/
Login
Breaking
All news
Comparison · Futures

Which is better for your first challenge: Halcyon Trader Funding or Hola Prime Futures?

Updated on

What you are signing up for

A prop firm evaluation is a test where you trade with simulated capital to prove you can be profitable. If you pass, the firm allows you to trade their capital and share the profits.

Halcyon Trader Funding offers one-time payments. For a 50K account, you can pay $68 for the "Lite" version or $77 for the "Prime" version. These are one-time fees, meaning you pay once and the account stays active as long as you do not break a rule or stay inactive for 30 days.

Hola Prime Futures uses a subscription model for its "1-Step Prime" accounts. A 50K account costs $159 every 30 days until you pass. They also offer "Direct Accounts," which give you immediate access to funding without a test, but they are much more expensive ($548 for a 50K account).

How hard each one is

The difficulty depends on the risk rules. The most important rule is the drawdown, which is the maximum amount you are allowed to lose before the account is closed.

  • Halcyon Trader Funding: Their "Lite" accounts use an "Intraday Trailing Drawdown." This means your loss limit moves up in real-time as your profit increases, even if you haven't closed the trade. Their "Prime" accounts use an "End-of-Day Drawdown," which only updates at the end of the day based on your closing balance.
  • Hola Prime Futures: They use an "End-of-Day Drawdown" for all evaluation accounts. This is generally easier because it doesn't penalize you for profits that fluctuate during the trading session. However, they have a "consistency rule" of 40%, meaning no single day can account for more than 40% of your total profit target.

How long it takes

In this industry, firms often require a minimum number of trading days to ensure your success wasn't just luck.

  • Halcyon Trader Funding: You can pass a Lite or Dynamic evaluation in just 1 day. The Prime version requires 3 days, although you can buy a "1-Day Pass" add-on to speed it up.
  • Hola Prime Futures: There are no minimum trading days. If you reach the profit target—the specific amount of money you must earn to pass—in a single hour, you have completed the evaluation.

Where beginners fail

Most beginners fail because of the drawdown. At Halcyon Lite, the "trailing" nature of the drawdown means if you are up $1,000 but don't close the trade and it drops back to zero, your loss limit has stayed at that higher level, leaving you with less room for error.

At Hola Prime, beginners often fail due to "prohibited strategies." They strictly forbid "tick scalping" (opening and closing trades in seconds) and require a mandatory "stop loss" (an automatic order to exit a losing trade) on funded accounts. If you forget to set a stop loss, you lose the account.

What happens if you make it

Once you pass, both firms offer a 90% profit split, meaning you keep 90% of what you earn.

  • Halcyon Trader Funding: You must trade for 6 "qualifying days" (days with a minimum profit) before asking for a payout. There is a maximum payout limit for the first five withdrawals. After the fifth, they may move you to a "Live Brokerage" account with 100% profit split.
  • Hola Prime Futures: They have 7-day payout cycles. You can request money every week if you have five profitable days. Like Halcyon, they can invite you to a professional "Live" account after you have withdrawn $50,000.

If it is your first time

For a complete beginner, Hola Prime Futures is slightly better despite the subscription cost. The "End-of-Day Drawdown" is much more forgiving than Halcyon’s "Intraday Trailing" model. It allows you to breathe during the trading day without worrying that a temporary profit will move your "death line" higher. However, if you are on a tight budget and want to avoid recurring monthly bills, Halcyon’s "Prime" account (not Lite) offers a one-time fee with the same End-of-Day drawdown benefit.

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheaper for a first 50K evaluation, Halcyon or Hola Prime?

Halcyon Trader Funding is significantly cheaper. A 50K Lite evaluation costs a one-time fee of $68, while a 50K Prime account at Hola Prime Futures costs $159 and renews every 30 days. This means Halcyon is better for traders who want to take their time without the pressure of a monthly subscription.

Which firm has the easiest drawdown rule for beginners, Halcyon or Hola Prime?

