[September 2026 Edition] A Full Review of Automated-Trading Rules Across 28 Futures Prop Firms - Where Can You Actually Run a Bot, EA, or Copy Trade?

* This article reflects a re-read of each firm's official help center, terms, and pricing pages as of September 21, 2026 (FTMO Futures and The5ers Futures were added on September 22, 2026). Apex, Bulenox, Tradeify, Lucid, and BluSky were confirmed directly on their official pages using a real browser; other firms are based on what we could retrieve from their official pages. Where an official page could not be retrieved, we've marked it "unconfirmed" or "third-party information." Rules change month to month, so always re-check the official links in this article before purchasing.

📢 Advertising/affiliate disclosure: This site does not hold affiliate links for any futures prop firms. Every link in this article is an ordinary link to an official site.

TL;DR: "Futures Props Ban EAs" Is No Longer True, But "Allowed" Comes in 5 Different Flavors

• 6 firms explicitly state you can run a bot with no human present: Lucid Trading, BluSky, FundedNext Futures, MyFundedFutures, FTMO Futures, and Funded Futures Network. FFN's permission, however, comes "at the firm's discretion"
• 6 firms allow self-built bots only, with heavy conditions: Bulenox (as of its September 2026 FAQ, bans commercial, shared, rented, and publicly distributed automation tools - "third-party algos OK" is a thing of the past), Tradeify (requires submitting a live video of you personally launching the code on your own PC), TradeDay (bans off-the-shelf bots, bans VPS), The Trading Pit (self-built EA only, VPS allowed), Topstep (bots allowed via API, but VPS, VPN, and remote servers are banned - i.e. your home PC only, and it's not available on live accounts), and YRM Prop (requires approval, and is currently not selling new accounts anyway)
• 4 firms explicitly allow "semi-automated" only: Alpha Futures, Aqua Futures, Phidias, and Top One Futures. All of them require "a human present, placing and managing orders manually" - leaving it unattended isn't allowed
• 8 firms explicitly ban it: Apex (as of Apex 4.0 in March 2026, its prohibited-activities list explicitly states "automated trading and algo use is not allowed." The May version's "evaluation is OK" is out of step with the current rules), E8 Futures (bans even semi-automated), Leeloo, Elite Trader Funding (banned unless written approval is given, plus a VPS/VPN ban), Take Profit Trader, DayTraders.com, TickTick Trader (whose support is also down), and The5ers Futures (its official FAQ says "strictly forbidden - discovery means you'll be banned")
• 4 firms have no official written policy: Earn2Trade (though copy tools are banned in every phase), OneUp Trader, UProfit (VPS/VPN are banned, making it effectively impossible anyway), and Legends Trading
• Gone or halted: Funding Ticks (shut down January 2026), Rev One Trading (shut down in August), YRM Prop (stopped selling new accounts in September), TickTick Trader (support returns a 404, no replies), and TopTier → TX3 (futures sales currently suspended)
• Japan is off the restricted-country list at 25 of the 28 firms (confirmed against official lists). UProfit and TickTick's official lists couldn't be read and remain unconfirmed; Legends is third-party information only
• Two big FX firms have also entered futures, with opposite policies. FTMO Futures explicitly allows algos and EAs, while The5ers Futures explicitly bans them. See How Do The5ers Futures and FTMO Futures Compare? for details

First, Breaking Down What "Automated Trading OK" Actually Means, Into 5 Tiers

Reading through each firm's rules, the same word - "automated" - turns out to mean completely different things. This article sorts firms into the following 5 tiers.

There's one more practical dividing line: whether VPS is allowed. If you want to run a bot 24 hours a day, hosting it on a VPS is the normal approach, but Topstep, TradeDay, Elite Trader Funding, UProfit, and DayTraders.com all ban VPS. For Topstep and TradeDay - where "bots are OK but VPS isn't" - your only real option is leaving a home PC running.

Conclusion: The Verdict on All 28 Firms (September 21-22, 2026)

* Fees are as displayed on each firm's official pricing page or official help center as of September 21, 2026 (September 22 for FTMO Futures and The5ers Futures). The figure after "→" is the price after applying whatever discount code was posted on the site that same day. Trustpilot "suspended" means the rating has been hidden for a "guideline violation."

What Changed From the May Version

Compared to our site's Futures Prop Automated-Trading Policy Comparison (May 2026 edition), here's what changed in our conclusions, up front.

Tier A: Fully Automated OK (Even With No Human Present)

Lucid Trading

• Policy: "Automated trading systems and trade copiers are permitted, but traders are responsible for any software errors or unintended outcomes." (Other Activities). No distinction between evaluation and funded, no proof of ownership or approval needed
• Restrictions: HFT gets a written warning on the first offense, then forfeited profit, account closure, and a permanent ban from the second onward (Prohibited: HFT). Microscalping is flagged when "over 50% of profit comes from trades held 5 seconds or less" (same page, Microscalping). Hedging across multiple accounts is banned even between your own accounts
• VPS/VPN: Not mentioned in the help articles we could retrieve
• Plans (measured on the official site): $50K Flex, list $146 → limited-time $105.20 → $90.20 with a checkout coupon. $50K Pro, list $192 → $140.40 → $115.40. Both are one-time purchases with no activation fee, an EOD trailing $2,000 drawdown, and a $3,000 target. Flex has a 50% consistency rule during evaluation (none once funded); Pro has none during evaluation (40% once funded)
• Caveat: Trustpilot is 4.4 (5,994 reviews), but several 1-star reviews from September 2026 report accounts being closed during payout review over "coordinated trading between multiple users." Make sure you're never in a position where the same bot could be suspected of being shared with someone else. It dropped ProjectX in January 2026, and now runs on Rithmic-based platforms (NinjaTrader, Quantower, Sierra, MotiveWave, etc.) plus Tradovate/TradingView
• Japan: Not on the restricted-country list (81 countries)

