E8 Markets vs QT Funded - Prop Firm Comparison (March 2026)
Head-to-head comparison of E8 Markets and QT Funded. Check max funding, profit splits, daily and overall drawdown rules, leverage, tradable assets, payout frequency, payment and payout methods, trading permissions and KYC restrictions before you buy a challenge. Data refreshed March 2026.
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E8 Markets
E8 Markets is a US-based prop-firm-style evaluation brand operating simulated accounts via third-party platforms, offering 1-step programs such as E8 One and E8 Signature (Forex/Crypto) with dynamic drawdown models, leverage up to 1:30 on FX, and performance-fee payouts via Plane...
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QT Funded
QT Funded (Quant Tekel) is a simulated CFD prop firm (founded Oct 2023) offering QT Prime (2-step/3-step), QT Power (2-step) and QT Instant (instant funding). Traders get access to FX, indices, metals, crypto and oil on MT5, cTrader or TradeLocker,...
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| Overview | ||
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.4 | 4.4 |
| Trustpilot Reviews | 3,232 | 12,324 |
| Headquarters | United States | South Africa |
| Age (Years) | N/A | N/A |
| Max Funding | $500,000 | $400,000 |
| Profit Split Start | 80% | 80% |
| Profit Split Max | 100% | 100% |
| Platforms | MT5 cTrader Match-Trader TradeLocker | MT5 cTrader TradeLocker |
| Assets | FX Metals Indices Energy Crypto | FX Metals Indices Crypto Oil |
| Leverage | ||
| FX Leverage | 30 | 100 |
| Metals Leverage | 15 | 35 |
| Crypto Leverage | 5 | 2.5 |
| Risk & Drawdown Rules | ||
| Max Daily Loss | 3 | Maximum Daily LossDaily loss limits are program-specific:QT PRIME: 4% daily drawdown fixed to the initial balance (does not change with profits).QT POWER: daily drawdown is based on End-of-Day (EOD) equity; 3% on legacy rulesets and 4% for accounts issued after 9 Apr 2025.QT INSTANT: 3% daily drawdown fixed to the initial account balance (does not change with profits).Breaching the daily limit is treated as a hard breach on funded stages. |
| Max Total Loss | 4 | Maximum Overall LossOverall drawdown limits differ by plan:QT PRIME: 10% maximum drawdown (static, based on initial balance).QT POWER: 8% maximum loss limit (based on initial balance).QT INSTANT: 6% maximum drawdown that trails the highest recorded balance or floating equity (high-water mark). (Some operational details—such as whether trailing drawdown locks at starting balance after withdrawal—depend on the account’s issue date.) |
| Drawdown Type | Drawdown ModelE8 One uses a 3% Daily Drawdown (from the day's starting balance) plus a 4% Dynamic Drawdown that limits maximum running or closed loss. E8 Signature products use an end-of-day (EOD) Dynamic Drawdown limit (set as a fixed dollar amount by account size) plus a 2% Daily Pause that stops trading for the rest of the day but does not breach the account. | Drawdown ModelQT Funded uses a mix of static and trailing drawdown models:Static drawdown: QT PRIME (10% max loss) and QT POWER (8% max loss) use static overall drawdown anchored to the initial balance.Trailing drawdown: QT INSTANT uses a 6% trailing maximum drawdown from the highest recorded balance/equity, paired with a fixed 3% daily drawdown. |
| Payouts | ||
| Payout Frequency | Payout Frequency E8 Markets payouts are requested on-demand once a trader meets eligibility criteria. E8 Signature Forex/Crypto: First payout requires 3 profitable days; subsequent payouts require 5 profitable days (each profitable day is ≥0.3% realized closed PnL), plus a 35% Best Day Rule. Payout buffer and payout caps apply. E8 One (E8 Trader stage): 40% Best Day Rule and the trader's net profit (payout share) must be greater than 50% of the account's daily drawdown; buffer rules can apply in specific scenarios. | Payout FrequencyPayout requests are available every 2 weeks (14 days) from the first trade on the funded account and every 14 days for each consecutive payout cycle.QT PRIME: Bi-weekly payouts at 80% split, or Prime On-Demand payouts (100% split) subject to eligibility requirements.QT POWER: payout on-demand subject to minimum conditions (including 35% consistency and minimum trading days).QT INSTANT: bi-weekly payouts at 80% split (with a 5% minimum profit and 25% consistency requirement for eligibility). |
| Days to First Payout | 0 | 14 |
| Payout Processing Time | Payout ProcessingPayouts are typically processed within 1–2 business days (excluding weekends) and then received in ~1–3 additional business days; the total process may take 2–5 business days. Payouts are delivered via Plane (bank transfer) or Rise (crypto options), subject to payout-provider onboarding/KYC. | Payout ProcessingQT Funded states payout requests are processed within 24 business hours after submission/approval (the request day does not count toward the 24-hour processing window).Minimum performance fee: the minimum payout amount is 1% or $100 (whichever is higher). For QT INSTANT, the minimum performance fee is stated as 5% of profit margin. |