Hola Prime Futures is easier because it only uses an End-of-Day drawdown, which only tracks your balance when the market closes. Halcyon Trader Funding offers this in its "Prime" plan, but its most popular "Lite" plan uses an Intraday Trailing drawdown, which is much harder because it tracks your highest profit point during the trade.

Can I use TradingView with both Halcyon and Hola Prime?

No. Halcyon Trader Funding officially supports TradingView through its platform partners. Hola Prime Futures focuses on NinjaTrader, Tradovate, and WealthCharts. If TradingView is your preferred tool for execution, Halcyon is the compatible choice for your first challenge.

Who pays out faster after passing, Halcyon or Hola Prime?

Hola Prime Futures has a faster cycle, allowing for payouts every 7 calendar days. Halcyon Trader Funding requires 6 "qualifying" trading days (days where you meet a minimum profit requirement) before each request. While both process payments within 1 to 3 days, Hola Prime's weekly cycle is more frequent than Halcyon's requirement-based system.

Field by field

Halcyon Trader Funding and Hola Prime Futures, side by side

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

Head to head

46 differences

42%off · Exclusive
Headquarters

340 Town Center Blvd, Suite E102-179, White Lake, MI 48386, United States

L1, Shaw House, 201 Wan Po Road, Tseung Kwan O

CEO

Steve A. Kubik

Somesh Kapuria

Country

United States

Hong Kong

Foundation

2024

2024

Banned Countries
Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Cuba, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Iraq, Korea, North, Libya, Mali, Russian Federation, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela
Afghanistan, Belarus, Burundi, Central African Republic, China, Cuba, North Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, India, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Libya, Mali, Moldova, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Russia, Somalia, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe
Assets
Futures
Futures
Brokers
Ironbeam, Rithmic, Nexus Connect
No data
Payout Fee
No data

2.5% per payout. Minimum fee: USD 25 for bank wire or Rise; USD 5 for crypto.

Platforms
Tradingview, Volumetrica, ATAS, Quantower, Onyx, Tradesea, WealthCharts
NinjaTrader, Tradovate, WealthCharts
Payout Methods
Rise, Crypto
Crypto, Transfer, Rise
Live Account
Yes
  • Halcyon may transition traders to a Live Brokerage account once consistency and risk management are demonstrated.
  • Trader Live Training Program: intermediate stage in a simulated environment that rewards milestones before live transition.
  • Live Brokerage: daily reward requests (Mon–Fri), 100% profit split, swing trading allowed, margin-based contract limits.
  • Exclusive to the Ironbeam platform.
  • Starting capital on live typically matches the qualifying Reward Account's drawdown amount.
Yes

By risk-team invitation; the transition cannot be requested or declined. Eligibility reference: at least ten payouts totaling USD 50,000, with possible earlier invitations. One live account per trader. At most 15% of the sim funded account size transfers; excess profit does not carry over. Paid professional data required.

Payment Methods
Card, Crypto
Card, Crypto
Payout Frequency
  • 6 qualifying trading days are required before each reward request
  • All 6 days must meet the applicable Minimum Daily Profit Requirement
  • Lite/Prime minimums: $100 for 25K, $200 for 50K and $350 for 150K
  • Dynamic minimums: $200 for 50K, $275 for 75K, $325 for 100K and $400 for 150K
  • After each approved reward, all qualifying trading days reset to zero
  • No payout window: requests can be submitted whenever the dashboard shows an eligible reward amount
  • Processed first-in, first-out, up to 3 business days

Prime and Direct sim funded: every seven calendar days from the first trade of the cycle; after a payout the next trade starts a new cycle. Live: daily requests.

Payout Guarantee
No data

Processing within one hour of an eligible request, following a prior review of up to 24 business hours. Business days only; KYC or incomplete details may cause delays.

Maximum Withdrawal

Lite and Prime

  • 25K: 50% of profits, up to $1,000 per reward
  • 50K: 50% of profits, up to $2,000 per reward
  • 150K: 50% of profits, up to $3,000 per reward

Dynamic

  • 50K: up to $1,250 per reward
  • 75K: up to $1,550 per reward
  • 100K: up to $2,000 per reward
  • 150K: up to $3,000 per reward

Maximum 5 approved rewards per account. After the 5th reward, the account may be reviewed for transition to the TLT Program or a Live Brokerage account.