BluSky Trading

• Policy: Official blog: "Automated trading with bots are allowed. We welcome all kind semi-automated and full automated." (June 2024). The February 2026 Ethical Trading & Conduct Policy bans "automated software designed to unfairly influence outcomes (AI, ultra-high-speed, mass input)," "mirroring another person/signal," and "exploiting latency" - it does not ban automated trading itself
• Copying: Per Multiple Accounts / Copy Trading (April 30, 2026), copiers are allowed on all plans. Up to 3 funded accounts, up to 2 live accounts. Opposite-direction positions in the same instrument get "permanently closed by the broker, no exceptions"
• Plans (measured on the official site): $50K Launch, $59/30 days + $99 at launch. Evaluation target is $3,000, EOD trailing drawdown $2,000, consistency 50%; the buffer stage has a 34% consistency rule; funded is 90/10 with daily payouts on weekdays
• Unconfirmed: There's no official statement on whether bots can be used at the live broker stage (via Tradovate/Sweet Futures)
• Japan: Not on the restricted-country list (~100 countries)

FundedNext Futures

• Policy: "FundedNext Futures allows the use of automated trading systems, including Expert Advisors (EAs) and trading bots, during both the Challenge Phase and on FundedNext Accounts." (official help, updated April 9, 2026). Its terms state: "we may require traders to disclose their execution systems, and traders are obligated to comply"
• Difference from the CFD side: The same FundedNext brand banned EAs entirely on accounts of $50,000 or more, on the CFD side, on September 8, 2026 (breaking news article). The futures-side help has no size restriction and still says "allowed" as of September 21. The two sides of the same brand have opposite policies, so reading the CFD article doesn't mean you should give up on futures
• Bans: HFT (article), tick scalping, latency arbitrage, grid trading, spoofing, and cross-account inverse hedging (prohibited list revised September 10, 2026). Microscalping is defined as "trades held under 10 seconds accounting for 40%+ of trade count or profit"
• VPS/VPN: The help center allows both (April 7, 2026). However, the terms say "you must not use different IPs without prior approval," which contradicts the help center. Using a VPS with a fixed IP is the safer route
• Copying: Copying across your own accounts is allowed both within FundedNext and with other firms (as long as the name matches). Copying from someone else's account is banned even via an automated tool
• Plans: $50K Flex, list $133.99 → $69.99 one-time with FNFLEX. Target $2,500, EOD trailing drawdown $1,500, no daily loss, 40% consistency during evaluation, 95% split. First payout requires 5 benchmark days plus $500 profit, capped at 50% of profit (max $1,500)
• Japan: Not on the restricted-country list. Has a machine-translated Japanese UI at /ja/futures

MyFundedFutures (MFFU)

• Status: Its sister CFD company MyFundedFX (→ Seacrest) disappeared in 2026, but MFFU is a separate entity and was operating normally as of September 21, 2026 (confirmed via its site, plans, and recent Trustpilot reviews)
• Policy: "Traders may make use of automated trading strategies tailored to their own specific settings so long as these automated tools do not aim to exploit the favorable fills offered in the Simulated Environment." (Fair Play and Prohibited Trading Practices). HFT is banned. Live accounts must follow CME guidelines
• Caveat: The widely-quoted claims online - "fully autonomous bots with no human oversight are banned" and "over 200 trades a day counts as HFT" - don't appear on the official pages we read this time (they're third-party site summaries). The official wording is "automated strategies tailored to your own settings," and doesn't directly address whether leaving it fully unattended is allowed
• Copying: Copying between accounts belonging to different people is banned. There's no official statement about copying between your own accounts (third parties say it's allowed)
• Plans: $50K Pro, list $265 → $159 one-time with CLUB, no activation fee. EOD trailing drawdown $2,000, target $3,000, no daily loss, 50% consistency during evaluation (none once funded), payouts every 14 days, 80/20 split. Rapid ($125) offers daily payouts and a 90/10 split, but with an intraday trailing drawdown
• Platform: Tradovate (including via NinjaTrader/TradingView), Quantower, DeepChart. Trustpilot 4.9 / 21,857
• Japan: Not on the restricted-country list (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Malaysia are restricted)

