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Comparison · Futures

Platforms and execution: Alpha Futures and Goat Funded Futures

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Where you trade

The choice of platform defines the trader's analytical capabilities. Alpha Futures provides a versatile environment including AlphaTrader, TradingView, WealthCharts, Quantower, and Deepcharts. This selection leans towards modern, web-based, and highly visual interfaces.

Goat Funded Futures offers a more specialized suite for professional futures traders, featuring NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView, Quantower, ATAS, Volumetrica, and Tickblaze. The inclusion of ATAS and Volumetrica is a significant advantage for those who rely on Order Flow and Volume Profile analysis.

Who executes your orders

Execution quality and latency depend on the underlying infrastructure. Alpha Futures uses ACG Markets as its primary broker. This provides a centralized execution model for their various futures contracts.

Goat Funded Futures utilizes two major data feeds: CQG (for NinjaTrader, Tradovate, and TradingView) and DxFeed (for Quantower, ATAS, and others). A technical constraint to note is that the data feed cannot be changed once the account is purchased, which ties your execution environment to your initial platform choice.

Leverage and margin

In the futures prop firm industry, "margin" is effectively managed through contract limits and drawdown rules.

  • Alpha Futures: Uses an End-of-Day (EOD) trailing drawdown that locks at the starting balance once reached. For an Advanced $50,000 account, you are permitted 5 mini contracts (50 micros) with a $1,750 maximum drawdown.
  • Goat Funded Futures: Offers a mix of risk models. Their EOD Challenge and Sprint plans use EOD trailing drawdown, while Instant Funded accounts utilize Intraday trailing drawdown. A $50,000 EOD account allows 5 mini contracts (50 micros) with a $2,000 maximum drawdown, providing a slightly larger cushion than Alpha's equivalent.

Markets available

Alpha Futures provides a broader asset range beyond standard futures, including Equity Indexes, Currencies, Metals, Commodities, Rates, and Crypto futures.

Goat Funded Futures focuses strictly on the CME Group exchanges (CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX). Traders here are limited to traditional futures contracts like ES, NQ, CL, and GC, without the crypto exposure found at Alpha.

What the setup lets you do

The technical environment dictates the strategy.

  • Alpha Futures is strictly for manual traders; EAs and automated strategies are prohibited. News trading is unrestricted in Evaluation and the Advanced Qualified plan, but other live accounts face a 2-minute buffer rule.
  • Goat Funded Futures is algorithm-friendly, allowing personal EAs and automated strategies. However, they enforce a "micro-scalping" rule where profits from trades lasting less than 2 minutes (and moving less than 10 ticks in some contexts) are deducted. They also implement a mandatory 2-minute news buffer on all funded accounts.

What the setup costs

Execution costs and payout structures impact the bottom line:

  • Alpha Futures: Charges commissions of $0.99 per side for minis and $0.29 for micros. Most plans (Zero, Standard, Advanced) require a monthly subscription during the evaluation. Payouts are guaranteed for the same day.
  • Goat Funded Futures: Operates on a one-time fee model for evaluations (no monthly recurring charges). They offer a very aggressive profit split, reaching 100% on the first $10,000 in the Sprint and Instant plans. Payouts are processed within 2 business days, with a $500 bonus if they miss this window.

Better setup for

  • Alpha Futures is the better setup for manual, high-frequency traders who want a wider variety of markets (including Crypto) and demand the fastest possible payout processing (same day).
  • Goat Funded Futures is the better setup for algorithmic traders (EAs) and order flow specialists who prefer one-time payments and professional tools like ATAS or NinjaTrader.

Frequently asked questions

Which firm offers a better environment for automated trading, Alpha Futures or Goat Funded Futures?

Goat Funded Futures is the clear winner for automation, as it explicitly allows personal EAs and automated strategies. In contrast, Alpha Futures prohibits the use of EAs entirely, restricting its environment to manual traders only.

How do the payout speeds compare between Alpha Futures and Goat Funded Futures?

Alpha Futures offers a superior payout speed with a same-day guarantee. Goat Funded Futures processes withdrawals within 2 business days, although they offer a $500 penalty bonus paid to the trader if they fail to meet this 48-hour service level agreement.

