Quick Answer — Alpha Futures Standard Plan
- • Sizes: 50K ($79/mo), 100K ($159/mo), 150K ($239/mo) + $149 activation after passing
- • Profit split tiers: 70% (payouts 1-2) → 80% (3-4) → 90% (5+)
- • Consistency: 50% Eval, 40% Qualified
- • DLG on Qualified only; 2-min news buffer on Qualified only
- • Payouts bi-weekly (every 14 days), $200–$15,000 per request
Funded trader, real payouts: I've been trading Alpha Futures for 15 months across multiple funded accounts — multiple evaluations passed, around $8,000 cumulative withdrawn. What you're reading comes from running actual funded accounts on Standard, Advanced, and Zero — not reviewing marketing pages.
If you want to understand which Alpha Futures account type fits your trading style, read my complete Alpha Futures accounts guide. For the full picture, read my complete Alpha Futures review. Save 20% with code ALPHA20 via Alpha Futures, or check their help center for the absolute latest.
Alpha Futures Standard Plan is the cheapest monthly-subscription evaluation path to a funded Alpha Futures account. Monthly pricing: 50K $79, 100K $159, 150K $239, plus a $149 activation fee after passing evaluation. Profit split tiers from 70% on payouts 1-2, to 80% on payouts 3-4, to 90% on payouts 5 and beyond. Standard uses a 50% Evaluation consistency rule and 40% Qualified consistency rule. Daily Loss Guard applies only on Qualified. News-trading restricted on Qualified with 2-minute buffer. Bi-weekly payouts (every 14 days from first trade) with $200 minimum to $15,000 maximum per request.
This article covers the Standard Plan in complete detail: pricing, profit targets, rule specifics, evaluation mechanics, Qualified workflow, and how Standard compares to Advanced and Zero for different trader profiles. For the full rule framework see the Alpha Futures rules overview.
Standard Plan specs at a glance
| Size | Monthly | Activation | Profit Target | Max Loss Limit | DLG (Qualified) | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50K | $79 | $149 | $3,000 | $2,000 | $1,000 | 5 minis / 50 micros |
| 100K | $159 | $149 | $6,000 | $4,000 | $2,000 | 10 minis / 100 micros |
| 150K | $239 | $149 | $9,000 | $6,000 | $3,000 | 15 minis / 150 micros |
With ALPHA20 (20% off), monthly subscriptions become $63.20 / $127.20 / $191.20 and activation becomes $119.20.
Standard Evaluation — what you need to do to pass
Primary objective: Hit the profit target without breaching the Maximum Loss Limit.
Rules during evaluation:
- MLL: EOD-trailing, 4% below starting balance (e.g., $48,000 on 50K), trails upward and locks at starting balance
- Consistency rule: 50% — no single trading day's profit exceeds 50% of total evaluation profits
- DLG: NONE during Evaluation
- News-trading: no restrictions during Evaluation
- Minimum trading days: verify against live Alpha Futures help center (~2 days per secondary sources)
- Daily position management: flat by 4:20 PM ET, no weekend holdings
Typical evaluation timeline:
| Week | Typical Activity |
|---|---|
| 1 | Learn platform, place initial trades, begin accumulating small wins |
| 2 | Continue distributed winning days, approach profit target |
| 3-4 | Complete profit target, verify consistency ratio below 50% |
| 4+ | Pay $149 activation, unlock Qualified account |
Passing acceleration tips:
- Trade multiple days even when your edge produces big single-day wins — this dilutes the concentration ratio below 50%
- Don't take maximum contract size from day one; build up as you confirm the platform behavior
- Respect the MLL's EOD-trailing — you can hold through intraday drawdown, but session close matters
Standard Qualified — the funded phase
After passing evaluation and paying the $149 activation, your Standard Qualified account unlocks.
