[September 2026] Expected Value Summary: 5 Futures Prop Firms Where Self-Built Bots Are Allowed — TradeDay and Topstep Win at Zero Edge, Bulenox/Topstep/Tradeify Win With Edge
⚠ Pricing and rules for each firm were confirmed on official sites and help centers between September 23–25, 2026. These numbers are Monte Carlo simulation results and don't guarantee future performance. Detailed calculations for each firm are in their individual articles.
📢 Advertising / affiliate disclosure: This site does not hold any affiliate links for futures-focused firms.
TL;DR
- The scope is the firms from the full rules audit of automated trading at 28 futures prop firms rated "self-built only, with conditions (Category B)" that are still open for new purchases (YRM stopped new sales in September 2026)
- At zero edge, TradeDay Quick Pay Intraday (+$2,522) and Topstep (+$2,519) lead. But TradeDay caps out at a 50% split and a $10,000 lifetime cap per account, so winning further doesn't grow the payout
- At "medium" edge, Bulenox Qualification (+$25,529), Topstep (+$24,982), and Tradeify Select Daily (+$24,218) are nearly tied
- None of them reach Category A's FTMO Futures Pro (+$4,836 at zero edge, +$26,306 at "medium")
- The Trading Pit is the only firm that explicitly allows VPS. TradeDay and Topstep ban it, Bulenox has no stated policy, and Tradeify says "no VPS for login, but trading is allowed at your own risk"
Comparing the 5 firms ($50K)
| Firm | Best plan by expected value | Price | Automated trading conditions | VPS | Trustpilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulenox | Momentum (EOD type) / Qualification (EOD type) | One-time $143 / $175 + $148 on passing | Self-built only. Off-the-shelf, shared, or rented bots banned. Third-party API costs $100/month | No policy stated | 4.7 |
| Tradeify | Growth / Select Daily | One-time $145 / $165 | Ownership must be proven via a live video. Using the same bot at multiple firms is banned | No login via VPS; trading allowed at your own risk | 4.4 |
| TradeDay | Quick Pay Intraday / Fast Pass EOD | $59/month / $85/month (stops once you pass) | Self-built using the built-in features of supported platforms. No API, no off-the-shelf bots | Banned | 4.6 |
| The Trading Pit | Futures Prime | One-time $99 | Self-built EA allowed. Others' signals and HFT banned | Explicitly allowed | Suspended |
| Topstep | Plans with an activation fee | $49/month (stops once you pass) + $149 on passing | Via the TopstepX API ($29/month). Not allowed on live accounts | Banned (home PC only) | 3.6 |
Two "best plans" are listed where the ranking flips between zero edge and having edge (zero edge on the left, with edge on the right).
Assumptions (common to all firms)
- One trade per trading day on micro gold (MGC). With a 0.6% stop-loss, the loss on 0.10 lots (1 MGC contract) is $262
- Standardized at $50K, 0.30 lots
- The same lot size is used before and after passing. 1 year (252 trading days). Profit left in the account after the year, and anything after moving to a live account, isn't counted
- On failure, reset; if you lose a passed account, rebuy
- Fees are each firm's official values (MGC round trip: Bulenox $1.52, Tradeify $2.12, TradeDay $2.40, Topstep $1.92; for The Trading Pit, assumed at $1.82, based on $0.40 round trip plus exchange fees)
- Prices are list price (no time-limited coupons used). Instant-funding plans (Tradeify Lightning, Bulenox Fast Track) are excluded
Result 1: Zero edge (someone who neither wins nor loses)
| Rank | Firm & plan | Annual expected value | Probability of ending positive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TradeDay Quick Pay Intraday | +$2,522 | 85% |
| 2 | Topstep | +$2,519 | 71% |
| 3 | Bulenox Momentum (EOD type) | +$2,047 | 58% |
| 4 | The Trading Pit Futures Prime | +$1,345 | 57% |
| 5 | Tradeify Growth | +$1,255 | 52% |
| Reference | FTMO Futures Pro (Category A) | +$4,836 | 89% |
TradeDay Quick Pay is cheap at $59/month, and once you pass, you can withdraw immediately on any winning day, letting you recover money little by little before you ever lose the account. That's why even someone slightly losing (−0.04R) still came out at +$1,394 for the year.
