One-Time Fees, Not Subscriptions

This is the structural difference that separates TFD from nearly every competitor. You pay once. No monthly billing cycle. No auto-renewing charges while you're still trying to figure out the rules. If you fail, you pay a reset fee and go again. If you pass, you're done paying for the evaluation forever.

Pre-Built Plans

Building Your Own Assessment

This is TFD's signature move. Instead of rigid tiers, you can adjust account size ($50K to $250K), max drawdown (from $1,000 up), daily loss limit (defaults to 40% of max drawdown), contract limits, and drawdown type (EOD or Static). Price adjusts dynamically based on your selections. More drawdown and more contracts means a higher assessment fee. Tighter setups cost less.

A popular custom build that multiple traders reference: $50K account, $2,000 static drawdown, 12 contracts, $800 daily loss limit, $3,500 profit target, 5 days minimum. With current discounts, that runs around $259. Solid setup for an index scalper.

Critical constraint to know about: your combined drawdown across all accounts can't exceed $6,000. A $3,000 drawdown account means you can only hold one additional $3,000 account at most. And once any single account's drawdown exceeds $3,000, you're capped at one live account. Period.

The Real Cost Math

Here's where the one-time model either saves you money or doesn't.

At a subscription firm charging $150/month, three months of attempts = $450. At TFD, first attempt ($144 discounted 50K EOD) + two resets ($75 each) = $294. That's $156 cheaper. For the 75% of traders who need multiple attempts based on TFD's own pass rate, the one-time model wins.

But if you're the type who passes evaluations on the first try consistently? You just paid $144 once instead of $150 once. Roughly the same. The one-time model doesn't create savings for traders who don't need second chances.

Other costs: activation fee is $0. Reset fee runs $75-$150 depending on your account setup. Pro data fee when live is covered by TFD (roughly $140/month they eat for you). Commissions mirror live CME member rates from day one in the assessment. No hidden costs appearing after you've committed.

Assessment → sim-brokerage bridge → real live brokerage. Clean and linear.

Pass a one-step assessment — hit your profit target without breaching max drawdown. No minimum trading days to pass. After passing, you enter the sim-brokerage phase where your goal is building a buffer equal to your max drawdown. Fill the buffer, complete KYC, and TFD sets up your live sub-account at Dorman or Plus500 within 48 hours. Fastest theoretical path from purchase to first payout: roughly six days.

Drawdown — Pick Your Style

EOD trailing drawdown follows your end-of-day balance upward — not intraday peaks. If you're up $3,000 at 11 AM but close the day up $800, the drawdown only trails based on that $800 close. The big deal: EOD trailing eventually locks at $0, meaning your minimum balance becomes your starting balance and never moves again. That lock-to-zero mechanic is one of the more trader-friendly trailing implementations I've seen.

Static drawdown is fixed from day one. Your floor never moves. Every dollar of profit is pure cushion above a floor you can see and trust. Simpler psychologically, more expensive upfront.

All live brokerage accounts eventually convert to static regardless of your assessment choice. So both paths end up at the same destination.

My take? EOD is cheaper and gives you flexibility during the assessment. Static is safer but costs almost double. Unless you specifically need the psychological certainty of a fixed floor during the eval, EOD is the smarter buy.

Daily Loss Limit — The Circuit Breaker

Optional during assessment. Defaults to 40% of your max drawdown. On a $2,000 drawdown account, that's $800/day. Hit it and you're paused for the day — not failed, not reset. Just done until tomorrow.

This is low-key one of TFD's smartest design choices. Most blown prop accounts don't happen because the trader had a bad month. They happen because the trader had a bad afternoon and couldn't stop clicking. TFD's DLL makes that nearly impossible. It's a governor, not a cage.

You can customize the DLL when building your account. Set it lower than you think you need. If your average losing day is $300-$400, there's no reason to give yourself $800 of rope.

The Only Hard Fail

Breach max drawdown. That's the only thing that kills your account. Not a consistency violation. Not some weird rule 4.7b buried in terms of service. One clear line. Cross it and you're done. Reset or walk away. I genuinely respect that simplicity.

