# What is Prop firm?

> Also called: Proprietary trading firm, Funded trader program, Futures prop firm

**In short.** A futures prop firm sells access to a trading account: the trader pays an evaluation fee, trades the firm's capital under drawdown and consistency rules, and keeps a share of the profits (the split) once funded. The firm earns from evaluation fees, resets and the profits it keeps.

**On today's board.** 14 futures prop firms are on the live board today; 4 of them list [DeepCharts](https://my.deepcharts.com/redirect/deepchart?affId=OFF&utm_source=fillprint&utm_medium=affiliate) among their platforms. Data checked October 15, 2026.

Most futures prop firms do not give the trader their own money to lose: the evaluation and the first weeks of a funded account are simulated, and the firm only copies a trader to a live account once the track record justifies it. The business model is therefore the fee, the reset, the monthly subscription and the share of profits, which is why the rules (drawdown, daily loss, consistency) are written to protect the firm's payouts.

Accounts are sold by size (25K, 50K, 100K, 150K) and by billing: a monthly subscription that renews until you pass or quit, or a one-time price. The size is a label: what limits you is the maximum drawdown, often 2 to 4 % of the nominal size, not the balance.

Before paying, read three numbers: the price including activation and resets, the drawdown type (intraday trailing, end of day or static), and the first payout delay. The board on this site shows those for every firm, from the same database, refreshed every six hours.

## Questions traders ask

### Is a prop firm account real money?

Usually not at first. Evaluations are simulated, and many funded accounts stay simulated until the firm decides to copy the trader to a live account. The payouts, however, are real money paid by the firm.

- Guides on this term: [How to pass a futures prop firm evaluation](https://fillprint.io/en/journal/how-to-pass-a-futures-prop-firm-evaluation)
- Guides on this term: [Which prop firms let you trade with [DeepCharts](https://my.deepcharts.com/redirect/deepchart?affId=OFF&utm_source=fillprint&utm_medium=affiliate)?](https://fillprint.io/en/journal/prop-firms-that-accept-deepcharts)
- Shortlists: [Prop firms that accept DeepCharts](https://fillprint.io/en/prop-firms/best/deepcharts)
- Shortlists: [The cheapest futures prop firms](https://fillprint.io/en/prop-firms/best/cheapest)
- Read next: [Evaluation](https://fillprint.io/en/glossary/evaluation)
- Read next: [Funded account](https://fillprint.io/en/glossary/funded-account)
- Read next: [Profit split](https://fillprint.io/en/glossary/profit-split)

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Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. fillprint is an independent publication, not a broker or a prop firm.

Some links are affiliate links: if you sign up through them, the firm or DeepCharts pays us a commission, at no extra cost to you, and often with a discount for you. Affiliate links are marked and carry rel="sponsored". Being an affiliate never moves a firm up the board. Firms without a program stay listed, marked “no affiliation”.

HTML: https://fillprint.io/en/glossary/prop-firm · Prop firm data: fundedyield.com · © fillprint