Futures firms comparator

Steve A. Kubik

Kanwal Singh

2024

2022

• Halcyon may transition traders to a Live Brokerage account once consistency and risk management are demonstrated.
• Trader Live Training Program: intermediate stage in a simulated environment that rewards milestones before live transition.
• Live Brokerage: daily reward requests (Mon–Fri), 100% profit split, swing trading allowed, margin-based contract limits.
• Exclusive to the Ironbeam platform.
• Starting capital on live typically matches the qualifying Reward Account's drawdown amount.

Transition at ETF discretion, including early conversion. Review at 5 payouts, 50 ATDs or $25,000 combined. Sim accounts close; assigned live capital differs from nominal sim balances. Eligible unpaid sim profits enter the Vault with conditional releases. Failure to accept conversion within 3 business days results in a partial payment and a 2-year ban. Rithmic-compatible platforms; Tradovate and NinjaTrader are unavailable in live.

• 6 qualifying trading days are required before each reward request
• All 6 days must meet the applicable Minimum Daily Profit Requirement
• Lite/Prime minimums: $100 for 25K, $200 for 50K and $350 for 150K
• Dynamic minimums: $200 for 50K, $275 for 75K, $325 for 100K and $400 for 150K
• After each approved reward, all qualifying trading days reset to zero
• No payout window: requests can be submitted whenever the dashboard shows an eligible reward amount
• Processed first-in, first-out, up to 3 business days

Sim-funded: processed Mondays and Wednesdays after meeting each cycle's ATDs. LIVE ELITE: requests on business days; Vault releases follow a separate schedule.

Approval of eligible rewards or initiation of a LIVE ELITE transition within 48 business hours. Transfer initiation and bank receipt are not guaranteed. $1,000 compensation if ETF misses the deadline; ETF chooses the compensation method. Completed KYC and Rise verification and accounts in good standing required. Excludes weekends, US bank or federal holidays, system downtime and third-party delays.

Lite and Prime

• 25K: 50% of profits, up to $1,000 per reward
• 50K: 50% of profits, up to $2,000 per reward
• 150K: 50% of profits, up to $3,000 per reward

Dynamic

• 50K: up to $1,250 per reward
• 75K: up to $1,550 per reward
• 100K: up to $2,000 per reward
• 150K: up to $3,000 per reward

Maximum 5 approved rewards per account. After the 5th reward, the account may be reviewed for transition to the TLT Program or a Live Brokerage account.

Maximum per cycle, in USD:
1 Step 50K: 1000/1250/1500/1750; 100K: 1250/1500/1750/2000; 150K: 1500/1750/2000/2250
Static 10K: 500/500/500/1000; 25K: 750/1000/1250/1500; 50K: 1250/1500/1750/2000
EOD 50K: 1250/1500/1750/2000; 100K and Diamond Hands 100K: 1750/2000/2250/2500
Fast Track EOD: 500/750/1000; Static: 750/1000/1250. Three cycles; total 2250/3000 per the specific guide
DTF 10K: 1200 per cycle; 50K: 2500/2500/5000/5000; 100K: 1500/2500/3500/5000
Outside Fast Track: the fourth limit continues; combined sim cap of $25,000 per trader per round, with a $150,000 lifetime cap across all sim rounds. LIVE ELITE: uncapped above the assigned starting balance.

Minimum reward request: $250. Lite, Prime and Dynamic Reward Accounts only need net profit above their starting balance; there is no buffer to clear.

1 Step: $250. Static, EOD, Diamond Hands and Fast Track: $100. DTF 10K/100K: $500; DTF 50K: $1,000. LIVE ELITE: $250.

KYC and Rise onboarding with matching personal details. Country must be supported by payment providers and the live broker. Guam, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands are unsupported. Active account and approved audit; wait for approval before resuming trading. Minimum age: 18 or the local age of majority, whichever is higher. Complete KYC within 5 days of submitting documents; ETF may deny rewards if this is not met. An audio or video interview of up to 60 minutes may be required. In sim, withdraw the cycle maximum and meet its ATDs to advance to the next cycle; ATDs reset. Dashboard payout requirements prevail in a conflict.

• Based on the default (free) membership tier of platform partners.
• Fees include: exchange, NFA, clearing and platform commission.
• Calculated per contract, per round trip.
• Micro contracts generally have lower fees than mini contracts.

Per contract, per side: ES/NQ/YM $2.04; MES $0.56; MNQ $0.51; CL $2.26; MCL $0.76; GC $2.31; MGC $0.76; BTC $6.76; MBT $2.76; ETH $5.76; MET $0.46. Other rates depend on the contract. LIVE ELITE: minis $2 and micros $0.62, plus exchange fees.

• Unlimited resets available for a fee (via the Trader Dashboard).
• Restores a fresh account balance with all risk parameters reset.

