Trade The Pool Review 2026

The Stock-Focused Prop Firm — Real Interactive Brokers Exchange Access on 12,000+ US Stocks and ETFs

★ 4.4/5
📅 April 2026 🎯 Stock-focused traders who specifically want real exchange access via Interactive Brokers
Visit Trade The Pool

Last Updated: April 2026 MyPropGenius Rating: 4.4/5 Status: Active — Operating since September 2022

Quick Facts

Feature Details
Founded September 2022 by Michael Katz
Backed By The5ers (Five Percent Online Ltd) — established 2016 prop firm
HQ Hatidhar 2 Street, Raanana, Israel
UK Office Enstar House, 168 Praed Street, London
Industry Niche Stock-focused prop firm — only major prop firm specialising in equities
Asset Coverage 12,000+ US stocks and ETFs (NASDAQ, NYSE Tier-1 liquidity)
Real Market Access Yes — connects to Interactive Brokers via TraderEvolution platform
Account Structure Netting account (real exchange conditions, real-time pricing)
Four Evaluation Programmes Day Trade Flex (unlimited), Day Trade Max (60-day), Swing Flex (unlimited), Swing Max (100-day)
Account Sizes (Day Trade) $5,000 – $200,000 buying power
Account Sizes (Swing) $2,000 – $40,000
Profit Split 70% (uniform across all programmes)
Entry Pricing From $42.30 (Day Trade Max $5K) to $1,240 (Ultimate Buying)
Drawdown Type Static (equity-based, $-amount based — not %-based)
Daily Pause Limit $100-$4,000 (varies by package); 3% on most
Max Loss Limit $200-$8,000 (varies by package)
Profit Targets 6% (Day Trade), 15% (Swing) — typically 2x daily pause
Min Positions (Day Flex) 10
Min Positions (Day Max) 20
Min Positions (Swing) 5
Best Position Profit Cap 30% (most plans), 50% (Day Trade Flex)
Trade Duration Rule Each position must yield at least 10 cents per share profit (min 10 ticks)
30-Second Trade Gap Required between every buy-sell or sell-buy order
Stocks Volume Restriction No <200K shares/day stocks (regular hours), <20K (pre/post)
Volatility Ban No opening trades on stocks moving 8%+ in 4 minutes
Halted Stocks Restriction No trading halted stocks; 1-minute wait after halt lifts
Earnings Restriction No overnight on stocks reporting earnings same/next day
Min Avg Daily Volume Overnight 500,000 shares (last 14 days) for Swing overnight
End of Day Day Trade accounts liquidated 10 min before market close
Pre-Market and After-Hours Allowed
Inactivity Policy 14-day no-trade rule on Flex programs and Max funded
Buffer Rule (Funded) At 3× daily pause profit, max loss resets to initial balance
Risk Pump 5% (Super), 8% (Extra), 15% (Ultimate) on 5-day winning streak with 3× initial DL
Min Trades for Full Eval 30 trades within 45 days
Payout Cadence Bi-weekly (every 14 days)
Min Withdrawal $300 ($150 for $5K accounts)
Consistency Requirement (Flex/20K Swing Max) 0.5% buying power profit on 3 separate trading days within any 14-day period
Eval Fee Refund 100% refunded with first payout
Commissions $0.005/share or $0.75 round-trip; some sources cite $0.004-$0.006/share
Scaling Potential Up to $450K
Restricted Countries 26 (Afghanistan, Burundi, CAR, Crimea, Cuba, etc — including Israel itself)
Trustpilot 4.4-4.5/5 from 523-595 reviews (81-82% 5-star)

What Is Trade The Pool?

Trade The Pool (TTP) is the only major proprietary trading firm specialising exclusively in stocks and ETFs. Founded in September 2022 by Michael Katz, TTP is backed by The5ers (Five Percent Online Ltd) — the established forex prop firm operating since 2016. This pedigree matters: TTP inherits The5ers' operational infrastructure, dispute resolution, and corporate stability while building a focused stock-trading product.