Daily Base Hits

Here's what catches people off guard. TFD expects minimum daily profit targets during the assessment. You're not just hitting one overall profit goal over however many days. You need to demonstrate consistent daily execution. Exceeding the daily base hit doesn't penalize you — excess profits add to your total without the 5x multiplier penalties some firms use. But failing to hit base hits on enough days extends your timeline.

This is why TFD's assessment feels harder than most. You can't just have one monster day and coast. You have to show up every session.

News Trading

Assessment: fully allowed, trade whatever you want. Live brokerage: one minute before and after Tier-1 economic events, you're limited to 5 micro contracts max with reasonable stops required. Violations can result in positions being flattened. Not a full ban — more of a throttle. Workable if you adjust sizing, but a genuine problem if your entire strategy revolves around full-size FOMC or NFP scalps.

Everything Else

Must be flat by session close — no overnight or weekend holds. Swing trading is explicitly not permitted. Scalping, day trading, and algorithmic trading are all allowed. Copy trading is allowed. DCA is allowed. Hedging across products or expiries is allowed. Bots and EAs are permitted (your risk, zero tech support from TFD). No same-day multiple resets to prevent impulsive re-buying after a blow-up.

TFD runs on Rithmic connectivity, which opens the door to a solid lineup of professional-grade trading platforms. Here's what's compatible:

Sierra Chart — the go-to for serious futures traders who want deep DOM customization, advanced charting, and rock-solid stability. Sierra's lightweight footprint and Rithmic integration make it one of the most reliable options for TFD accounts. If you're comfortable with the learning curve, this is arguably the best charting and execution platform available.

ATAS (Advanced Time And Sales) — built specifically for order flow analysis. If your edge relies on reading footprint charts, volume profiles, cluster analysis, or time and sales data, ATAS is purpose-built for that workflow. Connects natively via Rithmic.

Jigsaw Daytradr — the gold standard for DOM-based scalpers and order flow traders. Multiple TFD traders report using Jigsaw successfully on their accounts. If you trade off the depth of market and need tools like reconstructed tape, auction vista, and summary tape, Jigsaw is the platform.

Quantower — a multi-asset platform with strong charting, DOM trading, and a clean modern interface. Good middle ground between Sierra Chart's power and more user-friendly platforms. Rithmic-compatible out of the box.

BookMap — specializes in visualizing market depth and liquidity in real time. The heatmap visualization of the order book is unique and gives traders a visual edge that flat DOM displays can't match. Excellent for spotting absorption, spoofing patterns, and large resting orders.

MotiveWave — a full-featured charting and trading platform with Elliott Wave analysis, Gann tools, and advanced technical indicators. Popular among traders who combine order flow with classical technical analysis. Rithmic-compatible.

Tradrr — a newer web-based platform designed for modern traders who want clean execution without heavy desktop software. Lightweight and accessible from any browser.

NinjaTrader 8 — works via Rithmic data feed with a valid license. Several traders confirm successful setups on TFD accounts using NT8's Rithmic integration.

What You Can't Use

Tradovate — not compatible. TradingView — no direct integration. MetaTrader — no. If your entire workflow lives on Tradovate's cloud-based interface or TradingView's charting, TFD simply won't work for you. This is the biggest objection I hear from the broader trading community when TFD comes up in conversation.

The Dashboard Is the Platform

I keep coming back to this because it genuinely surprised me. The TFD dashboard includes automated trade journaling that syncs every trade in real-time, playbook/setup tracking so you can tag entries by strategy, full MAE/MFE analysis (maximum adverse excursion and maximum favorable excursion — critical data for optimizing your stops and targets), P&L simulators for scenario planning, Monte Carlo simulations for strategy stress-testing, an economic calendar, built-in screen recording for trade review, risk calculators, and a focus music radio.

That last one made me laugh. But the rest of it? Dead serious. Most traders at other firms are paying $50-$200/month for TradeZella, Tradervue, or Edgewonk. TFD bundles comparable analytics into every assessment account for free. Even if you never get funded, the data you collect during the assessment has real value for improving your trading.

