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Comparison · Forex

Trading styles allowed at Goat Funded Trader and Orion Funded

Goat Funded Trader offers a wide variety of evaluation steps and instant funding models with high leverage and a payout guarantee, starting at very competitive prices like $478 for a 100K account. Orion Funded, led by David Viota, focuses on a diverse range of products including a dedicated Swing challenge and a unique 1-step model with an activation fee, maintaining a standard 80% profit split. Both firms refund the evaluation fee upon the fourth payout, but they differ significantly in how they handle risk through static or trailing drawdowns depending on the chosen plan.

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Scalping

Scalping is handled with specific technical constraints in both firms to prevent exploitation of the simulated environment.

  • Rules and Limitations: Goat Funded Trader (GFT) allows scalping but imposes a strict 2-minute rule: any trade closed in less than 120 seconds has its profit invalidated. Orion Funded allows manual scalping but strictly prohibits tick scalping and High-Frequency Trading (HFT).
  • Platforms: GFT offers a superior edge for scalpers by providing cTrader, Volumetrica, and TradeLocker, which are often preferred over MetaTrader 5 for fast execution. Orion Funded relies on MetaTrader 5 and Match-Trader.
  • Risk and Cost: GFT's "Goat Guard" can automatically close trades if a 2% loss is reached, which might interfere with high-frequency scalping strategies. In terms of cost, GFT's commissions are $5 per lot for Forex, while Orion Funded is slightly cheaper at $4 per lot.

Swing Trading

Swing traders will find distinct advantages in both firms, particularly regarding drawdown calculations and weekend holding.

  • Drawdown Mechanism: GFT uses static drawdown for its 1, 2, and 3-step challenges, which is ideal for swing traders as the limit doesn't move up with profits. Orion Funded also uses static drawdown for its "Standard", "Swing", and "Select" products, but switches to trailing drawdown for its "Zero" and "Nova" accounts.
  • Weekend Holding: Both firms allow holding positions over the weekend. However, Orion Funded offers a specific "Orion Swing" account that is tailor-made for this style, removing many of the restrictions found in standard evaluations.
  • News Impact: Swing traders must be careful with GFT's 1% profit cap on news events, as a long-term trade hitting a target during news could have its gains limited.

News Trading

The approach to high-impact news is one of the biggest differences between these two companies.

  • Goat Funded Trader: It allows trading during news, but with a "soft" restriction: you cannot earn more than 1% of the initial balance from any trade opened or closed within 2 minutes of a high-impact event (red folder on ForexFactory).
  • Orion Funded: The rules vary by account. Most accounts (Nova, Standard, Select) prohibit opening or closing trades 2 minutes before and after news. The "Swing" account has no news restrictions at all, while the "Zero" account allows it but reduces the profit split to 50% for those specific trades.
  • Alternative: If you are a dedicated news trader, Orion's Swing account is the only path that offers full freedom without profit caps.

Automated Trading (EAs)

Both firms are open to Expert Advisors, but they define "legitimate use" differently.

  • Strategy Restrictions: GFT explicitly bans Martingale and Grid strategies. Orion Funded allows EAs as long as the strategy is the trader's own, prohibiting the use of third-party EAs or "off-the-shelf" bots that many traders use.
  • Prohibited Practices: Both firms ban latency arbitrage and exploiting platform errors. Orion specifically highlights that HFT is not allowed, even if it's an EA.
  • Interactions: In GFT, using an EA combined with the 2-minute rule means the bot must be programmed to hold trades longer, or the profits will be voided.

Copy Trading and Hedging

These strategies are restricted to prevent risk manipulation across multiple accounts.

  • Copy Trading: GFT does not allow copy trading between evaluation phases. Orion Funded allows copying only between your own Orion accounts; copying external signals or third-party services is a breach.
  • Hedging: GFT prohibits hedging entirely. Orion Funded allows hedging within a single account, but strictly forbids hedging across different accounts to "lock in" profits or manipulate results.

Si operas así

  • If you are a budget-conscious scalper: Goat Funded Trader is better due to the lower entry price for 100K accounts ($478 vs $629) and the availability of professional platforms like cTrader, provided you can respect the 2-minute minimum duration.
  • If you are a pure Swing trader or News trader: Orion Funded is the better fit, specifically through their "Orion Swing" challenge, which removes the news window restrictions and weekend blocks that can hinder long-term strategies.
  • If you use complex EAs: Goat Funded Trader provides more clarity by listing exactly which strategies (Martingale/Grid) are banned, whereas Orion's requirement for "own strategy" can be harder to prove for some traders.

