TradeDay Expected Value, Calculated (September 2026) | At Zero Edge, Quick Pay Intraday Nets +$2,522/Year - But Gains Plateau, and VPS Is Banned
* Prices and rules were confirmed against TradeDay's official pricing card (tradeday.com) and help center (tradeday.freshdesk.com) on September 25, 2026. The figures below are Monte Carlo results and do not guarantee future performance.
π’ Advertising/affiliate disclosure: This site does not hold an affiliate link for TradeDay.
TL;DR
- At zero edge, go with Quick Pay Intraday $50K ($59/month, stops billing once you pass). At 0.30 lots: +$2,522/year, 85% chance of finishing positive. This is the best result in Category B (self-built automation only), tying Topstep (+$2,519)
- But gains don't scale well even when you win. Quick Pay's split is 50% (only the portion above the current $4,000 profit gets 80%), and the sim account caps out at $10,000 in cumulative profit. Even with "medium" edge, that's only +$8,424/year
- If you have real edge, go with Fast Pass EOD ($85/month). At "medium" edge: +$9,920/year
- VPS is banned. Off-the-shelf bots are banned too - automated trading is allowed only if it's self-built using the built-in features of NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView, etc.
- Doesn't come close to FTMO Futures Pro (+$4,836 at zero edge, +$26,306 at "medium")
Prices and Rules ($50K, measured September 25, 2026)
| Quick Pay Intraday | Quick Pay EOD | Fast Pass EOD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $59/month (list $131) | $79/month (list $175) | $85/month (list $189) |
| Reset | $60 | $85 | $85 |
| Activation fee | None | None | None |
| Evaluation target / max loss | $3,000 / $2,000, trailing (also tracks floating profit) | $3,000 / $2,000, EOD-based | Same as left |
| Evaluation consistency / min. days | 30% / 5 days | 30% / 5 days | 45% / 3 days |
| Daily loss | None (during and after evaluation) | None | None |
| Max loss after passing | Trailing (also tracks floating profit), locks at starting balance | Same as left | EOD-based, locks at starting balance on first payout |
| Consistency after passing | None | None | 45% |
| Payout conditions | Any time you're in profit (min. $250) | Same as left | 5 profitable days of $150+ each |
| Per-payout cap | None | None | Up to 50% of balance / $1,500 |
| Split | 50% on the portion up to $4,000 of current profit, 80% above that | Same as left | 80% |
| Sim account end | Caps out at $10,000 cumulative profit (anything above is forfeited) β moves to live | Same as left | Moves to live on the 5th payout |
- Consistency isn't a failure condition - if the biggest single day exceeds the cap, the profit target simply goes up
- The monthly fee only applies during evaluation, and billing stops the moment you pass. If the evaluation is still failed on the renewal date, the renewal includes a reset
- Live accounts get a 90% split. However, CME's professional market data fee ($156+$2/month) applies, and the account is closed out if the balance drops below $500
- Fees are $2.40 round trip for MGC (official, includes exchange and NFA fees)
- Trustpilot 4.6 (1,439 reviews). Japan is not on the restricted list
Automated Trading and VPS
Key points from the official help article "Automated, Algo and Bot Trading":
To use an automated trading system, you must use one of the platforms we support: NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView, Jigsaw and 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.
- Automated trading is allowed only if it's self-built using the supported platforms' built-in features. No API is provided
- More than 200 trades a day, splitting orders, and hedging across accounts are all banned
- VPS is banned ("TradeDay does not allow the use of virtual private servers (VPS)"). You also need to turn off VPN and iCloud Private Relay - when moving to live or requesting a payout, there's a check that you traded a full day from your registered address
- Copying your own trades across accounts is allowed for up to 10 accounts (5 sim + 5 live)
If you want to run a bot 24 hours a day, you need to leave a PC running at home.
Assumptions
Same as the FTMO Futures expected-value article.