Execution and Commissions

CME Rule 106.R Electronic Corporate Membership. NQ/ES round-turn: $2.40 all-in. Micros: $0.80 all-in. During assessment and sim-brokerage, fees mirror live rates. No gotcha where the eval has $2 commissions and the live account jumps to $5. What you see in the assessment is what you'll pay when funded.

For context, most competitors charge roughly $4.00+ per NQ round-turn. TFD saves you about $1.60 per round-turn. If you're doing 20 round-turns per day on NQ, that's $32/day in savings. $640/month. $7,680/year. For an active scalper, that's not a perk — it's a material impact on your bottom line.

Markets

Full CME Group coverage: equity indices (ES, NQ, YM, RTY plus all micros), interest rate futures (ZB, ZN, ZT), energy (CL, NG), metals (GC, SI, HG), agricultural products (ZC, ZW, ZS and livestock), and currency futures. No spot FX. No crypto futures (unlike some competitors). Standard CME suite — nothing missing, nothing surprising.

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After spending real time with TFD's structure, the picture gets clear fast. Every design choice — the daily base hits, the soft DLL, the journaling dashboard, the Monte Carlo simulator — points at one type of trader: the process-driven daily grinder who values consistency over adrenaline.

If you're a scalper running 5-15 trades per session on ES or NQ, targeting $400-$800/day with tight stops and a repeatable setup? TFD's rules work in your favor. The daily base hit is just your normal Tuesday. The DLL is a safety net you'll rarely touch. And once funded, the uncapped daily payouts with zero consistency requirements and institutional commissions mean your edge prints efficiently.

If you're a momentum trader who swings for $3,000 one day and gives back $1,500 the next? The daily base hit requirement is going to frustrate you. Your best days get diluted across the daily target structure, and your losing days risk triggering the DLL sooner than expected.

How I'm Approaching TFD Assessments

Simple. ES and NQ scalps during the 9:30-11:00 AM EST window. Two to five trades per session. Target: $500-$700/day on my $50K EOD account. Stop: tight — 6-8 ticks on ES, 12-16 on NQ. The daily base hit on my configuration is roughly $350-$400, so one clean winner plus one scratch usually covers the day.

I'm not trying to be creative with TFD. The rules reward mechanical, repeatable execution. So that's what I'm giving them. Get in, hit the number, walk away. Come back tomorrow. Let compounding do its thing.

Practical Tips

Know your daily base hit number before you open the platform. If it's $400 and you're sitting at $380 after two trades, take the clean exit. Don't try to stretch it into an $800 day. The base hit is the priority. Everything above it is gravy.

Use the journal. I can't stress this enough. The auto-sync means you don't have to log anything manually. After two weeks of data, the MAE/MFE charts alone will show you if your stops are too tight, too wide, or in the sweet spot. That data is worth more than most trading courses charge.

Set your DLL conservatively. The default 40% of drawdown is fine for most people. But if your average losing day is $300, there's no reason to give yourself $800 of allowance. Tighter DLL = stronger safety net = more attempts before you're really in trouble.

Don't over-engineer your first custom build. The preset plans exist for a reason. Use one, learn the TFD ecosystem, then design a custom assessment on your second attempt if you need adjustments. Complexity during your first run just adds mental overhead you don't need.

The buffer phase is where most people stall. You need profit equal to your drawdown amount before going live. On a $2,000 drawdown, that's $2,000 of buffer. Trade it exactly like the assessment — daily base hits, no hero trades. One clean week and you're live.

When to Not Trade TFD

If you have no defined edge yet. The ~25% pass rate exists for a reason. TFD is designed for traders who have already figured out their setup and just need capital behind it. If you're still experimenting with strategies, go to a more forgiving firm first. Get consistent. Then come to TFD when your process is locked in.

If you need Tradovate or TradingView as your primary platform without workaround. Fighting against your toolchain while also trying to pass a hard assessment is a recipe for wasted money. That said, the Rithmic-compatible platform lineup — Sierra Chart, ATAS, Jigsaw, Quantower, BookMap, MotiveWave, Tradrr, and NinjaTrader 8 — covers most serious futures traders' needs.

