Best Prop Firms for Swing Trading in 2026
Key Takeaways
Only 3 of the 6 firms reviewed use fully static drawdown on their evaluation accounts, and the drawdown type determines whether a normal overnight pullback can end your challenge before the trade plays out.
The 5%ers and City Traders Imperium both offer no-time-limit evaluations with weekend holding and static max drawdown, making them the safest structural fits for traders holding positions 3 to 10 days.
FundedNext's Stellar 2-Step charges $549.99 for a $100K account with 80% profit split and static drawdown, but its 3% open-risk cap on funded accounts forces swing traders to size positions smaller than most expect.
A $100K prop firm account means nothing to a swing trader if the firm forces position closures on Friday afternoon. Roughly half of the firms PF Matrix tracks still impose some form of weekend restriction, whether it's a hard close requirement, a leverage reduction, or swap charges steep enough to erode multi-day profits. The best prop firms for swing trading in 2026 aren't just the ones that "allow" overnight holding. They're the ones where the drawdown math, position sizing rules, and payout structure actually work for someone holding trades across multiple sessions.
This comparison ranks six firms from the PF Matrix active database by the criteria that matter most to swing traders: weekend holding permissions, drawdown calculation method, daily loss behavior on open positions, profit splits for lower-frequency trading, and account sizing options.
| Firm | Best For | $100K Fee | Drawdown Type | Weekend Holding | Profit Split |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The 5%ers | Overall swing fit | ~$505 (High Stakes) | Static | Yes, all accounts | 80%, scales to 100% |
| FundedNext | Eval profit bonus | $549.99 (Stellar 2-Step) | Static (CFD) | Yes (CFD only) | 80%, scales to 90% |
| City Traders Imperium | No daily drawdown stress | $589 (1-Step) | Static (2-Step) | Yes | 80%, scales to 100% |
| Funding Pips | Budget entry + high leverage | ~$299 (2-Step Standard) | Equity-based | Yes (2-Step/1-Step) | 80%, up to 95% |
| Fintokei | Dedicated swing account | $399 (ProTrader Swing, $50K) | Static, balance-based daily loss | Yes | 80%, up to 95% |
| Blue Guardian | EOD trailing drawdown | $99+ (2-Step Pro) | Trailing EOD | Yes, but news restricted | 85%, up to 90% |
Prices shown are approximate as of June 2026 and may change without notice. Always verify on the firm's checkout page before purchasing.
Every firm on this list allows weekend holding in some form. That's table stakes. The real differentiator is how drawdown gets calculated on positions you hold for days.
There are three main drawdown models across these firms, and they behave very differently on a 5-day swing trade that dips 2% before reversing to a 6% profit.
Static (balance-based) drawdown calculates your max loss from your starting balance. If you begin with $100,000 and the max drawdown is 10%, your stop-out level is $90,000. It doesn't move. Your open trade can float down $3,000 on Tuesday, recover on Thursday, and the drawdown floor stays right where it started. The 5%ers (High Stakes), FundedNext (Stellar 2-Step), and City Traders Imperium (2-Step) all use this model.
Equity-based drawdown counts your floating losses in real time. On a $100K account with 5% daily drawdown calculated from equity, an open position that dips $4,500 intraday puts you $500 from a breach, even if the trade would have closed in profit two days later. Funding Pips uses equity-based drawdown across its evaluation and funded stages.
End-of-day (EOD) trailing drawdown moves your drawdown floor up as your account reaches new highs at the daily close, but only checks at the end of each trading day, not intraday. This gives more breathing room than intraday trailing but still tightens your buffer as you profit. Blue Guardian uses this model on its 2-Step Pro accounts.
For swing traders, static drawdown is the safest structural choice. Your positions can breathe through normal multi-day volatility without permanently tightening the drawdown floor.
The 5%ers has positioned its entire brand around long-term trader development, and the High Stakes program reflects that. The 2-step evaluation requires 8% in Phase 1 and 5% in Phase 2, with 5% daily loss and 10% max drawdown, both calculated from the starting balance. There's no time limit on either phase. Minimum trading days are just 3 profitable days per phase.
Weekend and overnight holding are allowed across all The 5%ers programs without restrictions, as stated in the firm's official help center. Leverage reaches 1:100, and the firm supports MT5. The profit split starts at 80% and scales to 100% through The 5%ers' scaling plan, which grows accounts up to $4 million.
