TradeDay is a US-based futures prop firm (TradeDay LLC, Chicago, Illinois), founded in 2020 by James Thorpe and Steve Miley and recently relaunched as TradeDay 2.0. It runs a one-step evaluation across two account types — Quick Pay and Fast Pass — sold on a monthly subscription with no activation fee. You choose your drawdown style: an intraday or end-of-day trailing Max Drawdown, which trails up to your starting balance and then locks. Funded traders keep an 80/20 split (above $4,000 net profit on Quick Pay; 50/50 below) that rises to 90/10 on Funded Live, payouts are processed within 24 hours via Riseworks, and TradeDay reports $10M+ in verified payouts since launch with a 4.6/5 Trustpilot rating.
The lineup splits cleanly by how fast you want to get funded and how you want your risk measured. Quick Pay is the proven, day-one-payout account — pass in 5 trading days at 30% consistency, then withdraw from any positive balance with no buffer. Fast Pass is built for speed — pass in as few as 3 days at 45% consistency — but its funded phase uses a scaling position plan and requires 5 profitable days before the first payout. Within Quick Pay you pick Intraday or End-of-Day drawdown.
The 30-second verdict
Want the cheapest entry and day-one payouts? Go Quick Pay — Intraday (from $62.50/mo with code TDNEW, no activation fee, intraday trailing drawdown). Want the same day-one payouts with more intraday breathing room? Go Quick Pay — End of Day ($87/mo). Want the fastest possible pass? Go Fast Pass ($90/mo, 3-day minimum), accepting a scaling funded plan and a 5-profitable-day payout rule. All three are one-step evaluations on 50K / 100K / 150K sizes with an 80/20 funded split (rising to 90/10 on Funded Live) and no activation fee.
Our scoring breakdown
TradeDay scored well across our six criteria — led by day-one payout speed and low entry pricing — with the 80/20 Funded Sim split (50/50 below $4k on Quick Pay) the main thing holding it back versus the 90/10 norm.
- Day-one payouts on Quick Pay — withdraw from any positive balance, no buffer
- No activation fee on any plan — monthly subscription only
- Choose your drawdown: intraday or end-of-day
- Trailing Max Drawdown locks at your starting balance — never moves against you when funded
- Payouts processed within 24 hours (before 5:30 PM CT) via Riseworks
- $10M+ in verified payouts since 2020
- Multiple funded accounts and copy trading allowed
- Scalping permitted within policy (own algos OK)
- 3-day Fast Pass route for traders who want to get funded fast
- 80/20 split (and only 50/50 below $4k net on Quick Pay) — below the 90/10 norm
- Fast Pass funded uses a scaling position plan, not full size
- Day-trading only — flat by 3:50 PM CT, no swing/overnight
- Long restricted-country list (~73) plus Canada-outside-Ontario & Germany limits (Funded Sim only)
- No 3rd-party bots/ATS, VPN/VPS, or hedging across accounts
- Subscription fees are non-refundable
TradeDay vs. its closest competitors
How TradeDay stacks up against Topstep and Tradeify — two firms we most often recommend alongside it.
| Metric | TradeDay | Topstep | Tradeify |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50K Entry / mo | $125$62 | $95$85 | $145$87 |
| Activation Fee | None | $149 or $0 | One-time |
| Profit Split | 80/20 → 90/10 Live | 90% / 10% | 90% / 10% |
| Days to Payout | 1 (Quick Pay) | 5 winning days | 1–5 |
| Drawdown Type | Intraday / EOD | EOD Trailing | EOD Trailing |
| Max Funded Accounts | Multiple | 5 | 5 |
| CPF Score | 4.3 | 4.8 | 5.0 |
💡 Bottom line: TradeDay wins on day-one payouts, no activation fee, and drawdown choice; Topstep and Tradeify both offer a higher 90/10 split. If withdrawal speed and a cheap, flexible entry matter most, TradeDay is hard to beat — if headline split is your priority, the other two edge ahead.
- 1-step evaluation
- Pass in as little as 1 day
- No consistency rule during eval
- Path to Funded Live
- payouts in ≤24 hours
- Traders new to prop firms
- Those who want lowest entry cost
- Traders who prefer a DLL safety net
- Traders who want uncapped payouts (use Quick Pay (EOD)/Fast Pass)
- News traders (Quick Pay (Intraday) Funded blocks ±2 min)
- High-frequency scalpers
TradeDay is the rare prop firm where the payout marketing actually holds up. Across Quick Pay (Intraday), Quick Pay (EOD), and Fast Pass, the day-one payout model is the real draw: once funded on Quick Pay you can withdraw from any positive balance, with no buffer to clear and no minimum trading period, and requests in before 5:30 PM CT clear within 24 hours. There's no activation fee on any plan, and the trailing Max Drawdown locks at your starting balance and never moves against you once funded.