The structural difference between TTP and conventional CFD-based stock prop firms is real market access. Most prop firms offering "stock" trading actually use CFD price feeds with synthetic spreads. TTP routes orders through Interactive Brokers via the TraderEvolution platform — connecting to NASDAQ and NYSE Tier-1 liquidity with real exchange conditions, real-time pricing, and authentic execution speeds. The account structure is netting, mirroring professional equity trading environments.

TTP offers 12,000+ US stocks and ETFs across four evaluation programmes designed for different trading styles: Day Trade Flex (unlimited time), Day Trade Max (60-day limit), Swing Flex (unlimited, allows overnight), Swing Max (100-day limit, allows overnight). All programmes are 1-Step evaluations with a 70% profit split. Account sizes range from $2,000 to $200,000 buying power, with scaling potential to $450K.

The 4.4/5 MyPropGenius score reflects TTP's structural innovation (only stock-focused prop firm with real exchange access via Interactive Brokers), strong reputation profile (4.4-4.5/5 Trustpilot, 81-82% 5-star), and educational endpoint with The5ers backing. The score balances against meaningful caveats: the 70% split is below most competitors' 80-90%, the rule complexity is among the highest in the prop firm category (30-second trade gap, 10-cent minimum profit, 8% volatility ban, 200K min volume restriction, 14-day inactivity rule, etc.), and TTP's specialty (stocks-only) excludes traders looking for forex, crypto, or futures coverage. The firm has paid out reliably and is one of the most credible stock-focused prop firms operating, but the rule complexity requires deliberate adaptation for traders coming from less-restricted CFD environments.

The Four Evaluation Programmes

TTP offers four evaluation programmes covering different time-pressure preferences and trading styles. All are 1-Step evaluations.

Day Trade Flex (most popular for day traders)

Unlimited time. 6% profit target. $100-$4,000 daily pause. $200-$8,000 max loss (varies by package). Account sizes $5K-$200K. 50% best position profit cap (one trade can't account for more than 50% of profit). Minimum 10 positions. Liquidated 10 minutes before market close. From $53.10 entry. Best for day traders wanting unlimited evaluation time.

Day Trade Max (cheaper, 60-day limit)

60-day time limit. 6% profit target. 30% best position cap. Minimum 20 positions. From $42.30 entry — cheapest in TTP's lineup. Best for confident day traders who want to pass quickly and benefit from cheaper pricing. The 60-day time limit is meaningful — failing within 60 days requires repurchasing.

Swing Flex (unlimited, allows overnight)

Unlimited time. 15% profit target. Minimum 5 positions. Allows overnight holding. Account sizes $2K-$40K (smaller than Day Trade due to higher target requirements). From $62.10 entry. Best for swing traders running multi-day position strategies. Overnight requires stocks with 500,000+ average daily volume (last 14 days).

Swing Max (100-day limit, allows overnight)

100-day time limit. 15% profit target. Minimum 5 positions. Allows overnight holding. From $62.10 entry. Best for swing traders who want pricing certainty (the 100-day limit) without unlimited evaluation time.

Three Service Packages

Each programme is sold in three service packages: Super Buying, Extra Buying, and Ultimate Buying. The packages differ in:

The top-tier Ultimate Buying package costs $1,240 for the most generous exposure ($260,000 max with 80:20 payout in your favor). The 30-trade minimum within 45 days applies across all packages — failing this minimum invalidates the evaluation.

Profit Splits, Payouts & The Buffer Rule

Profit split: 70% uniform across all programmes. This is below most competitors' 80-90%, reflecting the cost of real exchange access and Interactive Brokers liquidity. Compared to CFD-based competitors offering 80-100% splits, the 30% retention is the price of authenticity.

Payout cadence and qualifications.

The consistency rule for Flex programs. On a $10,000 Flex account, 0.5% = $50; you need to earn this on 3 different days within any 14-day period to qualify for a payout. This is a structural smoothing mechanism — single-day home runs don't qualify if the cycle doesn't have 3 separate qualifying days.

