The cheapest futures prop firm challenge we track right now is the Blue Guardian Futures Reserve $25,000 account at $48 with code INSIDE (regular $64). At $50,000, Blue Guardian Reserve and AquaFunded Daily tie for cheapest at $84 each after their codes.
But the lowest sticker price is only half the story. A cheap evaluation with a tight drawdown, slow payouts or expensive resets can cost you more over three attempts than a pricier plan you actually pass. Below we rank every futures plan from the four firms we list by price after code, then show what you get for that money.
- Cheapest overall: Blue Guardian Futures Reserve $25,000 at $48 (code INSIDE).
- Cheapest $50,000: Blue Guardian Reserve and AquaFunded Daily, both $84, both with a $2,000 end-of-day drawdown.
- Cheapest $150,000: AquaFunded Daily at $200 with code AUTUMN, and it pays out daily.
- Every plan here is a 1-step evaluation with an end-of-day (EOD) trailing drawdown, not an intraday trailing one.
Cheapest Futures Prop Firm by Account Size
This is the lowest price each firm charges for an evaluation at each size, after the current discount code. Instant-funding plans are covered separately further down.
| Account | Blue Guardian Futures (INSIDE) | AquaFunded Futures (AUTUMN) | E8 Futures (INSIDE) | FundedNext Futures (INSIDE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | $48 (Reserve) | — | $84 (E8 Zero Starter) | $144 (Rapid Pro) |
| $50,000 | $84 (Reserve) | $84 (Daily) | $128 (E8 Signature) | $128 (Flex) |
| $100,000 | $111 (Reserve) | $129 (Daily) | $210 (E8 Signature) | $247 (Flex) |
| $150,000 | $222 (Reserve) | $200 (Daily) | $285 (E8 Zero Starter) | $442 (Flex) |
Two firms dominate on price: Blue Guardian Futures wins at $25,000 and $100,000 (Reserve, $111), while AquaFunded Futures wins at $150,000. E8 Futures is the next-cheapest at $25,000 ($84), and FundedNext Futures is the priciest of the four, mainly because its code is only 10% off.
What You Get for the Money at $50K
$50,000 is the most popular starting size, so here is every sensible $50,000 evaluation side by side. The “cost per $1K drawdown” column divides the price by the max drawdown: it shows how much room to be wrong you buy per dollar spent. Lower is better.
| Plan | With code | Regular | Target | Max drawdown | Cost per $1K DD | Payouts | Split |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Guardian Futures Reserve 1-Step | $84 | $112 | $3,000 | $2,000 EOD | $42 | 5 win days | 90% |
| AquaFunded Futures Daily 1-Step | $84 | $113 | $3,000 | $2,000 EOD | $42 | Daily | 90% |
| Blue Guardian Futures Express 1-Step | $98 | $130 | $3,000 | $2,000 EOD | $49 | Daily | 90% |
| AquaFunded Futures Flex DLL | $98 | $131 | $3,000 | $2,000 EOD | $49 | 5 win days | 90% |
| FundedNext Futures Flex 1-Step | $128 | $142 | $2,500 | $1,500 EOD | $85 | 5 days | 95% |
| E8 Futures E8 Signature 1-Step | $128 | $170 | $3,000 | $2,000 EOD | $64 | 5 win days | 80% |
| E8 Futures E8 Zero Starter 1-Step | $142 | $218 | $3,000 | $1,500 EOD | $95 | Daily | 80% |
A few things stand out:
- Blue Guardian Reserve and AquaFunded Daily give the most drawdown per dollar: $2,000 of room for $84, or $42 per $1K.
- E8 Zero Starter costs more ($142) and has a smaller $1,500 drawdown, but it has no daily loss limit and pays daily once funded.
- FundedNext Flex has the lowest target ($2,500) and the highest split (95%), which partly makes up for its $128 price.
Want a deeper look at two of these? Read our E8 Futures vs Blue Guardian Futures $50K comparison.
The Hidden Costs: Daily Loss, Consistency and Resets
Cheap plans often save money by adding rules. Before you buy the lowest price, check these three things:
Daily loss limits
AquaFunded Daily carries a daily loss limit ($1,000 on $50,000), and Blue Guardian Express has one too. Blue Guardian Reserve lets you pick an optional daily loss limit or none. E8 Futures has no daily loss limit on any plan, and FundedNext Flex and Rapid Pro have none either. If one bad morning tends to snowball for you, a plan without a daily limit is safer even if it costs a little more.
Consistency rules
Blue Guardian Reserve uses a 40% or 50% consistency rule during the challenge, but none once funded. AquaFunded Daily has a 40% rule in the challenge only. E8 Zero has a 40% rule in the evaluation only, while E8 Signature has none in the evaluation but 35% once funded. FundedNext Rapid Daily has no consistency rule at all. If you tend to make your month in one big day, that matters more than a $20 price gap. Our guide to futures prop firms lists the rules for each firm.
