There are only three realistic options for ETF prop trading right now, with Eightcap, Trade the Pool and The Trading Pit. Most prop firms don’t offer proper access to any exchange traded funds (ETFS), and many only provide index CFDs instead, so your choice is far narrower than it is prop trading forex, crypto or futures.
Our shortlist of top prop firms to offer ETFs includes
Prop Firm Score
Challenge Types
One Step, Two Step, Day Trader
Trading Platforms
MT4, MT5, TradeLocker
Profit Payout
80%
Eightcap Overview
Eightcap scored 89/100 in our testing thanks to its combination of ETF access, trading platform options, and the range of evaluation options available. You can choose a one step challenge, a two step challenge, or a short-session Day Trader challenge that runs for 1 to 8 hours on a fixed $10k balance. Each format suits a different approach, whether you trade broad ETFs like SPY and QQQ, focus on sector rotation, or use fast intraday signals.
Eightcap is a regulated broker that also offers trading challenges under the same brand, which is different from most proprietary trading firms that run their funding programs separately from their brokerage operations. For ETF traders, this matters because the challenges use the same data, spreads and execution environment as Eightcap’s live brokerage. You’re trading ETFs, indices and other asset classes on a setup that already handles these markets daily, so the pricing and behaviour feel familiar and consistent.
Pros & Cons
Full Details
Eightcap scored 89/100 in our testing and is the strongest choice for ETF traders wanting a challenge and funded account with stable execution, a growing ETF list, and competitive fees. Unlike many prop firm setups, Eightcap sits on a broker-grade infrastructure, which means spreads, data, and fills tend to behave more consistently across ETFs, indices, forex and crypto. The challenge options cover both long-form evaluations and fast, single-session challenges, giving you more control over how you want to approach funding.
Eightcap offers three challenge types, a traditional one and two step challenge, plus a unique day trading challenge where you can pick a super short trading window between 1hr – 8hr.
| Feature | One-Phase Day Trader | Two-Phase Day Trader | Fast Day Trader (1–8 Hour) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account Size Range | $10,000 – $200,000 | $10,000 – $200,000 | Fixed $10,000 simulated balance |
| Fee Range | $119 – $1,299 | $99 – $1,199 | $5 – $250 |
| Evaluation Process | One Step | Two Step | 1, 2, 4 or 8-hour |
| Profit Target | 10% | 10% / 8% | Varies by stake & multiplier |
| Max Daily Loss | 4% | 5% | Fixed dollar drawdown |
| Max Total Loss | 8% | 10% | Fixed dollar limit based on chosen stake |
| Minimum Trading Days | 5 | 3 per step | NA |
| Leverage | 1:100 | 1:100 | 1:100 |
| Profit Split | 80% | 80% | Instant payout based on 2x, 5x or 10x multiplier |
One Step Challenge
In the one step challenge, you choose an account size between $10,000 and $200,000 and trade until you either reach the 10% profit target or breach the 4% daily loss or 8% total loss. You only need a minimum of five trading days, and there’s no second phase or extra review. Once you pass, you move straight into the payout stage with an 80% profit split.
ETF traders who run steady day-trading or short swing systems often choose this challenge because the rules are clear, the timeline is flexible, and the risk parameters don’t force you to rush or oversize trades. It feels closer to a standard prop evaluation.
Two Step Challenge
The two step evaluation process uses the same account sizes but splits the evaluation into two steps with a 10% target in Phase 1 and an 8% target in Phase 2. The drawdown is slightly wider at 5% daily and 10% total. Each phase requires at least three trading days.
This structure suits ETF traders who prefer a more traditional evaluation with more space for volatility, especially if they trade leveraged ETFs or fast-moving sector products. You still receive an 80% profit split after passing Phase 2.
Day Trader Challenge (1 to 8 Hours)
The Day Trader challenges work differently from every other prop style model. They run on a fixed $10,000 balance, and you choose:
Based on your choices, the system sets a profit target and a fixed dollar drawdown. Your goal is to reach the target before the timer ends while staying inside the drawdown. If you meet the target, the payout is immediate, and you multiply your stake by the chosen factor.
This format suits ETF day-traders who focus on short volatility windows, market opens, news events or strong intraday trends on products like SPY, QQQ or sector ETFs. It’s fast and high pressure, but it offers quick results and doesn’t require a long evaluation period.
