Scalping and High-Frequency Trading
Scalpers will find more freedom at AquaFunded, as forTraders imposes specific technical restrictions on trade duration.
- AquaFunded: Allows scalping without specific time restrictions. It supports cTrader and MT5, which are often preferred for fast execution.
- forTraders: Permits manual scalping but requires a minimum hold time of 5 seconds per trade. Tick scalping and High-Frequency Trading (HFT) are strictly prohibited.
- Risk and Cost: Both firms have a consistency rule that prevents a single trade from accounting for most of the profit, though the specific percentages vary by account type (e.g., 20% for Aqua Instant Standard vs. 15-20% for forTraders Master accounts).
News Trading
The two firms handle high-impact news events with different restrictive mechanisms, either capping profits or banning new entries.
- AquaFunded: News trading is allowed, but for accounts opened after April 2026, profits generated within a 10-minute window (5 mins before/after) of red folder events are capped at 0.5% of the starting balance.
- forTraders: Strictly prohibits opening new positions 5 minutes before and after high-impact news. However, existing positions can be held through the event without penalty.
- Impact: AquaFunded’s approach allows the trade to happen but limits the reward, while forTraders prevents the trade altogether, requiring better timing from the trader.
Automated Trading (EAs)
This is one of the most significant differences between the two firms, as one embraces automation while the other limits it to decision-making support.
- AquaFunded: Fully allows the use of Expert Advisors (EAs). This makes it a superior choice for traders with fully autonomous algorithms.
- forTraders: Prohibits fully autonomous trading bots. EAs are only permitted as "decision-support tools" for tasks like alerts, partial management, or predefined risk rules.
- Interaction: Because forTraders allows weekend holding but bans autonomous EAs, swing-trading bots are effectively impossible to run there.
Swing Trading and Weekend Holding
Both firms are relatively flexible regarding holding positions over the weekend, which is ideal for long-term strategies.
- AquaFunded: Allows holding positions over the weekend across all account types. Swap-free accounts are available for those who wish to avoid overnight fees.
- forTraders: Weekend holding is unrestricted. There are no documented mandatory closures for the weekend on Forex Master accounts.
- Drawdown Risk: Since many accounts use trailing drawdowns (based on balance or equity depending on the plan), holding through weekend gaps can be risky if the gap triggers a drawdown breach before the trader can react.
Copy Trading and Hedging
AquaFunded offers much more flexibility for traders managing multiple accounts or using external signals.
- AquaFunded: Allows copy trading between its own accounts, from evaluation to funded, and from external sources. Hedging is also permitted.
- forTraders: Prohibits inbound copy trading from external sources. It only allows outbound copy trading (from forTraders to other platforms). Hedging between different accounts is strictly forbidden.
- Risk Limit: forTraders enforces a maximum risk limit of 3% on a single position, which affects how copy traders must size their entries.
If you trade like this
- The Bot Trader: Choose AquaFunded. They fully support EAs, whereas forTraders only allows them as manual support tools.
- The News Hunter: Choose AquaFunded. You can still trade the news, even if the profit is capped, whereas forTraders will penalize you for opening a position during the window.
- The Manual Scalper: forTraders is a viable option if you can respect the 5-second rule, but AquaFunded offers more freedom if your trades are extremely fast.
- The Low-Budget Starter: forTraders is the best fit. Their "Pay After Pass" model allows you to start an evaluation for as little as $29, paying the bulk of the cost only after you succeed.
Frequently asked questions
Which firm is cheaper for a $100,000 evaluation, AquaFunded or forTraders?
AquaFunded is generally cheaper for standard evaluations, with its 2-Step Pro $100k account priced at $429. forTraders offers a $100k "Pay After Pass" account for a very low upfront fee ($49), but once you pass, you must pay a $489 activation fee to get the Master account, making the total cost higher than AquaFunded's standard pricing.
Which firm allows the use of Expert Advisors (EAs) more freely, AquaFunded or forTraders?
AquaFunded is much more permissive, as it allows fully autonomous EAs without restrictions on their logic. In contrast, forTraders only permits EAs as decision-support tools (for alerts or partial management) and strictly prohibits fully autonomous bots, making it unsuitable for algorithmic traders.
How do AquaFunded and forTraders differ in their news trading rules?
AquaFunded allows you to trade during news, but it caps the profits you can keep at 0.5% of the initial balance for any trades executed within 5 minutes of a high-impact event. forTraders prohibits the opening of any new positions during that same 10-minute window, though it allows you to keep holding trades that were opened earlier.
Which firm offers a faster payout process, AquaFunded or forTraders?
Both firms typically require 14 days for the first payout, but AquaFunded offers a 24-hour processing guarantee; if they fail to pay within 24 business hours, they add an extra $1,000 to the payout. forTraders has a 48-hour guarantee, and if they exceed that time, they increase the trader's profit split to 100% as compensation.