The pricing structure includes a challenge fee ($300 for the $100K plan, as of June 2026) plus a funded account activation fee of $205, bringing the total to approximately $505. That activation fee is unusual in the industry, but the no-time-limit evaluation and unrestricted holding rules offset the cost for traders who don't want to rush.
Swing-specific consideration: The 5%ers calculates drawdown on the highest end-of-day balance (high-water mark method on funded accounts), which means your positions get room to fluctuate during the trading day without triggering a breach. For a swing trader holding EUR/USD through a 40-pip pullback on a Tuesday before the trade runs 150 pips by Thursday, this matters.
FundedNext runs one of the largest forex prop operations by trader volume, and its Stellar 2-Step is the most popular evaluation model. The $100K account costs $549.99 as of June 2026. Phase 1 targets 8%, Phase 2 targets 5%, with 5% daily loss and 10% max drawdown. Drawdown is static on Stellar 2-Step, 1-Step, and Lite models.
Weekend holding is allowed on all CFD (Stellar) accounts, as confirmed on FundedNext's help center. FundedNext Futures accounts are a separate product line with different rules, and those do not allow overnight or weekend holding. Stick to the CFD side if you swing trade.
The standout feature for any trader is FundedNext's 15% challenge reward: the firm pays 15% of your combined evaluation profit as a bonus on your first funded withdrawal. On a $100K 2-Step hitting exact targets, that's roughly $1,950 in additional cash.
The profit split starts at 80% and scales to 90% through the FundedNext Pro program (requires 4 performance rewards, minimum 4% growth per cycle, and at least 2 months active).
Swing-specific consideration: FundedNext introduced a 3% open-risk cap on funded CFD accounts in 2026, along with a mandatory stop-loss requirement. This means your total open position risk can't exceed 3% of the account at any time once funded. For swing traders running 2 to 3 concurrent positions, this cap constrains position sizing more than most traders expect. A $100K funded account with a 3% open-risk cap means $3,000 total risk across all open trades simultaneously. Plan your lot sizes accordingly.
City Traders Imperium offers both 1-Step and 2-Step evaluations, and the 1-Step is particularly interesting for swing traders. The 1-Step requires an 8% profit target with no daily drawdown limit, only a 5% total max drawdown. The absence of a daily drawdown rule means one bad day won't end your account, as long as you stay within the overall 5% max loss.
The 2-Step challenge uses 10%/5% profit targets with 5% daily loss and 10% static max drawdown, more standard but equally swing-friendly. No time limit applies to either evaluation. Weekend holding is allowed, and the firm explicitly supports swing trading strategies.
Pricing runs from $589 for a $100K 1-Step and $689 for a $100K 2-Step, as of June 2026. That's on the higher end for this comparison. The tradeoff is a leverage cap of 1:30 across all programs, which limits position sizing compared to firms offering 1:100.
Profit split starts at 80% and can reach 100% through the firm's scaling and VIP programs. Payouts are bi-weekly.
Swing-specific consideration: The 1:30 leverage cap is the defining constraint. On a $100K account at 1:30, holding 5 standard lots of EUR/USD requires roughly $16,667 in margin. At 1:100, the same position needs $5,000. If you trade a single pair with moderate sizing, 1:30 works fine. If your swing strategy involves 3 to 4 positions simultaneously across correlated pairs, the margin pressure adds up fast.
Funding Pips runs one of the more competitively priced evaluations in the industry, and the 2-Step Standard offers strong swing trading compatibility at a lower entry cost. Weekend holding is allowed on all 2-Step and 1-Step accounts, as documented in the firm's rules and trading conditions. The firm also offers leverage up to 1:100 on standard accounts.
The key detail is the drawdown model. Funding Pips uses equity-based drawdown, meaning floating (unrealized) losses count against your daily and max drawdown limits in real time. On a $100K account with 5% daily drawdown, a position floating at -$4,800 puts you within $200 of a daily breach, even if the trade would close in profit two days later.
The profit split is 80% at base, scaling to 95% through the firm's performance programs. Payout processing has been reported as reliable, with the firm claiming over $200 million in total payouts.
The 2-Step Standard also carries a consistency rule on funded accounts: no single trading day can account for more than 45% of your total profits. For swing traders who might land one large winner across a cycle, this rule can delay payouts.
