require closed profit of at least 0.5%. Check the definition before you plan the evaluation.
- Hedging you did not think was hedging. Long gold and short a gold-heavy pair, long EURUSD and short USDCHF, or two accounts run in opposite directions. Correlated offsets are hedges at most firms.
Where Dolvero stands out
Put the eleven rule sets side by side and a pattern appears: most firms are lenient on the evaluation and tighten up once you are funded, which is the moment the rules start to matter. Dolvero runs the same rule set on both stages, publishes every change in a public changelog and locks the rules for existing accounts from the day they start. The numbers that decide whether an evaluation is fair are on the friendly side of the table.
- Time limit
- Noneon every phase
- Consistency rule
- Noneon the 2-Step
- Inactivity rule
- Noneon the 2-Step
- Max drawdown
- 10% staticnever trails your equity
- Profit split
- 80%90% with the add-on
- Payout release
- 24 hto the payment provider, every 14 days
- Fee refund
- 2nd payoutall challenge types
- Rules
- Lockedfrom day one, public changelog
The stricter items, the 30-minute news window, the Friday close and the 2% cap per idea, are each answered by an add-on, so the rule set adapts to the trader rather than the other way round.
Frequently asked questions
Which prop firms allow news trading in 2026?
Funded Trading Plus allows it without a window. Goat Funded Trader allows it with profit capped at 1% of initial balance around red-folder events. FTMO, FundedNext, FundingPips, E8 and Alpha Capital allow it on the evaluation but restrict a 2 to 5 minute window on funded accounts. Dolvero applies one clear 30-minute window around every high-impact event on both stages, and the News Trading add-on removes it completely.
Is hedging allowed at prop firms?
Hedging across accounts is prohibited at every firm in this comparison. Inside one account it is allowed at FTMO, FundedNext, The5ers, E8, Alpha Capital and Funded Trading Plus, and prohibited at Dolvero and Goat Funded Trader.
Can I use an EA on a prop firm challenge?
Most firms allow expert advisors with conditions. Maven does not permit them at all, FundedNext prohibits them on accounts of $50,000 and above, Alpha Capital and FundingPips limit them to risk management tools. Dolvero allows EAs after a 24 to 48 hour review on MT5 and without approval on crypto evaluations.
What counts as a trading day at a prop firm?
It depends on the firm. FTMO and FundedNext count any day with a trade. Dolvero, The5ers, Maven and Goat Funded Trader count only days that close with a profit of at least 0.5% of the starting balance.
How often do prop firm rules change?
Several of the pages cited here were updated within the last 60 days, including FTMO's news rule (3 September 2026), FundedNext's weekend rule (8 September 2026) and The5ers' 2-Step specifications (7 September 2026). Dolvero publishes every change in a public rules changelog and locks the rules for existing accounts from the day they start.
Every Dolvero rule, in plain language
The full rule set for 2-Step, 1-Step and Instant Funding, with examples on a $100,000 account, is public and versioned.
- FTMO: news, weekend, forbidden practices, trading objectives, consistency, payouts
- FundedNext help center: news, weekend, hedging and prohibited, EAs and trading days, copy trading, inactivity, profit split
- FundingPips help center (values from search snippets of the official pages): news and weekend, 2 Step Standard, conduct
- The5ers: High Stakes, general rules, 2-Step specifications, prohibited practices, copy trading
- E8 Markets help center (values from search snippets): E8 Classic, trading policies, best day rule
- Alpha Capital Group help center: news, weekend, hedging, EAs, copy trading, inactivity, daily risk, payouts
- FXIFY: strategies, copy trading, assessment rules, Two Phase
- Maven Trading: FAQ
- Goat Funded Trader help center: news, hedging, EAs, signals, 2 Step GOAT, trading day
- Funded Trading Plus help center: 2-Step Classic, risk review policy, copy trading, consistency, profit split
- Dolvero: Trading rules and FAQ, rules changelog
