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Comparison · Forex

Detailed Comparison: Funded Elite vs QT Funded (2025)

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1. Evaluation Models and Capital Access

Both firms offer a variety of paths to funding, but their structures cater to different trader profiles:

  • Funded Elite focuses on high-speed entry with its 1-Step, 2-Step, and Instant models. They also offer a unique "Activation Account" (Pay After) where traders pay a very low entry fee (starting at $5) for Phase 1 and Phase 2, paying the final fee only after passing. This significantly lowers the barrier to entry for talented traders with low capital.
  • QT Funded provides 2-Step and 3-Step evaluations (Prime and Power). The 3-step model is designed for traders seeking a lower price point and higher drawdown limits (10% max drawdown) in exchange for an extra evaluation phase.
  • Lite Accounts: Funded Elite offers "Lite" versions of their challenges starting at just $19, making them more aggressive in the low-cost segment compared to QT Funded's entry-level Instant accounts.
  • Capital Limits: Both firms allow a maximum allocation of $400,000. However, QT Funded limits merged accounts to $200,000, while Funded Elite imposes regional caps (e.g., $100,000 for Pakistan and Vietnam).

2. Drawdown Logic and Risk Management

The way drawdown is calculated is a critical factor for account longevity:

  • Static vs. Trailing:
    • Funded Elite uses Static Drawdown for its standard 1-Step and 2-Step challenges. This is a major advantage as the drawdown floor does not move up with profits, giving traders more "breathing room" as the account grows.
    • QT Funded also uses Static Drawdown for its Prime and Power accounts but applies Trailing Drawdown to its Instant accounts. This makes QT Funded's Instant accounts significantly harder to maintain during profit pullbacks.
  • Daily Drawdown: Funded Elite's daily limit is based on the EOD (End of Day) high-watermark (balance or equity). QT Funded uses a balance-based daily drawdown, which is generally more trader-friendly as it ignores open floating profits when calculating the next day's limit.

3. Trading Rules and Strategy Restrictions

This is where the two firms diverge most significantly in terms of operational freedom:

  • Expert Advisors (EAs):
    • QT Funded allows EAs but requires a pre-approval process.
    • Funded Elite strictly prohibits automated trading; only manual trading tools are permitted.
  • News Trading:
    • Funded Elite allows news trading without restrictions.
    • QT Funded imposes a 5-minute window before and after high-impact news where manual trading is prohibited (except for the QT Prime On Demand account). This is a major hurdle for day traders.
  • Consistency and Stacking:
    • QT Funded has a 35% consistency rule (25% for Instant), meaning no single day can account for more than a third of the total profit needed for a payout. They also prohibit stacking (max 2 positions per asset).
    • Funded Elite has no consistency rule and allows stacking, offering more freedom for aggressive "power-trading" styles.
  • Stop Loss (SL): QT Funded requires a mandatory SL within 60 seconds on funded accounts. Funded Elite does not require an SL, although it is recommended for risk management.

4. Scalping and Execution Conditions

  • The "Scalping Add-on": In Funded Elite, standard trades must last at least 3 minutes. To scalp (trades > 30 seconds), you must purchase a specific add-on. This "hidden" cost can affect the actual price of the challenge.
  • Execution Policy: QT Funded prohibits "Tick Scalping" and "Latency Arbitrage," while Funded Elite explicitly forbids "Server Spamming" and "HFT."
  • Holding Periods: Both firms allow weekend holding, but Funded Elite requires an add-on if you want to open or close positions specifically during the weekend.

5. Payouts and Profit Sharing

  • Profit Split: Both firms start at an 80% split. QT Funded can be upgraded to 90%. Funded Elite offers a range from 60% to 95% selectable at checkout, allowing traders to customize their risk/reward.
  • Payout Frequency: Funded Elite is highly flexible, allowing traders to choose 3, 7, 14, or 21-day cycles at checkout. QT Funded offers "On Demand" payouts for specific accounts, which is a superior feature for professional cash-flow management.
  • Fees and Minimums: Funded Elite charges significant payout fees (up to $35 for Rise) and has a $500 minimum for Rise withdrawals. QT Funded has a lower minimum withdrawal of $100.