FTMO Futures

• Policy: "Your trading style is up to you. … we have no reasons for limiting or restricting your trading strategy, whether it's discretionary trading, algorithmic trading or EAs." (futures-specific FAQ). There's no distinction between evaluation and funded
• Two conditions apply: The same FAQ states that "third-party EAs may risk your funded account being rejected, since other people may be using the same strategy - we don't allow copying across registrations and require a proprietary strategy," and "there's an API limit on order count." This effectively assumes a self-built EA, and a design built to fire off high-frequency orders will need to be reworked
• Plans (measured on the official site): $50K comes in Growth at $119/month (target $3,000, max loss $2,000, soft $1,000 daily loss on funded accounts only, $2,500 payout cap, 40% consistency during evaluation only, payouts every 4 days) and Pro at $139/month (max loss $3,000, hard $1,000 daily loss, $5,000 payout cap, 50% consistency during evaluation only, payouts every 5 days). No activation fee, no minimum trading days, no time limit, 90% split
• Pro is the better value per drawdown dollar. Per $1,000 of drawdown, Growth costs $59.5/month vs. Pro's $46.3/month. Target-to-drawdown ratio is also 1.5x for Growth vs. 1.0x for Pro
• Being a monthly fee, however many months it takes you to pass gets multiplied in. If you clear it in one month, it's on par with the one-time-fee firms; take 4 months and it falls to the bottom tier
• Explicitly allows VPS and VPN ("Using a VPN/VPS is also allowed…"). Copying between your own accounts is also explicitly allowed. FundedNext Futures and this one are the only two firms for serious traders that explicitly allow VPS
• Day-trading only. All positions must be closed by 5:10 AM JST the next morning (6:10 AM during US winter time), or they're force-closed
• Platform: NinjaTrader / Tradovate / TradingView. All auto-provisioned with the same credentials
• Three-stage structure (Evaluation → Sim-Funded → Live Funded). Live is invite-only; once accepted, payouts are daily with no cap, but a market data fee applies
• Japan: The official FAQ explicitly states "worldwide, with exceptions." Exclusions include certain US states, minors, and people on sanctions lists. Trustpilot 4.8 / 52,613 (company-wide)

Funded Futures Network (FFN)

• Policy: "Q: Can I use my trading bot? Automated trading is allowed but at the discretion of FFN." "HFT bots or exploiting the sim environment will cost you account access." (official FAQ). Being permission "at the firm's discretion" makes it the weakest of the Tier A firms
• Copying: Up to 5 simultaneous accounts on the same instrument. Exceed that and every related account fails
• Plans: $50K MAX, $160/month (shown on the site as $80) + $120 activation once funded. EOD trailing drawdown $2,000, minimum 5 days, 40% consistency once funded, 80/20 split (90/10 live). Added STEADY on July 1 ($229, 52% consistency, no activation fee, 90/10)
• Caveat: Trustpilot is 3.8 / 488, with reports of lag on its own Onyx platform and payouts delayed by 2-3 weeks. The firm replies to only 3% of its negative reviews
• Japan: Not on the Article 12.1: Country Restrictions list (23 countries)

Tier B: Self-Built Only, With Conditions on Ownership Proof and Where It Runs

Bulenox (Off-the-Shelf Bots Are Now Banned)

• Policy (confirmed on the official FAQ with a real browser on September 21, 2026): "Yes. Bots, algorithms and trade copiers are permitted. If you connect to Rithmic through a third-party API or composite software, an additional $100 per month applies. Only user-built tools intended solely for the account owner's personal use are permitted. Commercial, shared, rented or publicly distributed automation tools are not allowed."
• In other words: Self-built bots and personal copiers are allowed. Purchased EAs, rented bots, and systems distributed through communities are not. The "third-party algos OK" claim in our May version and in our Bulenox complete guide doesn't match the current FAQ
• API fee: Connecting to Rithmic via a third-party API or composite software (e.g. TradersPost) costs $100/month. Not needed if you run it via the built-in features of a supported platform like NinjaTrader or Quantower
• Account count: Up to 5 accounts combined across Master, Fast Track, and Momentum Master; unlimited for Qualification - all under one Rithmic user ID
• Plans (official help center): Ended monthly billing on August 17, 2026. $50K is Momentum, $143 one-time (target $3,000, choose a trailing or EOD $2,250 drawdown, 35% consistency, free Master activation) / Qualification $175 (30 days) + $148 Master activation / Fast Track $488 (no evaluation). The first $10K is 100% split, then 90/10. Coupon: BULENOX (banner claims "best discount auto-applied" - the May version's KEP91 no longer appears on the site)
• Platform: Rithmic-based only (NinjaTrader, R|Trader Pro, Quantower, Sierra, MultiCharts, ATAS, Bookmap, etc.). Tradovate and TradingView are not supported
• Japan: Not on the official FAQ's restricted-country list (100+ countries; China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau are restricted). Trustpilot 4.7 / 1,789

Tradeify (Proof of Ownership via Live Video)

• Policy (Guidelines for Traders, confirmed September 21, 2026): "Ownership: You must be able to prove that you are the sole owner of the bot or strategy, and that no one else has access to or is using it. We scan to ensure there are no similar orders on other accounts. We will also require a live video of you enabling the code on your own PC." "Exclusive Use: using the same bot at another firm is a violation." "Personal bots are allowed as long as they are not HFT bots"
• Funded Trader Agreement (revised May 2026) explicitly states it "applies to Evaluation, Sim Funded, and Elite Live accounts alike"
• The 10-second rule: applies to funded accounts only. Unless "over 50% of trades held over 10 seconds" and "over 50% of profit from trades held over 10 seconds" are both satisfied, you can't request a payout (it doesn't fail you). Doesn't apply during evaluation
• Copying: Mutual copying with someone else is banned. Copying between your own accounts is allowed (up to 5 via Tradovate group trading)
• Plans (official help center pricing table): $50K Growth, $145 one-time, no activation fee (EOD trailing drawdown $2,000, target $3,000, soft $1,250 daily loss, 35% consistency once funded, minimum 1 day). Select 40% is $165 / Select 50% is $205 (no daily loss, evaluation consistency only). Site-wide code SEP gives 40% off (up to 5 times, then 30%). Split is 90/10, up to 5 funded accounts
• Caveat: Trustpilot 4.5 / 4,689, but recent 1-star reviews frequently cite "closed during re-KYC right before payout." Launched its own broker, Slay Markets (an NFA-registered IB), in May 2026
• Japan: Not on the official restricted-country list (66 countries)

