Lucid Trading vs TradeDay – Prop Firm Comparison
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Introduction
Lucid Trading and TradeDay are two CME futures firms that both treat fast, trader-friendly payouts as a headline feature, which makes for a close matchup. TradeDay, a Chicago firm operating since 2020, offers day-one payouts with no consistency requirement, up to six simultaneous accounts, no activation fee, and a profit split that starts at 80% and climbs to 95%, all across 6+ asset classes. Lucid Trading counters with the fastest average payout in the industry at around 15 minutes, paid via Plaid, ADP or cryptocurrency, a 50,000+ trader community and a 10+ platform lineup. Both fund CME index, energy and metals contracts on a one-step-style evaluation with no hard time limit. The structures diverge in the details. Lucid runs LucidFlex (five qualifying days) and LucidPro (a single-day pass) with static max-loss limits and a flat 90% split. TradeDay uses a single-step sim evaluation with a trailing drawdown, but layers on perks like six concurrent accounts and a 95% split ceiling. On entry, Lucid starts lower at $25K versus TradeDay’s $50K. The deciding factors are split ceiling and payout style: TradeDay’s path to 95% and day-one withdrawals appeal to scaled traders running multiple accounts, while Lucid’s 15-minute crypto payouts, single-day evaluation and broader platform list appeal to traders who value speed and flexibility. A trader who wants multiple accounts and a 95% ceiling will lean toward TradeDay; one who wants the fastest withdrawals and crypto options will prefer Lucid Trading.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Lucid Trading | TradeDay |
|---|---|---|
| 
| |
| Founded | Not available | Not available |
| Profit Split | 90 | Quick Pay Sim: 50%/80% by portion around $4,000 current profit; Fast Pass Sim: 80%; Live: 90% eligible profits, Quick Pay buffer portion 50% |
| Maximum Account Size | $150,000 | Not available |
| Evaluation Phases | 1 for Pro/Flex/Daily; none for Direct | 1 |
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.8 | 4.6 |
| Expert Grade | 8.4 | 8.9 |
Program Types
| Program | Lucid Trading | TradeDay |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Level Program | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced Program | Yes | Yes |
| Scaling Options | Yes | Yes |
| Demo Account | Not available | Yes |
Rules & Assessment
| Criteria | Lucid Trading | TradeDay |
|---|---|---|
| Profit Target | 25k: $1250; 50k: $3000; 100k: $6000; 150k: $9000 | $1,500/$3,000/$6,000/$9,000 for 25K/50K/100K/150K evaluations |
| Maximum Drawdown | Pro/Flex EOD trailing: $1,000/$2,000/$3,000/$4,500 by 25K/50K/100K/150K; locks at start + $100. Breaches can occur intraday. Daily funded uses intraday trailing. | $1,000/$2,000/$3,000/$4,500 for 25K/50K/100K/150K evaluation and Funded Sim; trailing floor freezes at starting balance; Live rules differ |
| Minimum Trading Days | Pro evaluation: 1-day pass; Flex/Daily evaluation: 2-day pass path with 50% consistency; Flex funded payouts require 5 qualifying profitable days | Quick Pay vs Fast Pass - Quick Pay: 5 Quick Pay vs Fast Pass - Fast Pass: None |
| News Trading | Plan-specific: Daily funded must be flat 1 minute before through 1 minute after high-impact USD red-folder events; violation is a hard breach. | No |
| Consistency / Best Day Rule | Not available | Quick Pay vs Fast Pass - Quick Pay: 30% Quick Pay vs Fast Pass - Fast Pass: 45% |
Fees & Pricing
| Option | Lucid Trading | TradeDay |
|---|---|---|
| Futures $25K Account | Pro Eval / USD 135 / One-time Official Lucid Trading Pro Eval list price before checkout coupon. Source Checked 2026-08-10 | Not listed in review pricing source |
| Futures $50K Account | Pro Eval / USD 185 / One-time Official Lucid Trading Pro Eval list price before checkout coupon. Source Checked 2026-08-10 | Quick Pay Intraday / USD 125 / Monthly Quick Pay Intraday list price; monthly subscription; no activation fee. Source Checked 2026-08-09 |
| Futures $100K Account | Pro Eval / USD 285 / One-time Official Lucid Trading Pro Eval list price before checkout coupon. Source Checked 2026-08-10 | Quick Pay Intraday / USD 230 / Monthly Quick Pay Intraday list price; monthly subscription; no activation fee. Source Checked 2026-08-09 |
| Futures $150K Account | Pro Eval / USD 370 / One-time Official Lucid Trading Pro Eval list price before checkout coupon. Source Checked 2026-08-10 | Quick Pay Intraday / USD 350 / Monthly Quick Pay Intraday list price; monthly subscription; no activation fee. Source Checked 2026-08-09 |
| Refund Policy | Not available | No refunds after purchase |
| Coupons / Discount | Lucid Trading discount | TradeDay discount |
Platforms & Markets
| Feature | Lucid Trading | TradeDay |
|---|---|---|
| Trading Platforms | NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView, MotiveWave, Quantower, Tradesea, and 6 more | Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView, Jigsaw, R-Trader Pro, Quantower, and 10 more |
