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E8 Markets Review 2026: Multi-Asset Prop Firm That Actually Pays
E8 Markets
Overview
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What I Like & What Could Be Better
My Experience
I first looked at E8 Markets in early 2024 because I needed a prop firm that could handle futures without making me jump through ridiculous hoops. Most futures prop firms at the time were either too restrictive (tiny drawdowns on micro contracts), too expensive (monthly subscriptions bleeding you dry), or running on platforms I didn't trust.
E8 caught my attention for one reason: they offered forex, futures, AND crypto under one roof. That's rare. Most firms specialize — you get TopStep or Apex for futures, FundingPips or FTMO for forex, and some sketchy startup for crypto. E8 decided to do all three and somehow didn't turn it into a complicated mess.
The firm was founded in November 2021 by Dylan Elchami. US-based, operating as E8 Funding LLC out of Dallas, Texas. Real office, real address (4101 McEwen Rd, Suite 205, Dallas, TX 75244). Over 200,000 traders registered. Trustpilot sitting at 4.5/5 across 3,100+ reviews — not the biggest review pool, but the sentiment is legitimately positive. Most complaints center on spread quality and funded-stage rules, not payout theft.
What sealed it was the evaluation structure. No time limits. Customizable drawdown. EOD drawdown on Signature accounts. I could set parameters that actually matched my futures day trading strategy instead of forcing my approach into someone else's risk box.
What Hit Me First
I went with the E8 Signature Futures at $50K. The evaluation was clean — 6% profit target, 4% EOD drawdown, no minimum trading days. I passed in about three weeks trading ES and NQ during New York open, sticking to my standard price action setups. Got my funded account within 24 hours. Started trading, started earning.
Three things impressed me immediately.
The EOD drawdown. God, this matters. On most prop firms, if your P&L dips 4% at 10:32 AM during a morning reversal, you're done. Account breached. Pack up, buy another evaluation. E8 Signature only checks drawdown at end of day. So when I took a 2.5% unrealized hit on a NQ reversal that eventually came back and closed green? Account survived. On an intraday drawdown firm, I'd have been toast.
The payout speed. My first withdrawal took 5 days because of KYC verification — passport, proof of address, standard stuff. Every payout after that? 24-48 hours from request to approval. Money hits my bank account via Plane in 2-3 business days after that. I've done six withdrawals now. Every single one processed without drama.
The platform, despite being proprietary, was functional. Not NinjaTrader-level. Not Sierra Chart-level. But clean order entry, readable charts, fast execution, no weird rejections, no slippage beyond what's normal during volatile sessions. I adapted in about a week. For basic price action and session timing strategies, it's more than enough.
What I didn't love: the consistency requirements on Signature accounts. Five profitable days (closing +0.3% or better) between payout requests. The 35% Best Day rule. The buffer requirement (you leave an amount equal to your EOD drawdown locked in the account before withdrawing). None of these are dealbreakers — they're logical risk management. But they stretch your payout timeline if you're only trading 2-3 days per week.
Where I Am Now
A year in. $8,000 pulled across 6 withdrawals from my $50K Signature Futures account. Zero rejected payouts. One support interaction on the first withdrawal (KYC delay) — resolved without issues. That's it. No surprise account breaches. No technicality denials. No support ghosting.
I trade ES and NQ during the New York morning session, usually 2-4 trades per day, close everything well before the 3:10 PM CT forced close. My strategy produces consistent $300-$600 daily returns on good days, with occasional flat or small red days. The 35% Best Day rule hasn't been a problem since my returns are naturally distributed — it's the concentrated winners who get caught.
I've also poked around the forex and crypto setups. The forex execution through Virtual Markets on cTrader is decent — EURUSD spreads run 0.8-1.2 pips during London session, acceptable for swing setups. Crypto through TradeLocker works but BTC spreads at 11-12 points eat into short-term plays. I keep my primary capital in futures and use forex/crypto accounts for testing strategies I'm developing.