TradeDay (Off-the-Shelf Bots Banned, VPS Banned)

• Policy (Automated, Algo and Bot Trading, November 28, 2025): Automated trading must be done via NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView, Jigsaw, or Quantower. "TradeDay does not expose the Tradovate API." "Algos and Bots purchased from a third party and employed by the trader are forbidden." "If multiple users are making the same trades, then all the accounts will be shut down"
• VPS: "TradeDay does not allow the use of virtual private servers (VPS)" (article). IP masking (including Apple Private Relay) must be turned off at the time of moving to funded, requesting a payout, or reaching $10K profit, and you must trade a full day from your registered address. Failing to comply means closure
• HFT: Banned above 200 trades a day. Extreme high-frequency scalping bots are also banned
• Copying: Copying from your own account or another firm's evaluation account into TradeDay is allowed. Between funded sim accounts, up to 2-3; not allowed between funded live and funded sim. Max 10 accounts total (10 evaluation, 5 sim, 5 live)
• Plans: $50K, $131/month → $59 with TDNEW, no activation fee, $59 reset. EOD trailing drawdown $2,000, target $3,000, no daily loss. Quick Pay requires 30% consistency and a minimum of 5 days; Fast Pass requires 45% and 3 days (revised July 26, 2026). Split is 50/50 up to $4K profit, then 80/20, 90/10 once live
• Japan: Not on the restricted-country list (~80 countries). Trustpilot 4.6 / 1,434

The Trading Pit (Self-Built EA OK, VPS OK)

• Policy: "Yes, we allow you to trade using your own Expert Advisor (EA), as long as it does not …" (bans copying someone else's signals, latency/hedging/arbitrage/HFT, emulators) (official support). Its terms ban "an EA used simultaneously by multiple traders." VPS: "Yes, we allow the use of a VPS for your Expert Advisor"
• Copying: Up to 5 of your own accounts (not allowed between the Challenge stage and the Earning stage)
• Plans: $50K Futures Prime, $99 one-time, $129 activation fee shown as waived. Daily Pause $1,000, EOD trailing drawdown $2,000, target $3,000, 80% split, minimum 3 days, 40% consistency (evaluation only, since July 14, 2026). Payouts every 7 days after 5 profitable days, capped at 50% of realized profit ($2,500)
• Caveat: Trustpilot rating is suspended (guideline violation, 1,071 reviews). Third parties report that Daily Pause was removed for accounts opened after March 6, 2026, but it's still on the product page, so this is unconfirmed
• Japan: Not on the restricted-country list

Topstep (Bots OK, But Home PC Only - Not Available on Live)

• Policy: TopstepX API Access: "Custom automated strategies and bots are allowed via the TopstepX / ProjectX API, subject to standard platform rules and our prohibition on HFT." But the same article also says: "All trading activity must originate from your personal device. The use of VPS, VPNs, and remote servers is prohibited." What's allowed server-side is limited to storing data, backtesting, logging, and a read-only dashboard - an automated trigger that reaches an order endpoint is banned
• Live: "The API Gateway is built for the simulated environment and isn't available on Live, so automated strategies are not possible at this time in the Live Funded Account" (Live Funded Account Parameters). In other words, it's Combine and Express Funded Account (sim) only
• Banned strategies (revised June 10, 2026): scalping/algos aimed at unrealistic sim fills, hundreds of rapid-fire orders, trades whose "average hold time is seconds rather than minutes," and extremely tight brackets or automated breakeven moves aimed at exploiting favorable sim fills
• Copying: Combine and XFA only. Follower accounts are automatically unlinked at payout request. Trade Copier is not allowed on Live (though the LFA parameters article still says "can be duplicated with a copier," an internal contradiction)
• Plans: $50K Combine, $49/month + $149 activation (or $95/month with no activation fee). API is $29/month. EOD trailing drawdown $2,000, daily loss $1,000, target $3,000, minimum 2 days. XFA lets you withdraw up to 50% of balance after 5 winning days ($150+ each); NAF 50K/100K accounts opened on or after April 28, 2026 have a $2,000 cap. Split has been 90/10 from day one since January 12, 2026
• Caveat: Trustpilot is 3.6 / 14,812 (dropped sharply from 4.5 after 11 TopstepX outages and forced closures in October-December 2025). Acquired Topstep Brokerage (a CFTC-registered IB) in January 2026 and The Futures Desk in April. New Combines have only run on TopstepX since July 2025
• Japan: Not on the excluded list

YRM Prop (Requires Approval, Not Currently Selling)

• Policy (revised August 5, 2026): "Automated trading is restricted unless explicitly approved." The approval application process isn't described. VPS/VPN were allowed as of the August revision
• Status: Stopped selling new accounts in mid-September 2026 (its homepage reads "New funded accounts are not available for purchase right now"). Payout delay notices have been up since July. Trustpilot is 3.6 / 251, with a steady stream of 1-star reviews in September citing unpaid payouts. Wait and see.