Prime and Direct sim funded payout caps, ordered first / second / third / fourth and subsequent:

  • 25K: USD 1,000 / 1,250 / 1,500 / 2,000.
  • 50K: USD 1,500 / 2,000 / 2,500 / 3,000.
  • 100K: USD 2,000 / 2,500 / 3,000 / 4,000.
  • 150K: USD 2,500 / 3,000 / 4,000 / 5,000.
Minimum Withdrawal

Minimum reward request: $250. Lite, Prime and Dynamic Reward Accounts only need net profit above their starting balance; there is no buffer to clear.

Prime and Direct sim funded, by size: 25K, USD 250; 50K, USD 500; 100K, USD 1,000; 150K, USD 1,500. Rise requires at least USD 500 of the trader share. Live: USD 500 including the firm share.

Other Payout Requirements
No data

KYC, agreement and interview before the first payout; account review for every request and further checks when required. After a payout the loss floor becomes the starting balance: retain enough profit to avoid touching it. Consistency resets even after a partial payout.

Commission
  • Based on the default (free) membership tier of platform partners.
  • Fees include: exchange, NFA, clearing and platform commission.
  • Calculated per contract, per round trip.
  • Micro contracts generally have lower fees than mini contracts.
No data
Account Reset
  • Unlimited resets available for a fee (via the Trader Dashboard).
  • Restores a fresh account balance with all risk parameters reset.

Failed challenges can be repurchased at any time. Funded accounts cannot be reset.

Add-ons
Yes
  • Halcyon Prime: 1-Day Pass add-on. Price by size: +$18 (25K), +$27 (50K), +$41 (150K).
  • Bypasses the 40% consistency rule.
  • Allows passing the evaluation in a single trading day.
  • Halcyon Lite has no add-ons.
No data
Instant
No
Yes

Direct Account: funded access without any evaluation phase.

One Step
Yes
Yes

1-Step Prime Challenge: single-phase evaluation with a profit target and consistency requirement.

Account scaling
No
Limited

Live program: whenever accumulated profit reaches 100% of the reference balance, the account grows by 10%. Payouts count toward profit and eligibility is reviewed on payout requests. The Forex scaling ladder does not automatically apply to Futures sim funded.

Two Steps
No
No data
Max Drawdown

Halcyon Lite (Intraday Trailing)

  • $25K: $1,000 | $50K: $2,000 | $150K: $4,000
  • Tracks Total Liquidation Value including unrealized profits
  • Locks permanently at starting balance + $100 after the first approved reward

Halcyon Prime (End-of-Day)

  • $25K: $1,000 | $50K: $2,000 | $150K: $4,500
  • Updates only at end of trading session based on closing balance
  • Locks permanently at starting balance + $100 after the first approved reward

Halcyon Dynamic

  • Evaluation: $2,000 on the 50K account; Intraday or End-of-Day selected at purchase
  • Reward: $2,000 on 50K | $2,500 on 75K | $3,000 on 100K | $4,000 on 150K
  • Reward drawdown can be Intraday or End-of-Day, independently of the evaluation choice
  • Locks permanently at starting balance + $100 after the first approved reward

Evaluation and sim funded: trails the highest end-of-day balance, not intraday unrealized peaks. It only rises and locks at the starting balance after earning the drawdown distance. A payout fixes the floor at the starting balance even if it had not locked yet. Touching it with balance or equity closes the account.

Profit Split

90/10 profit split on all Lite, Prime and Dynamic Reward Accounts. Trader keeps 90%, firm keeps 10%.

Each product split is listed in its challenge. The live program has its own split and starting-balance release requirements.

Free Trial
No
No
Daily Drawdown

No daily loss limits on any plan.