If you want to scale across 10+ accounts. The $6,000 combined drawdown cap and 2-account live limit makes TFD a bad fit for multi-account scaling strategies.

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Trustpilot: 4.8/5 with over 400 reviews. Five-star dominant. The praise consistently hits the same themes — dashboard quality, rule simplicity, support responsiveness, payout speed. The negative reviews mostly center on assessment difficulty and platform limitations. Those are fair criticisms, not fraud indicators.

Regulated FCMs: Dorman Trading and Plus500. Both NFA/CFTC registered. This is independently verifiable — you don't have to take anyone's word for it. The regulatory structure means TFD operates under the same compliance framework that governs institutional futures trading.

No sim payouts: TFD explicitly states all payouts come from live brokerage performance. The Dorman/Plus500 backing makes that claim verifiable rather than aspirational.

CME Rule 106.R membership: Verifiable through CME Group's member directory. Not marketing language — this directly determines the execution fees traders pay.

Support quality: Free 1-on-1 coaching. Expert support with direct answers from actual traders. Discord community of 7,500+ active members with staff responding in real-time. Multiple Trustpilot reviews specifically praise after-hours support resolution.

Payout processing: Riseworks (same payment infrastructure used by several established prop firms). Same-day processing for requests before 11:00 AM Mon-Fri. ACH available where applicable. No payout caps after buffer is maintained.

What Deserves Scrutiny

The ~25% pass rate means 75% of people who buy an assessment fail. TFD is transparent about this, which I respect. But it also means TFD's primary revenue comes from assessment fees and resets — the same incentive model every prop firm has. The one-time fee structure reduces the sting compared to monthly subscriptions, but the underlying economics are the same: most traders pay, most traders fail.

Account count contradictions. Marketing materials show "New! 4 Accounts." Policy documentation says max 2. The real limit appears to be up to 4 assessment/sim accounts with $6,000 combined drawdown, but a maximum of 2 live accounts, with single-account restriction above $3,000 drawdown. Get your specific limits in writing before committing.

Profit split ambiguity. Every major competitor publishes an explicit split — 80/20, 90/10, 100% first $X. TFD structures payments as contractor compensation with "no caps after buffer." Sounds great in marketing. But the actual revenue-share percentage isn't publicly documented. Confirm this in writing for your specific plan.

Founded 2024. Two years of operational history. That's short. Compare that to TakeProfitTrader (launched 2019) or Lucid Trading's growing multi-year track record. TFD's rapid growth and strong reviews are positive. But longevity matters in an industry where firms disappear without warning.

Restricted countries. A substantial list of countries are excluded based on Rithmic partnership eligibility. Check before paying. No refunds if you can't actually access the platform from your location.

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The Futures Desk vs. Lucid Trading, Alpha Futures, TakeProfitTrader & Tradeify

Where TFD Wins

Execution costs. This isn't close. At $2.40 round-turn on NQ versus $4.00+ everywhere else, TFD saves you roughly $1.60 per round-turn. Twenty round-turns per day = $32 saved daily. Over a month that's $640. Over a year, $7,680. For active scalpers, this advantage alone justifies dealing with TFD's platform limitations.

One-time fees. If you need 2-3 attempts (statistically likely given the 25% pass rate), TFD's total cost is meaningfully lower than three months of subscription fees at any competitor.

Regulatory backing. Dorman and Plus500 are named, NFA/CFTC registered FCMs. TakeProfitTrader also has a verifiable path through NinjaTrader Brokerage, and Lucid has broker partners. Alpha Futures and Tradeify are less transparent about their backend. TFD's naming of specific regulated FCMs is the clearest in this group.

Customizable evaluations. Unique. Nobody else does this. Design your own assessment parameters instead of forcing your strategy into someone else's preset.

Zero consistency rule. No percentage cap on daily profits. No "your best day can't exceed 50% of the target." TFD uses daily base hits instead — enforcing consistency through minimum daily performance rather than maximum daily caps. Philosophically different approach, and arguably more trader-friendly.

