Time limits
Neither firm forces you to pass an evaluation within a fixed number of days, but they both limit how long you can stay away from the markets. Hola Prime terminates your account if you spend 30 consecutive calendar days without opening a trade. The Trading Pit is even more restrictive, imposing a hard breach after only 21 days of inactivity.
Regarding the speed of progress, you cannot rush your evaluation. At Hola Prime, you are blocked from advancing until you trade for at least 2 days (Pro) or 3 days (Prime). The Trading Pit prevents you from reaching the funded stage until you complete 3 "profitable days" (where you must earn at least 0.5% of the balance). If you choose the Instant Earning account at The Trading Pit, you are still restricted by a 5-day minimum trading requirement.
Weekends and news
Your ability to hold positions during high-volatility events is heavily curtailed depending on the account type:
- Hola Prime: On Pro and Direct accounts, you are forbidden from holding trades over the weekend; everything must be closed by Friday 15:45 EST. News trading is also banned on these accounts within a 10-minute window (5 before and 5 after). Violating this on a Direct account leads to immediate termination.
- The Trading Pit: News trading is prohibited only on the largest accounts ($100,000 and $200,000) within a 4-minute window. On Instant Earning accounts, you are not allowed to hold Gold, Oil, or Crypto over the weekend, though other assets are permitted.
Where you can trade from
Geography is a major barrier at Hola Prime. You cannot trade if you are from China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Vietnam, or many other countries on their extensive blacklist. Furthermore, you cannot access MetaTrader 5 from a US IP address. They also restrict your technical setup: your IP must match your registered country, and you cannot use a VPS for manual trading; it is only allowed for EAs and must have a dedicated static IP.
The Trading Pit has a much shorter list of prohibited countries, primarily focusing on sanctioned regions like Iran, North Korea, and Syria. It does not list the same aggressive IP and VPS restrictions as its competitor.
What the platform limits
The technical environment imposes several boundaries on your strategy:
- Hola Prime: You cannot use Expert Advisors (EAs) unless you pay a 10% surcharge on your fee, and even then, they are restricted to MetaTrader 5. You are blocked from using EAs on Direct, cTrader, MatchTrader, or TradeLocker. Additionally, MT5 users are limited to 100 simultaneous orders and 1,000 daily modifications.
- The Trading Pit: While more open to EAs, it prohibits High-Frequency Trading (HFT) and any form of latency arbitrage. You are also limited by the specific platforms tied to their brokers (Orbex and Tickmill), which may exclude certain assets like Stocks depending on the chosen platform.
What the rules cost you
The financial and risk rules act as a ceiling on your potential earnings:
- Risk Limits: At Hola Prime, you cannot risk more than 2% of your initial balance per "idea" (combined overlapping positions). The Trading Pit limits risk to 1.5% on its larger 1-Phase accounts and 1% per symbol on Instant accounts.
- Withdrawal Barriers: Hola Prime charges a high 2.5% fee per payout (minimum $25 for bank wires). You cannot change your payout cycle (biweekly or monthly) once selected at purchase. The Trading Pit charges a lower 1% fee but requires a minimum withdrawal of $100.
- Drawdown: On Hola Prime Direct accounts, the drawdown trails your highest balance, meaning you cannot "lock in" profits as easily. The Trading Pit also uses trailing drawdown on its Instant accounts and specific large 1-Phase evaluations.
Restrictions that add up
The combined effect of these rules creates a high-pressure environment. For example, at Hola Prime, the 40% consistency rule (where no single day can account for more than 40% of your profit) combined with the 2% risk limit and the mandatory stop-loss rule prevents you from taking advantage of high-conviction setups. At The Trading Pit, the 21-day inactivity rule combined with the requirement for "profitable days" (0.5% gain) forces you to trade even when market conditions are unfavorable, simply to keep the account alive and count towards your minimums. These layers of restrictions ensure that only the most disciplined traders, who can navigate a very narrow path of permitted behavior, can reach a payout.
Frequently asked questions
Which firm is cheaper to start a $100,000 challenge, Hola Prime or The Trading Pit?
The Trading Pit is slightly cheaper for a 1-Phase evaluation, costing $569. At Hola Prime, the 1-Step Prime Challenge for the same size costs $579. If you prefer a 2-Phase model, Hola Prime offers a Prime version for $569 and a Pro version for $681, while The Trading Pit’s 2-Phase evaluation is priced at $569.
Which firm imposes more restrictions on using Expert Advisors, Hola Prime or The Trading Pit?
Hola Prime is significantly more restrictive. It forces you to pay an additional 10% on top of the challenge fee to use EAs, limits their use exclusively to MetaTrader 5, and bans them entirely on Direct accounts. The Trading Pit allows EAs across its platforms without an extra surcharge, provided they do not engage in prohibited strategies like HFT.
Which firm takes a larger cut from your profits during payouts, Hola Prime or The Trading Pit?
Hola Prime is more expensive for the trader. It charges a 2.5% fee on every payout, with a minimum of $25 for bank wires or $5 for crypto. In contrast, The Trading Pit only charges a 1% fee on withdrawals. Furthermore, Hola Prime requires a minimum of $50 for most withdrawals, whereas The Trading Pit requires $100.
Which firm has a more restrictive list of banned countries, Hola Prime or The Trading Pit?
Hola Prime has a much more extensive list of exclusions. It bars traders from major markets like India, China, Russia, Pakistan, and Vietnam, and restricts US residents from using MT5. The Trading Pit has a much narrower list of prohibited countries, focusing mainly on a few sanctioned nations like North Korea, Iran, and Syria.


















