The short answer
Pick the smallest size you can trade with full discipline. The 90/10 split is the same at every size, so a larger account does not improve your terms. It only raises the fee and tightens the absolute room you have before a drawdown limit is hit. Most evaluations do not pass, so size to what you can trade well, then scale up later at no new cost.
There is no universally best size. The right one depends on your budget, your trading style, and how much room you need to let a strategy breathe. Here is how to reason about it.
How size affects fee, reward, and drawdown
Account size moves three things at once. Understanding the trade-off is the whole decision.
What changes | Effect of a bigger size |
Evaluation fee | Higher. See live pricing for the exact fee at each size. |
Reward base | Larger. The same percentage gain pays more on a bigger balance. |
Drawdown room (in dollars) | Wider in absolute terms, but the percentage limit is identical, so the discipline required is the same. |
The key insight: drawdown limits are percentages, not fixed dollar amounts. A 4% daily limit is 4% whether your account is $25K or $1M. A bigger account gives you more dollars of room, but it does not make the rules easier, and a single oversized trade can still breach the limit. Your fee is refunded on your first reward payout, so it is best read as a deposit you earn back by passing and getting paid, not a sunk cost.
You keep 90% at every size
The 90% trader, 10% firm split is fixed at every account size. A bigger account does not improve your split. It only enlarges the base the split is applied to.
Matching size to your budget and style
Start with two honest questions. First, what fee are you comfortable paying up front, knowing it is refunded on your first payout but knowing too that most evaluations do not pass? Second, how much price room does your strategy need to avoid getting stopped out by normal market noise?
Tight, frequent strategies (scalping, intraday): smaller absolute room is usually fine, since your stops are close. A smaller account keeps the fee low while you prove consistency.
Swing and overnight strategies: you may want more dollars of room so a position can move against you before recovering. Choose a size where the percentage drawdown converts to enough absolute space for your typical stop distance.
Testing a new approach: always go smaller. The cheapest way to learn the rules is on the smallest account, not the largest.
Product choice matters as much as size. One Step starts from $5K with a 6% target and one phase. Two Step starts from $10K with an 8% target across two phases and a 12% static max drawdown. The Instant family runs up to $1M with no profit target and fixed daily and trailing drawdown rules. If you are unsure between a challenge and an Instant account, that comparison deserves its own decision, linked below.
Why you can start smaller and scale later
There is no reason to overbuy. Funded accounts scale automatically as you perform, on a clear path: $100K to $200K to $500K to $1M, growing by 35% every 4 months, up to $4M, with no new fee at any step.
Earn your way up, do not buy your way up
Scaling is free and tied to results. Starting smaller gives you a lower fee, the same 90% split, and a far higher chance of actually passing, then growth follows your track record rather than your initial purchase.
Common mistakes when picking a size
Buying the biggest number you can afford. A larger reward base is meaningless if you do not pass. Most evaluations do not pass, so size to discipline, not ambition.
Treating the fee as the only cost. The real cost is failing because the size did not fit your style. The fee is refunded on your first payout anyway.
Assuming a bigger account is easier. The percentage drawdown rules are identical at every size. More dollars of room does not loosen the limit.
Skipping the scaling path. If your goal is $1M, you do not need to buy it. Start where you can win, then scale 35% every 4 months up to $4M for free.
Ignoring product fit. Size and product interact. A target-based challenge and a no-target Instant account reward very different styles.
If you are still unsure, default to smaller. The downside of starting too small is a slightly smaller first reward base, which scaling fixes quickly. The downside of starting too big is a higher fee on an account you were more likely to breach.
Related
What account sizes are available?
Scaling your account to $4M
The 90/10 split explained
Challenge or Instant: which should I pick?