Honest take: E8 isn't flashy. They don't run discount campaigns every other week, they don't spam affiliates with crazy commissions, and they don't promise you'll be a millionaire in six months. What they do: process payouts on time, maintain clean execution, and give you enough flexibility to either build a solid funded account or learn some expensive lessons about risk management. After testing over a dozen prop firms, that consistency is worth more than any flashy feature.
Account Types & Pricing
E8 splits their offerings across forex, futures, and crypto, each with different evaluation structures. The naming convention is confusing at first — E8 One, E8 Classic, E8 Track, E8 Signature — so let me break down what actually matters.
E8 Signature — The Flagship (My Pick)
Signature is the 1-step evaluation with EOD drawdown. One phase, one target, done. The EOD drawdown is what makes this line special — your account only gets checked at end of day, not tick-by-tick during the session. For anyone who's ever been stopped out by intraday drawdown during a morning dip that reversed by lunch, this changes everything.
No time limit. No minimum trading days during evaluation. Forex and crypto allow overnight and weekend holds. Futures are intraday-only (positions force-closed at 3:10 PM CT). News trading is fully allowed on Signature — no restrictions at any stage.
Important: Signature Futures does NOT allow EAs. Manual trading only. Forex and crypto Signature accounts do allow EAs.
E8 One — Maximum Customization
This is where E8's flexibility really shows. E8 One lets you build your evaluation from scratch.
Want a 100% payout split with 14% drawdown room? You can build that. Need a tight 4% drawdown with a lower target? Also doable. The pricing adjusts based on your selections — the account builder on their site shows exact costs before checkout.
The catch: E8 One uses intraday trailing drawdown, not EOD. So your drawdown gets checked in real-time during the session. News trading is restricted on funded accounts (5-minute window around high-impact events). And there's no scaling — your account size stays fixed.
E8 Classic & Track — Multi-Step Options
E8 Classic is a 2-step or 3-step evaluation at lower entry prices. The $5K 2-step Classic starts at just $33 — cheapest way to test E8's infrastructure before committing real money. Classic and Track accounts include scaling (your balance grows with each payout) and have max drawdown instead of trailing.
Starting pricing examples:
My Recommendation
If you're a futures trader: E8 Signature Futures $50K. The EOD drawdown alone is worth it. $100-$150 entry fee, 6% target is achievable without forcing overtrading, and the no-news-restriction policy means you don't have to track the economic calendar just to avoid rule violations.
If you're testing E8 for the first time: E8 Classic 2-Step at $33 for $5K. Stupidly cheap. Low commitment, full exposure to E8's infrastructure. Get a feel for the platform, the dashboard, and the rule enforcement before dropping $300+ on a bigger account.
If you want maximum payout percentage: E8 One with 100% split. You'll pay more upfront, but keeping every dollar of profit is mathematically superior if your strategy is consistent. The intraday drawdown is the tradeoff.
Trading Rules You Need To Know
E8's rules vary by account type, which is both good (flexibility) and requires attention (you need to know exactly which rules apply to YOUR account). Here's what actually matters.
EOD vs. Intraday Drawdown — The Big Difference
This is the most important distinction across E8's product line.
E8 Signature uses EOD (end-of-day) trailing drawdown. Your drawdown level only adjusts at market close based on your highest closing balance. Intraday dips don't count. If you're down 5% at 10 AM but close the day flat, your account is fine. This gives swing-style entries room to breathe through morning volatility.
E8 One and Classic use intraday trailing drawdown. Your drawdown tracks your equity in real-time, tick by tick. If you set a 6% trailing drawdown and your account peaks at $53,000, your breach level is $49,820. If equity touches that number at any point during the session — even for one tick — the account is done.
The math: on a $50K E8 Signature with 4% EOD drawdown, you can be down $2,000 at lunch and still survive if you recover by close. On a $50K E8 One with 4% intraday trailing, that $2,000 drawdown might breach your account if the high-water mark has already pushed up from earlier profits.
This single distinction should drive your account choice more than pricing, more than payout split, more than anything else.