Standard evaluations: manual reset or automatic reset on renewal of a failed account. Fast Track: no evaluation reset. Sim-funded and DTF: up to 10 resets per account. LIVE ELITE: no resets.

• Halcyon Prime: 1-Day Pass add-on. Price by size: +$18 (25K), +$27 (50K), +$41 (150K).
• Bypasses the 40% consistency rule.
• Allows passing the evaluation in a single trading day.
• Halcyon Lite has no add-ons.

One Day to Pass, TradeShield, PriceSlash and Double Down Deal (3D), subject to eligibility. Fast Track is excluded from One Day to Pass and 3D. PriceSlash: a 90% coupon for another evaluation of the same type after passing and activation; redeem within 90 days, with the discount retained on renewals. 3D: prepaid monthly activation; a 3-month option for the price of 2, with benefits forfeited on cancellation. Depending on the add-on: monthly billing while the account remains active, without separate cancellation, or a one-time charge until account failure.

DTF: direct access to sim-funded, without an evaluation.

LIVE ELITE: capital adjustments at the risk team's discretion.

Halcyon Lite (Intraday Trailing)

• $25K: $1,000 | $50K: $2,000 | $150K: $4,000
• Tracks Total Liquidation Value including unrealized profits
• Locks permanently at starting balance + $100 after the first approved reward

Halcyon Prime (End-of-Day)

• $25K: $1,000 | $50K: $2,000 | $150K: $4,500
• Updates only at end of trading session based on closing balance
• Locks permanently at starting balance + $100 after the first approved reward

Halcyon Dynamic

• Evaluation: $2,000 on the 50K account; Intraday or End-of-Day selected at purchase
• Reward: $2,000 on 50K | $2,500 on 75K | $3,000 on 100K | $4,000 on 150K
• Reward drawdown can be Intraday or End-of-Day, independently of the evaluation choice
• Locks permanently at starting balance + $100 after the first approved reward

1 Step: intraday trailing, including open profit. EOD, Diamond Hands, Fast Track EOD and DTF 10K/50K: trailing at session close on realized profit. Static, Fast Track Static and DTF 100K: fixed floor. Sim-funded trailing locks at the safety net, with a floor at starting balance + $100; the Static floor stays unchanged.

90/10 profit split on all Lite, Prime and Dynamic Reward Accounts. Trader keeps 90%, firm keeps 10%.

The sim-account split is a maximum, subject to approval and payout limits. LIVE ELITE: 80% to the trader.

No daily loss limits on any plan.

EOD and Diamond Hands: daily limit with a hard breach; TradeShield can turn it into a daily lockout. In sim-funded it stops applying after reaching the safety net. Other plans have no base daily limit.

• No buffer. Removed for accounts purchased from 8 Aug 2026.
• To request a reward it is enough to be above the account starting balance: there is no locked amount to build or maintain.
• Previously a buffer of drawdown + $100 was required, and withdrawing from within it was not allowed.
• After the first approved reward, the maximum loss limit moves permanently to starting balance + $100.

Non-withdrawable safety net: account drawdown + $100 in realized profit. Funded terms: reach it within 45 calendar days. One-time payment, including DTF: 25 days; one 3-day cure period if it is not reached or is later lost. It must be maintained; failure closes the account without a refund.

LIVE ELITE: merge or split accounts with approval.

• Evaluation accounts expire after 30 calendar days if not passed.
• Accounts inactive for more than 30 calendar days are disabled.

Standard evaluation: no maximum deadline while the subscription remains active. Fast Track: 10 calendar days.

• Halcyon Lite Evaluation: 1 trading day
• Halcyon Prime Evaluation: 3 trading days, or 1 day with the 1-Day Pass add-on
• Halcyon Dynamic Evaluation: 1 trading day
• All Reward Accounts: 6 qualifying trading days before each reward request; the counter resets to zero after each approved reward

Standard evaluation: 5 days; One Day to Pass reduces this to 1. Fast Track: 3 days. DTF: no evaluation. Sunday and Monday count as one day.

Lite and Prime

• With activation-fee pricing, the activation fee is paid once after passing
• With no-activation-fee pricing, no payment is required after passing
• Both options lead to the same Reward Account rules

Dynamic

• After passing, the trader pays a one-time upgrade fee based on the selected Reward Account size, drawdown type and consistency option

Rithmic: an additional $45/month per active account, also during evaluation. Professional data: $128 per exchange, subject to change. Non-professional level 1 data included; level 2 and optional platform licenses are extra. LIVE ELITE: $197/month per exchange and first account; each additional account, $197/month. ETF covers exchange fees after 3 months. The initial evaluation payment and add-ons are credited to the sim balance on activation, not as ATD profit; DTF excluded.

2 points per dollar on eligible evaluation purchases and evaluation resets. DTF and funded resets excluded.