Buffer Rule on funded accounts. Once your account reaches 3× daily pause limit in equity (i.e., "projected balance" including unrealized profits), the max drawdown resets to initial balance. Going below results in account termination. This is a structural buffer mechanism — your floor moves up to initial balance once you've earned a meaningful cushion.

Risk Pump (the winning-streak reward). If you maintain a 5-day winning streak with at least 3× your initial DL in profit, TTP "pumps" your daily loss and max exposure:

This is a structural reward for sustained performance — increasing the trader's position-size capacity rather than the profit split. Multi-week sustained winners can scale meaningfully.

Eval fee refund: 100% with first payout. TTP refunds the entire evaluation fee with your first profit payout. Combined with the 70% split, the total economics on a sustained-performance account are competitive.

Commissions structure. Stock trades approximately $0.004-$0.006 per share, depending on volume. Some sources cite $0.005/share or $0.75 round-trip. ETFs are similar with transparent execution and no markup on spreads. This mirrors what professional Interactive Brokers retail traders pay — a meaningful cost-transparency advantage over CFD-based competitors with synthetic spreads.

Scaling potential. Up to $450K buying power via the scaling plan. The active account is closed and a new account is opened with new parameters and/or rolled-over split balance. Scaling triggers on hitting the target level of valid profit. Some account types impose minimum profitable days during scaling. The new account is locked until risk review of the trades is complete.

Documented payout reliability. Multiple Trustpilot reviews from April 2026 confirm "regular payouts" with smooth processing from challenge purchase through funded account through payout. The5ers' backing provides operational reliability that newer prop firms can't match. "My all forex broker could be the same" is one trader's TTP-vs-competitors comparison.

Drawdown Rules & The Risk Pump

TTP's drawdown rules are structurally distinctive: drawdown is measured in $ amounts, not percentages. This is unusual in the prop firm industry but creates predictable, transparent risk parameters that don't depend on price-action proximity.

Daily Pause Limit (the daily drawdown):

If your daily drawdown limit is hit, your account is paused until the next day. This protects you from overtrading or emotional decisions but doesn't immediately breach the account.

Max Loss Limit (the maximum drawdown):

Hitting the max loss limit terminates the evaluation or funded account. The standard ratio is approximately 2× daily pause × 3 (so a $1,000 daily pause = $3,000 max loss).

Profit target structure.

The Swing target is structurally higher because of the larger position-holding flexibility (overnight allowed). Day trader targets are smaller but compressed into shorter time windows.

Buffer Rule (the funded-stage protection). Once your account reaches 3× daily pause profit (in equity), the max drawdown resets to initial balance. This means once you've accumulated a meaningful cushion, the floor moves up — protecting your principal even if subsequent performance is volatile. This is a structural advantage over trailing-drawdown competitors where the floor follows peak equity.

Risk Pump (the position-size growth reward). 5-day winning streak with 3× initial DL in profit triggers a Risk Pump: 5% / 8% / 15% increase in daily loss and max exposure depending on package. This grows your position-size capacity for sustained performance.

Floating losses count. Unrealized losses on open positions count toward the daily pause and max loss calculations. Standard for the industry.

Daily reset. Daily pause resets at market open (9:30 AM ET). Combined with the 10-minute pre-market close liquidation rule, the trading day is structurally bounded.

Trading Rules & The Style Restrictions

TTP's rule set is among the most complex in the prop firm industry. The rules are designed to filter for traders demonstrating discretionary judgment in real equity markets — not pure speed-arbitrage or volatility chasing. Reading every rule is critical before trading.

The Trading Style Rules:

Best Position Profit Ratio. No single position can account for more than:

Checked at evaluations and at payouts/scaling on funded accounts. Single home-run positions cannot satisfy the requirement.