Swing-specific consideration: Equity-based drawdown is the main risk factor. If your swing strategy involves holding through 2 to 3% pullbacks before positions reverse, the drawdown math works against you here. Tighter stop-losses or smaller position sizes are necessary to avoid breaching during normal trade fluctuations. The Zero (instant funding) model is even more restrictive for swing trading, as it prohibits weekend holding entirely.
| Criteria | The 5%ers (High Stakes) | FundedNext (Stellar 2-Step) | City Traders Imperium (1-Step) | Funding Pips (2-Step Std) | Fintokei (ProTrader Swing) | Blue Guardian (2-Step Pro) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100K eval fee | ~$505 total | $549.99 | $589 | ~$299 | N/A ($399 for $50K) | $99+ (varies) |
| Max account | $250K (scales to $4M) | $200K (scales to $4M) | $100K (scales to $4M) | $200K | $50K (scales to $400K) | $200K |
| Profit target (P1/P2) | 8% / 5% | 8% / 5% | 8% (1 phase) | 8% / 5% | 8% / 5% | 10% / 5% |
| Max drawdown | 10% static | 10% static | 5% static | 10% equity-based | 10% static | 6% trailing EOD |
| Daily loss limit | 5% (balance) | 5% (balance) | None (1-Step) | 5% (equity) | 5% (balance-based) | 3% (balance) |
| Weekend holding | Yes | Yes (CFD only) | Yes | Yes (not on Zero) | Yes | Yes |
| News trading | Restricted (bracket orders) | Allowed (5-min profit split rule funded) | Allowed | Restricted on funded | Allowed | Restricted on funded |
| Leverage (forex) | 1:100 | 1:100 (gold 1:10) | 1:30 | 1:100 | 1:100 | Up to 1:100 |
| Time limit | None | None | None | None | None | None |
| Profit split | 80% to 100% | 80% to 90% | 80% to 100% | 80% to 95% | 80% to 95% | 85% to 90% |
| Consistency rule | None | None (CFD) | Yes | 45% max single day | None | 15% consistency score |
Data verified from official firm pages as of June 2026. Pricing and rules can change without notice.
Fintokei is one of the few firms that offers a dedicated swing trading account type. The ProTrader Swing operates under the same profit targets as the regular ProTrader (8% Phase 1, 5% Phase 2), but with one critical difference: the daily loss limit is calculated from balance only. Closed trades affect your daily limit, but floating losses do not. That single rule change makes a meaningful difference for multi-day positions.
The account tops out at $50,000, which is the biggest limitation for well-capitalized swing traders. Pricing for the $50K ProTrader Swing is $399 as of June 2026. Leverage is 1:100 on forex and metals, 1:50 on indices. Weekend holding is allowed without restrictions.
The profit split ranges from 80% to 95% depending on the program and performance, and payouts are available on demand. Fintokei also supports scaling, allowing accounts to grow up to $400,000 through consistent performance over time.
Swing-specific consideration: The balance-based daily loss calculation is the main selling point. If you enter a GBP/USD swing trade on Monday that dips 80 pips on Tuesday before rallying 200 pips by Thursday, the Tuesday drawdown doesn't count toward your daily loss limit. The $50K cap on account size is the tradeoff, but scaling can get you to $400K over time.
Blue Guardian offers multiple evaluation models, and the 2-Step Pro uses an end-of-day trailing drawdown set at 6%. The daily loss limit is 3% of the initial balance. Weekend holding is allowed, but there's a significant restriction: news trading is not permitted on funded accounts. Traders cannot open or close positions within 5 minutes of high-impact economic events.
The firm also uses Guardian Shield on funded accounts, which automatically closes all open positions if floating losses reach 1% of the initial balance. For swing traders, this is a potential dealbreaker. A normal pullback on a multi-day trade can trigger Guardian Shield before the trade has a chance to play out. The first Shield breach reduces your profit split to 50%, and the second one ends the account.
The profit split starts at 85% and can scale to 90%. Pricing varies by account model and size, with 2-Step Pro entry starting lower than most competitors.
Swing-specific consideration: The Guardian Shield's 1% floating loss trigger is the critical constraint. On a $100K funded account, that's a $1,000 floating loss across all open positions. A single standard lot of EUR/USD moving 10 pips against you equals $100. Five lots moving 20 pips against you equals $1,000. That's a normal intraday fluctuation on a multi-day trade, and it triggers an automatic close. This rule makes Blue Guardian structurally difficult for most swing strategies unless you use very small position sizes.