6. Technology and Reliability

  • Platforms: QT Funded offers a more modern suite including cTrader and MT5. Funded Elite remains focused on MT4 and TradeLocker.
  • Transparency: QT Funded has a visible and strong Trustpilot score (4.5/5). Funded Elite's Trustpilot is currently blocked/flagged, which may be a point of concern regarding their historical dispute resolution or review authenticity.
  • Brokers: Both use "in-house" or white-labeled broker solutions (Funded Elite and Quant Tekel), which means execution quality is entirely dependent on the firm's own server infrastructure.

7. Final Summary: Which Firm to Choose?

Choose Funded Elite if:

  • You prefer Static Drawdown on 1-Step and 2-Step evaluations.
  • You want to trade News without any restrictions.
  • You are looking for the lowest possible entry cost via Lite or Activation accounts.
  • You do not use EAs and trade manually.
  • You want the highest possible profit split (up to 95% via add-ons).

Choose QT Funded if:

  • You require MT5 or cTrader for your technical analysis.
  • You want to use EAs (after approval).
  • You prefer a firm with a verified and high Trustpilot reputation.
  • You want more modern payout options like PayPal and lower minimum withdrawal limits ($100).
  • You are a disciplined trader who doesn't mind a Consistency Rule in exchange for more platform stability and 3-step evaluation options.
Field by field

Funded Elite and QT Funded, side by side

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

Head to head

50 differences

Headquarters

Corso G. Matteotti 61, Latina, 04100, Italy

Cape Town, South Africa, Western Cape, 7764, ZA

CEO

Christian Habibi

Tanswell Sassman

Country

Italy

South Africa

Foundation

2023

2023

Banned Countries
United States, Canada, Iran, Iraq, Cuba, North Korea, Israel, Syria, Palestine
Cyprus, Iran, North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), Sudan, Syria, Russia
Assets
Forex, Indices, Commodities, Stocks, Crypto
Forex, Commodities, Indices, Crypto
Brokers
Funded Elite
Quant Tekel
Refund
Yes
  • Without Second Chance: If you complete our challenges successfully on your first attempt, your original fee will be reimbursed with your third payout.
  • With Second Chance: If you activated the "Second Chance" option and received a complimentary retry, the initial fee becomes non-refundable.
Yes

Only when purchasing with add-on

Payout Fee
  • Rise: $35
  • ERC20 and BTC: Around $7
  • TRC20: Around $3
No data
Platforms
Metatrader 5, TradeLocker
Metatrader 5, cTrader, TradeLocker
Demo Account
MetaTrader 5
ID55188PasswordFundedelite1!Server Fundedelite-Server
Metatrader 5
ID10255137Password6M!3h%PzFrServerQuantTekel-Server
TradeLocker
IDspreads@qtfunded.comPassword5Tagx>J}SnpKServerQTEKEL
Payout Methods
Crypto, Rise
Crypto, Transfer, Card
Payment Methods
Card, Crypto
Crypto, Transfer, Card, PayPal
Payout Frequency

Can be choose at checkout: 3, 7, 14, 21 days

  • QT ONE: 4-day cycle
  • QT TWO: 14-day cycle
  • QT INSTANT: 4-day cycle
  • QT Power: 14-day cycle for accounts purchased from August 11, 2026. Accounts purchased on or before August 10 receive the first payout on demand, then move to a 14-day cycle.
  • QT 1 Step (BNPL): 14-day standard cycle
  • QT Bonus (promotional accounts): 30-day cycle
Alternative Currency
No data
GBP
Maximum Withdrawal
  • Crypto: $500
  • Giveaway and free accounts: 2% of the initial balance
No data
Minimum Withdrawal
  • Crypto: $30
  • Rise: $500

1% of profit ($100 min) — except QT INSTANT: 5% of profit, and a 3% buffer applies (8% profit must be reached before the first payout request).

Forex

30:1 (50:1 and 100:1 available as an add-on at the checkout)

50:1
Metals
10:1
15:1
Energies
10:1
10:1
Indices
10:1
20:1
Crypto
2:1
1:1
Forex
3 / lot
4 / lot
Metals
0 / lot
4 / lot
Energies
3 / lot
4 / lot
Indices
0
4 / lot
Crypto
0
4 / lot
Commission-Free Option
No data
Yes
Swap Free
No
Yes
Account Reset

Traders can independently restart their live account directly from the dashboard.