Rules during Qualified:
- MLL: continues EOD-trailing with same 4% mechanism (locked at starting balance if already reached during evaluation)
- Consistency rule tightens to 40% — check this at every payout request
- Daily Loss Guard ACTIVATES — $1K / $2K / $3K by size, triggers at -2% intraday P&L
- News-trading restricted with 2-minute buffer around high-impact events
- Payout cadence: bi-weekly (every 14 days from first trade on Qualified)
- Payout range: $200 min / $15,000 max per request
- Profit split: starts at 70% and tiers up with each payout
Qualified profit split progression:
| Payout # | Split % | Example Payable on $1,000 Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 70% | $700 |
| 2 | 70% | $700 |
| 3 | 80% | $800 |
| 4 | 80% | $800 |
| 5+ | 90% | $900 |
Over your first 5 payouts, the effective blended split is 78%. From payout 6 onward, you're at 90% for the remainder of the account's life.
Standard vs Advanced vs Zero — decision framework
| Question | Choose Standard If... | Choose Advanced If... | Choose Zero If... |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget-first? | Yes — cheapest monthly | No | Yes for lowest entry (25K) |
| Want 90% split from day one? | No — willing to tier up | Yes | Yes |
| Need news-trading freedom? | No | Yes | No |
| Concentrated profit pattern? | No — distributed pattern | Yes | No |
| Want instant funding (no evaluation)? | No | No | Yes |
| Risk-disciplined without DLG? | Either — DLG on Qualified | Yes — no DLG | No — DLG on both |
| New to Alpha Futures? | Yes — standard starter | Maybe | Lower risk at 25K |
Beginner default: Standard 50K at $79/month with ALPHA20 = $63.20/month effective.
Standard Plan example cost scenarios
Scenario 1: Fast passer, Standard 50K
- Month 1: $79 subscription, pass evaluation, pay $149 activation = $228
- Month 2-6: $79 × 5 = $395 subscription on Qualified
- 6-month total: $623 sticker / $498 with ALPHA20
- Expected payouts during months 2-6: 8-10 × $200-$1,500 range
- Expected net income if trading profitably: $2,000-$5,000+
Scenario 2: Slower passer, Standard 100K
- Months 1-3: $159 × 3 = $477 subscription, pass at end of month 3
- Activation at start of month 4: $149
- Month 4-6: $159 × 3 = $477
- 6-month total: $1,103 sticker / $882 with ALPHA20
- Expected payouts during months 4-6: 6 × $300-$2,000
- Expected net income if trading profitably: $1,500-$5,000
Scenario 3: Scaling trader, Standard 150K
- Months 1-2: $239 × 2 = $478 subscription
- Activation at start of month 3: $149
- Month 3-6: $239 × 4 = $956
- 6-month total: $1,583 sticker / $1,266 with ALPHA20
- Expected payouts months 3-6: 7-8 × $500-$5,000
- Expected net income if trading profitably: $3,500-$15,000+
Actual outcomes depend on trading performance. Subscription costs are fixed; trading gains are variable.
Common Standard Plan mistakes
1. Concentrating profits on single big days. The 50% Evaluation rule and 40% Qualified rule both filter this. Size positions consistently and trade multiple days to distribute profits.
2. Sizing too aggressively on the first funded days. The Qualified account adds the DLG. A trader who averaged $400 profit days in evaluation might take a $1,200 day in Qualified — but if that's 50% of Qualified accumulated profits, the payout holds on 40% consistency.
3. Ignoring the news buffer on Qualified. Standard Evaluation has no news buffer, but Qualified does. Traders accustomed to free news trading in evaluation sometimes trade through the buffer in Qualified. Track the calendar.
4. Expecting the profit split to start at 90%. Standard starts at 70% and tiers up. Traders who expected immediate 90% are often disappointed. Use Advanced or Zero for day-one 90%.
5. Not budgeting for the $149 activation. When you pass evaluation, the activation fee is a mandatory next step before the Qualified account unlocks. Plan for this in your cost budget.
The bottom line
Alpha Futures Standard Plan is the traditional, cheapest-entry evaluation path for traders who want to prove edge before trading funded capital, who are budget-conscious about monthly subscription, and who are comfortable with the tiered profit split structure over the first 5 payouts. Standard 50K at $79/month (effectively $63.20 with ALPHA20) is the standard beginner recommendation. The combination of 50% Evaluation consistency, EOD-trailing MLL, and forgiving no-DLG evaluation rules makes Standard approachable for new prop traders. Once you prove edge, Advanced or Zero offer alternative paths; for most first-time Alpha Futures traders, Standard is where you start.