Volume restrictions:

Volatility ban. No opening trades on symbols which have moved 8% within 4 minutes ($5K MAX/FLEX and Mini BP Limited Edition temporarily excluded). High-volatility events can't be traded into.

Halted stocks restriction. No trading on effectively halted symbols (including during earnings). After a halt is lifted, wait at least 1 minute before placing opening trades.

Earnings restriction. No overnight positions on stocks reporting earnings same day or next day premarket. Earnings-volatility risk is excluded.

Pre-market and After-hours trading. Allowed (with the 20K minimum volume restriction during these sessions).

Day Trade end-of-day liquidation. 10 minutes before market close, TTP fully liquidates open positions and pending orders for Day Trade programs. Swing accounts can hold overnight (with the 500K volume requirement).

News trading. Allowed without restriction in evaluation programs. Earnings stocks have specific overnight restrictions on Swing accounts.

Copy trading. Maximum 2 accounts. Specific size pairing required (only between two 50K or lower account sizes). Manual execution only — no signal-based copy trading.

EAs and automation via Signal Stack. TTP supports automated strategies via Signal Stack integration. Manual discretionary trading remains the primary expected mode.

Inactivity policy. 14-day no-trade rule applies to all Flex phases (evaluation and funded) and Max funded accounts. Significantly tighter than competitors' 30-day rules — traders planning week-plus breaks must inform TTP support.

Country restrictions. 26 restricted countries: Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Crimea, Cuba, DR Congo, Eritrea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Laos, Liberia, Libya, Myanmar, North Korea, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Yemen. (Yes, Israel — TTP's home country — is restricted, an unusual configuration that reflects the firm's regulatory positioning.)

Trustpilot Sentiment: The Honest Picture

4.4-4.5/5 Trustpilot rating from 523-595 reviews (81-82% 5-star) — strong by prop firm standards, particularly for a stock-focused operation. The5ers' established reputation and operational backing is the structural foundation.

What positive reviews praise:

What negative reviews complain about:

The honest read: TTP is structurally credible as the only major stock-focused prop firm with real Interactive Brokers exchange access and The5ers operational backing. The Trustpilot 4.4-4.5/5 from 523-595 reviews and 81-82% 5-star sentiment reflects genuine trader satisfaction. The friction concentrates in the rule complexity — 30-second gap, 10-cent minimum, 8% volatility ban, 200K volume minimum, 14-day inactivity rule, and Best Position Profit cap combine to create more checkpoints than at simpler CFD-based prop firms. The 70% split is below most competitors. For traders specifically wanting real exchange equity trading with a strong operational backing, TTP is one of the most credible options. For traders running CFD-style high-frequency strategies, the rule complexity creates significant adaptation friction.

How Trade The Pool Stacks Up Against Competitors

FeatureTrade The PoolFundingPipsFunded Trading PlusFXIFY
Asset ClassUS stocks and ETFs only (12K+ instruments)Forex, indices, crypto CFDsForex, indices, crypto, commoditiesForex, indices, crypto, commodities
Real Market AccessYes — Interactive Brokers via TraderEvolutionNo (CFD)No (CFD via Eightcap/ThinkMarkets)No (CFD via FXPIG)
Profit Split70% uniform60%-100% (cycle-tiered)80% → 100% (via scaling)80% base; 90% with paid add-on
Account Sizes$2K - $200K buying power$5K - $300K$5K - $200K$5K - $200K
Drawdown TypeStatic $-amount basedStatic (1/2-Step), trailing (Zero)Static or trailing variesStatic (some 2-Phase) or trailing
Time LimitUnlimited (Flex), 60 days (Day Trade Max), 100 days (Swing Max)UnlimitedUnlimited (7 days on Lightning)Unlimited (7 days on Lightning)
Min Trades for Eval30 in 45 days3 (1/2-Step), 1 (2-Step Pro)34 typical
Best Position Cap30% (most), 50% (Day Trade Flex)NoneNoneNone
Trade Style Rules30-sec gap, 10-cent min profit, 8% volatility ban, 200K min volumeNone equivalentStandardStandard
Inactivity Policy14 days (Flex/Max funded)30 days30 days60 days
Pre-Market/After-HoursAllowed (20K vol min)N/A (forex 24h)N/A (forex 24h)N/A (forex 24h)
Overnight HoldingSwing only (500K vol min)RestrictedAllowed (Master)Restricted on some
Eval Fee Refund100% with first payoutYes (with first payout)Yes (Master payout)Yes (variable)
Trustpilot4.4-4.5 (523-595)4.5 (53K+)4.4-4.5 (2.6K+)4.3 (4K+)
Backed ByThe5ers (since 2016)StandaloneEightcap (ASIC), ThinkMarketsFXPIG broker
FoundedSeptember 2022202220212023

