Can traders use EAs, trade news, hold weekend positions, or copy trades at Eightcap Challenges, and what strategies are prohibited?

💡 Answer

Is the use of EA Allowed at Eightcap Challenges?

Expert Advisors (EAs) and indicators are permitted, but prohibited strategy types (including martingale, grid, tick trading, arbitrage variants, gap trading and account management) are monitored and can trigger violations—especially during the Payout Stage.


Is News Trading allowed at Eightcap Challenges?

Trading during major news events is restricted: you cannot place trades within 10 minutes before or after high-impact events (per FXStreet). Trading inside the window is treated as a soft breach that triggers a warning and removal of any profits made from those trades.


Can Eightcap Challenges traders hold Weekend Trades?

Weekend trading is allowed. The platform supports 24/7 trading, including the ability to manage positions over the weekend.


Is Copy Trading allowed at Eightcap Challenges?

Copy trading or mirroring another person’s trades is prohibited and may result in profit removal or account termination. Copying between your own accounts is allowed only if all accounts are registered under the same email address.


What are some main Prohibited Strategies at Eightcap Challenges?

Prohibited practices include (particularly in the Payout Stage): martingale, grid trading, tick trading, hedging between accounts, copy trading with other traders, latency arbitrage, reverse arbitrage, gap trading, and account management/third-party trading on your behalf. Social trading tools are also not permitted.

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Eightcap Challenges vs Funded Futures Family vs PipFarm - Prop Firm Comparison (March 2026)

Side-by-side comparison of Eightcap Challenges vs Funded Futures Family vs PipFarm. Quickly scan maximum funding, profit splits, risk rules, leverage, platforms, instruments, payout schedules, payment options, trading permissions and KYC restrictions to narrow down your prop trading firm shortlist. Data updated March 2026.

