Head-to-head
PDT Partners vs Tower Research Capital
A direct, side-by-side comparison of PDT Partners and Tower Research Capital — profit splits, evaluation fees, payout cadence, supported assets, and trading rules. Data pulled live from our firm directory.
Quick verdict
PDT Partners is best for
traders who prefer Firm Capital Model and a New York, NY-based firm.
Full PDT Partners profile →Quick verdict
Tower Research Capital is best for
traders focused on options / forex.
Full Tower Research Capital profile →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.
PDT Partners
Firm CapitalNot 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.
Tower Research Capital
Firm CapitalNot 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
- Highest profit share
50% vs —%
| Attribute | PDT Partners Firm Capital · est. 2012 | Tower Research Capital Firm Capital · est. 1998 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | ||
| Evaluation fee | — | — |
| Monthly fee | — | — |
| Evaluation required | No | No |
| Instant funding | No | No |
| Capital | ||
| Profit split | N/A (fund vehicle) | 50% |
| Max allocation | Firm capital | Institutional only |
| Account sizes | Firm capital | Institutional only |
| Scaling | — | — |
| Payouts | ||
| Frequency | Salary + bonus | Annual bonus |
| First payout | Salary + bonus | — |
| Assets | ||
| Futures | Yes | Yes |
| Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| Options | No | Yes |
| Forex | No | Yes |
| Crypto | No | No |
| Trading rules | ||
| News trading | Yes | Yes |
| Overnight holding | Yes | Yes |
| Weekend holding | Yes | Yes |
| Copy trading | No | No |
| Technology | ||
| Platforms | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Data feed | — | — |
| Company | ||
| Headquarters | New York, NY | New York, USA |
About PDT Partners
Quantitative hedge fund spun out from Morgan Stanley's Process Driven Trading group.
Full PDT Partners profile →About Tower Research Capital
Quantitative proprietary trading firm and global market maker founded by Mark Gorton. Operates high-frequency strategies across equities, futures, options, and currencies from offices in New York, London, and across Asia.
Full Tower Research Capital 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 has a higher profit split — PDT Partners or Tower Research Capital?
- Tower Research Capital pays 50% of trader profits once funded.
- Which pays out faster — PDT Partners or Tower Research Capital?
- PDT Partners payouts: Salary + bonus. Tower Research Capital payouts: Annual bonus. First-payout eligibility: PDT Partners — Salary + bonus; Tower Research Capital — n/a.
- Can I trade news at PDT Partners or Tower Research Capital?
- PDT Partners: permits news trading. Tower Research Capital: permits news trading.
- Can I hold positions overnight at PDT Partners or Tower Research Capital?
- PDT Partners: allows overnight holds. Tower Research Capital: allows overnight holds.
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