Where TTP wins: Only major stock-focused prop firm with real Interactive Brokers exchange access via TraderEvolution, 12,000+ US stocks and ETFs across NASDAQ and NYSE Tier-1 liquidity, The5ers operational backing (since 2016), Buffer Rule providing structural funded-account protection, $ amount-based drawdown for predictable risk parameters, Risk Pump rewarding sustained performance with position-size growth, eval fee 100% refunded with first payout, and pre-market/after-hours trading allowed.

Where TTP loses: The 70% split is below most CFD competitors offering 80-90% (or 95-100% with add-ons). Rule complexity is among the highest in the prop firm category — 30-second gap + 10-cent minimum + 8% volatility ban + 200K volume minimum + Best Position Profit cap + 30-trade minimum + 14-day inactivity rule combine to create significantly more checkpoints than CFD-based competitors. The 26 restricted countries include Israel (TTP's home country) — an unusual configuration. The Day Trade 10-minute pre-close liquidation prevents all overnight strategies on Day Trade accounts. The 200K volume minimum excludes small-cap opportunities.

Pros

Cons

Who Should Use Trade The Pool?

Trade The Pool is the right pick for stock-focused traders who specifically want real exchange access and can adapt to the rule complexity. Specifically:

Who Should Avoid Trade The Pool?

Trade The Pool is the wrong pick for forex/crypto/futures traders, ultra-high-frequency strategies, or traders requiring concentrated-position flexibility. Specifically:

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Trade The Pool legit? Yes. TTP is backed by The5ers (Five Percent Online Ltd) — established since 2016 — providing structural operational backing that newer prop firms lack. The firm has documented payouts via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, and credit card. Trustpilot sits at 4.4-4.5/5 from 523-595 reviews with 81-82% 5-star sentiment. Multiple Trustpilot reviews from April 2026 confirm 'regular payouts' from challenge through funded through withdrawal. The firm has visible offices in Israel HQ and UK (Enstar House).

How does TTP compare to CFD-based stock prop firms? TTP is the only major prop firm with real Interactive Brokers exchange access via TraderEvolution. Most CFD-based stock prop firms use synthetic price feeds with spreads. TTP routes orders through Interactive Brokers' actual order book — connecting to NASDAQ and NYSE Tier-1 liquidity with real-time pricing and authentic execution speeds. The account structure is netting (mirroring professional equity trading). The trade-off: TTP's 70% split is below CFD-based competitors' 80-90%, and the rule complexity (30-second gap, 10-cent minimum, etc.) is higher.

What is the 30-second trade gap? TTP requires at least 30 seconds between every buy-sell or sell-buy order — meaning you can't quickly flip positions. Combined with the 10-cent minimum profit per share rule, this excludes ultra-high-frequency strategies. The rationale is to filter for traders demonstrating deliberate decision-making rather than exploiting execution timing. For longer-form day traders or swing traders, the rule rarely matters; for HFT or scalpers, it's a hard constraint.

What is the Best Position Profit Cap? On most plans, no single position can account for more than 30% of total valid profit. On Day Trade Flex specifically, the cap is 50%. Checked at evaluation completion and at payouts/scaling on funded accounts. The rule prevents single home-run positions from satisfying the requirements — requiring distributed performance across multiple positions. Combined with the 30-trade minimum within 45 days, TTP imposes structural smoothing that prevents single-bet success.