Not every swing trader operates the same way. Your firm choice should match your specific approach.
Conservative swing trader (1 to 2 positions, 3-to-10-day holds, 1% risk per trade): The 5%ers High Stakes is the strongest fit. Static drawdown, no time pressure, and the highest potential profit split at 100%. The EOD high-water mark drawdown on funded accounts gives multi-day positions the space they need.
Budget-conscious swing trader (testing funded trading, smaller starting capital): Funding Pips offers the lowest $100K entry at around $299. Be aware of the equity-based drawdown, and size positions conservatively. Keep floating exposure under 2% of the account at any given time to avoid brushing the daily loss limit.
High-conviction swing trader (concentrated positions, wants maximum leverage): FundedNext Stellar 2-Step gives you 1:100 leverage and static drawdown during evaluation, but the 3% open-risk cap on funded accounts will force adjustments. Factor that constraint into your sizing model before you buy the challenge.
Swing trader who holds through news events: The 5%ers and Funding Pips are the most permissive. CTI also allows news holding. Avoid Blue Guardian and be cautious with FundedNext's 5-minute profit split rule around high-impact events.
Dedicated swing strategy, smaller account acceptable: Fintokei's ProTrader Swing is purpose-built for this. Balance-based daily loss means your floating positions don't count against the daily limit. The $50K cap is limiting, but the rules are the most swing-friendly of any dedicated product on the market.
Most prop firms technically allow overnight holding, but that doesn't mean they support swing trading. Firms with intraday trailing drawdown, forced Friday closures, or tight daily loss limits calculated from equity make multi-day strategies structurally difficult. Check the drawdown calculation method, weekend holding rules, and any position-closing automations like Guardian Shield before committing to a challenge.
It depends on the drawdown type. With static drawdown, holding over the weekend doesn't change your drawdown floor. With trailing or equity-based drawdown, a Monday gap against your position can move your drawdown level or trigger a breach before you can react. On a $100K account, a 50-pip EUR/USD gap on 5 standard lots costs $2,500 instantly.
Static (balance-based) drawdown is the safest for swing traders. Your stop-out level stays fixed at a set dollar amount below your starting balance regardless of how high your account grows. EOD trailing is the next best option because it only adjusts at the daily close, not intraday. Equity-based and intraday trailing are the most restrictive for multi-day positions.
The best prop firms for swing trading in 2026 are the ones where the rules don't quietly punish you for holding positions longer than a day. Static drawdown, unrestricted weekend holding, and no forced position-closing automations are the three non-negotiable criteria. The 5%ers High Stakes program checks all three boxes and adds a scaling path to $4 million at up to 100% profit split. For traders who want a lower entry cost, Funding Pips delivers solid swing compatibility at roughly half the price, though the equity-based drawdown requires disciplined position sizing. Fintokei's ProTrader Swing deserves attention as the only dedicated swing product with balance-based daily loss calculation. Start by matching your hold time, position count, and risk-per-trade to the drawdown model that won't punish normal market behavior, then choose the firm that fits.
Sources checked: FundedNext help center and challenge pricing page, The5ers official program pages and help center, Funding Pips rules documentation and 2-Step challenge page, City Traders Imperium challenge pages and help center, Fintokei ProTrader Swing product page, Blue Guardian rules FAQ and 2-Step Pro documentation. Last verified: June 15, 2026 What we couldn't verify: Exact current promotional pricing at all firms (prices may have changed since our verification date). Blue Guardian's Guardian Shield floating-loss thresholds could not be independently confirmed beyond the firm's own FAQ documentation. Fintokei ProTrader Swing availability in all regions was not confirmed. Written by: Jordan Hayes, Research Analyst Reviewed by: Lars Haugen, Senior Editor
PF Matrix independently verifies challenge rules, pricing, and firm data by checking official firm websites, help centers, and terms of service. We note when information could not be confirmed. Data such as pricing, rules, and discount codes can change without notice. Always verify current details on the firm's official site before purchasing.
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Jordan Hayes
Research Analyst
Jordan Hayes is a Research Analyst at PF Matrix with three years in trading analytics. He specializes in data-driven comparisons, fee breakdowns, and challenge metrics.
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