Elite Trader Funding Review 2026: 1 Step vs EOD vs Static vs Diamond Hands vs Fast Track vs Direct to Funded

Name: Elite Trader Funding Review 2026: 1 Step vs EOD vs Static vs Diamond Hands vs Fast Track vs Direct to Funded
Item: Elite Trader Funding
Author: PickMyFuturesProp

PickMyFuturesProp · 2026-09-24

ETF sells six ways to a funded account — four monthly evaluations, a $57 one-time Fast Track and a Direct-to-Funded shortcut — all feeding one payout system. Here's what each costs all-in (activation included), how Active Trade Days gate payouts, and who each plan suits.

Elite Trader Funding (ETF) has been funding futures traders since February 2022 and has paid out more than $13 million to over 13,000 traders. It's also the firm with the most ways in: four monthly evaluations that differ only in how the drawdown behaves, a one-time Fast Track for under $100, and Direct to Funded for traders who'd rather pay once and skip the test. All of them land in the same Elite Sim-Funded account with the same payout system. The trick to ETF is understanding the all-in cost — evaluation, activation, and the Active Trade Days that gate every payout. Our affiliate code is PICK.

The four monthly evaluations

All four are billed monthly (auto-renew every 30 days), carry a 5-trading-day minimum (the One Day to Pass add-on lifts it), $47 resets, and no consistency rule in the evaluation. The promo price is the first month; renewals are at list.

1 Step (Live Trailing) — 50K / 100K / 150K at $207 / $257 / $347 a month ($20.70 / $25.70 / $34.70 the first month with the 90% promo). Targets $3,000 / $6,000 / $9,000, drawdown $2,000 / $3,000 / $5,000, no daily loss limit, 8 / 14 / 18 minis. The drawdown follows your highest open profit, so giving back an unrealized gain can fail you on a green day. Fastest funding, least forgiving floor.
End of Day — 50K / 100K at $347 / $487 a month ($34.70 / $48.70 first month). Drawdown $2,000 / $3,500 moves only on closed balances, but there's a hard-breach daily loss limit of $1,100 / $2,200 (the TradeShield add-on softens it). No overnight holds.
Static — 10K / 25K / 50K at $147 / $277 / $497 a month ($14.70 / $27.70 / $49.70). A fixed floor of $500 / $1,000 / $2,000 that never trails, no daily loss limit, targets of $1,000 / $2,000 / $4,000 and tight 1 / 2 / 4-mini caps. The closest thing to a cash account and the plan ETF recommends for newer traders.
Diamond Hands — 100K at $397 a month ($39.70). EOD drawdown of $3,500, a $1,500 daily loss limit, a $5,000 target and only 2 minis — but it's the only ETF plan that allows overnight and weekend holds.

Fast Track and Direct to Funded

Fast Track is the cheapest door in futures funding that we track: a one-time $57 (EOD drawdown) or $77 (Static) 10K account with a $500 drawdown, a $2,000 target, a 1-mini cap and a 3-day minimum. You must pass within 10 calendar days, there are no resets, and a 40% consistency rule applies. The first month of funded activation is included; after that it's $87 a month with no one-time option. Payout caps start at $500 per cycle (EOD) or $750 (Static) and reach $1,000 / $1,250 by the third cycle.

Direct to Funded skips the evaluation entirely for a one-time payment: 10K Mini Inferno $357 ($1,500 EOD drawdown, 5 ATDs per cycle, $1,200 cap), 50K $747 ($5,000 EOD drawdown, 15 ATDs, $5,000 cap) and 100K $997 ($5,000 fixed floor, 20 ATDs, $5,000 cap). No activation fee and no subscription, but position caps are tiny (2 / 5 / 3 contracts, and 1 mini equals 1 micro on this line) and the first payout needs a $5,100 profit goal on the 50K and 100K.

Activation: the second price

Pass a monthly evaluation and the Elite Sim-Funded account has to be activated: $87 per month, or a one-time $177 (accounts up to 75K), $247 to $257 (100K to 150K) or $307 (Diamond Hands). The Double Down Deal add-on drops the first activation to $47. This is the number to add to the evaluation price when you compare ETF with one-time firms.

Payouts: Active Trade Days decide everything

You request payouts per reward cycle. Each cycle needs 8 Active Trade Days the first time and 10 after that (Direct to Funded uses 5 / 15 / 20). A day only counts as an ATD if it earns at least $200 of realized profit ($100 on the smallest plans) and at least 23% of your best day, so one big day makes every other day harder to qualify. You also have to bank a safety net (your max drawdown plus $100) before the first request. Per-cycle caps start at $1,000 to $2,500 depending on plan and grow toward $3,000; the minimum is $100.

You keep up to 100% of sim profits until $25,000 cumulative, then you graduate to LIVE ELITE: ETF's real capital in a live broker account, an 80/20 split, uncapped payouts, daily withdrawals on business days, a $250 minimum and a 48-hour approval guarantee. Payouts run through Rise (ACH or crypto).

So who's it for?

Newer traders who want a fixed floor: Static.
Bargain hunters who want to prove an edge for under $100: Fast Track.
Swing traders who need overnight holds: Diamond Hands.
Experienced scalpers who bank profit fast: 1 Step with the promo.

Who should look elsewhere: traders who want daily payouts from day one, anyone who hates counting qualifying days, and anyone who'd rather pay once than manage a subscription plus an activation fee. Line ETF up against Apex and TradeDay in the comparison tool at your size — with activation included, the picture changes.

Current Elite Trader Funding plans and prices

Verified against Elite Trader Funding's own site on 2026-09-24. Prices are today's promo price at the representative account size.

Account	Size	Price	Target	Max drawdown	Drawdown type	Daily loss limit	Split	Activation
1 Step (Live Trailing)	$50K	$20.70/mo (list $207)	$3,000	$2,000	Intraday Trailing / Intraday Trailing	None	Up to 100% sim (to $25K), then 80/20 live	$177
End of Day (EOD)	$50K	$34.70/mo (list $347)	$3,000	$2,000	EOD Trailing / EOD Trailing	$1,100	Up to 100% sim (to $25K), then 80/20 live	$177
Static (fixed floor)	$50K	$49.70/mo (list $497)	$4,000	$2,000	Static / Static	None	Up to 100% sim (to $25K), then 80/20 live	$177
Diamond Hands (overnight/weekend)	$100K	$39.70/mo (list $397)	$5,000	$3,500	EOD Trailing / EOD Trailing	$1,500	Up to 100% sim (to $25K), then 80/20 live	$307
Fast Track (10K, one-time)	$10K	$57	$2,000	$500	EOD Trailing (or Static) / EOD Trailing (or Static)	None	Up to 100% sim (to $25K), then 80/20 live	None
Direct to Funded (no eval)	$50K	$747	$5,100	$5,000	n/a (instant) / EOD Trailing (100K: Static)	None	Up to 100% sim (to $25K), then 80/20 live	None

Elite Trader Funding trading hours and news rules

Flat 1 minute before the market close, except Diamond Hands and Direct to Funded, which can hold overnight and over the weekend; no news-trading restrictions.

From Elite Trader Funding's official help center, checked 2026-09-27. See also: overnight holding · automated trading · account limits