• Halcyon Lite Evaluation: 1 trading day
• Halcyon Prime Evaluation: 3 trading days, or 1 day with the 1-Day Pass add-on
• Halcyon Dynamic Evaluation: 1 trading day
• All Reward Accounts: 6 qualifying trading days meeting the applicable Minimum Daily Profit Requirement before each reward request

Standard sim and Fast Track: 8 ATDs for the first cycle and 10 thereafter. Standard purchases from 2 October 2026 at 2:00 PM Pacific Time: each ATD requires $250 and at least 30% of the best day; Static 10K/25K, $125. DTF per cycle: 10K, 5 ATDs with $150 and 50% of the best day; 50K, 15 ATDs with $600 and 62%; 100K, 20 ATDs with $500 and 50%. Fast Track has separate consistency criteria; its guide does not specify a daily dollar minimum.

Evaluation and sim-funded: fixed product limits. LIVE ELITE: contract limits reviewed based on performance; first review after 20 trading days.

Lite and Prime
Two one-time pricing options are available:

• With activation fee: lower evaluation fee, then a separate activation fee after passing
• No activation fee: higher all-in evaluation fee; upgrade to the Reward Account is free

Dynamic

• One-time 50K evaluation fee: $47 with Intraday Trailing drawdown or $49 with End-of-Day drawdown
• A separate Reward Account upgrade fee is paid after passing

No subscriptions or recurring billing.

Standard evaluations: renewal every 30 days until passing and activation; passing does not cancel billing. Fast Track: one-time payment without renewal. First-purchase guarantee: request within 7 days, fewer than 5 trades and no account failure; conditions apply.

Current evaluations: up to 5 active Elite Sim-Funded accounts. DTF: a separate limit of 5 active accounts per trader. Fast Track EOD: 1 per the specific guide, although the store shows 5. One registration per trader and one trader per household.

• Bots, algos and semi-automated systems are allowed.
• You must be the sole owner of the system.
• The system cannot be used across multiple firms.
• HFT (high-frequency trading) bots are not allowed.
• Halcyon may request proof of usage.

Bots, AI and algorithms require written authorization. Approved copiers do not authorize automated strategies.

VPN, VPS, proxies and IP masking prohibited, except expressly authorized ranges from approved providers.

Every trade must last at least 10 seconds, without exceptions.

Includes DCA, adding to losing positions or increasing exposure after losses in identical or related instruments.

• Contract limits are applied based on account size.
• Excessive daily contract usage is prohibited (over 250 contracts across micros or minis).

After reaching 20% sim profit, losing more than 35% of accumulated profit allows ETF to remove the account from the sim program and disqualifies it from LIVE ELITE. Includes payout adjustments and overrides the original drawdown. Reviewed during audits or reward requests. LIVE ELITE applies additional risk-team controls.

Only own accounts and authorized copiers: native tools, Tradesyncer, Tradecopia, Affordable Indicators and Replikanto PropFirm Compliance. LIVE ELITE requires approval.

Accounts must place at least one trade every 30 consecutive calendar days. Accounts inactive for more than 30 days will be considered inactive and may be disabled. Evaluation accounts also expire 30 calendar days after starting if not passed.

One genuine trade every 7 days per account; an approved break is available once per quarter. Log in at least every 30 days. Scratch trades and prolonged lack of progress can lead to closure and forfeited payouts.

Halcyon Lite

• No consistency rule on evaluation or reward accounts.

Halcyon Prime

• 40% consistency rule on BOTH evaluation and reward accounts.
• No single trading day's profit may exceed 40% of total profits during the qualifying period.
• 1-Day Pass Add-On allows bypassing the consistency requirement during evaluation only.

Halcyon Dynamic

• When upgrading after passing the evaluation, the trader chooses a Reward Account with 40% consistency or no consistency.

Fast Track: best day cannot exceed 40% of total profit in evaluation or 30% for payouts. Other plans use the ATD qualifying rule rather than that total-profit cap.

Day trading only. All positions must be closed and all orders canceled by 4:45 PM EST (New York Time). Positions are automatically liquidated outside trading hours. No overnight or weekend holding on any account type.

Allowed on Diamond Hands and DTF. Other plans: close one minute before market close.

• Hedging on the same or related underlying assets (e.g. ES + MES, NQ + MNQ)
• Opposite Direction Trades within or across accounts (CME Rule 534 – Wash Trades, CME Rule 575 – Disruptive Practices)
• Mixing micro and mini contracts on the same asset
• Holding positions outside trading hours / overnight / weekend
• Account sharing or third-party trading

Abusive HFT, arbitrage, exploiting execution errors or low liquidity, wash trading, collusion, trading for others, manipulating ATDs or payouts, and simultaneously stacking maximum mini and micro limits.

• All positions must be closed and all orders canceled by 4:45 PM EST.
• Positions are automatically liquidated outside trading hours.
• Failing to close may trigger automatic liquidation and account failure.

Allowed on Diamond Hands and DTF. Other plans: close one minute before market close.