Tier C: Semi-Automated Only (A Human Must Be Present to Execute Manually)

Alpha Futures

• Policy (Prohibited Trading Practices): "The use of AI, bots, and other automated trading mechanisms is strictly prohibited across all account types." "Semi-Automated Trading, such as a custom indicator that gives buy or sell signals, is permissible under the condition that the user manually places, monitors, and manages the trade." HFT is defined as "over 100 trades a day"; tick scalping as a persistent pattern of "under 10 ticks and under 2 minutes"
• VPS: "The use of VPS is permitted in your trading however the use of VPN attempting to hide or change you IP address is not"
• Plans: $50K Standard, $129/month (half off with the site banner APP50). EOD trailing drawdown $2,000, target $3,000, 50% evaluation consistency, minimum 2 days, 90% split, no activation fee
• Caveat: Abruptly discontinued its Premium plan when it ended its NinjaTrader/Tradovate partnership on July 12, 2026; unpaid payouts are being repaid in installments. Moved to its own AlphaTrader plus TradingView and Quantower. Trustpilot 4.4 / 5,985, carrying a "may be related to high-risk investing" banner

Aqua Futures

• Policy (Prohibited Trading Strategies): "fully automated systems, unattended algorithms, trading bots, AI-driven execution software … are banned on all accounts." "Semi-automated systems may only be used when the trader remains fully present during execution." Over 100 trades a day is not allowed (down from 200), nor is 50%+ of closed trades held under 10 seconds, 50%+ of profit from trades under 10 seconds, or an average RR of 0.3 or better
• VPS/VPN: VPN is "allowed but not recommended," VPS is "allowed, but not during KYC"
• Plans (measured on the official site): $50K Flex (with a 40% consistency add-on), list $110 → $82 one-time with FALL, shown as "100% refundable," target $3,000, up to 4 contracts. Standard has an EOD trailing drawdown of $2,000, a soft $1,000 daily loss, 40% consistency once funded, no activation fee
• Caveat: Parent company AquaFunded's Trustpilot rating is suspended. The futures side sits at 3.8 / 613. Complaints about "hidden rules" recur repeatedly

Phidias Propfirm

• Policy (official rules): "The use of robots, fully automated trading algorithms, or any other form of automated trading is not permitted. Only semi-automated software is permitted, provided the trader actively monitors and manually adjusts all trades." Aggregator sites that describe it as "fully automated OK" are wrong
• Plans: $50K Express to Live, list $723 → $144.60 one-time with PHIDIAS80 (static $650 drawdown, $2,500 target, no minimum days, moves to live on first payout). Fundamental $580 → $116 (EOD trailing drawdown $2,500, target $4,000)
• Caveat: Trustpilot rating is suspended (330 reviews, 32% 1-star). Payout-refusal and ban complaints piled up in September

Top One Futures

• Policy: "At Top One Futures, we do not allow the use of Expert Advisors (EAs) or Bots on our accounts." (official). The prohibited list, revised July 30, 2026, states, "any automated trading system, script, bot, EA, or high-frequency execution tool is strictly forbidden. All trades must be entered manually or semi-manually," and explicitly names "publicly sold/purchased systems marketed as passing the evaluation." All that's allowed is NinjaTrader's ATM (locally-run stop/take-profit management)
• Other rules: Minimum hold time of 10 seconds, VPN banned, VPS requires pre-declaring a static IP (submit the IP and an invoice). Self-copying is only allowed between accounts of "the same plan and same size"
• Plans: $50K Elite Access, list $218 → $39 one-time with BOGO, $189 activation fee, EOD trailing drawdown $2,000, daily loss $1,000, 40% funded consistency, payouts after 5 profitable days plus a $2,000 buffer, 90/10
• Japan: Not on the restricted-country list; the site has a Japanese-language toggle. Trustpilot 4.8 / 4,961

Tier D: Explicitly Banned

Apex Trader Funding

• Policy (confirmed against Prohibited Activities with a real browser on September 21, 2026): "No Automation or Algorithm Usage allowed: Rewards are intended to recognize human traders actively participating in the learning process, not to reward automated systems executing preprogrammed logic." The same page also bans HFT, copying with others, hedging, and VPNs/proxies/cloud servers used to conceal activity. There's no distinction between evaluation and funded - the prohibitions apply to every account (the EOD PA rules page even references "must follow Prohibited Activities")
• Difference from the May version: Our May version said "evaluation bots are OK," but that was information from before Apex 4.0 (March 1, 2026). The current prohibited list makes no exception for evaluation. The wording allowing ATM or webhooks "while a human supervises" is only quoted by third-party sites, and doesn't appear on the official pages we could read this time
• Plans (measured on the official site): $50K Intraday Trail, list $249 → $24.90 with SAVENOW; EOD Trail, list $550 → $55 (drawdown $2,000, daily loss $1,000, target $3,000, minimum 1 day, one-time, expires after 30 days, no reset). PA activation fee is third-party info at $79/$99. PA has 50% consistency, payouts every 5 trading days, shown as "100% Requested Rewards"
• Caveat: Trustpilot 4.2 / 21,062. The class action Riot v. Apex, filed December 2024 (Western District of Texas), was still pending as of August 2026
• Japan: Not on the official restricted-country list (~90 countries). However, being physically present in a restricted country automatically halts trading, payouts, and purchases on your existing accounts too (no exceptions) - watch out if you're traveling