Eightcap Challenges vs Funded Futures Family vs PipFarm - Prop Firm Comparison (March 2026)
Eightcap Challenges
Eightcap Challenges is a broker-backed simulated trading program operated by Eightcap International Ltd (Seychelles) that offers One Phase and Two Phase CFD challenges on mt4, mt5 and tradelocker with balance-based drawdown limits, a 14-day payout cycle, and 80% profit splits...
Funded Futures Family
Funded Futures Family (FFF) is a US-based futures prop firm that offers evaluation challenges and Straight-To-Funded options with access via Tradovate, NinjaTrader, and TradingView, a ruleset centered on trailing drawdown (EOD or intraday by plan), structured payout eligibility based on...
PipFarm
PipFarm is operated by ECI Ventures Pte. Ltd. (Singapore) and provides simulated trading challenges on the cTrader platform. Traders who pass a Trading Challenge may be enrolled in PipFarm’s Remote Trader Program and earn a reward (profit share) based on...
Overview
Trustpilot Rating 4.1 4.7 4
Trustpilot Reviews 3,574 1,481 353
Headquarters Seychelles United States Singapore
Age (Years) 1 3 3
Max Funding $600,000 $600,000 $300,000
Profit Split Start 80% 100% 70%
Profit Split Max 90% 100% 99%
Platforms mt4 mt5 tradelocker TradingView NinjaTrader Tradovate cTrader
Assets FX Commodities Indices Crypto US Stocks (Day Trader only) Commodities Energies Futures Metals Forex Metals Energy Indices Crypto
Leverage
FX Leverage 100 0 30
Metals Leverage 20 0 20
Crypto Leverage 3 0 10
Risk & Drawdown Rules
Max Daily Loss Maximum Daily DrawdownEightcap Challenges applies a balance-based daily drawdown rule calculated from the previous day’s account balance snapshot (Previous Day Balance × Limit%). Your account’s intraday equity loss must not exceed this daily limit.One Phase: 4% daily drawdown (Assessment and Payout Stages).Two Phase: 5% daily drawdown (Assessment, Qualification and Payout Stages).Day Trader: No daily drawdown; risk is managed via fixed maximum drawdown thresholds tied to the selected timeframe and multiplier. Maximum Daily LossFFF’s futures programs are designed around a trailing max drawdown and contract-sizing rules rather than a separate daily loss limit.For S2F accounts, the published Daily Loss Limit is None across $50k, $100k, and $150k account sizes. Maximum Daily LossPipFarm’s Max Daily Loss rule is calculated as a percentage of the previous end-of-day (EOD) balance. By default, the daily loss limit is 3% of the previous EOD balance and is recalculated when the previous EOD balance changes. PipFarm states the EOD is calculated in the dashboard around 22:05 GMT (winter) or 21:05 GMT (US daylight savings). PipFarm also states traders may increase the daily loss limit to 4% after achieving Rank 4 in its Experience Programs.
Max Total Loss Maximum DrawdownOverall drawdown is enforced as a fixed percentage of the initial balance for standard challenges and as fixed-dollar thresholds for Day Trader Challenges.One Phase: 8% maximum drawdown (Assessment and Payout Stages).Two Phase: 10% maximum drawdown (Assessment, Qualification and Payout Stages).Day Trader: Maximum drawdown is defined in dollars and varies by timeframe and multiplier (DT-1/DT-2/DT-4/DT-8 with 2x/5x/10x options). Maximum Overall LossFFF enforces maximum loss through a trailing max drawdown model whose calculation mode depends on the plan type.S2F trailing max drawdown (published): $2,000 on $50k; $3,000 on $100k; $4,500 on $150k (drawdown mode: End of Day).FFF also states that evaluation plans include both End-of-Day drawdown (Premiere/Classic) and intraday trailing drawdown (Elite), so traders should choose the model that best fits their risk style. Maximum Overall LossPipFarm offers different maximum-loss models depending on program selection. For Static Max Loss, PipFarm states the one-stage program uses a 6% Static Max Loss of starting balance, while the two-stage program uses a 9% Static Max Loss of starting balance. For the one-stage program, PipFarm also offers a Trailing Maximum Loss option which tracks a high watermark (balance-based) and is 9% of the high watermark balance (10% if Rank 2 or higher).
Drawdown Type Balance-based (Daily from previous-day balance; Max fixed from initial balance) Drawdown ModelEnd-of-Day (EOD) drawdown: drawdown is assessed using end-of-day account values (used in Premiere/Classic evaluations; also shown for S2F account structures).Intraday trailing drawdown: drawdown trails equity highs intraday (used in Elite evaluations). Drawdown ModelPipFarm’s public rules describe multiple drawdown frameworks, including: (1) a Static Max Loss (fixed percentage of starting balance), (2) a balance-based Trailing Max Loss (tracks the high watermark of account balance), and (3) an equity-based trailing max drawdown rule (high-watermark equity-based), as described in PipFarm’s Terms.
Payouts
Payout Frequency Payout FrequencyOne Phase & Two Phase: Standard payout eligibility begins 14 days into the Payout Stage (or 7 days with the earlier-payout add-on), provided all payout-stage requirements and KYC are satisfied.Day Trader Challenges: Payout eligibility is immediate upon successful completion of the time-limited challenge. Payout FrequencyPayouts become requestable once the trader meets eligibility requirements (including 7 qualifying $200+ profit days and applicable consistency/buffer rules). Requests can be submitted as soon as eligible.Approved payout requests are processed on Tuesdays and Fridays (with cut-off times for each batch). Payout FrequencyBy default, PipFarm schedules and processes payouts automatically on the first Friday of each month. Optional payout-frequency add-ons are available: Bi-weekly (1st and 3rd Friday of each month, +10%) and Weekly (every Friday, +25%).