  • The initial reset carries a fee equal to 20% of the original challenge price (no discounts applied and including any selected add-ons), with a minimum charge of $10 USD.
  • The fee for the second reset will be double the cost of the first reset.
  • The third and final reset will cost twice the fee of the second reset.

Phase 2 reset available with add-on

Add-ons
Yes
  • Forex Leverage: 30:1, 50:1, 100:1
  • Allow Scalping
  • Weekend trading (open or close positions)
  • Profit Split: 60%, 70%, 80%, 95%
  • Days between payout: 3, 7, 14, 21
  • Profit target: 6-12
  • Max Drawdown: 6-10
Yes
  • Variable Spreads
  • Usage of EA
  • Swap Free
  • 10% Profit Split Extra (80% → 90%)
  • Refund on First Payout
  • 14 Day Payout cycle
  • 7 Day Payout cycle
Instant
Yes
Yes
One Step
Yes
Yes
Account scaling
Yes
Yes
Two Steps
Yes
Yes
Max Drawdown
  • 1 Step, 2 Step: Static
  • Instant: Trailing
  • Activation: Static during challenge and trailing on funded account
  • Catalyst: Trailing equity. 6% at $25K, 5% from $50K up
  • QT ONE: 6% static
  • QT TWO: 8% static
  • QT INSTANT: 6% trailing, locked at starting balance once a withdrawal is made
  • QT Power: 8% static
  • QT 1 Step (BNPL): 6% trailing
Profit Split
  • 1 Step, 2 Step: 60%, 70%, 80%, 95% (can be selected at the checkout)
  • Instant: 70%, 95%
  • Activation: 80%
  • Catalyst: 80% at $25K, 85% at $50K, 90% at $100K, 95% from $200K and up
  • QT ONE: 70%
  • QT TWO: 80%
  • QT INSTANT: 100%
  • QT Power: 80%
  • QT 1 Step (BNPL): 80%
    Upgradeable to 90% with the "10% Profit Split Extra" add-on on eligible plans.
Free Trial
No
No
Daily Drawdown

Highest balance or equity recorded at the end of the day (EOD high-watermark).

  • Catalyst: 3% of the higher of yesterday's closing balance or equity
  • QT ONE: 3% trailing (fixed amount, threshold recalculated daily on the higher of previous close balance or equity)
  • QT TWO: 4% fixed (balance-based)
  • QT INSTANT: 3% fixed
  • QT Power: 4% fixed
  • QT 1 Step (BNPL): 3% daily trailing
Three Steps
No
No
Max Allocation
  • Vietnam, Pakistan: 100,000
  • Rest of the world: 300,000
  • Max total funded allocation: $300,000
  • Max Instant funded allocation: $100,000
  • No duplicate asset trading when at limit
Merge Accounts
Yes
Yes
Maximum Trading Days

Unlimited

Unlimited

Minimum Trading Days
  • 1 Step, 2 Step: 3 days on funded account
  • QT ONE: no minimum on the evaluation (can pass in a single day); 4 days when funded
  • QT TWO: 4 days per phase
  • QT INSTANT: 4 days when funded
  • QT Power: 4 days in each evaluation phase and 4 days per funded payout cycle
  • QT 1 Step (BNPL): no minimum on the evaluation; 5 days when funded
Points Reward Program

Elite Packs: each pack contains three reward cards. Depending on the card obtained, rewards can remove consistency requirements, increase profit split or drawdown allowance, enable weekend trading or scalping, change payout frequency, reduce or skip trading days, skip a 2-Step evaluation phase, or provide account and reset discounts. One card rewards three $400K Instant Elite accounts. Benefits depend on the card obtained and its redemption conditions.

Packs and credit cost

  • Ignition: 3,000 credits
  • Breakout: 6,000 credits
  • Market Maker: 10,000 credits
  • Whale: 12,500 credits; every card is Uncommon or better
  • Oracle: 15,000 credits; every card is Rare or better

Higher-tier packs offer better odds of higher-rarity cards. Cards are drawn separately; the displayed odds are per card.

Credits

Credits can be purchased by card or crypto, or obtained by converting Payout Credits. Crypto purchases receive a 5% discount.

