Tradeify Lightning Funded is a one-time, direct-to-sim-funded Futures account. There is no evaluation and no minimum trading-day count, but every payout requires a fresh profit goal and a consistency score: 20% for payout one, 25% for payout two and 30% from payout three on current accounts.
Checked November 4, 2026. I actively trade a 50K Lightning account and a 50K Growth account at Tradeify Futures. My own use supports the practical comments below; the account numbers and payout rules come from Tradeify's current Help Center. I do not publish current payout amounts or a running payout total.
Lightning is the fast route into Tradeify's simulated funded stage, not a shortcut around the funded rules. You pay more upfront, skip the evaluation, and start working toward payout eligibility immediately. The central question is whether avoiding an evaluation is worth the tighter early consistency requirement, the fresh profit goals, and the lack of resets.
Tradeify Lightning Funded rules at a glance
| Size | One-time price | Daily loss limit | EOD trailing drawdown | Max position | Payout 1 goal | Payout 2+ goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25K | $345 | None | $1,000 | 1 mini / 10 micros | $1,500 | $1,000 |
| 50K | $492 | $1,250 | $2,000 | 4 minis / 40 micros | $3,000 | $2,000 |
| 100K | $660 | $2,500 | $4,000 | 8 minis / 80 micros | $6,000 | $3,500 |
| 150K | $796 | $3,000 | $5,250 | 12 minis / 120 micros | $9,000 | $4,500 |
These are the current parameters for accounts purchased after the September 12, 2025 cohort change. Older accounts can retain different position limits, consistency rules and 150K risk parameters. If your dashboard differs, the terms attached to that account control.
Tradeify describes Lightning as a one-time purchase with no recurring subscription and no activation fee. There is no reset. If the account fails, continuing requires a new purchase. The current prices and fee model come from Tradeify's pricing reference; the risk table comes from the Lightning account policy.
Is Lightning really funded immediately?
Yes, with one important definition: Lightning starts as a Simulated Funded account. You do not have to hit an evaluation target first, so trading can contribute to payout eligibility from the first session. This is not the same as receiving a brokerage account with live firm capital on purchase.
Tradeify can later move a trader into its Elite live program. That move is discretionary and separate from buying Lightning. The Tradeify live-funded guide owns the Sim-to-Elite transition; this page owns the Lightning product you can buy.
How the Lightning drawdown works
Lightning uses an end-of-day trailing maximum loss limit. The drawdown level moves from the account's end-of-day balance, rather than following every intraday high. That gives profitable intraday trades room to retrace without immediately ratcheting the floor upward.
The floor is still enforced in real time. If net liquidation touches the active maximum-loss level during the session, the account fails even if the market later recovers. “End of day” describes when the trailing reference updates, not when a breach is checked.
The Daily Loss Limit is different. On 50K, 100K and 150K Lightning, reaching it is a soft breach: positions close and trading stops for that session, but the account does not fail. The 25K has no Daily Loss Limit. A trader therefore needs two visible numbers on the workspace: distance to the hard trailing floor and remaining daily-loss room.
How Lightning payout eligibility works
Three gates matter on each request:
- Reach the fresh profit goal for the current payout cycle.
- Meet the consistency percentage for that payout number.
- Stay within all trading and conduct rules until approval.
There is no minimum trading-day count. That does not make the account a one-day payout product: one profitable day produces a 100% consistency score. Current accounts need 20% on payout one, 25% on payout two and 30% from payout three, so the profit normally has to be distributed across several days.
Profit goals reset after an approved payout. Unwithdrawn profit can remain as account buffer, but it does not count as newly earned profit toward the next goal. On a current 50K account, the first goal is $3,000 and later goals are $2,000 in fresh profit.
Lightning payout caps
| Payout number | 25K | 50K | 100K | 150K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $2,500 | $3,000 |
| 2 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $2,500 | $3,000 |
| 3 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $2,500 | $3,000 |
| 4+ | $1,000 | $2,500 | $3,000 | $3,500 |
The minimum request is $1,000. On 25K, $1,000 is both the minimum and maximum. The payout cap is not the profit goal. A 50K trader needs $3,000 of first-cycle profit but can request at most $2,000 on that first payout. Tradeify pays 90% of the approved request to the trader.