The 35% Best Day Rule
On funded accounts, no single trading day can account for more than 35-40% of your total profit (exact percentage varies by account type). This prevents you from hitting one massive winner and immediately requesting a payout.
Real example from my trading: I was up $10,000 total on my Signature Futures account. My best single day had been about $2,800 — roughly 28% of total profits. Comfortably under the 35% threshold. Payout processed without issues.
But imagine this: you're up $4,000 total, and $2,000 came from one killer session. That's 50%. Payout denied until you trade more days to dilute that percentage. I hit this once early on. Not a dealbreaker — it just means you can't smash-and-grab. E8 wants distributed consistency, not lottery tickets.
Signature Payout Buffer
Signature accounts require you to leave a "buffer" in the account equal to your EOD drawdown before requesting a payout. On my $50K account with 4% EOD, that's $2,000 that stays locked.
The logic is sound: if you withdrew everything and your next trade went against you, you'd breach EOD immediately. The buffer prevents that. But it's easy to overlook if you're calculating your expected withdrawal and forget to subtract the buffer.
5 Profitable Days Requirement (Signature)
Between payout requests, you need 5 trading days where you closed +0.3% or higher. A "profitable day" isn't just being slightly green — it's 0.3% of your balance.
On a $50K account, that's $150 per day minimum. Not hard if you're actively trading, but if you only trade 2-3 days per week, it stretches your payout schedule from bi-weekly to potentially 3-4 weeks.
News Trading — Know Your Account
E8 Signature: news trading fully allowed at all stages. No restrictions whatsoever.
E8 One: news trading allowed during evaluation. On funded accounts, there's a 5-minute window before and after high-impact events where you can't open or close trades. If you violate it, profits from that window get removed — the account doesn't breach, you just lose those gains.
This is why I prefer Signature for futures. I don't want to track NFP and FOMC schedules just to avoid rule violations. But if news trading isn't part of your strategy, E8 One's restriction is barely relevant.
Futures Intraday Only
All E8 futures accounts force-close positions at 3:10 PM CT daily. No overnight holds. No weekend holds. Non-negotiable.
If you're an ES swing trader who likes catching the Asian session continuation, E8 futures doesn't work. Stick to forex or crypto accounts for holds, or look at The Trading Pit where futures positions can be held intraday with more flexibility on session timing.
Prohibited Strategies
HFT, latency arbitrage, copy trading systems, Martingale, grid trading without risk management, and any strategy exploiting simulated pricing discrepancies. Standard prop firm prohibitions. EAs are allowed on most accounts except E8 Signature Futures (manual only).
Platforms You Can Trade With
E8 supports different platforms depending on which market you're trading. This is important — you can't mix and match platforms across markets.
Forex platforms: cTrader (my preference — clean execution, good charting, native cAlgo support), Match Trader, TradeLocker, and Platform 5 (MT5 equivalent from Virtual Markets). Full access to major pairs, minors, exotics, plus indices and commodities as CFDs. Spreads are raw with commission, or you can add commission-free spreads for a premium. Leverage up to 1:100.
Futures platform: E8 Futures Platform (proprietary). This is E8's in-house build. Not NinjaTrader. Not Sierra Chart. Not Quantower. It's their own platform, period. Execution is clean, interface is straightforward, basic charting and analysis tools. Available contracts: ES, NQ, YM, RTY, CL, GC, and a few others — standard CME futures, nothing exotic. Leverage follows CME margin requirements.
Crypto platform: TradeLocker exclusively. Trading crypto CFDs (not actual coins), so no wallet, no blockchain fees. Available: BTC, ETH, plus major altcoins. BTC/USD spreads typically run 11-12 points, altcoins wider. Leverage capped at 1:10 to 1:20 given crypto volatility.
Execution Quality — My Real Experience
I've had zero major issues with execution on E8 Futures. Fills come through fast, no weird rejections, no slippage beyond what's normal during volatile sessions like FOMC days. For a proprietary platform, the execution infrastructure is solid.
