Head-to-head
Citadel LLC vs D. E. Shaw & Co.
A direct, side-by-side comparison of Citadel LLC and D. E. Shaw & Co. — profit splits, evaluation fees, payout cadence, supported assets, and trading rules. Data pulled live from our firm directory.
Quick verdict
Citadel LLC is best for
traders who prefer Bank or Institutional Prop Desk and a Miami, USA-based firm.
Full Citadel LLC profile →Quick verdict
D. E. Shaw & Co. is best for
traders who prefer Bank or Institutional Prop Desk and a New York, USA-based firm.
Full D. E. Shaw & Co. profile →Not sure which fits?
Help me decide between Citadel LLC and D. E. Shaw & Co.
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Cost & compensation
Cost and compensation path
Published fees and payout timing apply to trader-paid funding programs. Firm-capital and institutional paths are shown separately because their economics usually depend on hiring, allocation, salary, bonus, or profit-sharing terms.
Citadel LLC
Bank / InstitutionalNot applicable for this model
This is a firm-capital or hiring-based trading path, not a trader-paid funding program. Compensation is typically handled through salary, bonus, draw, allocation, or profit-sharing arrangements rather than a published evaluation fee and payout schedule.
D. E. Shaw & Co.
Bank / InstitutionalNot applicable for this model
This is a firm-capital or hiring-based trading path, not a trader-paid funding program. Compensation is typically handled through salary, bonus, draw, allocation, or profit-sharing arrangements rather than a published evaluation fee and payout schedule.
Decision guide
Best for your trader type
- Overall
Either
Both firms offer similar terms — pick on platform fit and asset coverage.
| Attribute | Citadel LLC Bank / Institutional · est. 1990 | D. E. Shaw & Co. Bank / Institutional · est. 1988 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | ||
| Evaluation fee | — | — |
| Monthly fee | — | — |
| Evaluation required | No | No |
| Instant funding | No | No |
| Capital | ||
| Profit split | Strategy P&L + base | Bonus-based compensation |
| Max allocation | Strategy-level allocations | Employee firm — no retail evaluations |
| Account sizes | Strategy-level allocations | Employee firm — no retail evaluations |
| Scaling | — | — |
| Payouts | ||
| Frequency | Quarterly/annual | N/A (employee comp) |
| First payout | — | — |
| Assets | ||
| Futures | Yes | Yes |
| Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| Options | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | Internal | Proprietary systems |
| Data feed | — | — |
| Company | ||
| Headquarters | Miami, USA | New York, USA |
About Citadel LLC
One of the most successful hedge funds in history, with multiple investment strategies.
Full Citadel LLC profile →About D. E. Shaw & Co.
Global multi-strategy quantitative investment and technology firm with significant proprietary trading.
Full D. E. Shaw & Co. 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 90dWe do not currently have enough monitored public rule sources for this firm to report rule-change activity honestly.
Reputation
canonical- Sources used
- 1
- Confidence
- low
Weighted blend of independent trader-review sources. See methodology.
Rule Stability
last 90dWe do not currently have enough monitored public rule sources for this firm to report rule-change activity honestly.
Frequently asked
Common questions
- Which pays out faster — Citadel LLC or D. E. Shaw & Co.?
- Citadel LLC payouts: Quarterly/annual. D. E. Shaw & Co. payouts: N/A (employee comp).
- Can I trade news at Citadel LLC or D. E. Shaw & Co.?
- Citadel LLC: permits news trading. D. E. Shaw & Co.: permits news trading.
- Can I hold positions overnight at Citadel LLC or D. E. Shaw & Co.?
- Citadel LLC: allows overnight holds. D. E. Shaw & Co.: allows overnight holds.
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