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Which prop firms allow algo trading?
Automated trading is where the fine print bites hardest, because the firms do not agree and the rules are written to catch you out. Some allow fully autonomous bots, some allow them only while you sit and supervise, some allow only alert-driven semi-automation, and a few ban automated software outright. Run a bot on the wrong firm and you do not get a warning, you get the account closed and the profit confiscated. So this page leads with the firms that genuinely allow automation, and is precise about what kind, and the actual tool you use to do it.
Read the table first, then the three distinctions below. Getting them wrong is the single most common way an algo trader loses a funded account.
Automation rules by firm, at a glance
Every firm here: what kind of automation it allows, where, and the actual integration you use. Full means a bot can run unattended; the rest come with strings. Detailed picks are below.
| Firm | Automation | Allowed on | API / platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Trading | Full, on approval | Eval and funded | Custom API (Rithmic) or TradingView bridge |
| Bulenox | Full | Eval and funded | Rithmic API, NinjaTrader; TradingView bridge |
| Tradeify | Full, after a check | Eval and funded | Tradovate, TradingView add-on; verify first |
| MyFundedFutures | Supervised | Eval and funded | NinjaTrader, Tradovate; TradingView bridge |
| Topstep | Full, monitored | Eval and Express Funded | TopstepX API (ProjectX), local only |
| Goat Funded Futures | Alerts only | Eval and funded | TradingView alerts via bridge |
| Phidias | Semi-auto only | Eval and funded | No bot API; copiers via DeepCharts |
| Alpha Futures | Semi-auto only | Eval and funded | Manual execution; no bot API |
| Apex Trader Funding | Semi-auto only | Eval and funded | Tradovate, Rithmic; confirmed alerts only |
| TakeProfitTrader | Semi-auto only | Eval and funded | Tradovate, NinjaTrader; confirmed signals, copiers |
| Earn2Trade | Banned | Neither | None, software is prohibited |
- Full
- A bot can run on its own, entering and exiting with no human in the loop. A qualifier adds one condition: monitored means you must be at the screen, on approval means the firm signs off on your bot first, and after a check means a one-time verification that the bot is yours.
- Supervised
- Bots and EAs are allowed, but you have to watch them. No fully hands-off, set-and-forget systems.
- Semi-auto only
- Only tools that assist a trade you place and manage by hand, like a signal indicator or a trade manager. Nothing that enters a trade on its own.
- Alerts only
- Automation is limited to forwarding a chart alert, such as a TradingView alert, as an order through a bridge. No custom bot logic.
- Banned
- No automated software of any kind.
Automation rules change as often as the codes do. Confirm the policy on each firm's own permitted-activities page before you commit. Checked June 2026.
1. Lucid Trading built for automationOur pick
4.3/5 Daemon scoreLucid is the closest thing to a purpose-built automation firm here. It allows bots, algos, and trade copiers, and it is one of only two firms with a real developer API: a custom interface in Python, Java, or C++ over Rithmic. There is a gate to know about. Automated software needs Lucid's prior written approval, granted at their discretion, so you clear that before you go live. The payouts are very fast, often processed in minutes, and LucidFlex has no daily loss limit and no funded consistency rule. You are flat by the close, since the sim accounts do not hold overnight.
2. Bulenox the most openly automatable
4.2/5 Daemon scoreBulenox explicitly permits algorithms, bots, and trade copiers with no supervision strings, no approval gate, and no verification step, which makes it the most openly automatable firm here. It runs on Rithmic, so you automate through the Rithmic API and NinjaTrader, or route TradingView alerts through a bridge like CrossTrade or PickMyTrade. Pair that with weekly Wednesday payouts and 100 percent of the first $10K and it is a solid home. The cost is the catch: around $175 a month before a heavy code, plus a one-time activation, so price the real total.
3. Tradeify your own bots, with a check
4.1/5 Daemon scoreTradeify lets you run your own bots and EAs, behind a verification step: you prove sole ownership of the strategy and send a short video of yourself enabling the code on your own machine. That hoop is a fair trade for a firm with an end-of-day drawdown on every plan, 100 percent of the first $15K, and a Lightning instant-funding route that skips the eval. It runs on Tradovate, with an official TradingView-to-Tradovate path and NinjaTrader support. A sensible all-rounder.
4. Topstep the one with a real dev API
3.5/5 Daemon scoreIf you want to build your own bot against a proper programming interface rather than bolt one onto a charting platform, Topstep is the pick. The TopstepX API, powered by ProjectX, exposes REST endpoints and a real-time WebSocket feed, and it supports automated strategies and EAs. Two catches: it is a separate subscription, around $29 a month on top of your Combine, and the bot has to run locally on your own machine, since running it on a VPS can get the account suspended. Automation works on the evaluation and the paid Express Funded account, where payouts are real, but not on a Live Funded account.
5. MyFundedFutures a supervised bot on a daily-payout firm
3.6/5 Daemon scoreMyFundedFutures allows algos and EAs on both the eval and the funded account, which a lot of firms will not do, as long as you supervise them. No fully autonomous, set-and-forget bots, and no high-frequency trading above 200 trades a day. You automate through the platform, NinjaTrader, Tradovate, or Rithmic, or route TradingView alerts through a bridge. For a semi-automated trader who wants a bot working while they watch the screen, on a firm that pays daily, it is a strong middle option.