E8 Futures

• Policy (Trading Policies, revised August 16, 2026): "Semi-Automated or Fully-Automated Trading, such as trading bots, AI tools, and HFT trading (more than 300 trades per day) are prohibited." Violation means removal from the program (fee refunded)
• Contradiction: A separate article says copying between your own accounts is "allowed," even though a copier is itself a form of automation - the two don't line up
• Plans: $50K Signature, list $160 → $120 one-time with E8. Tradovate only. Trustpilot rating is suspended (3,298 reviews)

Leeloo Trading

• Policy (April 4, 2026): "If you're pushing the buttons, you're in control - and that's what matters most. If a system is trading for you, it's not allowed." Bans automated entries, automated closes, copying external signals, and server-side DCA. Indicators and manual scaling are allowed
• Caveat: Trustpilot 3.1 / 608, with its most recent review dating to June 2026 and ongoing complaints of payouts cut 40-60% for "consistency" reasons. $50K Launch is $280/month (with a standing promo)

Elite Trader Funding

• Policy (ToS, updated August 14, 2026): AI, bots, automated trading systems, and copiers are banned unless "expressly authorized in writing by ETF." VPN, TOR, VPS, and proxies are also banned. Every trade must be held at least 10 seconds. Violation triggers a clause requiring you to return the past 12 months of payouts
• Copying: Only 4 approved products (Tradesyncer, Tradecopia, Affordable Indicators, Replikanto Compliance Edition) plus Tradovate group trading
• Plans (official site): EOD is "first month free, then $87/month," with an activation fee ranging $47-$307 by size. $50K EOD has a $2,000 drawdown, a hard $1,100 daily loss, a $3,000 target, minimum 5 days, a $47 reset, 8 eligible days before the first payout, and a $3,000 cap per cycle
• Caveat: Sim-funded accounts are designed with a lifetime $25K payout cap that pushes you to move to LIVE ELITE. Trustpilot 3.8 / 1,157. Japan is explicitly listed as supported

Take Profit Trader

• Policy (Universal Trading Policies, March 6, 2026): "Automated trading systems, bots, or algorithmic execution tools are not permitted." PRO rules also state, "All trades must be manually executed by the trader"
• Copying: A copier is allowed between your own accounts. Replikanto is allowed only in its "Compliance Edition"
• Plans: $50K Test, $170/month + $130 PRO activation (40% off permanently plus the activation fee waived with NOFEE40). Trustpilot 4.4 / 10,641

DayTraders.com

• Policy: Its HFT article states "Manual Trading Required"; its ToU states "Using any VPN or VPS on Accounts is strictly prohibited." There's no wording explicitly allowing automated trading - the only sanctioned automation is its official copier (rTrader Pro Copier, $10/month, Onyx)
• Plans: $50K, about $105 one-time + $5 activation (third-party info). Rithmic-based only, NinjaTrader not supported. Trustpilot 4.6 / 492

The5ers Futures

• Policy: The product page's "Trading Style Restrictions" states high-frequency trading, algorithmic trading, and hedging are not supported, and the FAQ on the same page is even more direct. To "Is high-frequency trading, algorithmic trading, or hedging allowed?" it answers "No. These practices are strictly forbidden. Any trader found using them will be banned from our programs." (product page)
• Plans (measured on the official site): Day Trade is a one-time purchase - $25K $59 / $50K $100 / $100K $170 / $150K $199. Swing is $25K $69 / $50K $120. Target is 6% during evaluation → 4% once funded, max loss is 4% EOD, consistency is 40%, no activation fee, no time limit, the full challenge fee is refunded on your 3rd payout, split is fixed at 80/20, scales up to $500K
• Daily loss applies only to $100K and $150K, at 2.5%. $25K and $50K have no daily loss restriction
• The 40% consistency rule stays in effect both during evaluation and once funded (FTMO's applies only during evaluation)
• A good product for discretionary swing traders - overnight holds and news trading are both allowed. However, EA traders are excluded
• The supported platform is reportedly BlackArrow (third-party information, provisional). It's not stated on the official site and hasn't been confirmed firsthand
• Japan: Restricted-country list not yet confirmed. Trustpilot 4.7 / ~37,500 (company-wide)

TickTick Trader (Not Recommended for Purchase)

• Status: As of September 21, 2026, the official site couldn't be retrieved, the support portal returns a 404, and the app throws a Cloudflare error. The firm's Trustpilot replies stopped on March 13, 2026, and reports of 6-9 month payout delays continue. Automated trading is banned, per third-party information. Don't buy this one.