Frequently asked questions

Which firm is cheaper for a 100K 2-step evaluation, Goat Funded Trader or Orion Funded?

Goat Funded Trader is significantly cheaper for this specific size. Their "2 Step Goat" 100K account costs $478, whereas the "Orion Standard" 100K account at Orion Funded is priced at $629. This makes GFT a more accessible option for traders looking for large capital with a lower initial investment.

How does the payout frequency compare between Goat Funded Trader and Orion Funded?

Goat Funded Trader offers more flexibility, with biweekly payouts as standard, but options for 10-day cycles on their Premium and HERO accounts. Orion Funded maintains a fixed schedule of every 14 days. Additionally, GFT offers a $500 guarantee if the payout takes longer than 2 business days, while Orion offers a 100% profit split and a fee refund if they miss their 48-hour processing window.

Can I use Martingale or Grid EAs in Goat Funded Trader or Orion Funded?

No, neither firm is friendly to these strategies. Goat Funded Trader explicitly lists Martingale and Grid as prohibited strategies in their rules. Orion Funded prohibits "gambling behavior" and "excessive exposure," and requires that EAs follow a legitimate strategy that is the trader's own, which effectively excludes high-risk Martingale bots.

Who has the more trader-friendly drawdown, Goat Funded Trader or Orion Funded?

It depends on the account type. For standard evaluations, both firms offer static drawdown (10% max at GFT and 6% max at Orion Standard), which is generally preferred. however, GFT's maximum drawdown is higher (10% vs 6%). In their instant models, both firms switch to trailing drawdown, with GFT offering a 6% limit and Orion Zero also offering 6%. GFT's static limit on their 2-step accounts provides more breathing room for growth.

Field by field

Goat Funded Trader and Orion Funded, side by side

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

Head to head

54 differences

Headquarters

The Sotheby Building, Ground Floor, Rodney Village, Rodney Bay, Gros-Islet, SW18 1TA, St. Lucia

Building A1, Dubai Digital Park, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Country

St. Lucia

United Arab Emirates

Foundation

2023

2023

Banned Countries
Russia, Cuba, Sudan, Somalia, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, North Korea, Libya, Vietnam
United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, North Korea, Syria, American Samoa, Grenada, Chad, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, Indonesia, Cape Verde, Tuvalu, Bouvet Island, Burundi, Cook Islands, Eritrea, Vietnam, Comoros, Fiji, Iran, Afghanistan, Cuba, Sudan
CEO
No data

David Viota

Assets
Forex, Indices, Commodities, Crypto
Forex, Indices, Metals, Commodities, Stocks, Crypto
Brokers

Liquidity Providers

OGM International LTD

Refund
Yes

Full refund after 4th payout

Limited

The fee is refunded with the fourth payout. The statutory 14-day withdrawal right applies only before the first trade is opened.

Platforms
MatchTrader, cTrader, TradeLocker, Volumetrica, MetaTrader5
MetaTrader 5, Match-Trader
Payout Methods
Transfer, Rise, Crypto
Crypto, Wise
Payment Methods
ApplePay, Korapay, Card, GooglePay, PayPal, Crypto, Skrill, IMPS
Card, Bank Transfer
Payout Frequency
  • Biweekly
  • Evaluation accounts can be purchased with an add-on to get the first payout On Demand with 40% profit split
  • Standard Instant Funding have 'Triple payday' rewards, allowing traders to withdraw profits every 10 days.
  • Instant Premium: every 10 days
  • Instant HERO: every 14 days
  • Instant Daily: first request 24 hours after purchase, then daily.

Every 14 days, with no initial waiting period. There must be no open positions when requesting a payout.

Payout Guarantee

If the payout takes longer than promised (2 business days), the trader automatically receives an extra $500 reward, guarantee.

48-hour guarantee: if Orion does not process the payout on time, it applies a 100% profit split and refunds the evaluation fee.

Crypto Weekend Trading
Yes
Yes
Maximum Withdrawal

Other models: for the first two requests, up to 6% of the initial balance. Instant Daily: up to 3% of the initial balance per request.