A dev API is not the same as a platform bridge
There are two ways to automate, and they are not equal. A real developer API, like TopstepX through ProjectX, gives you REST and WebSocket endpoints to send orders and stream data straight from your own code. That is what you want if you are writing custom logic and care about latency and control. Everything else routes through a charting platform's API (Tradovate, Rithmic, NinjaTrader) or a third-party bridge (TradersPost, CrossTrade, PickMyTrade) that turns a TradingView alert into an order.
Both work, but they suit different builders. A bridge is faster to set up and fine for alert-driven strategies. A dev API is the one to insist on for custom logic. Among these firms, only two offer a genuine developer API: Topstep's TopstepX, and Lucid's custom interface in Python, Java, or C++ over Rithmic. The rest lean on platform APIs and TradingView bridges.
Watch where the rule applies
The trap is a firm that allows a bot in one place and bans it in another, so confirm the rule covers the exact account you will trade, not just the test. Topstep is the clean example: its API automation works on the evaluation and the paid Express Funded account, but not once you move to a Live Funded account, so an algo trader stays on the Express side, where the payouts are still real.
Apex is stricter than its old reputation. It now restricts fully automated trading on every account, eval and funded alike, and allows only semi-automated tools and confirmed signal alerts you execute under active supervision. Earn2Trade goes further and is the anti-automation firm here: its rules prohibit trading software and AI-driven systems across every account, and it bans copy trading outright. There is no easing once funded. If a hands-off bot is the point, both are the wrong firm.
Supervised, semi-auto, and the firms that say no
Several firms allow automation only with a human in the loop. MyFundedFutures permits algos and EAs on the eval and the funded account, but supervised: no fully autonomous bots, and no high-frequency trading above 200 trades a day. Alpha Futures is similar, allowing signal-assisted trades you place and manage by hand while banning full bots and capping frequency. Phidias belongs here too, despite a reputation for being wide open: its own rules allow only semi-automated software you actively monitor, not autonomous bots. What Phidias does offer is the best copy trading in the group, up to 15 accounts through its native DeepCharts copier, plus the only overnight accounts on its Premium tier.
Then the firms to skip if a hands-off bot is the point. TakeProfitTrader does not allow fully autonomous bots, but it does allow semi-automated tools, trader-confirmed signals, and trade copiers across your own accounts. It is an excellent firm on drawdown and payouts, just not the place for a hands-off bot. Always confirm the policy on the firm's own permitted-activities page, because these rules change as often as the coupon codes do.
The call
For automation, Lucid Trading is the pick for most: it allows bots, algos, and copiers, it has a rare custom API, and the payouts are fast, though automated software needs its prior approval first. Bulenox is the most openly automatable, with no approval gate or verification step. Tradeify is the steady all-rounder, behind a one-time verification check. MyFundedFutures is the option if you want a supervised bot on a firm that pays daily.
Build your own bot against a real programming interface and two firms qualify: Topstep's TopstepX API, at a separate cost, local-only, and not on a Live Funded account, and Lucid's custom Rithmic API. Phidias is not the autonomous-bot firm its reputation suggests, since its rules allow only semi-automated software you monitor, but it has the best copy trading and the only overnight accounts. Avoid Apex, Alpha, TakeProfitTrader, and Earn2Trade if a hands-off bot is the point, because they restrict or ban full automation. Whichever you pick, a bot does not lower the risk of loss, and an automated strategy can blow an account faster than a human would.
FAQ
Which futures prop firms allow automated trading?
Lucid Trading, Bulenox, and Tradeify allow your own bots and algos, with Tradeify gating it behind a verification step and Lucid behind prior written approval. Topstep allows fully automated trading through its paid TopstepX API on the eval and Express Funded account. MyFundedFutures allows supervised algos, and Goat Funded Futures allows alert-driven automation. Phidias, Alpha, Apex, and TakeProfitTrader allow only semi-automated trading you monitor, with TakeProfitTrader also permitting confirmed signals and copiers, while Earn2Trade bans automated software entirely.
Which prop firm has a real API for building bots?
Two. Topstep, through the TopstepX API powered by ProjectX, on the eval and Express Funded account, with the bot running locally rather than on a VPS. And Lucid Trading, through a custom API in Python, Java, or C++ over Rithmic, subject to Lucid's approval. The other firms rely on platform APIs like Tradovate or Rithmic and TradingView bridges such as CrossTrade, PickMyTrade, or TradersPost.
Can I run a bot on an Apex funded account?
No, and not on the eval either as of 2026. Apex restricts fully automated trading on every account, allowing only semi-automated tools and confirmed signal alerts you execute under active supervision. Running a hands-off bot on Apex can mean termination, so treat it as a semi-automation firm, not a bot firm, and confirm the current rule before you deploy.
Do any prop firms allow copy trading or trade copiers?
Yes. Phidias has the most generous, up to 15 accounts through its native DeepCharts copier. MyFundedFutures allows copy trading through approved tools, and Lucid through Tradovate group trading on accounts you own. Bulenox permits copiers but not across your own multiple accounts, and TakeProfitTrader allows them across your own accounts on PRO+. Earn2Trade bans copy trading on every account, so check each firm's rule before copying a strategy across accounts.