The dashboard and journal tools. Best included analytics suite at any prop firm. Nobody else bundles anything close to this.

Bots and EAs. TFD allows them. Lucid, Alpha, TPT, and Tradeify all prohibit automation. If you've built an algorithmic system and need prop capital behind it, TFD is one of your only real options.

Platform depth for order flow traders. While TFD lacks Tradovate and TradingView, the Rithmic-compatible lineup is actually stronger for professional order flow analysis. Sierra Chart, ATAS, Jigsaw Daytradr, and BookMap are arguably the top four order flow platforms in futures trading — and all four work natively with TFD accounts. If your edge is DOM-based, footprint-based, or volume-profile-based, TFD's platform ecosystem is actually superior to competitors that lean on Tradovate and TradingView.

Where TFD Loses

No Tradovate or TradingView. Every competitor in this comparison supports at least one of these mainstream platforms natively. If your workflow depends on Tradovate's cloud-based interface or TradingView's charting ecosystem, TFD requires switching to Rithmic-compatible alternatives. For many retail traders, that's a dealbreaker.

Scaling capacity is the most restricted. With $6,000 combined drawdown and a 2-account live limit, TFD's total capital ceiling is significantly lower than running multiple accounts at Tradeify, Lucid, or other firms that don't impose combined drawdown caps.

Assessment difficulty is higher. The daily base hit model adds a constraint that none of the others impose. Lucid's LucidFlex has zero consistency, zero DLL, zero daily targets. Alpha's Advanced has zero consistency. Tradeify Select Flex has zero consistency. TFD demands daily minimum performance on top of the overall goal. That makes passing objectively harder.

Profit split opacity. Every competitor publishes an explicit percentage. TFD's contractor payment model leaves the actual economics unclear. You need to ask and get it in writing.

Track record is the shortest. Founded 2024 versus TakeProfitTrader's 2019 launch. Two years of operational history versus six. For traders who weight longevity heavily, that matters.

Which Firm for Which Trader

Active NQ/ES scalper doing 15+ round-turns daily who cares about execution costs above all else → TFD. The commission savings alone make the platform adjustment worth dealing with.

Disciplined daily grinder who hits $400-$700 consistently and wants the fastest path to real brokerage capital → TFD. The assessment structure rewards this exact profile.

Order flow trader using DOM, footprint charts, or volume profile analysis → TFD. The Rithmic ecosystem (Sierra Chart, ATAS, Jigsaw, BookMap) is purpose-built for this style of trading and all platforms connect natively.

Tradovate or TradingView power user who needs specific platform features → Tradeify, Alpha Futures, or Lucid. Don't force a platform switch if your edge depends on specific tools.

Budget-conscious trader needing cheapest possible entry → Tradeify Select Straight ($65/mo). TFD's one-time model only saves money if you need multiple attempts.

Multi-account scaler running 5+ simultaneous accounts → Lucid or Tradeify. TFD's combined drawdown cap and live account limit is too restrictive.

Algo/bot trader who needs a firm allowing automation → TFD. Almost nobody else permits it.

Trader who wants the longest-proven payout track record and operational stability → TakeProfitTrader (operating since 2019). Or Lucid for its growing multi-year history with verified payouts.

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Is The Futures Desk legitimate?

TFD uses regulated FCMs (Dorman and Plus500, both NFA/CFTC registered) for live brokerage accounts. They hold a CME Rule 106.R Electronic Corporate Membership, independently verifiable. They don't pay from simulation. Trustpilot sits at 4.8/5 from 400+ reviews. Founded 2024, so the track record is short but the regulatory backing is stronger than most competitors.

How does the assessment work?

One-step evaluation. Hit your profit target while staying above max drawdown. Meet daily base hit minimums. Optional daily loss limit pauses your session if triggered — doesn't fail the account. No minimum total trading days required. After passing, build a buffer equal to your drawdown in sim, then move to live within roughly 48 hours.

What's the difference between EOD and Static drawdown?

EOD trailing follows your end-of-day balance upward and eventually locks at $0 (your starting balance becomes the permanent floor). Static is fixed from day one and never moves. EOD costs less. Static costs more but gives immediate certainty. All live accounts convert to static eventually regardless.