No limit

Minimum Withdrawal

Other models: $100. Instant Daily: 1% of the initial balance per request.

$100

Demo Account
No data
Metatrader 5
ID80512087PasswordOC$rWP7A#cServerOGMInternational
Forex
  • Evaluation phases: 100:1
  • Funded phase: 50:1
30:1 - 100:1
Metals
  • Evaluation phases: 20:1
  • Funded phase: 10:1
9:1 - 30:1
Energies
  • Evaluation phases: 20:1
  • Funded phase: 10:1
3.3:1
Indices
  • Evaluation phases: 20:1
  • Funded phase: 10:1
15:1 - 50:1
Stocks
  • Evaluation phases: 5:1
  • Funded phase: 5:1
1:1
Crypto
  • Evaluation phases: 2:1
  • Funded phase: 2:1
1:1
Forex
5 / lot
4 / lot
Metals
5 / lot
4 / lot
Energies
0
4 / lot
Indices
0
0 / lot
Stocks
0
0 / lot
Crypto
0
0 / lot
Commission-Free Option
No
No
Swap Free
No
Yes

Swap-free accounts are available as a paid option. Terms and availability depend on the selected product.

Account Reset

If you don’t complete a challenge, you can restart it at any time with a 12% discount. You’ll also get a single-use coupon that gives you 10% off any program.

Reset: buy a Reset to continue from the phase where you breached instead of starting over — it issues a new account at that phase (Funded reset gives a new Funded account, no re-evaluation). Available any time, or within 14 days of a breach. Each phase can be reset once. Price is a % of the original Challenge: Phase 1 −7%; Phase 2 +45–50%; Phase 3 +80%; Funded +50–175% (Instant: −7%).

No data
Add-ons
Yes
  • Payout On Demand (+15%)
  • 100% Profit Split (+20%)
  • Both add-ons (+30%)
No
Instant
Yes
Yes
One Step
Yes
Yes
Account scaling
Yes
Yes

Over a rolling 3-month period: 15% return, at least 2 of 3 profitable months, and 3 payouts. Balance increases by 25%, profit split rises to 90%, and the account can scale up to $4,000,000.

Two Steps
Yes
Yes
Max Drawdown
  • 1-Step, 2-Step: Static
  • Instant Funding: Trailing
  • Instant Premium: EOD high-watermark; not recalculated intraday or downward
  • Instant Daily: intraday trailing on peak balance/equity. Locks at the initial balance when reached or at the first payout, whichever comes first; never resets. Withdrawing down to the initial balance breaches the account.

The mechanism depends on the product: static on Standard, Swing, and Select; trailing with a lock on Zero and Nova funded accounts.

Profit Split

Profit split varies by product; see challenges. Add-ons may offer a higher split.

  • Instant Daily: base split in the catalogue; 70% on payouts 3 and 4, 80% from payout 5.

80% initially. It rises to 90% after meeting the scaling-plan requirements.

Free Trial
No
No
Daily Drawdown

Most models: highest balance or equity recorded at end of day (EOD high-watermark).

  • Instant HERO: daily starting balance at 5 PM EST.
  • Instant Daily: none.

Calculated on equity and includes open trades, commissions, and swaps. The applicable percentage is shown on each challenge.

Three Steps
Yes
Yes
Max Allocation

$400,000 on every country except Pakistan, where the maximum is $50,000

400,000
Merge Accounts
Limited

Merging available on eligible accounts. Instant Daily cannot merge with any account.

No
Maximum Trading Days

Other models: unlimited. Instant Daily: account closes automatically after 30 days.

No maximum time limit.

Minimum Trading Days

Instant HERO: 6 non-consecutive valid trading days before payout, with at least 0.5% profit each.

  • Instant Daily: none.

Standard, Swing, and Select require 4 minimum trading days per evaluation phase. Zero and Nova have no published minimum.

Points Reward Program

The GOAT Points Program rewards traders for both purchases and trading activities:

  • You earn 1 point for every $1 spent and can gain additional points by completing trading tasks.
  • Points are credited instantly and can be tracked in your Trader Dashboard. You can redeem them for valuable perks such as free accounts, extra leverage, increased drawdown, and account size boosts.
  • There's no limit to how many points you can earn, and all GFT traders are automatically enrolled.
No data
Monthly Competition
No
No data
Minimum Profitable Days
  • 3 days with 0.5% profit on all phases of evaluation accounts
  • 5 days with 0.5% profit on Instant Funding accounts other than Instant Daily
  • Instant Premium: 5 days with 0.5% profit (not necessarily consecutive)
  • Instant Daily: no minimum profitable days.
No data
Maximum Accounts
No data

Maximum combined initial allocation of $400,000.

