Time limits
Neither firm imposes a traditional "maximum days" limit to pass evaluations (except for FundingPips' Labs 247 model, which limits you to 6 months), but they both use rules that stop you from finishing quickly or walking away.
- Core Funded: You cannot pass simply by hitting the target. You are restricted by a minimum of 3 to 5 profitable days depending on the plan. A day only counts if you realize at least 0.5% net profit, preventing you from using "micro-lots" to bypass the rule.
- FundingPips: While most plans have no minimum days, the 2-Step Standard model requires at least 3 trading days. The real pressure comes from the inactivity rule: if you do not complete a trade within 30 consecutive days, your account is permanently closed, forcing you to remain active even when market conditions are unfavorable.
Weekends and news
The freedom to hold trades or speculate on volatility is strictly limited in funded stages.
- Core Funded: You are prohibited from opening or closing trades within a 5-minute window before and after high-impact news and FOMC events in funded accounts. To remove this restriction, you are forced to pay for a "News Trading" add-on.
- FundingPips: You cannot hold positions over the weekend on Master accounts (Standard, Pro, and Flex models) unless you purchase the "Swing" add-on. Furthermore, news trading is restricted by a 5 to 10-minute window where profits from affected trades will be deducted. On the Zero account, holding over the weekend or during news is a "hard breach" that results in immediate account loss.
Where you can trade from
Geographical restrictions limit access for traders in specific jurisdictions.
- Core Funded: You cannot operate from a list of 27 banned countries, including Russia, Venezuela, North Korea, Cuba, and several African nations.
- FundingPips: You are strictly prohibited from trading if you are a resident of the United States, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Israel, or Vietnam.
What the platform limits
The technical environment restricts your tools and trading style.
- Core Funded: You are locked into a single platform: MatchTrader. You cannot use MetaTrader or cTrader. Additionally, your style is limited: you are prohibited from having more than 50% of your trades last less than one minute (scalping restriction) and you cannot use Martingale strategies.
- FundingPips: You cannot use third-party Expert Advisors (EAs) for automation; they are only permitted strictly as trade or risk managers. Full automation is only allowed if you can prove you own the code. Hedging between accounts and "gap trading" are also strictly forbidden.
What the rules cost you
The financial structure limits how much of your profit you can actually touch and how much it costs to fail.
- Core Funded: You cannot withdraw all your profits at once. You are capped at 50% of your profit per request, and the amount is further capped at $2,500 (for accounts up to $100k) or $5,000 (for larger accounts). Your initial fee is not refunded until your fourth payout, which significantly limits your ability to recover your initial investment.
- FundingPips: Every payout costs you a $10 fee. If you use the Zero account, you cannot request the first 3% of profit generated (the "Safety Cushion"). Your drawdown is also a major limit: in the Labs 247 model, you only have a 4% static drawdown, leaving almost no room for error.
Restrictions that add up
The combined effect of these rules creates a restrictive environment. At Core Funded, the 50% withdrawal cap combined with the 30% consistency rule means that even if you have a massive winning day, you cannot access that capital quickly, effectively forcing your capital to stay within the firm's ecosystem. At FundingPips, the requirement for a "Swing" add-on to hold weekends, combined with the $10 payout fee and the prohibition of third-party EAs, limits the trader to a very manual and time-sensitive operation, where technical flexibility is only available at an extra cost.
Frequently asked questions
Which firm is more restrictive regarding news trading, Core Funded or FundingPips?
Core Funded is more restrictive by default in funded accounts, as it completely prohibits opening or closing trades 5 minutes before and after high-impact news unless you pay for a specific add-on. FundingPips also restricts news trading in its Master accounts with a 5 to 10-minute window, but the penalty is usually the deduction of profits rather than a mandatory paid add-on to avoid the rule, although in its "Zero" model, news trading is a hard breach that leads to account closure.
Which firm has a more limited platform selection, Core Funded or FundingPips?
Core Funded is much more limited as it only offers MatchTrader as its sole trading platform. In contrast, FundingPips allows traders to choose between MetaTrader 5, MatchTrader, and cTrader, providing significantly more technical freedom for users who prefer different interfaces or tools.
Between Core Funded and FundingPips, which one limits your profit withdrawals more?
Core Funded imposes much stricter limits, as it only allows you to withdraw up to 50% of your profit per request, with a maximum cap of $2,500 on accounts up to $100k and $5,000 on larger accounts. FundingPips does not have a percentage cap on withdrawals for its standard models, although it does charge a $10 fee per payout and requires a "Safety Cushion" of 3% on its Zero accounts.
Which firm makes it harder to get a fee refund, Core Funded or FundingPips?
Core Funded makes it significantly harder, as the evaluation fee is only reimbursed with the fourth payout. FundingPips, on the other hand, provides a full refund of the fee with the very first payout in its 1-Step and 2-Step models, allowing the trader to reach the "break-even" point much faster.
