🏷️#VPS
8 articles
How to Automate Trading at a Futures Prop Firm: 3 Routes — NinjaTrader, TradingView, and APIs — and the Steps to Get a Bot Running on FTMO Futures (September 2026)
To automate trading at a futures prop firm, you can't use an MT5 EA — you need NinjaTrader's NinjaScript, a TradingView alert plus a relay service, or a given firm's API. This article covers the differences between the three approaches, which firms support which one, the exact steps the site owner took to get a NinjaTrader bot running on an FTMO Futures evaluation account, the coding pitfalls that trip people up (bar timing, time zones, forced liquidation, contract months), and the terms-of-service traps to watch for.
[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
A summary comparing $50K accounts at 5 futures prop firms where automated trading is allowed 'self-built only, with conditions' (Bulenox, Tradeify, TradeDay, The Trading Pit, Topstep), run through identical Monte Carlo simulations. At 0.30 lots, one micro gold trade per day, over 1 year: at zero edge, TradeDay Quick Pay Intraday (+$2,522) and Topstep (+$2,519) are tied for the top. At 'medium' edge, Bulenox Qualification (+$25,529), Topstep (+$24,982), and Tradeify Select Daily (+$24,218) lead. None of them reach Category A's (fully automated OK) leader, FTMO Futures Pro (+$4,836 at zero edge). The Trading Pit is the only one that explicitly allows VPS; TradeDay and Topstep ban it.
[September 2026] Expected Value Roundup: 6 Futures Prop Firms That Allow Automated Trading | FTMO Futures Pro Wins at Zero Edge and With an Edge
A roundup comparing every plan at 6 futures prop firms that officially allow automated trading (FTMO Futures, FundedNext Futures, MyFundedFutures, Lucid Trading, BluSky, FFN) under the same Monte Carlo conditions. At $50K, 0.30 lots, 1 micro gold trade a day, over 1 year: at zero edge, FTMO Futures Pro wins with +$4,836 a year, followed by BluSky Propel at +$2,988. At 'medium' edge, FTMO Pro still wins at +$26,306, but FFN STEADY, MFFU Rapid EOD, and Lucid Daily all cluster around $24,000. Only FTMO and FundedNext explicitly allow VPS.
[September 2026] I Calculated The Trading Pit Futures's (Futures Prime) Expected Value | A $99 One-Time Fee Nets +$1,345/Year at Zero Edge, and Own EAs + VPS Are Explicitly Allowed
I calculated the expected value of The Trading Pit's futures challenge, Futures Prime $50K, with a year-long Monte Carlo simulation from evaluation through payouts. Confirmed on the official futures page and help center on September 25, 2026. $99 one-time fee, $79 reset, 30-day evaluation. At 0.30 lots: +$1,345/year at zero edge, +$21,491/year at 'medium' edge. It's one of the few futures prop firms that explicitly allows both your own EA and a VPS, but its Trustpilot rating is suspended for violating guidelines.
TradeDay Expected Value, Calculated (September 2026) | At Zero Edge, Quick Pay Intraday Nets +$2,522/Year - But Gains Plateau, and VPS Is Banned
We ran a one-year Monte Carlo simulation from evaluation to payout for TradeDay's $50K plans (Quick Pay Intraday, Quick Pay EOD, Fast Pass EOD), a futures prop firm. Confirmed against the official pricing card and help center on September 25, 2026. The monthly fee only applies during evaluation and stops once you pass; there's no activation fee and no daily loss limit. At 0.30 lots and zero edge, Quick Pay Intraday comes out best among Category B firms (self-built automation only) at +$2,522/year. That said, the profit split is 50%, and the sim account is capped at $10,000 in cumulative profit, so even with edge you're looking at only around +$8,000/year. VPS is banned, and so are off-the-shelf bots.
[September 2026] I calculated FundedNext Futures' expected value — VPS and automated trading are explicitly allowed; go Legacy with an edge, Flex without one
Compared FundedNext Futures' 4 plans (Flex, Legacy, Rapid Pro, Rapid Daily) in a full year of Monte Carlo simulation from evaluation to payout. Confirmed prices, reset costs, max loss, and withdrawal conditions on the official help center on September 23, 2026. All plans are one-time purchases with no activation fee. At zero edge, only Flex $50K comes out positive at +$1,388/year; with an edge, Legacy pulls ahead thanks to its larger withdrawal cap. Covers how Flex and Rapid end an account after 5 payouts, plus a comparison against FTMO Futures and Topstep.
FTMO Futures Complete Guide: Automated Trading and VPS Both Officially Allowed as FX Giant Launches Futures in September 2026
A hands-on check of FTMO's official pages for FTMO Futures, the futures prop program FTMO launched on September 1, 2026. Its forbidden-practices page explicitly states "Automated trading is permitted," making it one of the few firms that also explicitly permits VPS and VPN use. Covers full pricing for every size of Growth and Pro, how EOD trailing drawdown works, the consistency rule that only applies during evaluation, the JST close-out deadline, the three platforms (NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView), and whether it's usable from Japan.
FTMO Futures vs Topstep: FTMO Wins on Expected Value, Topstep Wins on Monthly Cost. If You're Running a Bot, VPS Access Is the Deciding Factor [September 2026]
We re-confirmed the rules on both the futures prop leader Topstep and FTMO Futures, which entered the market in September 2026, on September 23, 2026, and compared them. The monthly fee is less than half at Topstep, but running the same lot size through evaluation to payout for a year gives FTMO Futures Pro the higher expected value ($50K, zero edge: +$4,836 vs. +$2,519). Covers activation fees, the fact that you can only withdraw 50% of the balance, an optional daily loss limit, resets that shift your billing date, VPS eligibility, and running a bot on a live account.