  • $10: 1,150 credits
  • $25: 3,105 credits, including an 8% bonus
  • $50: 6,440 credits, including a 12% bonus
  • $100: 13,340 credits, including a 16% bonus
  • $250: 34,500 credits, including a 20% bonus
No data
Monthly Competition
Yes
No
Minimum Profitable Days
  • 1 Step, 2 Step: 3 days of at least 0.5% profit on challenge phase
  • Instant: 3 days of at least 1% profit on funded phase
  • Activation: 3 days of at least 0.5% profit on both challenge and funded phase
  • Catalyst: 5 days with a minimum PnL per stage ($150 / $250 / $350 / $450 / $650 / $850 / $1,000 for $25K → $1M)
  • QT TWO: 4 days of +0.5% profit per cycle
  • QT INSTANT: 4 days of +1% profit per cycle
  • QT ONE: not required
Expert Advisor (EA)
No

Only manual trading tools are allowed, not automated trading

Limited

Before using EAs, they must go through a pre-approval process.

VPN
Yes

Must inform Funded Elite in advance

Yes
Hedging
No
Yes
Requires Stop Loss
No
Yes

A Stop Loss must be placed within 60 seconds of opening a trade. Applies to QT TWO and QT INSTANT (funded accounts). QT ONE has no stop loss rule.

Scalping
Yes

Trades must last longer than 30 seconds if the scalping add-on was purchased, and more than3 minutes if it wasn't

Yes
Stacking / Layering (DCA)
Yes
No

Cannot have three or more open positions on the same asset at the same time (only funded account

Martingale
Yes
No data
Maximum Risk Limit
Yes

Funded Phase: Risking more than 50% of your daily loss limit on a single instrument during the same day is strictly prohibited.

Yes
  • QT ONE (Funded): 1% max floating loss across all open positions
  • QT TWO (Funded): 1% max floating loss (first violation is a soft breach, second is a hard breach)
  • QT TWO (Evaluation): exposure must stay under 75% of the daily drawdown limit
  • QT INSTANT (Funded): 1% max exposure per instrument
  • QT Power (Evaluation): exposure must stay under 75% of the daily drawdown limit
  • QT Power (Funded): no exposure limit
  • QT 1 Step (BNPL, Funded): 2% floating loss
Copy Trading
Yes
Yes

Allowed without restrictions when allocation is lower than $300,000.
Not allowed when the allocation is $300,000 or above.

News Trading
Yes
Limited
  • No new entries or exits within the 10-minute window around a restricted news event (5 minutes before and 5 minutes after).
  • Order modifications ARE permitted during that window: adjusting stop loss, modifying take profit and cancelling orders.
  • Positions or limit orders placed more than 5 minutes before the release (with SL and TP set) may remain open or be triggered during the event.
  • Restricted releases: CPI, FOMC statement and meetings, Non-Farm Payrolls and USD PMI. Red folder events restrict every pair involving that currency and any index priced in it.
  • News source: Forex Factory.
  • The News Rule does NOT apply to QT ONE, QT INSTANT, QT Power or QT 1 Step (BNPL) accounts.
Inactivity Rule

29 days

  • QT TWO: no inactivity rule
  • QT INSTANT, QT Power, QT 1 Step (BNPL): 14 days
  • QT ONE: the comparison table states 7 days while the plan article states 14 days; confirm with support before relying on it.
    The period runs from the purchase date if no trade has been placed, or from the most recent closed trade.
Consistency Rule
Yes
  • Instant: yes
  • Catalyst: yes
Yes
  • QT INSTANT: 30%
  • QT Power: 35% in both evaluation and funded
  • QT 1 Step (BNPL): 20%
  • QT ONE, QT TWO: no consistency rule
Hold Weekend
Yes
Yes
Prohibited Strategies
  • IP sharing
  • HFT
  • Hedging
  • Account Rolling
  • Account Sharing/any passing service
  • Latency Arbitrage
  • Server Spamming
  • All-or-Nothing
  • Latency Trading
  • Arbitrage Trading
  • High-Frequency Trading
  • Tick scalping
  • Reverse Trading or Group Hedging
  • Order book spamming
  • Flooding the server with messages due to incorrect use of algorithm
  • One side betting
  • Trading behaviours that the Risk Department deem Toxic
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