How fast can I actually get paid?

If you're live and above your buffer, payout requests submitted before 11:00 AM (Mon-Fri) are typically processed same day via Riseworks. After 11:00, next business day is realistic. No caps on withdrawal amounts. No minimum days between requests. Fastest theoretical path from assessment purchase to first payout is roughly six days.

Is there a profit split?

TFD doesn't publish a classic split percentage. You're paid as a contractor from live trading performance with no payout caps after your buffer is maintained. The actual revenue-share specifics should be confirmed in writing for your specific plan before purchasing.

Which trading platforms work with TFD?

TFD supports any Rithmic-compatible platform. The confirmed lineup includes Sierra Chart, ATAS, Jigsaw Daytradr, Quantower, BookMap, MotiveWave, Tradrr, and NinjaTrader 8 (via Rithmic data feed with a valid license). TFD also provides a built-in web dashboard with integrated journaling and analytics. Tradovate, TradingView, and MetaTrader are not supported.

How many accounts can I have?

Up to 4 assessment/sim accounts with a combined max drawdown of $6,000. Maximum of 2 live accounts. If any single account has drawdown above $3,000, you're restricted to one live account. These limits have been communicated inconsistently between marketing and policy — get written confirmation from support.

Are bots and automated trading allowed?

Yes — bots, EAs, copy trading, DCA, and algorithmic strategies are all permitted during both assessment and live phases. TFD provides zero technical support for automation. You're fully responsible for setup, compliance, and any tool-related issues.

What are the news trading rules?

Assessment: fully allowed, no restrictions. Live brokerage: one minute before and after Tier-1 economic events, you're capped at 5 micro contracts and must use reasonable stops. Violations may result in position flattening. Workable with sizing adjustments. Not workable if your strategy requires full-size event trading.

What's the daily base hit?

A minimum daily profit target during the assessment. The exact amount depends on your account configuration and profit target. Exceeding it doesn't penalize you — excess adds to your total without multiplier penalties. Missing it on too many days extends your timeline or prevents passing.

What happens if I fail the assessment?

You pay a reset fee ($75-$150 depending on account configuration) and restart. No free resets. You cannot reset multiple times in the same day, which prevents impulsive re-buying after an emotional blow-up.

What markets can I trade?

Full CME Group coverage: equity indices (ES, NQ, YM, RTY plus micros), interest rates (ZB, ZN, ZT), energy (CL, NG), metals (GC, SI, HG), agriculture (ZC, ZW, ZS plus livestock), and currency futures. No spot FX. No crypto futures.

How does TFD compare to Lucid Trading?

Lucid wins on platform flexibility (NinjaTrader, Tradovate, Quantower supported natively), scaling potential (more accounts allowed), and longer payout track record with verified multi-year history. TFD wins on execution costs (CME member rates saving ~$1.60 per NQ round-turn), one-time fee model, regulatory transparency (named NFA/CFTC-registered FCMs), customizable evaluations, the best built-in analytics suite in the industry, and a stronger order flow platform ecosystem (Sierra Chart, ATAS, Jigsaw, BookMap all natively compatible). Choose Lucid for flexibility and proven track record. Choose TFD for the lowest commissions, strongest regulatory backing, and professional order flow tools.

Is TFD worth the harder assessment?

If you're already consistent — grinding $400-$700/day with tight risk — TFD's assessment is challenging but fair. And the post-funding environment (uncapped daily payouts, no consistency rule, real brokerage, institutional commissions) is one of the best in futures prop trading. If you're still developing your edge or trading inconsistently, the ~25% pass rate will cost you money in resets. Get consistent at a more forgiving firm first, then come to TFD.

Who should definitely avoid TFD?

Swing traders (no overnight holds allowed). Traders who need TradingView or Tradovate as primary platforms. Multi-account scalers who want 5+ simultaneous funded accounts. Anyone still testing different strategies without a proven, repeatable edge. And traders in countries excluded by Rithmic partnership eligibility — check the list before you spend a dollar.

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