Eightcap offers one of the most complete ETF CFD ranges available through a challenge program, covering both US and Australian markets. The US list includes the major benchmarks most ETF traders rely on, such as SPY, QQQ, VOO, VTI and DIA, as well as a broad mix of sector ETFs, leveraged products and thematic funds. This gives traders access to the same tools used for intraday ETF momentum, volatility breakouts, and broader swing-based strategies.
You can trade:
The depth of the ETF list also makes correlation-based trading straightforward. You can combine:
Because the ETFs behave close to their underlying funds and follow normal US market liquidity patterns, we found our ETF signals transfer well from our retail charts to Eightcap’s challenge accounts.
Eightcap’s rules are consistent across the challenge types, and the only things that change are the drawdown percentages and evaluation timelines. You can use any trading style including day trading, swing trading, news trading and algorithmic trading, and there’s no unusual restrictions on holding times or trade frequency.
Max leverage is1:100 for all trading accounts which is on the higher side, but this is for forex and ETFs are limited to lower levels to reflect their risk. This encourages disciplined sizing while still giving enough flexibility in trading conditions for intraday ETF systems.
Eightcap lets you pick between three popular and user friendly trading platforms – MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader 5 (MT5), or TradeLocker, but it does depend on the challenge type. MT5 is the most suitable for ETF traders because it handles multi-asset layouts, custom indicators and more advanced trading tools, while MT4 remains available for traders with existing templates or systems. But, if you choose the Day Trader challenge, you’ll be restricted to TradeLocker, which is designed for quick execution and simple session tracking.
All platforms offer smooth charting, stable execution and easy access to watchlists, which helps you follow several correlated ETFs at once.
Once you complete the one step or two step challenge, you get your first payout where you keep 80% of profits. Fast payouts can be expected with Eightcap, and scaling options allow you to work toward larger allocations over time.
The Day Trader challenges has a slightly different profit sharing agreement, where you receive your pay out instantly if you beat the target within your time window. This is separate from the normal funded path and is ideal for traders who want quick, session-based earnings rather than long-term accounts.
Eightcap has a much stronger support and education presence than most prop trading firms. You get 24/7 customer support, detailed FAQs, a stack of educational resources, indepth trading platform tutorials and regular updates explaining new ETFs, markets and platform improvements. As an ETF trader, these updates will make it easy to keep track of new sector or thematic ETFs as they are added.
You can also expect a consistent and competitive trading experience. Eightcap has a strong reputation with a bunch of positive testimonials on Trustpilot, where they score 4.1 out of 5 stars from thousands of reviews.
Verdict on Eightcap
Eightcap is the best ETF prop challenge provider on our shortlist because it offers the widest mix of ETF markets, three top platforms, and three evaluation processes that cover both long-form and fast-paced trading. ETF traders can run almost any strategy, from short intraday bursts to multi-day rotations, without dealing with restrictive rules or small symbol lists. The ETF access, straightforward pricing and flexible challenge formats make Eightcap easily the most competitive ETF prop challenge available.
Prop Firm Score
Challenge Types
Day Trade, Swing
Trading Platforms
TradeEvolution
Profit Payout
70%
Trade the Pool Overview
Trade the Pool scored 71/100 in our testing and offers the broadest ETF list of any prop firm we reviewed. You can trade over 12,000 US stocks and ETFs, covering index funds, leveraged ETFs, sector products, commodities, bonds and international themes. This suits ETF traders who want direct access to a wide symbol list rather than a small CFD lineup.
You trade inside a stock-style environment with real-time data, pre-market and after-hours trading, and no PDT rule. The main trade-offs are the strict volume rules, consistency checks and relatively high profit targets, but the scale-up model and ETF depth give plenty of room for both active day traders and slower swing approaches.
Pros & Cons
Full Details
Most ETF traders using Trade the Pool treat it as a direct market access solution for stocks and ETFs, not as a classic CFD prop model. The platform lets you rotate through sectors, combine long ETFs with short single stocks, and use leveraged or inverse ETFs alongside core index products.
That flexibility is useful if you run basket strategies, sector rotation, or rule-based systems that need many symbols live at once. There is only one evaluation phase. You pass by hitting the profit target while following the rules, with no second-stage reset or fresh account required. Once funded, every 10% profit milestone increases both your buying power and your daily loss allowance, so your risk limits scale alongside your trading.