Is it cheaper to maintain an evaluation account at Alpha Futures or Goat Funded Futures?

Goat Funded Futures is generally more cost-effective for long-term evaluations because it uses a one-time fee model with no recurring charges. Alpha Futures (except for their Direct plan) requires a monthly subscription fee during the evaluation phase, which can become more expensive if the trader takes several months to reach the profit target.

Which firm provides more flexibility for news trading, Alpha Futures or Goat Funded Futures?

Alpha Futures provides more flexibility for news trading, specifically within its Advanced Qualified plan and all Evaluation accounts, where there are no restrictions. Goat Funded Futures imposes a mandatory 2-minute buffer (before and after) for high-impact news on all funded accounts, where opening or closing positions is prohibited.

Field by field

Alpha Futures and Goat Funded Futures, side by side

Rules, plans, platforms, leverage, commissions and payouts of both, with the option to see only what differs.

Head to head

43 differences

50%off · Exclusive
Headquarters

1 Allied Business Centre, Coldharbour Lane, Harpenden, England, AL5 4UT

RM 1205, 12/f. Beverly Hse 93-107 Lockhart Rd Wan Chai Hong Kong

CEO

Andrew Blaylock & George Kohler

No data
Country

United Kingdom

Hong Kong

Foundation

2023

2024

Banned Countries
Afghanistan, Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso (Upper Volta), Burma/Myanmar, Chad, China, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Montenegro, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, North Korea, North Macedonia, Northern Cyprus, Palestinian Territory, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Darfur, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe
Afghanistan, Albania, Antarctica, Bangladesh, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, East Timor, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Myanmar, North Korea, Palestinian Territory, Russia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Korea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Togo, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe
Assets
Equity Indexes, Currencies, Metals, Commodities, Crypto, Rates
Futures
Brokers
ACG Markets
No data
Platforms
AlphaTrader, TradingView, WealthCharts, Quantower, Deepcharts
NinjaTrader, Tradovate, Tradingview, Quantower, ATAS, Volumetrica, Tickblaze
Payout Methods
ACH, Wire Transfer, SWIFT, Wise, Rise
Rise
Live Account
Yes

Qualified traders may be selected to trade real capital through the Alpha Futures Live Program or Alpha Prime. Live accounts offer daily uncapped withdrawals, no consistency rule and no news-trading restrictions.

No
Payment Methods
Card, Crypto
Card, Crypto
Payout Frequency
  • Zero, Standard and Advanced: Up to 4 times per month after 5 winning trading days of $200 or more
  • Direct: Up to 4 times per month after meeting its Withdrawal Profit Target and 20% consistency rule

EOD Challenge
Every 7 winning days (a winning day = net P&L ≥ 0.2% of account balance).

Sprint Challenge
Every 5 winning days.

FLEX Challenge
Every 5 winning days.

Instant Funded
Every 7 winning days. Minimum 10 calendar days before first payout. After first payout, must surpass previous equity high before next request.

GOAT Daily
Payout requests every 24 hours once funded.

Minimum payout: $500 across all sizes.

Payout Guarantee

Same day

Payouts processed within 2 business days. A $500 bonus is automatically applied if processing exceeds this SLA.

Maximum Withdrawal
  • Advanced: $15,000 per account
  • Zero 25K: $1,000
  • Zero 50K: $1,500
  • Zero 100K: $2,500
  • Standard 50K: $3,000
  • Standard 100K: $4,000
  • Standard 150K: $5,000
  • Direct 25K: $1,000
  • Direct 50K: $2,000
  • Direct 100K: $2,500
  • Direct 150K: $3,000

Caps grow with each payout number. FLEX Challenge does not publish caps.

