All three are futures programs traded on the Upcomers X platform. They differ in how you get funded, how the drawdown works, and how long you trade before your first payout. Every funded account keeps the same up to 100% profit split and the same $100 minimum payout.

The first choice is whether you want to prove yourself on a challenge or start funded right away.

Thunderbolt Classic and Legacy are one-step evaluations. You trade a challenge account, hit the 6% profit target while staying inside the drawdown rules, and then you get funded.

Vanguard is instant funding. There is no challenge and no profit target to clear. You start on a funded account and follow the funded rules from your first trade.

Holding is the same everywhere: all three programs allow overnight and weekend positions. What actually differs is how much room the rules give you.

Thunderbolt Classic and Vanguard carry a 2% daily drawdown that resets at 5:00 PM ET, the futures-industry standard reset on Upcomers X. On a $100,000 account that is a $2,000 daily loss limit.

Thunderbolt Legacy gives you more room: a wider 3% daily drawdown (also resetting at 5:00 PM ET), which is $3,000 on a $100,000 account, and a 2% max trade loss instead of 1.5%. In exchange, the minimum is 5 trading days instead of 1, and the Best Day Rule is 30% instead of 20%.

The trailing drawdown is our Dynamic Risk Shield™, and how it trails is one of the biggest differences between the programs.

Real-time trailing, then lock (all three programs): the trailing level follows your equity higher in real time as your balance grows, then locks permanently at your initial balance once your account grows by the trailing percentage (4% on Classic and Legacy, 3% on Vanguard). After it locks it stays static, so you can build profits without the drawdown chasing your equity. This works the same in the challenge and funded phases, and exactly like the Dynamic Risk Shield™ on our CFD accounts. There is no end-of-day trailing on any program.

Max trade loss (a hard rule): a single trade that exceeds the cap triggers an automatic breach and closes the account, even if you are overall in profit. The cap is 2% of account size on Legacy and 1.5% on Classic and Vanguard.

Here is how every limit lands on a $100,000 funded account:

Every program pays out at the up to 100% split with a $100 minimum (your share after the selected profit split). The conditions to request a payout are nearly identical; the difference is the 5-trading-day first-payout minimum on Legacy and Vanguard.

Thunderbolt Classic and Legacy: request a payout anytime once you have at least 1% profit since your last payout ($1,000 on a $100,000 account), all positions closed, your best day within the Best Day Rule (20% on Classic, 30% on Legacy, so on a $10,000 withdrawal your best single day must be $2,000 or less on Classic), and at least $100 to withdraw. On Legacy, your first payout also needs a minimum of 5 trading days on the funded account.

Vanguard: the same conditions apply, plus a minimum of 5 trading days before your first payout. A day only counts toward that minimum if you make at least 0.5% profit that day ($500 on a $100,000 account), and the 5 qualifying days do not have to be consecutive.

Challenge Profit Share (Classic and Legacy only): the challenge products carry a 15% bonus. Grow your funded account enough while keeping a clean payout record and you earn a bonus of 15% of your challenge-phase profit. A $5,000 challenge profit earns a $750 bonus. Vanguard has no challenge, so this bonus does not apply.

Thunderbolt Classic: you want the fastest route to funded (the one-day pass means as little as 1 minimum trading day), you are comfortable inside a 2% daily drawdown, and you want the largest evaluation account size ($400K).

Thunderbolt Legacy: you want the widest daily drawdown room (3%) and the highest per-trade cap (2%), and you do not mind the 5-day minimum and the 30% Best Day Rule. Largest account size is $400K.

Vanguard: you want to skip the evaluation and start funded immediately, you are happy with a 3% trailing drawdown in return for no challenge, and you can trade a minimum of 5 trading days before your first payout. Account sizes up to $300K.

Which program is the fastest to funded?

Thunderbolt Classic. Its one-day pass means you can clear the 6% target in as little as 1 trading day, then move straight to a funded account.

Can I hold over the weekend on all three?

Yes. All three allow overnight and weekend holding. The difference is risk room: Legacy carries the widest daily drawdown (3%, versus 2% on Classic and Vanguard).

Can I skip the evaluation?

Yes, with Vanguard. It is instant funding, so there is no challenge and no profit target. You start on a funded account and follow the funded rules from your first trade.

Can I trade news on all three?

Yes. News trading is allowed on every Upcomers Futures program.

Do all three pay the same?

Yes. Every funded account pays the up to 100% split with a $100 minimum payout. The difference between programs is the funding path and the drawdown rules, not the split.

What is the largest account I can get?

$400K on Thunderbolt Classic or Legacy, and $300K on Vanguard.

Once you have narrowed it down, read the dedicated article for that program before you buy. Each one covers the exact drawdown mechanics, examples on real account sizes, and the full payout conditions.

Still unsure which fits your style? Start a chat with our team from the help center and we will point you to the right program.