On the forex side through Virtual Markets: decent on majors during active sessions. EURUSD and GBPUSD execute cleanly during London-New York overlap. Minor pairs and exotics during off-hours? Expect wider spreads and occasional slippage. That's not unique to E8 — it's the reality of CFD execution through a mid-tier broker.
The futures platform lacks the depth of dedicated tools. No DOM (depth of market) visualization worth using. No volume profile. No footprint charts. If your strategy depends on order flow analysis, E8's platform is insufficient. You'd need The Trading Pit's Rithmic integration with ATAS or Bookmap for that level of data.
For price action traders, momentum traders, and session timing strategies? E8's platform is more than enough.
Asset Range — Strength, Not Weakness
Unlike some competitors with 40 instruments, E8 covers forex majors/minors/exotics, indices (US30, NAS100, SPX500, UK100, DAX), commodities (gold, silver, oil, natural gas), CME futures contracts, AND cryptocurrency. That multi-asset range under one firm is genuinely rare.
The comparison: Alpha Capital Group offers ~40 instruments with zero crypto. FundingPips covers 100+ instruments including crypto. FundedNext supports forex plus 9 crypto pairs. The Trading Pit specializes in futures only. E8's multi-asset coverage — especially including both CME futures AND crypto — puts it in a unique position for traders who diversify across markets.
My Strategy To Regular Payouts
I've refined my approach over a year of live funded trading. Here's what works.
Session Focus: New York Morning
I trade ES and NQ from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM ET. That's my edge — the opening range, the first directional move, and the midmorning reversal. Three-hour window, 2-4 trades, done. Positions sized at 2-4 contracts on the $50K account (well within lot limits), targeting 8-15 ES points per trade.
This naturally satisfies the 35% Best Day Rule because I'm trading consistently across multiple days rather than swinging for one massive winner. My typical profitable day produces $300-$600 — spread across 8-12 trading days per payout cycle, no single day dominates.
The Buffer Math
On my $50K account with 4% EOD drawdown, the buffer is $2,000. So if I've generated $5,000 in gross profit, my maximum withdrawal is $3,000 ($5,000 minus $2,000 buffer). After E8's 80% split, I receive $2,400.
That math surprises people who don't read the rules. "I made $5,000, why is my payout only $2,400?" Because $2,000 stays locked, and E8 keeps 20% of the remaining $3,000.
Plan your profit targets accordingly. If you want $2,000 net per payout cycle, you need roughly $4,500 in gross profits ($4,500 - $2,000 buffer = $2,500 × 80% = $2,000).
5 Profitable Days — Just Trade Consistently
The 0.3% minimum for a "profitable day" translates to $150 on a $50K account. I hit this naturally by trading my normal strategy. Two decent ES trades producing 5+ points each covers it easily.
The risk: if you have a great day (+$1,200) followed by a flat day (+$30), that flat day doesn't count as "profitable" under the 0.3% rule. You need to stay above $150. So don't coast on small positions just to "check the box" — trade your normal size and strategy.
When I Take Payouts
I request payouts every 2-3 weeks, after accumulating enough profit to make the withdrawal meaningful. At $1,200-$1,800 per withdrawal (my typical range after buffer and split), six payouts over a year adds up to the $8,000 I've pulled so far.
Could I be more aggressive? Probably. Could I trade larger accounts? Definitely — and I'm considering scaling to a $100K or $150K Signature. But at $50K, the risk is manageable, the payouts are consistent, and I'm building a track record with a firm I trust to keep paying.
Who Should Trade E8 Futures
Disciplined day traders who close everything by session end. Traders who value EOD drawdown over intraday. Price action or momentum traders who don't need advanced order flow tools. Anyone who wants multi-asset optionality without managing multiple prop firm relationships.
Who should skip it: swing traders who hold overnight positions. Order flow traders who need footprint charts or a proper DOM. Anyone committed to NinjaTrader or Sierra Chart and unwilling to switch platforms.
