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Explore algo and apiProp firms that allow copy trading almost all mean the same narrow thing: you may copy your own trades between your own accounts. Copying another trader, a signal group or a paid copy service is banned at every firm we checked. The differences that matter are in the detail: whether funded accounts are included, whether you can copy from an account outside the firm, how many accounts you can link, and whether the copier works on your platform.
This guide compares the copy trading rules of 20 prop firms across forex, futures and crypto, quoting each firm's own help centre or terms, read on November 12, 2026. It also answers the cTrader question, because offering cTrader and allowing copy trading on cTrader are not the same thing.
Rules change often. Confirm the current wording for your exact plan before you link accounts.
Highlights of this article
- Every firm we checked bans copying other people: other traders, signal providers, account managers and group trading
- Copying between your own accounts is allowed at most firms, but FundedNext bans it on funded accounts, Maven allows it only by hand, and Goat Funded Trader allows only its own copier
- FundingPips, E8 Markets and Blue Guardian have the clearest pro-copy policies among forex firms; Topstep, MyFundedFutures, Lucid Trading and BluSky among futures firms
- For cTrader, FundingPips is the cleanest fit: its built-in copier works on MT5, cTrader and Match-Trader. Alpha Capital offers cTrader but does not allow copying on it
- Velotrade allows copy trading only between accounts you personally own, and public signal services are permitted
What "Copy Trading Allowed" Means at a Prop Firm
Prop firms use the phrase for three different things. A firm that says yes to one often says no to the others.
- Own accounts at the same firm. You run a trade copier so one account (the lead) sends the same trades to your other accounts at that firm. This is the version most firms allow.
- Your own external account. You copy between a prop account and an account you own somewhere else: a personal broker account or an account at another prop firm. Rules vary a lot, and the direction matters.
- Other people. You follow another trader, a signal provider or a copy trading service, or several traders place the same trades together. This is prohibited everywhere.
The reason for the third rule is the business model. A prop firm runs a simulated evaluation to find traders with their own skill. If 200 accounts mirror one signal, the firm is evaluating one person 200 times and carrying one concentrated risk. The same logic sits behind the limits on third-party bots, covered in prop firms that allow EAs and trading bots.
Copy Trading Rules at Forex and CFD Prop Firms
| Firm | Own accounts | Own external account | Copying other people | cTrader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FundingPips | Yes, built-in copier | Outbound only | Banned | Yes |
| E8 Markets | Yes, any copier tool | Yes | Banned | Yes |
| Blue Guardian | Yes, evaluation and funded | Yes | Banned | No |
| FXIFY | Yes, with plan exclusions | Yes, inbound needs approval | Banned | Not confirmed |
| Blueberry Funded | Yes, across platforms | Not stated | Banned | Not checked |
| The5ers | Yes | Not stated | Banned | Yes |
| FundedNext | Challenge accounts only, $300K cap | Not stated | Banned | Yes |
| Alpha Capital Group | With approval, MT5 only | Inbound with approval | Banned | Yes, but no copying on it |
| Goat Funded Trader | Own copier only | Banned | Banned | Yes |
| Maven Trading | Manual copying only | Not stated | Banned | No |
| FTMO | Not explicit on CFD accounts | Not stated | Banned | Yes |
Platform availability is from each firm's own site. Check it for your country and plan.
FundingPips
FundingPips has the most complete policy. Its conduct standards allow "copying trades between your own FundingPips accounts registered under the same individual", and it ships its own Trade Copier that "works on MetaTrader 5, cTrader and Match-Trader". The direction is one way: "Only FundingPips (FP) account can be added as Lead", while "a Follower can be a FundingPips account, or an external account from a different prop firm or broker." Copying into a FundingPips account from an external source is prohibited. See the FundingPips review for the rest of its rules.
E8 Markets
E8 "allows copy trading across all accounts, including SimFi Challenge account and SimFi Performance account or personal accounts, as long as these accounts belong to you", and says "you are free to use any trade copying tool or software that works for you". The maximum allocation rule still applies. Teams and signal services are out: "We do not allow teams to make the same trades or copy trades on our simulated platform, and we also do NOT permit signal services." More in the E8 Markets review.
Blue Guardian
Blue Guardian allows "copy trading between your own Blue Guardian accounts", "between your own Evaluation and Funded accounts" and "between your Blue Guardian account and your own external accounts". The condition is ownership: "All copied trades must only occur between accounts legally owned by the same account holder." It does not offer cTrader.