Prime evaluation and sim funded: no daily cap. Direct: based on the previous closing balance; reaching it closes positions and pauses trading until the next day, without terminating the account for that isolated event. Maximum-loss breaches still terminate the account.

Max Allocation
150,000

Combined sim funded and Direct: up to USD 500,000 or five accounts, whichever comes first. Combined Forex and Futures: USD 800,000. One live account may additionally be held.

Mandatory buffer
No
  • No buffer. Removed for accounts purchased from 8 Aug 2026.
  • To request a reward it is enough to be above the account starting balance: there is no locked amount to build or maintain.
  • Previously a buffer of drawdown + $100 was required, and withdrawing from within it was not allowed.
  • After the first approved reward, the maximum loss limit moves permanently to starting balance + $100.
Limited

After a payout the balance must stay above the starting balance, which becomes the loss floor. Withdrawing all profit would leave no room above that limit.

Merge Accounts
No
No
Maximum Trading Days
  • Evaluation accounts expire after 30 calendar days if not passed.
  • Accounts inactive for more than 30 calendar days are disabled.

Unlimited on all plans.

Minimum Trading Days
  • Halcyon Lite Evaluation: 1 trading day
  • Halcyon Prime Evaluation: 3 trading days, or 1 day with the 1-Day Pass add-on
  • Halcyon Dynamic Evaluation: 1 trading day
  • All Reward Accounts: 6 qualifying trading days before each reward request; the counter resets to zero after each approved reward

None on any plan.

Funded Phase Pricing Model

Lite and Prime

  • With activation-fee pricing, the activation fee is paid once after passing
  • With no-activation-fee pricing, no payment is required after passing
  • Both options lead to the same Reward Account rules

Dynamic

  • After passing, the trader pays a one-time upgrade fee based on the selected Reward Account size, drawdown type and consistency option

Sim funded: no monthly membership fee; Level 1 data included. Live: professional data, USD 130 per exchange per month or USD 520 for all four, without proration.

Minimum Profitable Days
  • Halcyon Lite Evaluation: 1 trading day
  • Halcyon Prime Evaluation: 3 trading days, or 1 day with the 1-Day Pass add-on
  • Halcyon Dynamic Evaluation: 1 trading day
  • All Reward Accounts: 6 qualifying trading days meeting the applicable Minimum Daily Profit Requirement before each reward request

Prime sim funded: five non-consecutive profitable days in every payout cycle, not only the first. Minimum daily profit: 25K, USD 100; 50K, USD 150; 100K, USD 200; 150K, USD 250. Direct has no profitable-day minimum.

Position size scaling
No
No

Size-based limits are listed on each challenge. Standard mini:micro ratio is 1:10; Micro Silver has double weighting, and MBT/MET count as minis. No progressive sim funded contract-scaling plan is documented. Live has separate limits.

Evaluation Phase Pricing Model

Lite and Prime
Two one-time pricing options are available:

  • With activation fee: lower evaluation fee, then a separate activation fee after passing
  • No activation fee: higher all-in evaluation fee; upgrade to the Reward Account is free

Dynamic

  • One-time 50K evaluation fee: $47 with Intraday Trailing drawdown or $49 with End-of-Day drawdown
  • A separate Reward Account upgrade fee is paid after passing

No subscriptions or recurring billing.

1-Step Prime is a subscription that renews automatically every 30 days until passing or cancellation. It cannot be paused. Cancellation loses progress and returning requires a new purchase.

Maximum Accounts
No data

At most five sim funded or Direct accounts, subject to total allocation; one additional live account. Unlimited evaluation purchases.

Expert Advisor (EA)
Limited
  • Bots, algos and semi-automated systems are allowed.
  • You must be the sole owner of the system.
  • The system cannot be used across multiple firms.
  • HFT (high-frequency trading) bots are not allowed.
  • Halcyon may request proof of usage.
No
VPN
No
Limited

Legitimate connections and VPNs outside restricted countries are permitted. Own devices only; travel may require verification. Device or identity sharing may close all accounts.