Quick Pay (Intraday): where most traders should start
The Quick Pay (Intraday) plan is the cheapest way in — from $62.50/mo with code TDNEW. It's a one-step evaluation: trade at least 5 days, hit the profit target, keep any single day under 30% of total profit, and don't breach the intraday trailing Max Drawdown. The intraday calculation is the tightest of the three because it watches unrealized equity in real time, so it suits disciplined intraday traders. Day-one payouts and full position size make it a gentler on-ramp than Topstep's Trading Combine.
Quick Pay (EOD): the one I'd run
For my own trading I'd take Quick Pay (EOD). Same account, same day-one payouts, but the Max Drawdown is measured only on the end-of-day balance — so an intraday spike against you doesn't end the account, as long as you close above the active limit. For $25 more a month than the Intraday plan, the extra breathing room through news and volatile sessions is worth it for most discretionary traders.
Fast Pass: fastest funding, scaling plan
For traders who just want to get funded quickly, Fast Pass passes in as few as 3 trading days (45% consistency). The trade-off is the funded phase: it uses a scaling position plan — you start at 2/3/4 contracts and add one per $2,000 of end-of-day profit — and your first payout requires 5 profitable days of $150/$200/$250 by size. It's a structured route, not a shortcut to full size.
Where TradeDay isn't perfect
The headline weakness is the 80/20 split — and on Quick Pay it's only 50/50 below $4,000 of net profit — which is below the 90/10 you'll get at Topstep or Tradeify. It's day-trading only (flat by 3:50 PM CT, no swing or overnight), the restricted-country list is long (~73, with Canada outside Ontario and Germany limited to Funded Sim), and third-party bots/ATS, VPN/VPS masking, and cross-account hedging are all prohibited. Subscription fees are non-refundable.
But for a trader who wants to pass once, get funded, and actually collect payouts quickly — with a choice of how risk is measured and no activation fee — TradeDay is one of the most direct, transparent routes there is, backed by $10M+ in verified payouts since 2020.
What you need to know
Four key rules that govern how eligibility works in practice.
How fast does TradeDay actually pay out?
On Quick Pay you can request a payout from day one — from any positive balance, with no buffer to clear and no minimum trading period. Requests received before 5:30 PM CT are processed within 24 hours (business days) via Riseworks. The profit split is 80/20 in your favour (above $4,000 net profit on Quick Pay; 50/50 below), rising to 90/10 once you move to a Funded Live account.
What's the difference between Quick Pay and Fast Pass?
Quick Pay is the proven account that's paid out millions since 2020: a 5-day evaluation, day-one payouts, no buffer, full position size. Fast Pass is built for speed — pass in as few as 3 trading days — but its funded phase uses a scaling position plan and requires 5 profitable days before your first payout.
What's the difference between Intraday and End-of-Day drawdown?
Both are trailing Max Drawdowns that trail up to your starting balance and then lock. Intraday is calculated on live intraday equity (including unrealized P&L); End of Day is calculated only on your closing balance, giving more room during the session.
What platforms does TradeDay support?
You can trade on Tradovate (the primary all-in-one platform), NinjaTrader (a free NT8 license is provided), TradingView, and Jigsaw — all running on the CQG data feed. TradingView and Jigsaw are free to connect but require your own license.
Can I trade news, scalp, or use bots?
News trading and scalping are allowed within policy, and copy trading plus your own automation are permitted. Prohibited: third-party trading bots/ATS, spoofing/layering, high-frequency scalping (200+ trades/day), VPN/VPS masking, and hedging across accounts.
Can I hold positions overnight or over the weekend?
No. TradeDay is day-trading only — you must be flat by 3:50 PM CT each day, and the session reopens at 5:00 PM CT. No swing or overnight positions, and no spot forex.
How many funded accounts can I have?
Multiple funded accounts are allowed, and copy trading across your own accounts is permitted. Each account is evaluated independently for its drawdown and rules.
What happens if I breach my account?
Breaching the Maximum Drawdown ends the attempt (or the funded account). During the evaluation you can buy a reset at the per-plan price (from $60 on the 50K), or take a free courtesy reset at your next monthly subscription renewal.
Is TradeDay legit?
Yes. TradeDay LLC is a US futures evaluation firm based in Chicago, founded in 2020 by James Thorpe and Steve Miley. It reports $10M+ in verified payouts since launch and holds a 4.6/5 Trustpilot rating. Payouts are handled by Riseworks.