Days to First Payout 14 7 0
Payout Processing Time Payout ProcessingPayout requests are reviewed by the risk team for rules compliance and KYC (if required). Approved payouts are typically processed within 24–48 hours of an eligible request, but may take longer if additional review is required. Payout ProcessingPayouts are delivered through Rise. After approval, traders receive an invite, complete Rise onboarding/KYC, and then sign the contractor documentation; payouts are sent after that step.Typical Rise timeframes: bank transfer/wire often 1–3 business days; crypto often same day to ~24 hours (network-dependent). Payout ProcessingPipFarm states payouts are processed automatically at 06:00 GMT on the eligible Friday and completed by 23:59 GMT the same day, provided requirements are met and there are no open positions. PipFarm’s Terms also describe a $1,000 compensation policy if a scheduled payout is missed due to internal company error (subject to conditions), and note payouts may be suspended or delayed for investigation or verification requirements.
Payout Methods Crypto International Bank Transfer Rise (Bank Transfer/Wire Crypto Local Currency) Rise Skrill USDT USDC
Payments
Payment Methods Credit/Debit Card (Visa Mastercard) Crypto (USDT TRC20 USDT ERC20 BTC) Credit/Debit Card PipFarm’s Terms state it accepts payment through various methods (including credit cards e-wallets and cryptocurrencies) though availability may vary by user and time.
Trading Permissions
News Trading Trading during major news events is restricted: you cannot place trades within 10 minutes before or after high-impact events (per FXStreet). Trading inside the window is treated as a soft breach that triggers a warning and removal of any profits made from those trades. FFF publishes a dedicated News Trading Policy in its help center; traders should follow that policy for their specific account type (evaluation, simulated funded, or live). PipFarm’s marketing materials state it allows news trading and that it does not dictate how users should trade. PipFarm’s Terms also prohibit exploitative trading strategies (including “news straddling”).
Weekend Trades Weekend trading is allowed. The platform supports 24/7 trading, including the ability to manage positions over the weekend. Weekend trading is generally not applicable for CME-style futures because markets are closed during the weekend maintenance window; trading is only possible during the exchange’s open sessions. Positions must comply with the product’s trading hours. N/A
Copy Trading Copy trading or mirroring another person’s trades is prohibited and may result in profit removal or account termination. Copying between your own accounts is allowed only if all accounts are registered under the same email address. FFF’s public materials emphasize that accounts are for the account holder’s own use. Any copying/account-management behavior should remain consistent with FFF’s fair-use/prohibited-conduct framework and must not involve third-party account management. PipFarm’s Terms list copy-trading/managed-account services (e.g., MQL5 or ZuluTrade) as prohibited trading practices, and also prohibit trading on behalf of others or having others trade on your behalf.
EA Allowed Expert Advisors (EAs) and indicators are permitted, but prohibited strategy types (including martingale, grid, tick trading, arbitrage variants, gap trading and account management) are monitored and can trigger violations—especially during the Payout Stage. Automation can be implemented via supported platforms (e.g., NinjaTrader tools or TradingView-based execution flows), but traders remain responsible for compliance with all rules, including position sizing, consistency, and prohibited conduct. PipFarm’s Terms prohibit using a commercial trading robot purchased from a third party without any adjustment to strategy.
KYC & Restrictions
KYC Required No No No
KYC Stage Australia, Saint Lucia, Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Myanmar, Russia (and Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk and Sevastopol regions of Ukraine), Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Zimbabwe, Libya KYC is required through Rise before the first payout is sent (Rise onboarding/identity verification as part of contractor setup). PipFarm’s Terms state that to participate in the Remote Trader Program, the user must pass an ID verification process after passing a Trading Challenge for the first time. PipFarm states verification is completed via ComplyCube or Veriff and may require an identity document, a selfie, and (in some cases) proof of address, questionnaires, or a video call.
Restricted Countries Australia Libya Lebanon Pakistan Russia Somalia South Sudan Sudan United States Zimbabwe Afghanistan Central African Republic Cuba Democratic Republic of the Congo Guinea-Bissau Iran Iraq Myanmar North Korea Syria Yemen Afghanistan Albania Algeria Angola Belarus Bosnia and Herzegovina Burkina Faso (Upper Volta) Burma/Myanmar Burundi Central African Republic Chad Chinese Military Companies Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Crimea (Region of Ukraine - Crimea Donetsk Luhansk Kherson Zaporizhzhia) Cuba Democratic Republic of Congo Ethiopia Iran Iraq Jamaica Kosovo Lebanon Liberia Libya Mali Monaco Morocco Montenegro Mozambique Namibia Nicaragua North Korea North Macedonia Puerto Rico Russia Senegal Somalia South Sudan Sudan and Darfur Syria Tanzania Trinidad and Tobago Ukraine Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zimbabwe Afghanistan Central African Republic Congo (Republic of the Congo) Crimea Democratic Republic of Congo Iran Libya North Korea Somalia South Sudan Sudan Syria Yemen