| Forex | Yes | No |
| Stocks | No | No |
| Indices | Yes | Not available |
| Commodities | Yes | Yes: permitted energy/agricultural futures; MGC/SIL limited; GC/SI/HG/PL restricted |
| Cryptocurrencies | No | No |
| Bonds | No | Not available |
| EA/Algo Trading | Not available | Not available |
Payout
| Feature | Lucid Trading | TradeDay |
|---|---|---|
| Payout Terms | Plan-specific eligibility. Advertised average is not guaranteed delivery. Pro disburses within 2 business days after approval. Plaid: US; WorkMarket/ADP: US and international, bank or PayPal; crypto: international. | Minimum $250. Quick Pay Sim: day-one eligibility with positive profit; $10,000 gross-profit live-transition review. Fast Pass Sim: 5 qualifying profitable days per payout, net profit since last payout and tier caps; 45% consistency for accounts opened from 26 July 2026. |
| See all prop firm payouts → | ||
Verdict
| Key Element | Lucid Trading | TradeDay |
|---|---|---|
| Strengths | Multiple plan configurations, Pro/Flex DLL on/off options, 10+ supported platforms, regional payout options, no funded consistency on Flex/Daily | No standard daily loss limit; Quick Pay Sim day-one payouts and no funded consistency; Fast Pass Sim retains EOD drawdown; eligible live profits receive 90% |
| Weaknesses | Simulated funded accounts; plan-specific payout caps and buffers; Daily funded intraday drawdown and high-impact USD news restriction; live transition discretionary | Quick Pay Sim: stop at $10,000 gross-profit review threshold, excess forfeited; 50%/80% payout portions; intraday funded drawdown. Standard metals restricted; MGC/SIL limits. Monthly subscription. |
| Best For | Futures traders seeking rapid payouts and flexible challenge structures | Futures traders avoiding daily loss limits; transparent disclosure valued |
Conclusion and Final Recommendation
Choose Lucid Trading if you want coverage of forex and commodities that the other does not offer. Choose TradeDay if a shorter evaluation at 1 phase and a cheaper entry, from USD 125 matter more to you. Neither firm is better in the abstract. The right choice depends on your strategy, your budget and the instruments you trade, so read both full reviews before you commit. Verify current rules and pricing on each firm’s own site before purchasing.
Frequently asked questions
What should I know about Lucid Trading’s programs?
Lucid Trading has different account products. LucidDirect is an instant-funded arrangement with its own payout objectives. Lucid Trading official rules.
What should I know about TradeDay’s programs?
TradeDay offers a Make It Take It futures program with evaluation and Funded Sim stages. The published evaluation requires five trading days and a 30% consistency limit. TradeDay official rules.
How do payouts differ between Lucid Trading and TradeDay?
LucidDirect lists a 90% trader share and a $500 minimum request. Requests can be made any day after the profit goal and other conditions are satisfied, subject to account-size and payout-cycle caps. Lucid Trading official rules.
Make It Take It lists a $250 minimum request and eligibility from one funded trading day, subject to its rules. Its split is 50/50 below $4,000 net profit, 80/20 above $4,000 and 90/10 in Funded Live. TradeDay official rules.
Which account rules matter when comparing Lucid Trading and TradeDay?
LucidDirect requires the largest winning day to be no more than 20% of the cycle’s profit. The consistency and profit-goal requirements reset after each approved payout. Lucid Trading official rules.
The selected evaluation can use end-of-day or intraday drawdown, while the displayed Funded Sim rules use intraday drawdown. Do not assume those stages have identical loss calculations. TradeDay official rules.
Is Lucid Trading or TradeDay automatically the better choice?
No, neither is the default pick. Lucid Trading has market access the other lacks, namely forex and commodities, and TradeDay has the shorter evaluation at 1 phase and the cheaper entry at USD 125. Which of those matters more depends on how you actually trade, so compare how each firm measures drawdown, the total fee once add-ons and resets are included and the evaluation objectives for the exact program you buy, rather than the headline numbers. If you fail an evaluation, do not assume either firm offers a fixed reset discount: check the reset terms for the specific account you bought.
How We Compared Lucid Trading and TradeDay
Both firms carry a JoinProp Rating out of 10, scored on the same nine weighted factors, led by payout reliability at 20%, then fee structure, drawdown rules and profit split at 15% each. The scores come from our own firm reviews, built from each firm’s current terms rather than its marketing pages and re-checked at least every 90 days. Affiliate relationships have no effect on any rating, and ratings are never sold. The tables above are the evidence behind those scores. Read our full ranking methodology.
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