Head-to-head
AIFO vs E8 Markets
AIFO vs E8 Markets covers the two firms side by side on the facts recorded in their profiles.
Profit splits, evaluation fees, payout cadence, supported assets, and trading rules for AIFO and E8 Markets. Data pulled live from our firm listings.
Quick verdict
AIFO is best for
traders who want to skip the evaluation; scaling toward larger allocations (up to $2,000,000).
Full AIFO profile →Cost to first payout
Cost to first payout
What it actually costs to reach payout — a normalized estimate built from each firm's lowest published evaluation cost, monthly fees, and first-payout window. Estimates, not guarantees. Each card shows the assumptions used.
E8 Markets is roughly $5 cheaper to reach a first payout than AIFO, based on published fees alone.
AIFO
estimateApprox. total
$10
to reach first payout eligibility
Approx. time
7days
from sign-up to first eligible request
- Start cost
- $10
- Monthly fee
- —
How we estimated this
- Instant-funding path: lowest published activation cost.
- Source — eval fee: From $79 ($10K 2-Step); 1-Step $89–$899, 2-Step $79–$849, Instant $129–$699, Sprint $149–$599; monthly: —; first payout: 1-Step/2-Step: 14-day cycle; Instant: on demand once eligible; Sprint: one payout requested within 30 days after settlement.
E8 Markets
estimateApprox. total
$5
to reach first payout eligibility
Approx. time
3days
from sign-up to first eligible request
- Start cost
- $5
- Monthly fee
- None
How we estimated this
- Evaluation path: lowest published one-time evaluation fee.
- Firm advertises no monthly fee.
- Source — eval fee: E8 One one-phase evaluation $48 ($5K) to $1,998 ($500K), one-time, no activation fee; monthly: No monthly fee; first payout: First payout in as little as 3 days (E8 One); 40% consistency rule on the funded stage.
Trade-offs
Where each firm is weaker
No firm wins on every axis. These are the most meaningful drawbacks of each option — derived from the same structured fields shown in the table, never invented.
AIFO trade-offs
No structural disadvantages versus the other firm based on the fields we track.
E8 Markets trade-offs
Lower scaling ceiling
Scales to $400,000 vs $2,000,000 at AIFO — caps long-term capital growth.
Decision guide
Best for your trader type
| Attribute | AIFO Instant Funding + Evaluation · est. 2025 | E8 Markets Evaluation · est. 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Retail accessibility | Open to retail traders via evaluation | Open to retail traders |
| Cost | ||
| Evaluation fee | From $79 ($10K 2-Step); 1-Step $89–$899, 2-Step $79–$849, Instant $129–$699, Sprint $149–$599 | E8 One one-phase evaluation $48 ($5K) to $1,998 ($500K), one-time, no activation fee |
| Monthly fee | — | No monthly fee |
| Evaluation required | Yes | No |
| Instant funding | Yes | No |
| Capital | ||
| Profit split | 95% | 95% |
| Max allocation | $2,000,000 | $400,000 |
| Account sizes | $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K (up to $2M across plans) | $5K, $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K, $400K, $500K |
| Scaling | Published scaling plan: account size increases 100% every 4 months, up to a maximum allocation of $2,000,000 across all AIFO accounts. Requires reaching Level 1 after 4 months with no breach or failure and at least 4 processed payouts. Profit split rises with level, up to 95%. | 25% balance growth every 4 months when profitable. |
| Payouts | ||
| Frequency | Every 14 days on 1-Step and 2-Step accounts; on demand on Instant once eligible; one payout per Sprint account | Bi-weekly (weekly on EightCap Plus) |
| First payout | 1-Step/2-Step: 14-day cycle; Instant: on demand once eligible; Sprint: one payout requested within 30 days after settlement | First payout in as little as 3 days (E8 One); 40% consistency rule on the funded stage |
| Assets | ||
| Futures | No | No |
| Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| Options | No | No |
| Forex | Yes | Yes |
| Crypto | Yes | Yes |
| Trading rules | ||
| News trading | Yes | Yes |
| Overnight holding | Yes | Yes |
| Weekend holding | Yes | Yes |
| Copy trading | No | No |
| Technology | ||
| Platforms | MetaTrader 5 | MetaTrader 5, TradeLocker, cTrader, Match-Trader, E8 Terminal |
| Data feed | — | ThinkMarkets liquidity |
| Company | ||
| Headquarters | Hong Kong | Dallas, USA |
About AIFO
A prop trading firm providing structured education, practical evaluations, real-time performance tracking, and funded trading opportunities. AIFO is a 2025 simulated-capital prop firm offering 1-Step, 2-Step, Instant and 24-hour Sprint accounts across forex, metals, commodities, indices, crypto and simulated stocks.
Full AIFO profile →About E8 Markets
Texas-based funded trader program (formerly E8 Funding) offering evaluation accounts up to $400K with profit splits up to 90%.
Full E8 Markets profile →Trust & stability
Reputation and rule-change activity
Two added decision signals: a weighted reputation score from independent review sources, and a 90-day view of structural rule-change activity where monitored sources are available.
Reputation
Not enough independent rating sources to compute a canonical score yet.
Rule Stability
last 90d- Last change
- —
- Type
- —
- Sources monitored
- —
- Status
- No changes detected in monitored sources
Weekly diff of the firm's published rule pages (terms, rules, FAQ, legal). "No changes detected" only means none of the monitored monitored sources changed — other surfaces (Discord, email, dashboards) are not covered. "Limited" or "unavailable" means our monitor cannot reach enough sources to make an honest call.
Reputation
canonical- Sources used
- 1
- Confidence
- medium
Weighted blend of independent trader-review sources. See methodology.
Rule Stability
last 90d- Last change
- —
- Type
- —
- Sources monitored
- —
- Status
- No changes detected in monitored sources
Weekly diff of the firm's published rule pages (terms, rules, FAQ, legal). "No changes detected" only means none of the monitored monitored sources changed — other surfaces (Discord, email, dashboards) are not covered. "Limited" or "unavailable" means our monitor cannot reach enough sources to make an honest call.
Frequently asked
Common questions
- Which has a higher profit split — AIFO or E8 Markets?
- AIFO pays 95%; E8 Markets pays 95% of trader profits once funded. Both firms offer the same profit share.
- Is AIFO cheaper to start than E8 Markets?
- AIFO: offers instant funding (no evaluation). E8 Markets: evaluation from E8 One one-phase evaluation $48 ($5K) to $1,998 ($500K), one-time, no activation fee.
- Which pays out faster — AIFO or E8 Markets?
- AIFO payouts: Every 14 days on 1-Step and 2-Step accounts; on demand on Instant once eligible; one payout per Sprint account. E8 Markets payouts: Bi-weekly (weekly on EightCap Plus). First-payout eligibility: AIFO — 1-Step/2-Step: 14-day cycle; Instant: on demand once eligible; Sprint: one payout requested within 30 days after settlement; E8 Markets — First payout in as little as 3 days (E8 One); 40% consistency rule on the funded stage.
- What's the maximum allocation at AIFO vs E8 Markets?
- AIFO scales up to $2,000,000. E8 Markets scales up to $400,000.
- Can I trade news at AIFO or E8 Markets?
- AIFO: permits news trading. E8 Markets: permits news trading.
- Can I hold positions overnight at AIFO or E8 Markets?
- AIFO: allows overnight holds. E8 Markets: allows overnight holds.
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