Result 2: "Medium" edge (55% win rate, 1.2 reward-to-risk)
| Rank | Firm & plan | Annual expected value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bulenox Qualification (EOD type) | +$25,529 |
| 2 | Topstep | +$24,982 |
| 3 | Tradeify Select Daily | +$24,218 |
| 4 | The Trading Pit Futures Prime | +$21,491 |
| 5 | TradeDay Fast Pass EOD | +$9,920 |
| Reference | FTMO Futures Pro (Category A) | +$26,306 |
With edge, plans with a looser payout cap pull ahead. Bulenox Qualification has no cap from the 4th payout onward, and the first $10,000 is at a 100% split. TradeDay, by contrast, has Quick Pay capped at a 50% split and a $10,000 lifetime total, and Fast Pass moves to a live account on the 5th payout (ending the sim account), so even with edge it stays around $10K/year.
Result 3: "Small" edge (50% win rate, 1.2 reward-to-risk)
| Firm & plan | Annual expected value |
|---|---|
| Topstep | +$8,651 |
| Bulenox Momentum (EOD type) | +$8,370 |
| Bulenox Qualification (EOD type) | +$8,189 |
| Tradeify Select Daily | +$7,814 |
| The Trading Pit Futures Prime | +$7,078 |
| TradeDay Quick Pay Intraday | +$4,529 |
Compared with Category A
| $50K, 0.30 lots | Zero edge | "Medium" edge | VPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| FTMO Futures Pro (A) | +$4,836 | +$26,306 | Explicitly allowed |
| BluSky Propel (A) | +$2,988 | +$19,339 | Not stated |
| TradeDay Quick Pay Intraday (B) | +$2,522 | +$8,424 | Banned |
| Topstep (B) | +$2,519 | +$24,982 | Banned |
| Bulenox Qualification (B) | +$432 | +$25,529 | No policy stated |
| The Trading Pit (B) | +$1,345 | +$21,491 | Explicitly allowed |
The difference between Category A and Category B is "what conditions the bot has to meet," not expected value itself. Even looking at expected value alone, Category A's FTMO Futures Pro takes the top spot at both zero edge and with edge.
How to choose if you run a bot
| Condition | Where to go |
|---|---|
| Want to run it on a VPS | The Trading Pit (the only explicit allowance in Category B). If you're open to Category A, FTMO Futures |
| Can run it on a home PC | TradeDay and Topstep are also candidates (both ban VPS) |
| Using the same bot at another firm too | Not allowed at Tradeify (bans use across multiple firms). TradeDay: "if multiple users are making the same trades, all accounts are suspended" |
| Want to use an off-the-shelf EA | Not allowed at any of the 5 |
| Not confident in your edge | TradeDay Quick Pay Intraday or Topstep — though Category A's FTMO Futures Pro still beats both |
| Have edge | Bulenox Qualification (EOD type), Topstep, or Tradeify Select Daily |
Not included in this calculation
- Execution slippage
- Withdrawal delays at each firm, or account suspensions at the firm's discretion (The Trading Pit's Trustpilot rating is currently suspended)
- What happens to your take after moving to a live account (TradeDay, Bulenox, and Tradeify either cap out on the sim account or aren't counted after the transition)
- Instant-funding plans
Individual articles
- I calculated Bulenox's expected value
- I calculated Tradeify's expected value
- I calculated TradeDay's expected value
- I calculated The Trading Pit Futures' expected value
- I calculated Topstep's expected value
- Category A: Expected value summary: 6 futures prop firms where automated trading is allowed
Simulation scripts: scripts/sim-futures-b-ev.py (Bulenox, Tradeify, TradeDay, The Trading Pit), scripts/sim-topstep-ev.py (Topstep)
Written by
Hosono P | the prop firm strategist
I buy challenges with my own money and record everything through to the payout. Recorded payouts: ¥6.1M in total from Fintokei, Fundora and Funded7, plus $4,776 from The5ers (as of September 2026). Author of the semi-discretionary EA "ELDRA".