Trust & Legitimacy: What You Need To Know
US-based company. E8 Funding LLC, registered in Dallas, Texas. Real office at 4101 McEwen Rd, Suite 205. Founded November 2021 by CEO Dylan Elchami. Unlike offshore-registered prop firms with virtual addresses, E8 operates under US business law with the accountability that comes with it. That's not regulation — prop firms don't require broker licensing — but it's a meaningful layer of transparency.
Payout track record. Over $65 million distributed to funded traders through 2026, according to verified E8 data sources. My personal $8,000 across 6 withdrawals confirms the system works. The firm processes payouts through Plane (bank transfers to 70+ countries) and Rise (crypto payouts) — both legitimate payment processors with their own compliance requirements.
Industry recognition. E8 Markets won "Best Payout / Credential Process" at the 2025 Prop Firm Match Awards. That's peer recognition within the prop trading industry — not a self-awarded badge. FXEmpire's 2026 ranking of best prop firms positions E8 alongside FTMO, The 5ers, and FundingPips in the top tier.
Trustpilot profile. 4.5/5 across 3,100+ reviews. The majority praise payout reliability, customer service quality (especially agents named Martin, Emre, and Fabio who appear frequently in positive reviews), and platform usability. The firm actively responds to negative reviews and has maintained a stable rating over time. Merged profile from earlier "E8 Funding" branding is noted by Trustpilot.
Trader community. Active Discord server with visible staff engagement. Over 200,000 registered traders across 140+ countries, with the US representing the largest segment (45%+ of desktop traffic). Monthly competitions and community events add engagement beyond just trading.
What Deserves Scrutiny
Simulated environment. Like virtually every prop firm in 2026, E8 operates entirely on simulated capital. Even funded accounts don't trade on live markets. Your orders go through Virtual Markets' infrastructure in a simulated environment — not through real exchange matching engines. The futures contracts on E8's proprietary platform are simulated CME feeds, not actual CME executions. This is standard industry practice, but it means "funded" doesn't mean what it sounds like.
Virtual Markets broker backbone. For forex and crypto, E8 routes through Virtual Markets. Not a Tier-1 broker. Regulated, functional, but with occasional spread widening and slippage that some traders flag on Reddit and Trustpilot. During major news events, execution quality degrades — again, not unique to E8, but worth knowing. The firm doesn't disclose specific liquidity providers, which limits transparency on execution infrastructure.
BestPropFirms.com scored E8 at 64/100. Scored well on products and platforms, lost points on payout friction (consistency rules, buffer requirements), strict risk rules, and mid-range transparency. Their trust and transparency sub-score was 6/10 — "strong Trustpilot rating and many verified payout reports support credibility, but E8 does not disclose liquidity providers, operates entirely on simulated feeds, and some traders report slippage issues."
Account structure complexity. Five product lines (Signature, One, Classic, Track, plus separate futures/forex/crypto within each) create a matrix of rules that vary by account type. News restrictions, overnight holds, EA permissions, drawdown types, consistency rules, and payout requirements all change depending on which exact product you bought. This flexibility is a feature, but it also means you can accidentally buy an account with rules that don't match your strategy if you don't read carefully.
No traditional scaling on Signature or E8 One. Unlike Classic/Track accounts where payouts grow your balance, Signature and One accounts stay fixed. If you want more capital, you buy another account. That's fine operationally, but it means growth requires additional purchases rather than organic scaling.
How This Firm Compares To Other Ones
E8 Markets vs. FundingPips vs. FundedNext vs. Alpha Capital Group vs. The Trading Pit
What the Numbers Tell You
E8's unique position is the multi-asset coverage including actual futures contracts. No other firm in this comparison offers forex, futures, AND crypto. FundingPips and FundedNext cover forex and crypto but zero futures. Alpha Capital Group covers forex and indices only — no crypto, no futures. The Trading Pit specializes in futures but doesn't offer crypto.
If you trade across multiple markets or want the option to shift focus based on conditions, E8 is the only firm that doesn't force you into a single asset class.
