Head-to-head
Elite Trader Funding vs LMI Trade
Elite Trader Funding vs LMI Trade 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 Elite Trader Funding and LMI Trade. Data pulled live from our firm listings.
Quick verdict
Elite Trader Funding is best for
news traders; copy-trading setups.
Full Elite Trader Funding 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.
Elite Trader Funding
estimateApprox. total
$144
to reach first payout eligibility
Approx. time
18days
from sign-up to first eligible request
- Start cost
- $57
- Monthly fee
- $87/mo
How we estimated this
- Evaluation path: lowest published one-time evaluation fee.
- Adds ~10 calendar days for evaluation completion (most firms require ≥5 minimum trading days).
- Monthly fee ($87) × 1 month added to startup cost.
- Source — eval fee: Monthly: 1 Step $207–$347, Static $147–$497, End of Day $347–$487, Diamond Hands $397; one-time: Fast Track $57/$77, Direct to Funded $357–$997; monthly: Evaluations billed monthly; funded activation $87/month or one-time $177–$307 (none on Fast Track or Direct to Funded); first payout: 8 trading days for the first payout; min withdrawal $250; paid via Rise..
LMI Trade
estimateApprox. total
—
to reach first payout eligibility
Approx. time
—
from sign-up to first eligible request
- Start cost
- —
- Monthly fee
- $40/mo
How we estimated this
- Instant funding offered but cost not published — figure unverified.
- Source — eval fee: Standard path: subscription plus an activation fee on most sizes (Mini has $0 activation). Direct Funded is a one-time fee. See pricing notes.; monthly: Subscriptions do not auto-extend. Standard / No-activation examples captured 10 Nov 2026 (a 20% sale until 22 Nov 2026, not Mini, was applied automatically): Mini Standard $40 / 15 days; Small $40 + $109 activation (or $60 no-activation); Medium $45 + $129 (or $65); Large $89 + $139 (or $120); Max $149 + $149 (or $169); Extra $169 + $169 (or $249). Direct Funded discounted homepage prices that day: $100 / $240 / $360 / $488 / $584 / $800.; first payout: After 5 qualifying trading days; minimum $250. Safety Net = drawdown limit plus $100; only profit above it is eligible. Per-request caps rise with payout number..
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.
Elite Trader Funding trade-offs
Slower to funded
Requires passing an evaluation before payouts. LMI Trade offers instant funding as an alternative path.
LMI Trade trade-offs
No structural disadvantages versus the other firm based on the fields we track.
Decision guide
Best for your trader type
- Highest profit share
Tie
Both pay 100%.
- Fastest to funded
Offers instant funding.
- News traders
Allows trading through news events.
- Copy & algo traders
Copy trading is permitted.
- Fastest payouts
First payout after 8 trading days (Direct to Funded 5/15/20 by size); LIVE ELITE pays daily at 80% payouts.