FXIFY
FXIFY says "you can copy trades between your FXIFY accounts and from your FXIFY accounts to other accounts." Copying into FXIFY from an external account needs approval and a 30-day statement in your name. Instant Funding and Lightning plans are excluded unless that account is the lead. See the FXIFY review.
The5ers
The5ers answers the question directly: "Yes, you can copy your own trades across all of your accounts without a violation." There is one exception: multiple Bootcamp accounts "will need to be traded with different strategies". "Trade coordination or copy trading with other traders or accounts" is prohibited. See the The5ers review.
FundedNext
FundedNext "allows copy trading between multiple FundedNext Challenge Accounts owned by the same individual", with total allocation capped at $300,000. Once you are funded the answer changes: "Copy trading is strictly prohibited between a FundedNext Account and any other FundedNext Account." Cloud copy services such as Social Trader Tools, Traders Connect and Duplikum are not allowed. See the FundedNext review.
The restrictive end
- Goat Funded Trader: from October 12, 2026, you may copy between your own accounts "only through the GOAT Trade Copier in the Trader Dashboard". External accounts and any other copier are prohibited.
- Maven Trading: "You may manually copy your own trades between your own accounts where the product permits it." Automated copying is banned along with all EAs and bots.
- Alpha Capital Group: its terms say "the only copy trading allowed is that from your own external account to your Alpha Account", with proof of ownership and support approval.
- FTMO: the CFD rules cap identical strategies at $400,000 of allocation and ban third-party access, but we found no sentence that explicitly permits a copier between your own CFD accounts. FTMO Futures is explicit: "Copy trading across accounts registered to the same trader is permitted." See the FTMO review.
Prop Firms That Support cTrader and Copy Trading
Several firms offer cTrader. Fewer let you copy trades on it.
- FundingPips: the best fit. Its own copier runs on cTrader, between your FundingPips accounts and out to external accounts.
- E8 Markets: offers cTrader and lets you use any copier tool between accounts you own.
- The5ers: offers cTrader for non-US traders and allows copying your own trades across your accounts.
- FundedNext: offers cTrader, but copying is limited to Challenge accounts, and EAs are not allowed on cTrader.
- Goat Funded Trader: offers cTrader, but only its own dashboard copier is allowed.
- Alpha Capital Group: offers cTrader, but states that "copy trading on or from cTrader, DX Trade, or TradeLocker accounts" is "not possible at this time". Copying there is an MT5 feature.
- FTMO: offers cTrader, with no explicit copier rule for CFD accounts.
One more point on cTrader itself. cTrader Copy, the platform's built-in social copy feature, follows other traders' strategies. That is the third type above and breaks the rules at every prop firm. On a prop account, "cTrader and copy trading" has to mean a copier between accounts that you own.
Copy Trading Rules at Futures Prop Firms
Futures firms rarely offer cTrader. Copying is usually done with a native copier or a Tradovate or NinjaTrader add-on.
| Firm | Own accounts | Limit | Copying other people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topstep | Yes, TopstepX copier | 5 Express Funded accounts, not Live | Banned |
| MyFundedFutures | Yes, all account types | Not stated | Banned |
| Lucid Trading | Yes, copiers permitted | Not stated | Not addressed |
| Tradeify | Yes | 5 funded accounts | Banned |
| BluSky | Yes, every plan | 3 funded accounts | Banned |
| Phidias Propfirm | Yes | 5 per program | Not addressed |
| FTMO Futures | Yes | Same trader only | Banned |
- Topstep: "Trade copying is only available for Trading Combine and Express Funded Account accounts", up to 5 funded accounts, and "Live Funded Account accounts cannot use the Trade Copier." See the Topstep review.
- MyFundedFutures: "MyFunded Futures allows copy trading across all account types", and "external copy trading solutions can also be used with your accounts". Traders "are not permitted to copy trade one another". See the MyFundedFutures review.
- Lucid Trading: "Automated trading systems and trade copiers are permitted". Hedging across accounts is banned. See the Lucid Trading review.
- Tradeify: its funded trader agreement permits "the copying or mirroring of the Trader's own trades across the Trader's own Trader-Controlled Accounts", with a maximum of 5 funded accounts. See the Tradeify review.
- BluSky: trade copiers are allowed on every plan across your own accounts, with a maximum of 3 funded accounts. See the BluSky review.
- Phidias Propfirm: copy trading is allowed within the account limits, which count accounts per household and shared IP. See the Phidias review.
Apex Trader Funding and Take Profit Trader also allow own-account copying up to their account limits according to their own material, but we could not open their formal rule pages on the day we checked, so they are left out of the table.
