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Futures: Programs overview

The Short Answer

Upcomers Futures offers three programs, all traded on Upcomers X: Thunderbolt Classic (a one-step evaluation with a one-day pass), Vanguard (instant funding, no evaluation) and Horizon (a one-step evaluation with no consistency rule once funded). All three allow news trading. None allows holding through the daily break or over the weekend: every open position is closed automatically at 4:50 PM ET (3:50 PM CT). Thunderbolt Classic and Vanguard keep an up to 100% profit split, Horizon has a fixed 80% split, and every funded account has the same $100 minimum payout. More programs will follow after launch.


Thunderbolt Classic

Our most popular program, and thanks to the one-day pass, one of the fastest routes to a funded account. It is a one-step evaluation with the fastest pass we offer: hit the profit target while staying inside the drawdown rules, and you get funded.

Profit target: 6%. On a $50K account that is $3,000 in profit to clear the evaluation.

Minimum trading days: as few as 1, thanks to the one-day pass.

Trailing drawdown: 4% End-of-Day (EOD). The floor sits 4% below your highest closing balance and is recalculated once a day at the 5:00 PM ET rollover, so open profit never drags it up. On a $50K account it starts $2,000 below your starting balance.

Daily drawdown: 3% during the challenge, 2% once funded. It resets at 5:00 PM ET, the CME futures trading-day boundary, not midnight. On a $50K funded account the 2% limit caps your loss at $1,000 in a day.

Holding: not through the daily break or over the weekend. Every open position closes automatically at 4:50 PM ET (3:50 PM CT).

Account sizes: up to $400K.


Vanguard (Instant Funding)

Instant funding. There is no challenge and no target to clear first: you start on a funded account and follow the funded rules from your first trade.

Profit target: none. You are funded from day one.

Trailing drawdown: 3% End-of-Day (EOD). The floor sits 3% below your highest closing balance and is recalculated once a day at the 5:00 PM ET rollover, so open profit never drags it up. On a $50K account it starts $1,500 below your starting balance.

Daily drawdown: 2%, reset at 5:00 PM ET. On a $50K account that caps your loss at $1,000 in a day.

Holding: not through the daily break or over the weekend. Every open position closes automatically at 4:50 PM ET (3:50 PM CT).

Minimum trading days: none. Instead, you need at least 6% profit since your last payout to request a payout.

Account sizes: up to $400K.


Horizon

A one-step evaluation. The 40% consistency rule applies only in the challenge. Once funded, there is no consistency rule and no Best Day Rule.

Profit target: 6%. On a $50K account that is $3,000.

Minimum trading days: 2 in the challenge and 5 on the funded account, each with at least 0.5% profit.

Consistency: 40%, in the challenge only. Your best trading day can be at most 40% of your total challenge profit. If it is higher, the account is not breached. Keep trading until it is at or below 40%.

Trailing drawdown: 4% End-of-Day (EOD), recalculated once a day at the 5:00 PM ET rollover.

Daily drawdown: 3% during the challenge, 2% once funded, reset at 5:00 PM ET.

Max trade loss: none in the challenge, 1.5% once funded.

Holding: not through the daily break or over the weekend. Every open position closes automatically at 4:50 PM ET (3:50 PM CT).

Payouts: on demand, with at least 3% profit since your last payout. Fixed 80% profit split.

Account sizes: $25K to $400K.


Master comparison

Here is how the three programs line up side by side. All figures are for USD-denominated accounts on Upcomers X.

Feature

Thunderbolt Classic

Vanguard

Horizon

Type

1-step evaluation

Instant funding, no evaluation

1-step evaluation

Profit target

6%

None

6%

Trailing drawdown (challenge)

4% EOD (trails highest daily close)

Not applicable (instant, no challenge)

4% EOD (trails highest daily close)

Trailing drawdown (funded)

4% EOD (trails highest daily close)

3% EOD (trails highest daily close)

4% EOD (trails highest daily close)

Daily drawdown (funded)

2% (reset 5:00 PM ET)

2% (reset 5:00 PM ET)

2% (reset 5:00 PM ET)

Max trade loss

1.5%

1.5%

1.5% (funded only)

Minimum trading days

1 (one-day pass)

None (6% profit before a payout)

2 in the challenge, 5 funded (0.5% profit each)

Overnight holding

No (auto-close 4:50 PM ET)

No (auto-close 4:50 PM ET)

No (auto-close 4:50 PM ET)

Weekend holding

No

No

No

First payout

Anytime after conditions are met

Once you have 6% profit (no minimum trading days)

On demand, once conditions are met

Best Day Rule

20%

20%

None (40% consistency in the challenge only)

Largest account

$400K

$400K

$400K


What every program shares

Whichever program you choose, the funded rules below are the same across all three, except where the table above notes a difference.

Profit split: up to 100% on Thunderbolt Classic and Vanguard. Horizon has a fixed 80% split.

Trailing drawdown: our Dynamic Risk Shield™. On Thunderbolt Classic (4%), Horizon (4%) and Vanguard (3%) it trails End-of-Day: the floor sits that percentage below your highest closing balance of any completed trading day, it is recalculated only once a day at the 5:00 PM ET rollover, and unrealized profit on open positions never moves it. On every program it only moves up, then locks permanently at your initial balance once it reaches it. After it locks it is static and no longer moves, so it stops chasing your profits and you can trade freely against the locked floor. Your live equity is checked against the floor in real time. This is the same lock model as the Dynamic Risk Shield™ on our CFD product.

Max trade loss: a HARD rule. It is 1.5% of account size on any single open trade on Thunderbolt Classic, on Vanguard and on a funded Horizon account ($750 on a $50K account). A single trade over the limit triggers an automatic breach and closes the account, even if the account is otherwise in profit. Positions on the same instrument in the same direction count as one trade, so you cannot split an order to get around it.

Best Day Rule: a SOFT rule on Thunderbolt Classic and Vanguard. No single trading day may be more than 20% of your total profit since your last payout. It does NOT breach your account, it only holds your payout until your profit is spread more evenly. Example: if your total profit since your last payout is $5,000, your best day must be $1,000 or less. Horizon has no Best Day Rule on the funded account.

Payout conditions: at least 1% profit since your last payout (6% on Vanguard, 3% on Horizon), all positions closed, your best day within the Best Day Rule (not on Horizon), and a minimum payout of $100 (your share after the selected profit split). Horizon also needs 5 trading days with at least 0.5% profit each.

Challenge profit share: on Thunderbolt Classic, if you grow the funded account enough and keep a clean payout record, you earn a bonus of 15% of the profit you made during the challenge phase. Vanguard has no challenge phase, so it does not apply.

Inactivity: an account is closed automatically after 14 calendar days with no trading. The counter starts at purchase and resets every time you close a trade, and you get a warning email before the account expires.


More programs are coming

Thunderbolt Classic and Vanguard were the launch lineup, and Horizon is now available too. More Upcomers Futures programs are planned. We will update the help center as new programs are released.


Read the full rules for each program

This is a high-level overview. Before you buy, read the dedicated rules article for the program you are considering. Each one covers the exact drawdown mechanics, dollar examples on real account sizes, and the full payout conditions.

Not sure which one fits your style? See our guide on how to choose your futures program, or start a chat with our team from the help center.

Profit split note: The standard Upcomers profit split is 90%. Depending on the option selected at checkout, it can be adjusted to 80% or 100%. Changing the profit split also changes the Challenge price. The selected profit split remains linked to that account. Accounts purchased under previous conditions retain the profit split assigned at the time of purchase.

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