EOD Challenge

  • 1st: $50K $1,500 · $100K $2,000 · $150K $2,500
  • 2nd: $50K $2,000 · $100K $2,750 · $150K $3,250
  • 3rd: $50K $2,500 · $100K $3,250 · $150K $3,750
  • 4th+: $50K $2,750 · $100K $3,750 · $150K $4,250

Sprint Challenge

  • 1st: $25K $800 · $50K $1,500 · $100K $2,500
  • 2nd: $25K $1,000 · $50K $1,750 · $100K $3,000
  • 3rd: $25K $1,200 · $50K $2,000 · $100K $3,500
  • 4th+: $25K $1,500 · $50K $2,500 · $100K $4,500

Instant Funded (per cycle)

  • $25K: $1,000 · $50K: $2,000 · $75K: $3,000 · $100K: $3,000 · $150K: $4,000

GOAT Daily

  • Per payout: $25K $650 · $50K $1,000 · $100K $1,500 · $150K $2,500
Minimum Withdrawal
  • Zero: $200
  • Standard: $500
  • Advanced: $1,000
  • Direct: $500

$500 across all account sizes

Other Payout Requirements
No data
  • EOD Challenge: 7 winning days.
  • Sprint Challenge: 5 winning days.
  • Instant Funded: 7 winning days and minimum 10 calendar days before the first payout.
  • GOAT Daily: no winning-day requirement once funded.
  • A winning day requires net P&L of at least 0.2% of account balance.
  • Payout submission windows (excluding GOAT Daily): 5th–8th and 20th–23rd of each month.
  • Instant Funded requires exceeding the previous equity high for subsequent payouts.
Account Reset

Evaluation Resets

Evaluation reset prices are shown in each challenge. Paying the next monthly subscription also resets an Evaluation.

 

Qualified Resets

Available after a breach on Zero and Standard Qualified accounts.

Plan 25K 50K 100K 150K
Zero $399 $499 $799 —
Standard — $599 $799 $999

Available on evaluation plans (EOD, Sprint, FLEX). Reset fees:

  • EOD: $50K $59 · $100K $109 · $150K $159
  • Sprint: $25K $46 · $50K $69 · $100K $99
  • FLEX: $50K $74 · $100K $124 · $150K $174

Instant Funded and Instant Lite accounts cannot be reset.

Add-ons
Yes
  • Level 2 (Depth of Market) Data for all exchanges: $41/month per user
  • EUREX DOM data: $23 per month
No
Instant
Yes
Yes
One Step
Yes
Yes
Account scaling
No data
Yes

Points-based rewards program (no formal tiers). Earn points by passing challenges, withdrawing, social engagement and trading milestones. Redeem for perks such as:

  • +5% profit split on withdrawal (150 points)
  • Faster 24h withdrawals (150 points)
  • Account scaling +10% size (200 points)
  • +$500 extra max drawdown (200 points)
  • Free $25K / $50K challenge accounts (350 / 500 points)
Max Drawdown
  • EOD trailing on every plan
  • Locks at the starting balance
  • Does not reset after a performance fee

EOD Challenge

  • EOD Trailing — locks at starting balance once balance is restored
  • $50K: $2,000 (4%) | $100K: $3,000 (3%) | $150K: $4,500 (3%)

Sprint Challenge

  • EOD Trailing — locks at starting balance once balance is restored
  • $25K: $1,000 (4%) | $50K: $2,000 (4%) | $100K: $3,000 (3%)

FLEX Challenge

  • EOD Trailing Max DD — locks at starting balance

Instant Funded

  • Intraday Trailing — locks at starting balance once balance is reached
  • $25K: $1,250 (5%) | $50K: $2,500 (5%) | $75K: $3,750 (5%) | $100K: $5,000 (5%) | $150K: $7,500 (5%)

Instant Lite

  • EOD Trailing — locks at starting balance
  • $25K: $1,000 | $50K: $1,750 | $100K: $3,000

GOAT Daily

  • Evaluation: EOD trailing; locks at starting balance + $100.
  • Funded: intraday trailing.
Free Trial
No
No
Daily Drawdown
  • Advanced: none
  • Zero: applies in Evaluation and Qualified; hitting it locks the account until the next trading day
  • Standard: none in Evaluation; applies once Qualified
  • Direct: applies from day one

EOD Challenge

  • Evaluation: no daily loss limit
  • Funded: soft breach 2.5% of starting balance ($50K: $1,250 | $100K: $2,500 | $150K: $3,750)

Sprint Challenge

  • No daily loss limit (evaluation or funded)

FLEX Challenge

  • No daily loss limit (evaluation or funded)