| Payout Methods | Plane (Bank Transfer) Rise (Crypto) | Crypto Bank Wire Transfer QT Card |
| Payments | ||
| Payment Methods | Credit/Debit Card Crypto | Credit/Debit Card (Visa Mastercard American Express) PayPal Crypto |
| Trading Permissions | ||
| News Trading | E8 One: In Phase 1, news trading is allowed without restriction. On the E8 Trader stage, a prohibition window applies for high-impact news: 5 minutes before and 5 minutes after the release, during which opening/closing/modifying trades is prohibited; profits earned during the window may be removed without an account violation. E8 Signature Forex/Crypto: News trading is allowed without restrictions in both Phase 1 and the E8 Trader stage, with a reminder that high-impact news can cause volatility and slippage and that the user is responsible. | Evaluation stage: news trading is allowed.Funded stage (QT PRIME & QT INSTANT): news trading is restricted around Forex Factory red-folder (high-impact) releases: no manual trading activity (opening/closing/modifying positions or orders) within 5 minutes before/after the event; SL/TP and qualifying limit orders set earlier may still trigger. Violations are treated as hard breaches. QT PRIME On-Demand does not have the news rule applied. |
| Weekend Trades | E8 Signature Forex/Crypto: Overnight/weekend holding is not supported; positions are closed daily at 23:00 server time and trading reopens at 00:15.E8 One: The help center does not impose the same daily position-closure rule; weekend/overnight exposure remains subject to normal market gaps and drawdown calculations. | Weekend holding is permitted across QT PRIME, QT POWER and QT INSTANT (trades can be held over the weekend), subject to general risk rules and market conditions. |
| Copy Trading | E8 Markets allows copy trading across evaluations and E8 Trader accounts (and to/from personal accounts) as long as the accounts belong to you. A key restriction is that you cannot copy trades or reuse the same trading ideas between multiple E8 evaluation accounts; each evaluation must be traded independently. Team trading and third-party signal services are not permitted. | Copy trading rules depend on total allocation:Under $400,000 total allocation: traders may copy trades and use the same strategy across accounts.$400,000 and above: traders may still hold multiple accounts, but they may not copy trades or use the same strategy between accounts; each account must use a different strategy and trade different instruments for its entire history.QT INSTANT: additional max-allocation rule for same-strategy use (max $99,000); QT Instant allocation also counts toward the overall $400,000 cap. |
| EA Allowed | Expert Advisors (EAs) are allowed. E8 states it limits one strategy per user and may terminate accounts if it detects multiple users executing the same trades/strategy. Server request limits (e.g., order/TP/SL modification limits and maximum positions per day) also apply. | Expert Advisors (EAs) are permitted only with pre-approval. Traders must submit the EA name and links to [email protected] before use. Trade copiers are also permitted with approval, and copied executions must place visible SL/TP (no invisible trade management). Unapproved use can result in account forfeit and group trading with shared EAs is prohibited. |
| KYC & Restrictions | ||
| KYC Required | Yes | Yes |
| KYC Stage | KYC is required as part of eligibility and compliance checks. To receive a payout, traders must also be able to onboard and pass KYC with E8's payout providers (Plane or Riseworks/Rise); if a trader cannot complete provider onboarding, E8 states it cannot issue a payout. | KYC is required as part of onboarding and may be requested by the company’s AML/KYC providers. QT INSTANT specifically requires KYC verification and a signed contract before trading is enabled. Accounts may be treated as inactive/invalid if the latest KYC requirements are not completed. |
| Restricted Countries | Afghanistan Albania Algeria Myanmar (Burma) Burundi Belarus Central African Republic Congo Democratic Republic of Congo Cuba Ethiopia Hong Kong Iran Iraq Kenya Kosovo Lebanon Libya Mali Midway Islands Nicaragua North Korea Pakistan Russia Samoa Somalia South Sudan Sudan Syria Ukraine United Arab Emirates Vatican City State Venezuela West Bank Western Sahara Yemen Zambia; Limited (E8 Signature Forex/Crypto only): Bulgaria India Romania Bangladesh Indonesia Taiwan Cambodia Laos Viet Nam Croatia | Iran Iraq Myanmar Belarus North Korea South Korea Russia (MT5) Pakistan Syria Egypt United States (MT5 and cTrader) Canada (MT5) |