- One trade per trading day in Micro Gold (MGC). With a 0.6% stop loss, the loss on 0.10 lots (1 MGC contract) is $262
- Same lot size during evaluation and after passing. One year (252 trading days)
- Price is the monthly fee shown on the pricing card (the price shown under the "55% off" label)
- For Quick Pay's split, since withdrawing daily means "current profit" almost never exceeds $4,000, we use 50% for the calculation (the conservative side)
- The sim account is cut off at $10,000 cumulative profit (Quick Pay) or 5 payouts (Fast Pass); nothing counts after moving to live
Result 1: Annual Expected Value at a Fixed 0.30 Lots
| Edge | Quick Pay Intraday | Quick Pay EOD | Fast Pass EOD |
|---|---|---|---|
| β0.10R | β$67 | β$753 | β$1,814 |
| β0.04R | +$1,394 | +$723 | β$397 |
| Zero edge | +$2,522 (85%) | +$1,872 (76%) | +$848 (55%) |
| Small (50% win rate, 1.2 payoff ratio) | +$4,529 | +$3,952 | +$4,377 |
| Medium (55% win rate, 1.2 payoff ratio) | +$8,424 | +$7,886 | +$9,920 |
| Strong (60% win rate, 1.2 payoff ratio) | +$13,219 | +$12,765 | +$15,985 |
Figures in parentheses are the probability of finishing positive. "Strong" is a reference value that essentially no one hits in reality.
- Quick Pay Intraday is close to breakeven even for a losing trader (+$1,394 at β0.04R). At just $59/month, and since you can withdraw right after a winning day once you've passed, you can claw the fee back gradually before losing the account
- But it doesn't scale upward. The 50% split and the $10,000 cumulative cutoff cap it at +$8,424/year even at "medium" edge - less than half of other firms
- The evaluation's max loss should in theory be stricter for Intraday (which tracks floating profit) than EOD, but Intraday came out ahead anyway since it's $20/month cheaper and the reset is $25 cheaper too
Result 2: Cash Flow (0.30 lots)
| Annual cost | Annual receipts | Evaluation passes | Payout count | Times the post-pass account was lost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Pay Intraday, zero edge | $2,500 | $5,022 | 7.8 | 13.0 | 7.7 |
| Quick Pay Intraday, medium | $2,000 | $10,424 | 11.6 | 22.7 | 11.3 |
| Fast Pass EOD, medium | $1,565 | $11,485 | 7.5 | 9.9 | 5.7 |
With Quick Pay, even at "medium" edge you pass 11 times a year and lose the account 11 times. Because you withdraw after every winning day, there's no cushion left in the account, so it's easy to hit the max loss right after passing. Since the most you can pull from one account is $10,000 cumulative (and the take-home is half of that), the pattern becomes passing and failing over and over, collecting money in small pieces.
Comparison with FTMO Futures and Topstep ($50K, 0.30 lots)
| Edge | TradeDay Quick Pay Intraday | TradeDay Fast Pass EOD | FTMO Futures Pro | Topstep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zero edge | +$2,522 | +$848 | +$4,836 | +$2,519 |
| Medium | +$8,424 | +$9,920 | +$26,306 | +$24,982 |
Caveats
- The official pricing is inconsistent across TradeDay's own materials. The pricing card shows $131/$175/$189 with 55% off, coming to $59/$79/$85, while the help center (dated September 1) shows list prices of $125/$175/$180. The reset fees also differ between the card ($59/$79/$85) and the help center's table ($60/$85/$85)
- The discount rate for the banner coupon
TDNEWhas not been confirmed - Trading during major economic releases is restricted (separate article, not yet confirmed)
FAQ
Q. Which plan should I buy?
If you're not confident in your edge, go with Quick Pay Intraday $50K ($59/month). Even at zero edge it came out to +$2,522/year, with an 85% chance of finishing positive. If you do have edge, Fast Pass EOD is the pick, but even then "medium" edge only gets you +$9,920/year - less than half of FTMO Futures or Topstep.
Q. Can I run an EA on a VPS?
No. TradeDay explicitly bans VPS use, and there's a check - at payout request time and when moving to live - that you're trading from your registered address.
Reference Links (Official)
- TradeDay official site (pricing card)
- Automated trading / VPS
- Help center (Quick Pay/Fast Pass payouts, fees, restricted countries)
Simulation script: scripts/sim-futures-b-ev.py (engine: scripts/sim-futures-prop-ev.py)
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Written by
Hosono P | the prop firm strategist
I buy challenges with my own money and record everything through to the payout. Recorded payouts: Β₯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".