Instant Funded

  • 3% of starting balance (soft breach — account pauses until next trading day)
  • $25K: $750 | $50K: $1,500 | $75K: $2,250 | $100K: $3,000 | $150K: $4,500

Instant Lite

  • $25K: none | $50K: $1,000 | $100K: $2,000

GOAT Daily

  • Evaluation and funded: $25K $500 · $50K $1,000 · $100K $1,500 · $150K $2,250.
  • Soft breach: positions are closed and trading is paused for the day.
Max Allocation
  • Zero, Standard and Direct: up to 5 Qualified accounts
  • Advanced: up to 3 Qualified accounts; an active Advanced Qualified account limits the user to 3 total

Initial account sizes up to $150,000. Scaling via rewards program can grow allocation beyond that, with documented brand-wide payouts of $18M+ and up to $750,000 available across plans.

Mandatory buffer
No
Yes

GOAT Daily funded buffer: $25K $1,100 · $50K $2,100 · $100K $3,100 · $150K $4,600.

Merge Accounts
No
No
Maximum Trading Days
No data

No time limit on any plan.

Minimum Trading Days
  • Zero (Evaluation): 1 day
  • Standard (Evaluation): 2 days
  • Advanced (Evaluation): 3 days
  • Zero, Standard and Advanced Qualified: 5 winning days of $200 or more before each performance fee
  • Direct: no minimum trading days; withdrawals require its profit target and 20% consistency rule

FLEX Challenge requires 2 trading days. EOD, Sprint and Instant Funded have no minimum trading days.

GOAT Daily: no minimum trading days once funded.

Funded Phase Pricing Model

No activation fee on any plan. Direct is paid once; Zero, Standard and Advanced charge monthly only during Evaluation.

No activation fee after passing — you keep 100% of the funded account access without any extra payment. Instant Funded is a one-time fee that grants funded-account access immediately, without an evaluation phase.

Minimum Profitable Days

Zero, Standard and Advanced require 5 winning days with at least $200 profit each before every performance fee request. Direct requires its Withdrawal Profit Target and 20% consistency rule.

No data
Position size scaling
Yes

The scaling plan limits maximum position size according to accumulated profit. Zero 25K has no scaling plan; Advanced and Direct have no scaling plan.

 

Zero Qualified

Profit 50K minis 50K micros 100K minis 100K micros
Less than $1,500 1 10 2 20
$1,500-$2,000 2 20 3 30
$2,000-$3,000 3 30 4 40
$3,000-$4,500 — — 5 50
$4,500+ — — 6 60

 

Standard Qualified

Profit 50K minis 50K micros 100K minis 100K micros 150K minis 150K micros
Less than $1,500 2 20 3 30 3 30
$1,500-$2,000 3 30 4 40 4 40
$2,000-$3,000 5 50 5 50 5 50
$3,000-$4,500 5 50 10 100 10 100
$4,500+ 5 50 10 100 15 150
Yes

Contract limits (mini / micro) scale with account size and plan:

EOD Challenge

  • $50K: 5 / 50
  • $100K: 9 / 90
  • $150K: 12 / 120

Sprint Challenge

  • $25K: 3 / 30
  • $50K: 5 / 50
  • $100K: 7 / 70

FLEX Challenge

  • $50K: 3 / 30
  • $100K: 5 / 50
  • $150K: 8 / 80

Instant Funded

  • $25K: 3 / 30
  • $50K: 4 / 40
  • $75K: 5 / 50
  • $100K: 6 / 60
  • $150K: 8 / 80
Evaluation Phase Pricing Model

Zero, Standard and Advanced use a monthly Evaluation fee. Direct is one-time.

One-time fee. No monthly subscription and no recurring charges. EOD, Sprint and FLEX Challenge are paid up-front to enter the evaluation phase.

Two Steps
No data
No
Profit Split
No data

EOD Challenge

  • 80% by default
  • 90% with optional Profit Share Add-On (+20% of challenge price)

FLEX Challenge

  • 80% by default
  • 90% with optional Profit Share Add-On (+20% of challenge price)

Sprint Challenge

  • 100% on the first $10,000 in payouts
  • 90% after the first $10,000

Instant Funded

  • 100% on the first $10,000 in payouts
  • 90% after the first $10,000

Instant Lite

  • 90% from the first payout (no add-on required)
Expert Advisor (EA)
No
Yes

Personal automated strategies and EAs are allowed, provided they are consistent with the trader's style and do not exploit system vulnerabilities, latency, or data feed anomalies. Strategies designed to manipulate the simulated environment are prohibited.

