SELECT vs Growth vs Lightning Funded
Choosing the right account type depends on several key factors: your preferred drawdown tracking method, budget considerations, trading timeline, and risk tolerance. Let's break down each option to help you make a decision.
SELECT Evaluation | Growth Evaluation | Lightning Funded |
One-time purchase | One-time purchase | One-time payment |
No activation fee | No activation fee | N/A |
End of Day Drawdown | End of Day Drawdown | End of Day Drawdown |
No Daily Loss Limit | Daily Loss Limit | Daily Loss Limit |
Can purchase a reset if failed | Can purchase a reset if failed | No resets - replacement only |
You need to pass an evaluation before getting to funded stage | You need to pass an evaluation before getting to funded stage | Immediate funding - skip the evaluation stage |
Detailed Account Breakdown
SELECT Evaluation
Best for: Traders who want a unified evaluation process with flexible funded account options
Pricing & Costs:
One-time purchase: $95 - $215 (no recurring fees)
No activation fee: Transition to funded account is seamless with no additional costs
Failed account: Can purchase a reset to try again
Funded in 3 days: Fast path to funded trading after passing evaluation
Trading Features:
End of Day trailing drawdown (more intraday flexibility)
No daily loss limits during evaluation
40% consistency requirement (encourages stable performance)
Tier 1 news trading allowed
$1,500, $3,000, $6,000, $9,000 Profit target to pass the evaluation (25K, 50K, 100K, 150K accounts)
Choose your payout policy after passing: Select Flex (5-Day) or Select Daily
Growth Evaluation
Best for: Traders who prefer more flexibility during the trading day with end-of-day risk assessment
Pricing & Costs:
One-time purchase: $99 - $349 (no recurring fees)
No activation fee: (transition to a sim funded account is seamless)
Failed account: Can purchase a reset to try again
Lower cost but has Daily Loss Limit
Trading Features:
End-of-day trailing drawdown
Daily loss limits apply
End-of-day realized P&L tracking
More flexibility during trading hours
$3000, $6000, $9000 Profit target to pass the Evaluation
Lightning Funded
Best for: Proven traders who want immediate funding who want to skip the evaluation phase
Pricing & Costs:
One-time payment: $349 - $729 (no recurring fees)
No monthly subscriptions or hidden fees
No resets available - must purchase replacement if account fails
Most cost-effective for long-term successful traders
Trading Features:
End-of-day trailing drawdown
Immediate access to funded account
Skip the evaluation phase entirely
Daily loss limits apply
Profit Goals to achieve payouts
Progressive consistency required for payouts: 20% (first payout) → 25% (second) → 30% (third+)
Drawdown Types for Each Account Type Explained
SELECT Evaluation Features
How it works: Unified evaluation with End of Day drawdown and no daily loss limits, giving you flexibility to choose your funded strategy after passing.
Advantages:
No activation fees - start immediately after purchasing
End of Day drawdown provides intraday trading flexibility
Choose your payout policy after proving your skills (5-Day Flex or Daily)
40% consistency requirement builds sustainable trading habits
Funded in 3 days after passing
Considerations:
One-time purchase cost ($95-$215)
40% consistency requirement during evaluation
Your payout policy choice is permanent once selected
End-of-Day Trailing Drawdown (SELECT, Growth & Lightning Funded)
How it works: Your drawdown limit adjusts only at the end of the trading day based on your highest balance.
Advantages:
Greater flexibility during trading hours
Temporary intraday losses don't affect drawdown limit
Growth: No activation fee
Considerations:
Daily loss limits apply
Growth: Has Daily Loss Limit (DLL)
Lightning Funded: If you fail the account, you need to replace it with a new one
Which to Choose?
Choose SELECT if you:
Want a unified evaluation without choosing payout strategy upfront
Prefer no activation fees
Value End of Day drawdown for more intraday flexibility
Want to decide on your payout approach after proving your skills
Appreciate the 40% consistency requirement for building stable habits
Want fast funding (funded in 3 days)
Choose Growth if you:
Want flexibility during trading hours
Prefer a more expensive upfront payment to skip the activation fees
Are comfortable with a higher one-time cost for no DLL
Prefer end-of-day settlements
Choose Lightning Funded if you:
Want immediate funding without evaluation
Want to skip the evaluation entirely
Have confidence in your long-term trading success
Want to skip the evaluation phase entirely
Are experienced and proven profitable
Reset Policies
Evaluation Resets (SELECT & Growth):
SELECT: One-time purchase; can buy a reset if your account fails
Growth: One-time purchase; can buy a reset if your account fails
Continuous opportunity to retry
Can reset manually to try again earlier
Lightning Funded:
No reset option available
Must purchase replacement account if failed
Higher upfront cost but no recurring fees
Best for confident, experienced traders
For more information about the different drawdown types and specific examples, click here.
Another key factor to consider is the payout policy for each account type.
You can review our various payout policies below:
Ready for the next step? Continue to What is a Simulated Funded Account.