Copy Trading at Crypto Prop Firms
The crypto firms are the strictest group.
- HyroTrader: "Copy trading other traders is not allowed. HyroTrader is looking for skilled traders, not copy traders." Account mirroring is on its prohibited list, and it does not say whether your own accounts are exempt. See the HyroTrader review.
- Breakout: bans "executing trade ideas belonging to or inspired by any third-party, including but not limited to copy trading other traders' and analysts' ideas and copy trading signals". Its rules do not address copying between your own evaluations. See the Breakout Prop review.
How to Copy Trade on a Prop Account Without Losing It
- Read the rule for your exact plan and stage. FundedNext allows copying on Challenge accounts and bans it on funded ones. FXIFY excludes its instant plans. The sales page will not tell you this.
- Check the direction. FundingPips allows a FundingPips account to lead and never to follow an external account. Alpha Capital allows the opposite: external to Alpha only.
- Check the caps. Combined allocation ($300,000 at FundedNext, $400,000 per strategy at FTMO) and account counts (3 at BluSky, 5 at Topstep and Tradeify) limit how far a copier scales.
- Do not hedge across accounts. A copier that reverses trades, or runs long on one account and short on another, is treated as hedging and banned almost everywhere.
- Mind the household rule. Several firms count accounts by address and IP. Two traders in one home running similar trades can look like one person over the limit.
- Keep proof that the accounts are yours. Firms that allow external copying ask for statements in your name.
- Remember that copied risk is correlated risk. Five accounts on one copier breach together. One bad trade costs five evaluation fees. Our guide to prop firm rules explains how drawdown and daily loss limits end accounts.
Velotrade's Copy Trading Rule
Velotrade is an educational, simulated evaluation service covering crypto, forex, stocks, index ETFs and commodities on DXtrade. Its rule follows the industry pattern, with one useful clarification on signals. The official FAQ says:
"Copy trading is permitted only between accounts you personally own. [...] Independently subscribing to a public signal service or commercial Expert Advisor is a separate matter and is permitted: multiple subscribers acting on the same public signals is not, by itself, treated as copy trading."
Private, invitation-only or bespoke signal feeds are not permitted, and you cannot mirror another trader or let others copy you. EAs, bots and your own API connection are allowed on every account, so you can build your own copier logic on the DXtrade API. Velotrade does not offer cTrader, MT4 or MT5.
Plans start at $40 for the $5K PRO 1-Step, with a static drawdown and no consistency rule on every plan. The split is 80% by default, with 90% as a paid add-on.
Last updated: November 2026. Copy trading policies change often, and several of the rules quoted here took effect in September and October 2026. Confirm the current rule with each firm before linking accounts.
Sources
- FundingPips, Trading Conduct and Security Standards; Trade Copier: help.fundingpips.com
- E8 Markets, Can I copy trades or trade as a team: help.e8markets.com
- Blue Guardian, 2 Step Standard rules: help.blueguardian.com
- FXIFY, Is copy trading allowed: fxify.com
- Blueberry Funded, Am I allowed to copy trade: help.blueberryfunded.com
- The5ers, Can I copy my own trades; prohibited trading practices: the5ers.com
- FundedNext, What is the copy trading rule: help.fundednext.com
- Alpha Capital Group terms and conditions: alphacapitalgroup.uk
- Goat Funded Trader, prohibited trading practices: help.goatfundedtrader.com
- Maven Trading terms and conditions: maventrading.com
- FTMO account limits and forbidden trading practices (CFD and Futures): ftmo.com
- Topstep, TopstepX and Express Funded Account parameters: help.topstep.com
- MyFundedFutures, Copy trading at MyFundedFutures: help.myfundedfutures.com
- Lucid Trading, Other trading activities: support.lucidtrading.com
- Tradeify funded trader agreement: tradeify.co
- BluSky, Multiple accounts and copy trading: help.blusky.pro
- Phidias Propfirm rules: phidiaspropfirm.com/rules
- HyroTrader, Is copy trading allowed: hyrotrader.com
- Breakout program rules: breakoutprop.com
- Velotrade FAQ and rules
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About the author
Vittorio De Angelis
Executive Chairman
Former equity-derivatives trader at JP Morgan, Dresdner Kleinwort and Bank of America in London. Later Head of Brokerage at a global broker in Hong Kong.
Velotrade was founded in Hong Kong in 2016 by a team from JP Morgan, Dresdner Kleinwort and Bank of America, has facilitated over $2.5 billion in trade-finance payments, and has been featured in Bloomberg, the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal and on Nasdaq. Its prop trading evaluations are simulated and educational.
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