VPN
No
Yes
Hedging
No
No data
Requires Stop Loss
No
No
Scalping
Limited

Tick or micro scalping is prohibited when trades repeatedly last less than 2 minutes and move less than 10 ticks. There is no universal minimum holding time.

Limited

Manual scalping allowed. Tick scalping and trades closed within 2 minutes have their profits deducted (micro-scalping rule).

Stacking / Layering (DCA)
Limited

Reasonable DCA is allowed. Excessive order stacking or order-book spamming intended to exploit simulated fills is prohibited.

Yes
Martingale
No data
Yes
Maximum Risk Limit
No
No data
Copy Trading
Limited

Permitted only when one user copies trades across accounts held in that same person's name. Automated, group and reverse trading remain prohibited.

Yes

Copy trading between your own accounts is allowed (e.g. between multiple GFF accounts in your name). Bundle discounts (2 or 3 accounts) are available and you can copy trades to all simultaneously. Cross-user copy trading is not addressed in the helpcenter.

News Trading
Limited
  • All Evaluation accounts: no news-trading restrictions
  • Advanced Qualified: no news-trading restrictions
  • Direct, Standard and Zero Qualified: no orders within 2 minutes before or 2 minutes after high-impact news
Yes

Evaluation phase (EOD, Sprint, FLEX)
No news trading restrictions.

Funded phase (all account types including Instant)
2-minute buffer around high-impact news events. Within 2 min before/after release you cannot open, close or trigger pending orders. Positions opened before the window may be held through the event.

Microscalping rule
EOD, Sprint, Instant: profits from trades closed within 2 minutes of opening are deducted (not a breach but profits invalid).
FLEX: microscalping rule does NOT apply.

Inactivity Rule

10 trading days

15 consecutive days without trades results in account breach. Applies to both evaluation and funded accounts. Once breached, account cannot be reinstated and fees are non-refundable. Notify support in advance if you plan to be away.

Consistency Rule
Yes
  • Zero: no Evaluation consistency rule; 40% on Qualified accounts
  • Standard: 50% in Evaluation; 40% on Qualified accounts
  • Advanced: 40% in Evaluation; none on Qualified accounts
  • Direct: 20% between performance fee requests
Yes

No single day can represent more than:

  • EOD Challenge — Evaluation: 50% of total profits. Funded: 30% during a payout period.
  • Sprint Challenge — Evaluation: 50%. Funded: 35%.
  • FLEX Challenge — Evaluation: 50%. Funded: none.
  • Instant Funded — 20% (the tightest of all plans).
  • Instant Lite — 15% for the 1st payout, 20% for the 2nd, 25% from the 3rd onwards.
  • GOAT Daily — Evaluation: 40%. Funded: none.

Violating the rule blocks the next payout but does not close the account.

Hold Weekend
No
No

Overnight holding NOT permitted (all account types). All positions must be closed before the end of the trading session. Weekend holding also NOT permitted.

Prohibited Strategies
  • All or Nothing Approach
  • Order Book Spamming
  • Tick or Micro Scalping
  • Exploiting Absence of Slippage / Favorable Fills
  • Multiple Limit Orders at Same Price
  • Gambling Tendencies / Account Rolling (Account Stacking)
  • Reverse Trading / Hedging
  • Trading Illiquid or Gapped Markets for Isolated Fills
  • Non-Compliance with CME Group Rules
  • Group Trading (Collaborative Trading)
  • Tick scalping and other extremely short-duration trading.
  • Trades closed within 2 minutes — profits are deducted (micro-scalping rule).
  • Unrealistic execution that relies on simulated market conditions (slippage, liquidity, partial fills) not replicable in live.
  • Holding positions overnight or over the weekend.
  • Trading affected instruments inside the 2-minute high-impact news buffer on funded accounts.
Overnight positions
No
No
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