Tradeify says approved funds are issued within 24 hours after withdrawal processing; requests outside normal business hours or on US federal holidays can take up to 72 hours. Approval, arrival in the payout provider and arrival in a bank account are separate stages. The full cap and timing owner is Tradeify's Lightning payout policy.
The consistency rule in a real 50K cycle
Suppose your largest profitable day is $700.
- Payout one at 20% requires at least $3,500 total cycle profit: $700 ÷ 0.20.
- Payout two at 25% requires at least $2,800: $700 ÷ 0.25.
- Payout three at 30% requires at least $2,333.34: $700 ÷ 0.30.
For payout one, the consistency requirement would be stricter than the $3,000 profit goal. For payout two, the $2,800 consistency requirement would be stricter than the $2,000 goal. A large day does not fail the account; it delays payout eligibility until enough additional net profit reduces the percentage.
Losing days make the percentage worse because they reduce total net profit while the best day stays unchanged. Use the Tradeify consistency calculator before requesting rather than estimating from gross winning days.
Rules that still apply after the headline table
Lightning is not only a drawdown and consistency product. Tradeify prohibits hedging across the same instrument or correlated product groups, including opposing positions spread over several accounts. Personal bots are allowed only under Tradeify's ownership, exclusivity and verification conditions; HFT bots are prohibited.
The funded-account microscalping test also matters for payout eligibility. More than 50% of trades and more than 50% of profit must come from trades held longer than ten seconds. Missing that test blocks a payout request but does not itself fail the account. At least one trade per account is required each Monday-to-Friday week to avoid inactivity action. News trading, scaling and structured DCA are not separately prohibited under the current guidelines.
Read Tradeify's trader guidelines and the PTV Tradeify rules overview before treating the product table as the entire contract.
Lightning versus Growth: the decision that matters
| Decision | Lightning | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Direct to Sim Funded | One-step evaluation |
| 50K price | $492 | $145 |
| Reset | No | $95 during evaluation |
| Evaluation consistency | Not applicable | None |
| Funded consistency | 20% → 25% → 30% | 35% |
| First 50K payout gate | $3,000 fresh profit | $53,000 balance + five $150+ days |
| First 50K cap | $2,000 | $1,500 |
Lightning buys certainty about skipping the evaluation, not certainty about a payout. Growth is much cheaper and has a looser funded consistency threshold, but you must first pass the evaluation and then build five qualifying days per payout cycle.
In my own use, the 50K Lightning account makes me manage the shape of profit more deliberately than Growth. A strong first day can create more work even when it improves the balance. I would choose Lightning when the value of starting funded immediately exceeds the extra purchase cost and I am comfortable capping daily profit. I would choose Growth when passing an evaluation is routine and capital efficiency matters more.
Who should buy Lightning?
Lightning can fit a trader who already knows their average winning day, keeps risk stable, and wants to remove evaluation failure from the path. It is a poor fit when returns depend on occasional outsized days, because those days can hold the consistency score above the payout limit.
Do not buy Lightning only because “instant funded” sounds faster. Compare expected evaluation attempts, the Lightning purchase price, the no-reset downside, and the time your normal strategy needs to distribute profit. A cheaper evaluation can be the faster route if you pass it reliably; a direct account can be cheaper if repeated evaluation failures are the real cost.
Bottom line
Tradeify Lightning is a credible direct-to-sim-funded product with clear current risk and payout tables. Its advantage is immediate funded-stage access. Its price is literal and operational: a higher one-time fee, no reset, fresh profit goals and tight early consistency.
For a 50K trader, remember four numbers: $492 purchase price, $2,000 trailing drawdown, $3,000 first profit goal and $2,000 first payout cap. Then check the 20% consistency score. If those mechanics fit your actual PnL distribution, Lightning can save the evaluation step. If they do not, Growth or Select is likely the cleaner Tradeify route.
Disclosure: Some links on PTV may be affiliate links. That does not change the price you pay. I actively trade Tradeify Futures, but account access and past payouts do not guarantee future results. Rules and offers can change; verify the checkout and the policy attached to your account before purchase.