Trade the Pool uses a single-phase evaluation but splits it into four programme types so you can pick something closer to your style: Day Trade Beginner, Day Trade Advanced, Swing Beginner, and Swing Advanced.
| Trade the Pool Challenge | Day Trade Beginner | Day Trade Advanced | Swing Beginner | Swing Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Account Sizes | $5,000 - $200,000 | $5,000 - $200,000 | $2,000 - $40,000 | $2,000 - $40,000 |
| Fee Range | $59 - $1,475 | $47 - $1,100 | $87 - $1,240 | $69 - $800 |
| Profit Target | 6% | 6% | 15% | 15% |
| Daily Pause | 2% | 1% | 3% | 3% |
| Max Loss | 4% | 3% | 7% | 7% |
| Minimum Positions | 10 | 20 | 5 | 5 |
| Trading Period | Unlimited | 60 days | Unlimited | 100 days |
| Profit Split | 70% | 70% | 70% | 70% |
Across all four programmes, a few rules stay consistent:
You also have to respect the stock/ETF volume rules, which cap the percentage of the previous one-minute volume you can trade. This means highly liquid ETFs are easier to scale into than smaller thematic or thinly traded products. Once you hit the profit target with valid trades, the account is checked for rule breaches and, if clean, you move straight to funded trading with the same conditions.
Trade the Pool has the widest ETF access on this shortlist. You can trade more than 12,000 instruments, including:
For ETF traders, this opens several options in one place:
Pre-market and after-hours access is important here, because many ETFs respond to futures movement outside the main session. You can adjust, scale, or hedge around key events while still working within the program’s risk limits.
Trade the Pool applies the same core rules to ETFs and stocks. The key points ETF traders should focus on are:
There is no PDT rule and you can use most normal trading styles: day trading, swing trading, position trading and rule-based systems. The rules are more about keeping activity realistic and preventing extreme size in thin names, which is relevant if you like small or niche ETFs.
All trading is done through TraderEvolution, which is designed for stocks and ETFs. The desktop version is the best fit for serious ETF traders because it supports:
The web and mobile versions help monitor positions, manage risk and exit trades when you are away from your desk, but most detailed planning is easier on the desktop platform. If you currently trade ETFs via a stock broker, the workflow will feel familiar.
Once you pass the evaluation and move to a funded account, you can request payouts every 14 days. You must close your positions before requesting a withdrawal and have at least the required minimum profit in the account.
There is also a risk buffer logic tied to your daily loss limit. As the account grows, your maximum drawdown can tighten back toward the initial starting balance. This means ETF swing traders need to plan around periods of higher volatility and think carefully about when to withdraw, so the account does not lose too much protection during rough patches.
Trade the Pool provides written guides, FAQs and program breakdowns that explain the rules, scaling process and risk model. There is also a stats and performance tracking area where you can review your trades and activity, but it’s not as extensive as Eightcap Labs. Support is available via helpdesk channels, which is useful if you need clarification on volume rules or whether a specific ETF is tradable.
In terms of their reputation, the prop firm has a 4.4 out of 5 star TrustPilot score, indicating the majority of their traders are generally happy with their challenges and the lower profitability of a 70% split.
Verdict on Trade the Pool
Trade the Pool is a good fit for ETF traders who care most about symbol choice and direct stock/ETF access. The single-phase evaluation, clear targets and scale-up model are straightforward, but the volume rules and higher targets require planning and patience, especially with leveraged products. If your strategy relies on a broad ETF universe, sector rotation, or building baskets across many names, Trade the Pool offers the kind of ETF coverage that is hard to match elsewhere.
Prop Firm Score
Challenge Types
Classic, One Step, Two Step
Trading Platforms
MT4, MT5, cTrader
Profit Payout
50% - 80%
The Trading Pit Overview
The Trading Pit scored 55/100 in our testing and sits at the more limited end of the ETF list on this page. There is only one ETF CFD available, TQQQ, plus a large set of index CFDs that many ETF traders use as proxies for major equity ETFs. The prop firm is better known for CFD and futures trading, being one of the first to offer both product types under one brand. Despite the limited ETFs, the rest of their product range is extensive and they still provide a decent trading environment.
