Time limits
Neither firm imposes a maximum number of trading days, meaning you aren't pressured by a hard expiration date. However, they both limit your speed. At Phidias Propfirm, you are forbidden from passing the evaluation in a single day for most plans: the Fundamental path requires at least 3 trading days, and the Premium path requires 1. Earn2Trade has no minimum trading days, but its "Progression Ladder" rule acts as a speed brake, preventing you from scaling your position size until your balance grows, which naturally extends the time needed to reach high profit targets.
Weekends and news
Earn2Trade is strictly intraday; it does not allow you to hold positions overnight or during the weekend. Phidias Propfirm imposes a similar restriction on its Fundamental and Express to Live accounts, forcing a daily closure before 9:59 PM UTC. The only way to bypass this restriction at Phidias is by paying for the Premium account, which is the only one that allows overnight and weekend holding. While both allow news trading, Phidias prohibits "lottery-style" trading or using full margin during high-volatility events, which limits your ability to capitalize on news spikes.
Where you can trade from
Your physical location is a major limiting factor. Earn2Trade blocks several US regions (Iowa, Minnesota, South Carolina, Guam, Puerto Rico) and countries like Russia, Venezuela, and Pakistan. Phidias Propfirm has an even more extensive list of banned jurisdictions, including South Africa, Bulgaria, and several Balkan nations. Crucially, Phidias explicitly prohibits the use of a VPN, which limits your operational flexibility if you travel. Earn2Trade discourages VPN use but does not outright ban it.
What the platform limits
Both firms confine you to the Futures market, meaning you cannot trade Spot Forex, Stocks, or CFDs. Earn2Trade prohibits exploiting platform errors, AI abuse, or high-speed trading. Phidias Propfirm is even more restrictive regarding automation: it completely forbids robots, fully automated algorithms, and HFT. You are only allowed to use semi-automated software if you manually monitor every trade. Additionally, Phidias prohibits hedging the same underlying asset (like ES vs. MES) and limits your total contract cap across all symbols simultaneously.
What the rules cost you
The cost of failure is high. Earn2Trade limits your attempts through paid resets ranging from $65 to $155. Phidias limits you even further: its Express to Live accounts do not allow resets at all—if you fail, the account is gone. Payouts are also fenced in. Phidias will not let you withdraw anything less than $500, effectively locking small profits in the account. Earn2Trade allows withdrawals from $100 but penalizes you with a $50 fee for methods like Rise or Deel (for non-US customers), which significantly eats into small payouts.
Restrictions that add up
The combined effect of these rules creates a narrow path for the trader. At Earn2Trade, the Progression Ladder combined with the 30% consistency rule (where no single day can account for 30% of total profit) ensures you cannot rely on a single "lucky" trade to pass. At Phidias, the restrictions are even more layered: you must deal with a 30% consistency rule, a $500 minimum withdrawal, and a specific "qualifying day" requirement where you must earn at least $150–$250 to count the day toward your payout cycle. This combination forces a grind that prevents quick capital extraction.
Frequently asked questions
Which firm is more expensive for multiple attempts, Earn2Trade or Phidias Propfirm?
Earn2Trade is generally more accessible for multiple attempts because it offers resets for all its accounts, with prices ranging from $65 to $155 depending on the size. In contrast, Phidias Propfirm is more restrictive; while its Fundamental and Premium plans allow resets, its "Express to Live" path forbids them entirely. Furthermore, a reset at Phidias for one-time payment products requires repurchasing the entire package at full price (e.g., $580 to $1,123), making mistakes much more costly than Earn2Trade's fixed reset fees.
Which firm has stricter payout requirements, Earn2Trade or Phidias Propfirm?
Phidias Propfirm is significantly more restrictive regarding withdrawals. It imposes a high minimum withdrawal amount of $500, whereas Earn2Trade allows you to withdraw starting from just $100. Additionally, Phidias requires a minimum number of "qualifying days" (10 for Fundamental, 5 for Premium) where you must reach a minimum profit threshold ($150–$250) before requesting a payout. Earn2Trade does not have these minimum daily profit thresholds for its funded phases, although it does charge a $50 fee for most withdrawal methods.
Can I use automated trading systems in Earn2Trade or Phidias Propfirm?
Earn2Trade is more permissive as it allows the use of EAs (Expert Advisors), provided they do not exploit platform errors or use high-frequency strategies. Phidias Propfirm, however, imposes a near-total ban on automation; it prohibits all robots and fully automated algorithms. At Phidias, you are only allowed to use semi-automated software if you are actively monitoring and manually adjusting every trade, which effectively bars most standard algorithmic trading styles.
Which firm imposes more geographic restrictions and VPN limits, Earn2Trade or Phidias Propfirm?
Phidias Propfirm is the more restrictive firm in this category. It explicitly prohibits the use of VPNs, which can lead to account termination. It also has a much longer list of banned countries, including many European and African nations like Bulgaria, Romania, and South Africa. Earn2Trade, while also banning several countries and specific US states like Iowa and South Carolina, only labels VPN use as "not recommended" rather than a prohibited action, offering slightly more freedom for mobile traders.