What is the Buffer Rule? Once your funded account reaches 3× daily pause profit (in equity, including unrealized profits), the max drawdown resets to initial balance. This means once you've earned a meaningful cushion, the floor moves up — protecting your principal even if subsequent performance is volatile. The Buffer Rule is structurally favorable for traders who lock in early profits and then trade more aggressively with the cushion.

What is the Risk Pump? TTP's reward for sustained performance. If you maintain a 5-day winning streak with at least 3× your initial DL in profit, TTP increases your daily loss and max exposure: 5% on Super Buying, 8% on Extra Buying, 15% on Ultimate Buying packages. This grows your position-size capacity, allowing scaling beyond the original parameters. Multi-week sustained winners can scale meaningfully via this mechanism.

Can I trade pre-market or after-hours? Yes. TTP allows pre-market and after-hours trading. The minimum volume restriction during these sessions is 20,000 shares average daily volume (vs the 200K minimum during regular hours). Note that overnight positions on Swing accounts require 500K+ average daily volume — and earnings stocks are excluded from overnight holding (no overnight on stocks reporting earnings same/next day).

What is the 30-trade minimum? TTP requires a minimum of 30 trades within 45 days for full evaluation completion. This rule prevents traders from passing on a single big day or with very low trade counts — requiring volume that demonstrates genuine engagement with the markets rather than evaluation-shopping. The rule applies across all programmes.

What's the inactivity policy? 14-day no-trade rule applies to Flex programs (evaluation and funded) and Max funded accounts. Significantly tighter than competitors' 30-day rules. Traders planning week-plus breaks must inform TTP support to avoid a rule violation. Compared to FundingPips' 30-day, FXIFY's 60-day, or AquaFunded's 30-day, TTP's 14-day is the strictest in the major prop firms.

Final Verdict

Trade The Pool is the prop firm to choose if you specifically want real exchange access on US stocks and ETFs and can adapt to the firm's rule complexity. The Interactive Brokers connection via TraderEvolution platform, the 12,000+ stocks and ETFs across NASDAQ and NYSE Tier-1 liquidity, the netting account structure mirroring professional equity trading environments, and The5ers' operational backing (since 2016) are all genuine differentiators that no other major prop firm matches. The Buffer Rule, Risk Pump, and 100% eval fee refund with first payout create competitive trader economics for sustained performers.

The honest concessions are real and meaningful. The 70% profit split is below most CFD competitors offering 80-90%. The rule complexity — 30-second trade gap, 10-cent minimum profit per share, 8% volatility ban, 200K shares minimum volume, Best Position Profit cap (30-50%), 30-trade minimum within 45 days, 14-day inactivity rule on Flex programs, halted-stock and earnings-stock restrictions — combines to create significantly more checkpoints than at simpler CFD-based competitors. The 26 restricted countries include Israel (TTP's home country). The Day Trade programs liquidate 10 minutes before close, preventing all overnight Day Trade strategies. Traders running ultra-high-frequency or volatility-event entry strategies will find the rules incompatible.

Bottom line: Trade The Pool is the right pick for stock-focused traders who specifically want real Interactive Brokers exchange access and can adapt to the rule complexity. The 4.4/5 MyPropGenius score reflects honestly: a structurally credible firm with the only real-exchange equity prop firm offering, strong reputation profile from 523-595 Trustpilot reviews with 81-82% 5-star, and The5ers operational backing — balanced against the 70% split, the rule complexity, and the structural restrictions on small-cap, volatility-event, and ultra-high-frequency strategies. If you trade clean discretionary day or swing strategies on liquid US stocks (200K+ ADV), can manage to the 30-trade minimum and the Best Position Profit cap, and specifically value real exchange access over CFD synthetic spreads, TTP's combination of authenticity and operational backing is hard to match elsewhere.

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