Tier E: No Official Written Policy

• Earn2Trade: Its prohibited-conduct list bans "software/AI/ultra-high-speed input to gain an unfair advantage," and its terms mention "bots … to automatically access or manipulate the Service," but it neither allows nor bans trading via bot outright. However, copy tools are banned in evaluation, LiveSim, and Live alike (June 22, 2026). $50K Gauntlet Mini is $170/month, EOD $2,000 + daily loss $1,100, 30% consistency. It publicly discloses a 2025 pass rate of 8.89%. Trustpilot 4.6 / 4,995
• OneUp Trader: The current rules (updated September 16, 2026) have no policy on automated trading. Trades under 10 seconds are banned. Its official blog (2021) says "algo trading is not permitted." $75/month + $75 activation, intraday trailing drawdown $2,500. Trustpilot 4.7 / 2,760
• UProfit: Only bans "automated software intended to manipulate outcomes," but VPN and VPS trigger closure of all accounts and forfeiture of profit the moment they're detected. Running a 24-hour bot is effectively impossible. Day Soft is $65/month. Trustpilot 3.3 / 6,544. Its restricted-country page returns a 404, so Japan's status is unconfirmed
• Legends Trading: Searching its help center for "automated" or "bot" turns up no matching articles (confirmed September 21, 2026). Third parties describe it as "restricted." $50K Apprentice is $185/month → $37 + $99 activation with LTG. Trustpilot 3.9 / 207

Firms That Have Disappeared or Halted (2026)

ProjectX ending third-party service (February 28, 2026, going Topstep-exclusive) forced Lucid, Tradeify, Top One, Alpha, TickTick, and TX3 to migrate platforms. Much of the delay and outage blamed on "mid-migration" in the first half of 2026 traces back to this.

6 Things EA Traders Need to Know

1. Check VPS policy first. Even where bots are OK, Topstep and TradeDay ban VPS, and at Elite Trader Funding, UProfit, and DayTraders.com, VPS itself is a violation. Alpha Futures allows VPS but not VPN; Top One requires pre-declaring a static IP. For 24-hour operation, candidates are Lucid, BluSky, FundedNext Futures, MFFU, The Trading Pit, and Bulenox, and only FundedNext Futures and FTMO Futures explicitly allow VPS
2. The definition of "HFT" differs by firm. Alpha Futures and Aqua use 100 trades/day, TradeDay and YRM use 200, E8 uses 300. Tradeify, Aqua, Top One, Elite, and OneUp use "10-second hold time"; Lucid uses "50%+ of profit from trades under 5 seconds." Build the trade-count and minimum-hold limits into the bot itself
3. Assume you'll be asked to prove ownership. Tradeify wants a video of you personally launching the code on your PC, FundedNext Futures requires disclosing your system, Bulenox is self-built only. Among the 26 firms we looked at this time, we found no firm where you can run an off-the-shelf, purchased EA on a futures prop (the only ones not banning it are the "not addressed" firms)
4. Every firm has an "exploiting the sim environment" clause. Strategies aimed at favorable fills, lag, or errors get profits forfeited even at permissive firms. Tick-scalping bots fall on the banned side even at Lucid, MFFU, and FundedNext
5. Don't share the same bot with anyone else. Lucid, Tradeify, and TradeDay detect "similar orders across multiple accounts" and close every account involved. Community-distributed bots get caught by this clause even at permissive firms
6. Don't confuse the CFD-side rules with the futures side. FundedNext just banned EAs above $50K on the CFD side, but still allows them on futures. Alpha Capital (CFD) bans fully automated trading, but that's a separate brand from Alpha Futures. FTMO also runs separate FAQ systems for CFD and futures, so when you land on one from a search, check whether the URL contains futures

Comparing by Expected Value (Added September 23, 2026)

We ran a one-year Monte Carlo simulation, from evaluation through payout, for the 4 major Tier A firms plus Topstep. The assumptions are the same across every firm (one trade a day in Micro Gold, a 0.6% stop loss, same lot size during evaluation and once funded).

• FTMO Futures Pro comes out on top whether you have zero edge or real edge
• The only two firms that explicitly allow VPS are FTMO Futures and FundedNext Futures. If you want to run a bot in the cloud, these two are your candidates
• Three firms (FundedNext, MyFundedFutures, Lucid) moved to one-time fees in 2026, with no activation fee either

For more detail, see FTMO Futures Expected Value, Calculated, FundedNext Futures Expected Value, Calculated, MyFundedFutures Expected Value, Calculated, Lucid Trading Expected Value, Calculated, Topstep Expected Value, Calculated, BluSky Expected Value, Calculated, and FFN Expected Value, Calculated. The 6 Tier A firms side by side are in Expected-Value Summary for 6 Futures Props That Allow Automated Trading, and the 5 Tier B firms are in Expected-Value Summary for 5 Futures Props That Allow Self-Built Bots (Bulenox, Tradeify, TradeDay, The Trading Pit).

Which One to Buy, By Use Case

• You want to turn a discretionary strategy into an EA and leave it running on a VPS → Lucid Flex ($90.20) or FundedNext Futures Flex ($69.99). If you're confident in a short-decision-window approach, FTMO Futures Pro ($139/month) is also worth considering - at $46/month per $1,000 of drawdown and a light 1.0x target-to-drawdown ratio. Both are one-time fees, no activation cost, no proof of ownership required. Lucid has reports of closures over suspected "coordinated trading," so keep your bot strictly personal
• You also want the reassurance of a major brand → MyFundedFutures Pro ($159). The biggest name, at 4.9 / 21,857 on Trustpilot. That said, the official policy is "automated strategies tailored to your own settings," so confirm with support whether fully unattended operation is OK
• You want to run a self-built NinjaTrader Strategy on Rithmic → Bulenox Momentum ($143). Off-the-shelf tools aren't allowed; a third-party API adds $100/month
• You want to run a self-built bot holding 10+ seconds and don't mind submitting a video → Tradeify Growth ($145, 40% off with SEP). The 10-second rule is a payout condition on funded accounts, not a failure condition
• You want to keep the monthly fee low and automate just the evaluation → TradeDay ($59/month). But you're limited to your home PC and off-the-shelf bots aren't allowed
• Don't buy these (if you're an EA trader) → Apex, E8 Futures, Leeloo, Elite Trader Funding, Take Profit Trader, DayTraders.com, TickTick, The5ers Futures, YRM (not currently selling)

