Prop Firms That Allow Trading Bots in 2026
Most prop firms say they allow EAs and bots. Almost all of them ban certain kinds, and many restrict bots you didn't write yourself. Here's where automation is welcome, where it isn't, and what that means if you ever sell a bot.
Disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. I earn a commission if you use my code LEDGER.
Short answer: for futures bots, Bulenox and Lucid Trading are the most openly automation-friendly. For CFD bots, FTMO, FundedNext and The5ers allow EAs with limits. Apex is reported to have banned automation on all accounts as of September 2026. Everywhere, HFT, latency arbitrage, tick scalping and shared "challenge-passing" bots are off-limits.
Firms that allow bots (with limits)
| # | Firm | What's allowed | What's banned | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Bulenox | EAs, algos, bots and trade copiers on all account types. | HFT and tick scalping; commercial, shared, rented or publicly distributed automation tools. | Visit |
| 02 | Lucid Trading | Automated trading systems and trade copiers are permitted. | Standard bans on exploit strategies. Read the current policy for limits on shared bots. | Visit |
| 03 | FundedNext | EAs and bots in both the challenge and funded accounts. | Commercial "challenge-passing" bots; capital capped at $300K per unique EA strategy; no automation on cTrader or Match-Trader. | Visit Use code LEDGER at checkout |
| 04 | FTMO | EAs are allowed. | HFT and latency arbitrage; it warns that third-party strategies can overlap with other traders'. | Visit |
| 05 | The5ers | EAs are allowed. | Hedge arbitrage, tick scalping, and coordinating or copy trading with other traders. | Visit |
Firms that restrict or ban bots
| Firm | Reported policy |
|---|---|
| Apex Trader Funding | Automation banned on all accounts, per a September 2026 update. Older guides allowing evaluation bots are out of date. |
| Topstep | Sources conflict: allowed via API on the Combine and Express Funded (sim) accounts, but not on Live. |
| Tradeify | Reportedly requires a live video of you launching the code on your own computer, as proof you own it. |
| FundingPips | Risk-management EAs allowed; fully hands-off bots may be restricted. |
| E8 Markets | Bans the same strategy being run across different users. |
| TradeDay | No third-party automated trading tools. |
What almost every firm bans
- High-frequency trading and tick scalping
- Latency or price-feed arbitrage: exploiting delays in the firm's data
- Hedge arbitrage across accounts or firms
- Martingale and grid systems at many firms
- Black-box "prop-pass" bots: commercial bots built to pass challenges
Thinking of selling your bot? Read this first
This is the riskiest case. When many traders run the same bot, firms see identical trades across unrelated accounts and can flag every one of them. Several firms ban it outright:
- Bulenox bans commercial, shared, rented or publicly distributed automation.
- E8 Markets bans the same strategy across users.
- FundedNext bans commercial challenge-passing bots and caps capital per unique strategy.
- The5ers bans coordinated trading with other traders.
- Tradeify wants proof that you wrote and run the code yourself.
So a bot marketed as "pass any prop challenge" puts your buyers' accounts at risk, and your reputation with them. Cleaner ways to sell a strategy:
- Sell it for personal brokerage accounts, not prop accounts, and say so clearly.
- Sell indicators or signals rather than a fully automated bot, for example as an invite-only script on TradingView.
- Tell buyers the prop firm rules up front, including which firms ban shared bots.
Selling trading software can also raise legal issues, especially around performance claims and marketing. Talk to a lawyer before you launch.
Related: TradingView for prop firm traders · Best prop firms for scalping