On pricing, E8 is competitive. The $28-$33 entry point for Classic accounts matches FundingPips' $29 and undercuts most competitors. Signature futures at $100-$375 is reasonable given the EOD drawdown advantage. E8 One at $488 for a $100K account is in line with Alpha Capital's $497 and competitive with FundedNext.
The 100% profit split option on E8 One is a standout. FundingPips offers 100% through scaling. FundedNext caps at 95%. Alpha Capital is fixed at 80%. Only E8 lets you choose 100% at checkout — you pay more upfront, but the math favors high-volume traders.
Scaling is where E8 loses ground. Signature and E8 One don't scale at all. FundedNext can scale to $4M. FundingPips scales to $2M. Alpha Capital scales to $2M. If long-term capital growth through a single account matters to you, E8's Classic/Track accounts offer scaling, but the flagship products don't.
For futures specifically, E8 vs. The Trading Pit is the real comparison. The Trading Pit gives you Rithmic with ATAS, Bookmap, and Quantower — professional order flow infrastructure with real exchange data feeds. E8 gives you their proprietary platform with simulated CME data. If order flow analysis is part of your strategy, The Trading Pit wins. If you want EOD drawdown and a simpler rule set, E8 wins.
My Ranking for This Comparison
FundingPips first for forex-only traders — best value, most flexible rules, highest payout volume. E8 Markets second overall and first for multi-asset traders — the only firm covering all three markets with proven payout reliability. FundedNext third — highest scaling ceiling, competitive pricing, fast payouts. Alpha Capital Group fourth — highest Trustpilot rating and free trial, but funded-stage rules are the most restrictive in this comparison. The Trading Pit fifth for this general comparison, but first choice for futures traders who need professional order flow tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is E8 Markets legit?
Yes. US-based (E8 Funding LLC, Dallas, Texas), founded November 2021, CEO Dylan Elchami. Over $65 million paid out to funded traders. 200,000+ registered traders. Trustpilot: 4.5/5 across 3,100+ reviews. Won "Best Payout / Credential Process" at the 2025 Prop Firm Match Awards. I've personally withdrawn $8,000+ over 12 months with zero payout issues. This is a legitimate operation with a consistent payout track record.
How long does it take to get funded at E8 Markets?
Depends on your strategy and evaluation speed. I passed my Signature Futures eval in about three weeks. No time limit — take as long as you need. Once you pass, your funded account activates within 24 hours. The only timing pressure is the 60-90 day inactivity rule (you need at least one trade per period to keep the account active).
How fast are payouts at E8 Markets?
24-48 hours from request to approval based on my testing across 6 withdrawals. Average: 36 hours. Money arrives in your bank account 2-3 business days after approval via Plane (bank transfer) or same-day via Rise (crypto). First payout may take longer due to KYC verification — mine took 5 days initially. Minimum withdrawal: $50 via Plane, $250 via Rise.
What is the EOD drawdown and why does it matter?
End-of-day drawdown means your account is only checked for drawdown violations at market close, not during the trading session. If you're down 5% intraday but recover to -1% by close, you're fine. This is exclusive to E8 Signature accounts — E8 One uses intraday trailing drawdown. For traders who experience temporary drawdowns during volatile sessions, EOD can be the difference between keeping and losing an account.
Can I hold trades overnight on E8?
Forex and crypto accounts: yes, overnight and weekend holds are allowed. Futures accounts: absolutely not. All positions force-close at 3:10 PM CT daily. If you're a futures swing trader, this is a hard limitation — consider The Trading Pit or stick to E8's forex/crypto products for overnight strategies.
Does E8 Markets allow automated trading (EAs)?
Most accounts yes. EAs are allowed on E8 One, Classic, Track, Signature Forex, and Signature Crypto — as long as they're not HFT, latency arbitrage, or copy trading systems. Critical exception: E8 Signature Futures does NOT allow EAs. Manual trading only on futures. If algorithmic futures trading is your approach, E8 isn't the right firm.
What platforms does E8 support?