Expert Advisor (EA)
Yes
Yes

EAs are allowed when the strategy is the trader's own and does not breach prohibited practices such as arbitrage, HFT, or exploitation of delays and errors.

VPN
No
Yes
Hedging
No
Limited

Hedging within one account is allowed. Hedging positions across multiple accounts to manipulate results is prohibited.

Requires Stop Loss
No
No
Scalping
Yes

Funded accounts only: minimum holding time of 1 minute for purchases from 6 October 2026 at 00:00 UTC; 2 minutes for earlier purchases, including their resets. Funded accounts follow the original challenge purchase date. Profits from shorter trades are excluded from payouts; losses still count. This is not an account breach. Evaluation accounts are exempt.

Limited

Manual scalping is allowed, but tick scalping, HFT, and strategies exploiting delays or pricing errors are prohibited.

Stacking / Layering (DCA)
Yes
Limited

Multiple positions are allowed as part of a legitimate strategy; excessive or coordinated exposure intended to bypass risk rules is prohibited.

Maximum Risk Limit
Yes
  • Instant HERO: 1% maximum floating loss; breach closes the account.
  • The firm may impose a 1% risk-per-trade-idea limit after excessive risk-taking.
  • Instant Daily: combined floating loss across all open positions must stay below 1% of the initial balance; touching the limit closes the account.
Limited

Orion may treat excessive exposure, overleveraging, and other risk practices inconsistent with realistic trading as a breach.

Copy Trading
Limited

Allowed between your own GFT accounts only through Goat Copier, GFT's own trade copier: funded to funded, challenge to challenge, and challenge to funded in either direction. Applies to existing and new accounts. Any other trade copier or third-party tool is prohibited, as is copying other traders, or copying between GFT and personal broker accounts or accounts at another prop firm.

Limited

Copying between your own Orion accounts is allowed. Copying signals, third-party accounts, or external services is prohibited.

News Trading
Limited

Trades opened or closed (manually or by stop loss, take profit or pending orders) within 5 minutes before or after a high-impact news release (red folder on ForexFactory.com or Myfxbook.com) have a maximum profit per trade: 3% of the initial balance on accounts purchased from 10 November 2026, and 1% on accounts purchased earlier. Funded accounts and resets follow the original challenge purchase date. Applies to challenge and funded accounts; only profit above the cap is removed and it is not a breach.

Limited

During evaluation there is no timing restriction, but using news as a strategy is prohibited. On funded accounts, Nova, Standard, and Select prohibit opening or closing trades 2 minutes before and after high-impact news. Swing has no timing restriction. Zero allows it, but trades executed within 5 minutes before or after receive a 50% profit split.

Inactivity Rule

30 Days

Limited

The account may be closed after prolonged inactivity under Orion's current terms.

Consistency Rule
Limited
  • Instant Goat: A single day cannot represent more than 15% of your total earnings when requesting a withdrawal.
  • Instant Premium: no consistency rule.
  • Instant HERO: no single day can represent 15% or more of total profits during a payout period.
  • Instant Daily: no daily profit consistency requirement. For payouts, the largest winning trade must be at least the largest losing trade, net of commission/swap; checked since purchase or the last payout. Partial closes count separately.
Limited

The 20% Best Day rule applies only to Orion Zero and Orion Nova funded accounts.

Hold Weekend
Yes
Yes
Prohibited Strategies
  • All or nothing
  • Exploit broker/platform errors
  • Use insider/non-public info
  • Front-run other trades
  • Excessively risky strategies
  • Hedging across accounts
  • Third-party EAs/strategies
  • Switch strategies post-assessment
  • Martingale/grid strategies banned
  • Latency arbitrage, reverse arbitrage, and exploitation of prices or delays
  • HFT, tick scalping, and strategies designed to exploit the simulated environment
  • Copy trading from third parties or signal services
  • Hedging across accounts and coordinated opposite trades
  • Account rolling, third-party management, and sharing or reselling accounts
  • Gambling behaviour, overleveraging, and excessive exposure
Martingale
No data
No
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