FAQ

Q. Can I use a bot during Apex's evaluation phase?

As of September 21, 2026, Apex's official "Prohibited Activities" states "No Automation or Algorithm Usage allowed," with no distinction between evaluation and funded. Treat it as banned on all accounts, effective from Apex 4.0 (March 1, 2026).

Q. Can I use a purchased EA on Bulenox?

No. Its official FAQ states, "Only user-built tools intended solely for the account owner's personal use are permitted. Commercial, shared, rented or publicly distributed automation tools are not allowed." It's limited to something you built yourself, or something you personally tuned the parameters of for your own use.

Q. Can I put a bot on a VPS with Topstep?

No. Its API article explicitly states, "The use of VPS, VPNs, and remote servers is prohibited" under its terms, and "all trading activity must originate from your personal device." What's allowed server-side is limited to logging, backtesting, and a read-only dashboard.

Q. Didn't FundedNext ban EAs?

It banned them on the CFD side, on accounts of $50,000 or more (September 8, 2026). The futures-side help still says, as of September 21, "EAs and bots are allowed on both the Challenge and FundedNext Account," with no account-size restriction.

Q. What about the futures programs from FTMO and The5ers?

FTMO Futures explicitly allows algos and EAs, making it worth considering for EA traders. That said, off-the-shelf EAs risk having your funded account rejected, so it effectively assumes a self-built EA. The5ers Futures explicitly bans algos, so it's off the table. For a detailed comparison of the two, see How Do The5ers Futures and FTMO Futures Compare?.

Q. Are there firms you can't buy from Japan?

All 25 firms whose official lists we could confirm keep Japan off the restricted-country list. UProfit and TickTick's official lists couldn't be read and remain unconfirmed; Legends is third-party information only. Note that Apex halts even existing accounts while you're physically present in a restricted country, so be careful when traveling.

Q. What happens to the May version of this article?

This article is now the current one. The May version remains up with a pointer to this article at the top. Bulenox's "third-party algos OK," Lucid's "bots banned," and Apex's "evaluation is OK" no longer match the current rules.

Reference Links (Official)

• Lucid Trading: Other Activities / HFT / Microscalping
• BluSky: Ethical Trading & Conduct Policy / Copy Trading
• FundedNext Futures: EA and bot policy / Copy trading
• MyFundedFutures: Fair Play and Prohibited Trading Practices
• Funded Futures Network: FAQ
• Bulenox: FAQ
• Tradeify: Guidelines for Traders / Funded Trader Agreement
• TradeDay: Automated, Algo and Bot Trading / VPN/VPS
• The Trading Pit: EA policy / VPS
• Topstep: TopstepX API Access / Live Funded Account / Prohibited Trading Strategies
• YRM Prop: Prohibited Trading Practices
• Alpha Futures: Prohibited Trading Practices
• Aqua Futures: Prohibited Trading Strategies
• Phidias: Rules
• Top One Futures: EA and bot policy / Prohibited Trading Practices
• Apex: Prohibited Activities / Restricted Countries
• FTMO Futures: Tradable instruments and strategies / Supported platforms / Who can join
• The5ers Futures: Product page (Trading Style Restrictions and FAQ)
• E8 Futures: Trading Policies
• Leeloo: Is DCA or algo trading allowed at Leeloo?
• Elite Trader Funding: Terms of Service / Trade Copier Disclaimer
• Take Profit Trader: Universal Trading Policies
• Earn2Trade: Prohibited Conduct / Copy trading
• OneUp Trader: Funded Trader Rules
• UProfit: Trading Best Practices

Related Articles

• FTMO Futures complete guide: explicitly allows automated trading and VPS
• The5ers Futures complete guide: built for discretionary trading, algos banned
• FTMO Futures vs. Topstep: comparison against the futures-prop leader
• How Do The5ers Futures and FTMO Futures Compare?: a detailed comparison of the two big FX firms' futures programs
• Futures Prop Automated-Trading Policy Comparison (May 2026 edition): this article's predecessor
• 7 Futures Prop Firms Recommended for Japanese Traders: for discretionary traders
• Bulenox complete guide: account structure and payout details (this article is the latest on EA rules)
• MyFundedFutures complete guide
• FundedNext bans EAs entirely on accounts of $50K+: the breaking-news article on the CFD side
• Complete Guide to EA Rules by Prop Firm: EA rules for the FX/CFD side
• FTMO Futures Challenge Expected Value, Calculated
• Topstep Expected Value, Calculated
• FundedNext Futures Expected Value, Calculated
• MyFundedFutures Expected Value, Calculated
• Lucid Trading Expected Value, Calculated
• BluSky Expected Value, Calculated
• FFN Expected Value, Calculated
• Expected-Value Summary for 6 Futures Props That Allow Automated Trading
• Expected-Value Summary for 5 Futures Props That Allow Self-Built Bots