- Most major prop firms accept EAs (Expert Advisors — automated trading scripts).
- HFT (high-frequency trading, sub-second activity) is banned across the board.
- Account-to-account copy trading is also universally prohibited.
- In our review, The5%ers and FTMO are the strongest pick for EA-led workflows.
EAs are increasingly common on prop accounts, but the rule set is narrower than retail brokers. In practice, the gap between “allowed automation” and “prohibited automation” is where most rule breaches happen.
EA-friendly firms
Top picks for automated workflows:
- The5%ers — the instant-funding model fits EA testing well.
- FTMO — industry standard with clearly published EA rules.
- FundedNext — multiple plan variants, EAs explicitly permitted.
- FundingPips — low fees make it cheap to test new EAs.
Universal restrictions
By contrast, the following are banned almost everywhere and easy to trip on accidentally:
- HFT (sub-second order activity).
- Copy trading from external signal sources.
- Account-to-account hedging.
- Arbitrage strategies (latency or pricing).
- News-window trading, typically a two-minute buffer pre and post major releases.
That said, the restrictions are well-published and consistent. Once your EA is configured to respect them, the major firms are workable. In short: read the prohibited-practices section before deploying any system.