Automated trading is allowed, weekly payouts are offered, and challenge fees start from $49. The single-ETF setup is the main drawback. The appeal comes from the platform choice, the ability to run EAs, and the option to mix ETF-style index exposure with other markets like forex, metals and crypto.
Pros & Cons
Full Details
Most ETF traders using The Trading Pit end up treating it as an index-focused environment, not a place to run broad ETF rotations. With TQQQ as the only ETF CFD, many systems shift toward US500, USTEC, DE40 and UK100 as stand-ins for SPY, QQQ or European index ETFs.
The experience then becomes about how the Prime and Classic challenges handle drawdown, profit targets and trading style. If you already trade indices on MT4, MT5 or cTrader, and just need one leveraged ETF plus index exposure, this structure can still work.
Challenge fees start from $49 for smaller accounts and rise as you scale into larger Prime or Classic models. Both follow similar evaluation logic: fixed or trailing drawdowns, minimum trading days, and clear profit targets.
The Trading Pit offers three CFD challenge types that can be used for ETF trading strategies, a Classic, Prime One Step, or Prime Two Step. Fees range from around $49 into the four-figure range depending on account size and programme.
| Challenge Type | ETF Trading Fit | Target | Drawdown | Min Days | Split | Fee Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime CFD One Step | Straightforward swing setups | 10% | Static daily + static max | 5 | 80% | $49–$1,139 |
| Prime CFD Two Step | Slower rotation strategies | 8% then 5% | Static daily + static max | 5/phase | 80% | $49–$1,139 |
| Classic CFD One Step | Small-size ETF/index trading | 10% | Trailing max | 5 | 50–80% | $99–$999 |
Regardless of the trading account you sign up to, the core rules of the challenge and funded accounts remain the same. You must stay within the daily and overall drawdown limits, place the required minimum trading days, and hit the profit target. If you meet all the trading goals, you advance to a funded account with similar conditions and a set payout split.
The Trading Pit only offers one ETF CFD: TQQQ, a triple-leveraged Nasdaq ETF. On its own, that is too narrow for most ETF rotation or portfolio strategies.
To work around that, traders typically use index CFDs as ETF substitutes, for example:
This covers a good portion of index-driven ETF strategies, especially if you rely on:
Outside indices and TQQQ, you also have forex, commodities, cryptocurrencies and individual equity CFDs. These can be used to hedge ETF-style index exposure or to run separate systems in parallel, but they do not replace a proper ETF list.
The Trading Pit uses a consistent rule set across its CFD challenges, regardless of whether you focus on TQQQ, indices, forex or other markets.
Overall, the rules are clear but do not leave much room for oversized or poorly sized trades, especially when using leverage on Nasdaq products.
The Trading Pit gives you the choice of MT4, MT5 and cTrader for CFD trading. All three platforms allow automated strategies, which is the main reason many systematic ETF and index traders look at this prop trading firm.
If you later choose to use their futures offering, you can move to platforms like NinjaTrader, ATAS, Quantower, R|Trader Pro, Tradovate or TradingView. But for ETF-style and index CFD trading, most traders stay on MT5 or cTrader.
Once you reach the funded trader stage, profit payouts run on a regular cycle. Prime CFD accounts receive an 80% profit split every 14 days once funded. Classic CFD accounts start on a lower split of around 50 to 60% and can scale toward 80% as you move through internal funding levels.
You usually need at least $100 profit before requesting a withdrawal, and payouts are normally processed within a short window once approved. Payment options include cards, crypto and local methods depending on region.
For ETF and index traders, the key point is that once you are funded, you can build a steady withdrawal routine around the 14-day cycle.
The Trading Pit offers standard help centre resources, FAQs and documentation explaining the rules, challenge types and platform setup. There is also customer support available via chat and email for account, platform or rules-related questions, and the prop firm has a decent reputation with a 4.4 out of 5 star TrustPilot score.
You won’t find the same depth of ETF education you might see at a broker like Eightcap, but there is enough material to get started and clarify how TQQQ and index CFDs fit into the trading program.
Verdict on The Trading Pit
The Trading Pit is best viewed as an index-focused prop option with one leveraged ETF rather than a broad ETF environment. If you want to run automated or rules-based strategies on TQQQ and major indices using MT4, MT5 or cTrader, the firm can work well. If your ETF approach depends on sector rotation, multiple ETF pairs, or a long list of niche funds, the single-ETF limitation is likely to be too restrictive, and one of the other firms on this page will be a better fit.