| Attribute | Elite Trader Funding Evaluation · est. 2022 | LMI Trade Evaluation + Instant Funding · est. 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| Retail accessibility | Open to retail traders via evaluation | Open to retail traders via evaluation |
| Cost | ||
| Evaluation fee | Monthly: 1 Step $207–$347, Static $147–$497, End of Day $347–$487, Diamond Hands $397; one-time: Fast Track $57/$77, Direct to Funded $357–$997 | Standard path: subscription plus an activation fee on most sizes (Mini has $0 activation). Direct Funded is a one-time fee. See pricing notes. |
| Monthly fee | Evaluations billed monthly; funded activation $87/month or one-time $177–$307 (none on Fast Track or Direct to Funded) | Subscriptions do not auto-extend. Standard / No-activation examples captured 10 Nov 2026 (a 20% sale until 22 Nov 2026, not Mini, was applied automatically): Mini Standard $40 / 15 days; Small $40 + $109 activation (or $60 no-activation); Medium $45 + $129 (or $65); Large $89 + $139 (or $120); Max $149 + $149 (or $169); Extra $169 + $169 (or $249). Direct Funded discounted homepage prices that day: $100 / $240 / $360 / $488 / $584 / $800. |
| Evaluation required | Yes | Yes |
| Instant funding | No | Yes |
| Capital | ||
| Profit split | 100% | 100% |
| Max allocation | $300,000 | $300,000 |
| Account sizes | $10K–$300K | $10K–$300K (Mini $10K, Small $30K, Medium $50K, Large $100K, Max $150K, Extra $300K) |
| Scaling | Stack accounts; multiple plan styles (Fast Pass, Static, Diamond Hands). | A scaling plan is listed among the Funded Session Rules (docs.lmitrade.com, checked 10 Nov 2026). |
| Payouts | ||
| Frequency | First payout after 8 trading days (Direct to Funded 5/15/20 by size); LIVE ELITE pays daily at 80% | Processed every Monday and Thursday (current withdrawal article, updated 22 Jul 2026). Methods described as SWIFT/SEPA, PayPal, or crypto where those are unavailable. |
| First payout | 8 trading days for the first payout; min withdrawal $250; paid via Rise. | After 5 qualifying trading days; minimum $250. Safety Net = drawdown limit plus $100; only profit above it is eligible. Per-request caps rise with payout number. |
| Assets | ||
| Futures | Yes | Yes |
| Stocks | No | No |
| Options | No | No |
| Forex | No | No |
| Crypto | No | No |
| Trading rules | ||
| News trading | Yes | — |
| Overnight holding | No | — |
| Weekend holding | No | — |
| Copy trading | Yes | — |
| Technology | ||
| Platforms | Rithmic, Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView | VolFix |
| Data feed | Rithmic | — |
| Company | ||
| Headquarters | Las Vegas, USA | Ipswich, England |
About Elite Trader Funding
Futures prop firm with one-step and two-step evaluation accounts and frequent payouts.
Full Elite Trader Funding profile →About LMI Trade
UK futures prop firm (Liberty Market Investment Ltd) with a one-step Qualifying Session on VolFix, accounts from $10K to $300K, Standard and No Activation Fee subscriptions plus a Direct Funded path, and 100% of withdrawals up to $30,000 then 90/10.
Full LMI Trade 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
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.
Frequently asked
Common questions
- Which has a higher profit split — Elite Trader Funding or LMI Trade?
- Elite Trader Funding pays 100%; LMI Trade pays 100% of trader profits once funded. Both firms offer the same profit share.
- Is Elite Trader Funding cheaper to start than LMI Trade?
- Elite Trader Funding: evaluation from Monthly: 1 Step $207–$347, Static $147–$497, End of Day $347–$487, Diamond Hands $397; one‑time: Fast Track $57/$77, Direct to Funded $357–$997. LMI Trade: offers instant funding (no evaluation).
- Which pays out faster — Elite Trader Funding or LMI Trade?
- Elite Trader Funding payouts: First payout after 8 trading days (Direct to Funded 5/15/20 by size); LIVE ELITE pays daily at 80%. LMI Trade payouts: Processed every Monday and Thursday (current withdrawal article, updated 22 Jul 2026). Methods described as SWIFT/SEPA, PayPal, or crypto where those are unavailable.. First‑payout eligibility: Elite Trader Funding — 8 trading days for the first payout; min withdrawal $250; paid via Rise.; LMI Trade — After 5 qualifying trading days; minimum $250. Safety Net = drawdown limit plus $100; only profit above it is eligible. Per‑request caps rise with payout number..
- What's the maximum allocation at Elite Trader Funding vs LMI Trade?
- Elite Trader Funding scales up to $300,000. LMI Trade scales up to $300,000.
- Can I trade news at Elite Trader Funding or LMI Trade?
- Elite Trader Funding: permits news trading. LMI Trade: policy unconfirmed.
- Can I hold positions overnight at Elite Trader Funding or LMI Trade?
- Elite Trader Funding: does not allow overnight holds. LMI Trade: policy unconfirmed.
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