Reset fees and repeat attempts
Most traders don’t pass on the first try, so the real price is often two or three attempts. FundedNext publishes its reset fees (for example $77.99 for a Flex $50,000 account). For the other firms, buying a fresh account with the code is often as cheap as a reset: two Blue Guardian Reserve $50,000 attempts cost $168, still less than one FundedNext Rapid Pro $50,000 account at $270. AquaFunded’s current AUTUMN offer also says the fee is refundable; check the firm’s terms for when that applies.
Our Picks: The Cheapest Futures Prop Firms Worth Buying
Blue Guardian Futures — Reserve starts at $48 ($25,000) and $111 for $100,000, with a 90% split and no consistency rule once funded. Trade-off: payouts need 5 winning days and are capped at 50% of profit per request, so cash comes out slower than on Express.
AquaFunded Futures — The Daily plan costs $84 at $50,000 and $200 at $150,000 with code AUTUMN, and pays out daily once funded. Trade-off: it has a daily loss limit, and AquaFunded runs on Tradovate and Deepcharts only — no NinjaTrader.
E8 Futures — E8 Zero Starter starts at $84 ($25,000) with code INSIDE, has no daily loss limit, no minimum days and daily payouts at an 80% split. Trade-off: a smaller drawdown than Blue Guardian or AquaFunded at the same size, and a 40% consistency rule in the evaluation.
FundedNext Futures — Flex $50,000 needs only $2,500 to pass and pays a 95% split. Trade-off: at $128 it isn’t the cheapest, the code is only 10% off, and payouts need 5 benchmark days.
Cheapest Futures Instant Funding Accounts
If you want to skip the evaluation entirely, you pay more up front. These are the cheapest instant-funding entries after codes:
| Firm | Account | With code | Regular | Max drawdown | Payouts | Split |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AquaFunded Futures | $25,000 | $215 | $287 | $1,500 EOD | On demand | 90% |
| Blue Guardian Futures | $25,000 | $263 | $350 | $1,500 EOD | On demand | 90% |
| FundedNext Futures | $50,000 | $256 | $284 | $2,000 EOD | 5 days | 90% |
AquaFunded Instant at $215 is the cheapest way into a funded futures account we track, but every instant plan here carries a 20% consistency rule (Blue Guardian Direct steps up to 30% later). For most traders, a $84 evaluation is the better-value starting point.
How to Get the Lowest Price at Checkout
- Open the firm through our link (any button on this page) so the discount is tracked.
- Choose the plan and account size from the tables above.
- Enter the code at checkout: INSIDE for Blue Guardian Futures, E8 Futures and FundedNext Futures, or AUTUMN for AquaFunded Futures.
- Check that the total matches the “with code” price before you pay.
All live codes are on our prop firm discount codes page.
Is the Cheapest Futures Prop Firm the Best One?
Not always. Price matters most if you plan to buy several attempts or run multiple accounts. If you trade one account and want to get paid fast, payout speed and rules usually matter more than a $30 difference. All four firms trade CME Group futures; if you are new to contract sizing, the CME Micro E-mini S&P 500 contract page explains the micro contracts most small accounts use.
Platform is the other filter: E8 Futures, Blue Guardian Futures and FundedNext Futures support NinjaTrader, Tradovate and TradingView, while AquaFunded uses Tradovate and Deepcharts. See our guide to futures prop firm platforms before you buy, and browse all prop firm comparisons for more head-to-heads.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest futures prop firm?
Blue Guardian Futures is the cheapest we track: the Reserve $25,000 evaluation costs $48 with code INSIDE. At $50,000, Blue Guardian Reserve and AquaFunded Daily both cost $84 after their codes.
What is the cheapest $50K futures prop firm account?
Blue Guardian Futures Reserve (code INSIDE) and AquaFunded Futures Daily (code AUTUMN) both cost $84 for $50,000, each with a $2,000 end-of-day drawdown.
What is the cheapest futures prop firm with daily payouts?
AquaFunded Futures Daily starts at $84 for $50,000 with code AUTUMN. Blue Guardian Express ($98 at $50,000) and E8 Zero Starter ($84 at $25,000) also pay out daily.
Which cheap futures prop firm has no daily loss limit?
E8 Futures has no daily loss limit on any plan, with prices from $84 using code INSIDE. FundedNext Flex and Blue Guardian Reserve (if you choose no daily limit) also avoid one.
What is the cheapest futures instant funding account?
AquaFunded Futures Instant $25,000 costs $215 with code AUTUMN. It has a $1,500 end-of-day drawdown and a 20% consistency rule.
Start with the cheapest futures challenge
Blue Guardian Reserve starts at $48 with code INSIDE, and AquaFunded Daily pays out daily from $84 with code AUTUMN.
This article is for information and education only and is not financial advice. Trading futures, forex and CFDs carries a high risk of loss. InsidePropFirm may earn a commission when you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you.