Hedging
No
No data
Requires Stop Loss
No
Limited

Stop losses required in sim funded and Direct; without one, a trade is treated as unlimited risk. The per-idea risk rule does not apply during evaluation. No fixed three-minute stop-placement deadline is documented here.

Scalping
Yes
Limited

There is no universal minimum holding time. A systematic pattern of sub-three-minute trades without a plan, tick scalping, HFT or latency exploitation is prohibited.

Stacking / Layering (DCA)
Yes
No data
Maximum Risk Limit
Yes
  • Contract limits are applied based on account size.
  • Excessive daily contract usage is prohibited (over 250 contracts across micros or minis).
Yes

Sim funded and Direct: 2% of the initial balance per idea on Tradovate, NinjaTrader and WealthCharts; legacy DX Futures accounts use 1%. Not applicable during evaluation. Overlapping positions and same-asset, same-direction re-entries within ten minutes are combined.

Copy Trading
Yes
Limited

Only own Hola Prime challenge or sim funded accounts within the same environment. The lead must have the lowest contract limit. Third-party copiers are used at the trader responsibility; external or other-person accounts cannot be copied.

News Trading
Yes
Yes
Inactivity Rule

Accounts must place at least one trade every 30 consecutive calendar days. Accounts inactive for more than 30 days will be considered inactive and may be disabled. Evaluation accounts also expire 30 calendar days after starting if not passed.

Yes

Evaluation and sim funded: complete at least one round-trip trade within each seven-day period. Live: suspension after 30 calendar days; opening or closing a trade counts as activity.

Consistency Rule
Limited

Halcyon Lite

  • No consistency rule on evaluation or reward accounts.

Halcyon Prime

  • 40% consistency rule on BOTH evaluation and reward accounts.
  • No single trading day's profit may exceed 40% of total profits during the qualifying period.
  • 1-Day Pass Add-On allows bypassing the consistency requirement during evaluation only.

Halcyon Dynamic

  • When upgrading after passing the evaluation, the trader chooses a Reward Account with 40% consistency or no consistency.
Limited

1-Step Prime Challenge: 40%. Prime funded account: 35%. Direct Account: 20%.

Hold Weekend
No

Day trading only. All positions must be closed and all orders canceled by 4:45 PM EST (New York Time). Positions are automatically liquidated outside trading hours. No overnight or weekend holding on any account type.

No
Prohibited Strategies
  • Hedging on the same or related underlying assets (e.g. ES + MES, NQ + MNQ)
  • Opposite Direction Trades within or across accounts (CME Rule 534 – Wash Trades, CME Rule 575 – Disruptive Practices)
  • Mixing micro and mini contracts on the same asset
  • Holding positions outside trading hours / overnight / weekend
  • Account sharing or third-party trading

Bots and partial or full automation; tick scalping and HFT; arbitrage, latency, errors and low-liquidity exploitation; grid, overexposure, account rolling and unsupported bets; copying external or other-person accounts; cross-account hedging; shared accounts or devices; unjustified strategy or contract-size changes to manipulate evaluations or payouts. Trading within 2% of a CME price limit is prohibited. Violations may forfeit profits and terminate accounts.

Overnight positions
No
  • All positions must be closed and all orders canceled by 4:45 PM EST.
  • Positions are automatically liquidated outside trading hours.
  • Failing to close may trigger automatic liquidation and account failure.
No

Close daily before 15:30 CT; the trader must be flat by 15:28 CT without relying on risk-team flattening. Observe earlier agricultural and holiday closes. Sunday-evening to Monday trading belongs to one session and is permitted.

Free newsletter

Pick your firms. Get what matters.

  • Exclusive promotions, updated daily
  • Funded trading industry news
  • Full control: you choose which firms to follow

FreeNo spamOne-click unsubscribe

Community

Join the community

Join us on our mission to become the most influential family in funded trading.

  • trade-ideasTrading ideas from the community
  • giveawaysGiveaways from prop firms
  • respect-leaderboardTop 10 by Respect earned
  • wins-and-lossesFundings, payouts and blown accounts
Join the Discord