Forex: cTrader, Match Trader, TradeLocker, Platform 5 (MT5 equivalent). Futures: E8 Futures Platform (proprietary — not NinjaTrader, Sierra Chart, or any third-party platform). Crypto: TradeLocker. You cannot mix platforms across markets. If you're committed to NinjaTrader for futures, E8 won't work unless you're willing to switch.
How does the 35% Best Day rule work?
On funded accounts, no single trading day's profit can exceed 35% (some accounts 40%) of your total accumulated profit when requesting a payout. Example: $10,000 total profit, $4,000 from one day = 40%. If the rule is 35%, payout denied until more profitable days reduce that percentage below the threshold. I hit this once early on — solution is to trade consistently across multiple days rather than swinging for home runs.
How does E8 compare to FundingPips?
FundingPips wins on pricing ($149 vs $248+ for $50K), funded-stage flexibility (no consistency rule, no buffer), and total payout volume ($125M+ vs $65M+). E8 wins on multi-asset coverage (includes futures — FundingPips doesn't), customizable evaluations (choose your drawdown/target/split), and EOD drawdown (Signature accounts). For forex-only traders, FundingPips is better value. For traders who want futures + forex + crypto under one roof, E8 is the clear choice.
How does E8 compare to The Trading Pit for futures?
Different strengths. The Trading Pit offers Rithmic data feed with ATAS, Bookmap, and Quantower — professional order flow infrastructure with real exchange data. E8 offers their proprietary platform with simulated CME data. The Trading Pit has Daily Pause (freezes account on daily loss instead of terminating). E8 has EOD drawdown (ignores intraday dips). The Trading Pit costs €99 + €129 activation. E8 Signature Futures starts at $100-$150. Choose The Trading Pit for order flow analysis and professional futures tools. Choose E8 for simpler rules and EOD drawdown flexibility.
How does E8 compare to Alpha Capital Group?
E8 wins on multi-asset coverage (futures + crypto access), customizable evaluations, 100% profit split option, and simpler consistency rules (35% vs 40% Best Day, no 2-minute trade filter). Alpha Capital wins on Trustpilot rating (4.7 vs 4.5), free trial availability, zero-commission Standard accounts, and platform variety (cTrader + TradeLocker alongside MT5). Both have funded-stage consistency rules that don't exist during evaluation. If you need futures or crypto, E8 is the only option. If you want the cheapest forex-only test drive, Alpha Capital's free trial is unbeatable.
Does E8 Markets have monthly fees?
Not anymore for new accounts. E8 eliminated monthly subscription fees for futures accounts purchased after December 2024. Older accounts (purchased before that date) still have monthly fees. Forex and crypto accounts have always been one-time evaluation fees only. If you see conflicting information online about "monthly subscriptions," it's referring to the legacy model.
Can US traders use E8 Markets?
Yes, E8 accepts US traders and is US-based. However, US traders cannot use MT5 or cTrader for forex due to US regulations — you'd need Match Trader, TradeLocker, or Platform 5 instead. Futures and crypto products are unaffected. Compared to Alpha Capital (which locks US traders to DXTrade only), E8 gives American traders more platform options.
What happens if I fail the evaluation?
Your evaluation account closes. You'd need to purchase a new evaluation to try again. E8 doesn't offer free retries or automatic resets. However, the Classic 2-Step at $33 for $5K makes restarting very affordable — cheaper than a meal out. If you want to minimize your risk of failing, use the E8 One with 14% trailing drawdown for maximum breathing room (though the profit target will be higher).
Is E8 Markets worth it in 2026?
Yes — especially if you trade multiple asset classes or value customizable evaluation parameters. The combination of multi-asset access (forex, futures, crypto), EOD drawdown (Signature), 100% profit split option (E8 One), no time limits, and proven payout reliability ($65M+ distributed, award-winning process) makes E8 a strong choice for intermediate to advanced traders with a defined strategy. Skip it if you need overnight futures holds, you're committed to NinjaTrader/Sierra Chart, or you want the absolute simplest rule set (FundingPips is cleaner). After a year of trading and $8,000 in payouts, I can confirm: E8 delivers what it promises.