ETFs are exchange traded funds that track a basket of stocks, sectors, bonds, commodities or themes. They trade like normal shares, but each ETF represents a full group of assets in one symbol. For traders, this makes them useful because you can take exposure to broad markets like the S&P 500, specific sectors like tech or banks, or higher-volatility products like leveraged ETFs, all without needing to trade dozens of individual stocks.
ETF behaviour is also predictable. Most follow their underlying futures markets, react cleanly to macro events, and move in steady volatility ranges. This makes them popular for intraday trading, breakout strategies, rotation systems and trend models.
For prop trading, ETFs sit between stocks and indices: they have strong liquidity, regular movement, and clear fundamentals, but without the extreme spikes seen in single stocks. The challenge is that only a few prop firms offer them, which is why ETF traders have fewer choices than forex or futures traders.
ETF prop trading requires tighter risk management than you might expect, because ETFs behave differently from forex pairs or crypto assets. They move in defined volatility ranges, react strongly to futures markets, and can gap overnight. At prop firms, these behaviours interact with fixed drawdown rules, minimum trade requirements and consistency checks, so your sizing and trade selection need to match the structure of the account.
Use liquidity as your base filter
Most prop firms limit your order size on thin products, so sticking to ETFs with strong volume (SPY, QQQ, IWM, major sector ETFs) helps you avoid slippage and rule breaks. Leveraged ETFs like TQQQ, SOXL or LABU move faster but still have strong liquidity in normal conditions, which keeps fills predictable.
Match position size to the ETF’s volatility
ETFs vary a lot in how they move. Mega-cap index ETFs barely spike intraday, while leveraged tech ETFs can move several percent in minutes. Using ATR or a volatility-based position size keeps you inside daily loss limits and helps prevent one bad entry wiping out the evaluation.
Plan for gaps and overnight risk
If your prop firm allows overnight holds, you should expect gaps on any ETF tied to US equities, bonds or commodities. Swing traders should use smaller size and wider stops to keep total drawdown intact across multiple days. If your firm does not allow overnight holds, you need to manage exits around major earnings or macro events where ETFs can jump on open.
Use correlation to avoid oversized exposure
Three different ETFs that look like separate trades can still be the same risk. For example, holding SPY, QQQ and XLK is effectively a tech-heavy long bias. Prop firm evaluations do not adjust for correlation, so it’s on you as the trader to reduce overlapping exposure. A simple rule is: avoid taking more than one position that reacts to the same index movement unless you intend to scale in.
Keep your trade distribution consistent
Most ETF prop firms have consistency rules that prevent one oversized trade from carrying the whole evaluation. Trading with a steady size and taking similar types of setups helps you avoid review issues when you hit the profit target. This is especially important with leveraged ETFs where the temptation to “go big once” is high.
Use simple stop logic that works across ETF types
A fixed percentage stop or an ATR-based stop usually works well across index, sector and leveraged ETFs. Keeping everything standard avoids mistakes during fast sessions. ETF traders who balance rules with volatility awareness tend to pass evaluations more naturally than those who treat ETFs like forex pairs.
ETF prop firms evaluate traders by checking whether they can reach the profit target without breaking the drawdown or trading rules. After that, firms review position sizing, trade frequency, holding times and the consistency of results. ETF traders also need to follow symbol-specific rules, especially on volume, leverage and minimum movement. Once all conditions are met, the account is approved and you receive your funded trading account.
Yes, the best prop trading firms with strong reputations do pay out, but only if you follow the rules, keep positions closed at payout time, and meet the profit minimums. ETF traders need to be aware of buffer rules, drawdown resets and payout cycles, as these can affect timing. Most firms pay through common methods such as bank transfer, crypto or payment processors. Choosing firms with clear, simple payout terms reduces the risk of delays or disputes.
The minimum trading day rule sets the lowest number of days you must place at least one trade during the evaluation. This prevents traders from passing with a single oversized position. Most ETF prop firms use a requirement between 3 and 10 trading days depending on the challenge type. For ETF traders, it’s easy to meet these days by spreading activity across liquid ETFs like SPY, QQQ or sector funds while keeping size modest.
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