Compare trading competitions
Pick two or three competitions to see their terms side by side. Rows where every platform says the same thing are dimmed so the differences stand out.
| Detail |  The Thunder Trader |  Size.club |  XM Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | Paid entry | Paid entry | Free entry, Paid entry |
| Entry cost | $150, $250, $500 or $1,000 per event | Paid entry per attempt. Funded challenges cost $15, $55, $149, $449, $849 or $1,499 by account tier. Cash challenge entries are chosen in the app; the website does not publish the minimum or maximum. Free practice has no prize. | Demo Weekly is free. The Daily Arena costs $5. |
| Account | Simulated | Simulated | Simulated |
| Account details | Demo account. Fighter ($150) and Gladiator ($250) get $100,000, Titan ($500) $250,000 and Legend ($1,000) $300,000 in demo capital. | A 15-minute browser game with a simulated balance on live prices: five 3-minute stages, you against nine skill-rated bots, with one competitor cut at the end of each stage. Funded prize tiers: Bronze $1,000 / $15 entry / 65% share; Silver $5,000 / $55 / 70%; Gold $10,000 / $149 / 75%; Emerald $50,000 / $449 / 80%; Diamond $100,000 / $849 / 85%; Ruby $200,000 / $1,499 / 90%. Funded accounts trade simulated perpetual futures on crypto, equities, commodities and indices. Charts by TradingView. | Virtual funds in both contests |
| Markets | Forex, Crypto | Perpetuals, Crypto, Stocks, Commodities, Equity indices | Not confirmed |
| Prize type | Cash | Cash, Prop account | Cash |
| Operator’s cut | 20% of entry fees | Not a pooled prize. Entry fees are kept by the operator as service fees, and rewards are paid from the operator's own assets. | Not stated |
| Who gets paid | Top 3% to 35% of entrants, depending on event size | In the standard solo format, only the player who finishes first against the nine bots with a positive final score and meets the winning conditions wins. | 100 winners weekly, 10 winners daily |
| How rewards are earned | Net P&L at the end of the event | Score is built from simulated trading P&L plus boosts and rewards. The lowest-ranked competitor is eliminated at each stage end. The terms say results are measured against the platform's evaluation engine on the same market data, and the full scoring method is not published. | Leaderboard position at the end of the contest |
| Drawdown rules | No daily or total drawdown limit | Game: position and leverage limits are shown per game. Funded account: daily loss limit of 5%, 4% or 3% by tier, based on equity at 00:00 UTC; total loss limit of 10%, 8% or 6%, trailing from the highest recorded equity and capped at the starting balance. Both include open P&L, and hitting either ends the account. | Not confirmed |
| Trading rules | Daily events need 4 closed trades, weekly events 3 sessions and 6 closed trades. Max size per tier: 2 to 20 forex lots, $50,000 to $500,000 crypto notional. EAs and bots allowed. | One account per person. Play your own games; automation, scripts, account sharing, self-referral and bug exploits are prohibited. Tied scores use an order fixed before the game. Forfeiting a paid game loses the entry; a cash game voided for a platform issue is refunded. Funded payouts need all positions on that account closed. | Not confirmed. |
| Who can enter | Not open to residents of Hong Kong, Hawaii, Nevada, Washington or sanctioned countries. | 18+. Not available to US citizens or permanent residents wherever they live, anyone in the US, the UK or Ontario, Canada, or residents of the listed sanctioned countries, including Russia, Belarus, Iran, Cuba and North Korea. | Not confirmed. Which XM entity serves you depends on your country. |
| KYC | Verification before rewards are paid | The terms say Size does not undertake KYC or sanctions screening, but may request information or verification at its discretion. | Not confirmed |
| Prize withdrawal | Paid after verification, usually within 72 hours | Wallet deposits are USDC on the HyperEVM network only. Prizes and funded payouts go to the Size wallet by smart contract. Wallet withdrawals cost $1, plus any bridge or provider fees. | Described by XM as withdrawable cash |
| Operator | LN17 ShapeFuture Limited | Trench Labs Group Ltd | XM (broker) |
| Based in | Hong Kong | Not confirmed | Varies by XM entity |
| Sources | Terms and Conditions (updated 20 May 2026). Checked 10 Oct 2026. | Homepage and FAQ (7 November 2026), Funded challenge tiers, entry prices, profit shares and loss limits (7 November 2026), Cash challenges: paid entry and up to 100x multiplier (7 November 2026), Game rules: 15-minute format, bot opponents, eliminations and winning conditions, Opponents and markets, Entry and cash prizes, Funded account drawdown rules, Funded profit split and payouts, Wallet balance, withdrawals and fees, Fair play and access, Official FAQ, Terms of Service PDF: operator, eligibility, KYC stance, fees and payouts (last updated 16 October 2026), Restricted jurisdictions PDF (last updated 11 August 2026). Checked 7 Nov 2026. | XM Competitions page. Checked 10 Oct 2026. |
| Visit | Visit Thunder Trader | Visit Size | Visit XM |