StillFunded Reviews 18th Street Trading: Payouts From Phase 1, Earned Progression and a Path to Live Capital

Independent reviews matter.

Not because every reviewer will agree with every decision a firm makes.

And not because a score or ranking can replace a trader's own due diligence.

They matter because serious traders should be able to compare what a proprietary trading firm says about itself with how an independent third party interprets the actual structure.

StillFunded has now published its 2026 review of 18th Street Trading.

The review examines the firm's pricing, payouts, risk rules, account structure, progression model, and Live account based on StillFunded's published methodology.

Importantly, StillFunded states that it has no affiliate relationship with 18th Street Trading and earns nothing if a trader signs up.

That independence is exactly why the review is worth examining.

What StillFunded Highlighted About 18th Street Trading

StillFunded's review identifies several aspects of the 18th Street model that stand out from more traditional futures prop structures.

Traders receive a fixed payout every time they successfully complete a phase.

There is no activation fee.

There is no recurring qualification subscription.

There is no separate daily loss limit.

The 25% consistency requirement can delay completion of a phase, but being temporarily outside the requirement does not itself breach the account.

And after successfully completing all four phases, the trader progresses to a real Live account with a 90% profit split.

Those points are central to how 18th Street Trading was designed.

The objective is not simply to sell access to a simulated account.

The objective is to create a defined progression in which performance leads to a payout, the payout leads to the next phase, and repeated performance ultimately leads to live capital.

Performance → Payout → Progression → Live Capital.

One Starting Plan Fee

18th Street Trading currently offers four plan sizes:

$25,000

$50,000

$100,000

$150,000

Each plan has one starting fee.

The current published fees are:

$265 for the $25,000 plan

$525 for the $50,000 plan

$1,000 for the $100,000 plan

$1,595 for the $150,000 plan

StillFunded specifically notes that there is no separate activation fee and no monthly qualification bill.

That distinction matters.

A trader should understand the full cost structure before entering any futures prop program.

At 18th Street, the initial plan fee provides access to Phase 1.

Everything after that must be earned through performance.

The trader cannot purchase Phase 2.

The trader cannot purchase Phase 3.

The trader cannot purchase Phase 4.

And the trader cannot buy direct access to the Live account.

Advancement is earned.

The Same Standard at Every Plan Size

The plan size changes the scale of the account.

It does not change the standard.

Every simulated phase uses the same:

9% profit target

5% end-of-day trailing maximum loss

25% consistency requirement

60-day phase limit

There is also no separate daily loss limit.

StillFunded's review identifies the absence of a daily loss limit as one of the more trader-friendly aspects of the structure.

But that should not be mistaken for unlimited risk.

The 5% trailing maximum loss remains the account-level boundary.

The trader is still responsible for managing exposure within that limit.

Professional risk management should operate well inside the maximum permitted loss.

The boundary defines what ends the account.

It should not define how aggressively the trader operates.

How the EOD Trailing Drawdown Works

StillFunded also calls attention to the way the trailing drawdown behaves.

During the simulated phases, the maximum loss threshold trails qualifying end-of-day performance.

Once the account closes 5% above its starting balance, the threshold reaches the original starting balance and locks there.

It does not continue trailing indefinitely.

That feature matters because the relationship between the profit target and the maximum drawdown changes as the account progresses.

Before the lock, the threshold moves higher with qualifying account growth.

After the lock, the threshold remains fixed.

The trader can then create additional distance between the account balance and the loss boundary.

Understanding that structure is more important than looking at the advertised account balance alone.

A professional trader should always know where the actual risk boundary sits.

The 25% Consistency Rule Does Not Fail the Account

StillFunded also correctly highlights an important distinction regarding the 25% consistency requirement.

At 18th Street Trading, the trader's best trading day cannot represent more than 25% of the total accumulated profit for the phase.

The calculation is:

Best Trading Day ÷ Total Profit

If the result is above 25%, the trader has not satisfied the requirement yet.

But the account is not automatically breached.

The trader can continue trading within the published rules until total profit becomes large enough for the best day to represent no more than 25% of the overall result.

That distinction is intentional.

A large profitable session is not treated as a violation.

The firm simply requires the broader record to demonstrate that one exceptional day did not create the entire result.

Consistency over aggression.

Payouts Begin With Phase 1

One of the strongest points in StillFunded's review is the payout structure.

The trader does not need to complete all four phases before becoming eligible for compensation.

Each successfully completed phase has its own fixed payout.

For the $25,000 plan, total potential phase payouts across all four stages are $3,500.

For the $50,000 plan, they total $7,000.

For the $100,000 plan, they total $14,000.

For the $150,000 plan, they total $21,000.

These are fixed payouts tied to successful phase completion.

They are not guaranteed earnings.

And profit beyond the phase target does not increase the payout amount.

That is deliberate.

The purpose of the phase is to meet the standard, receive the payout, and progress.

The trader is not being encouraged to continue increasing risk simply to inflate a simulated P&L number.

The First Payout Comes Before Live Funding

This is another important distinction.

At many proprietary firms, the trader must first reach a separate funded stage before payouts become available.

At 18th Street, payouts begin during qualification.

A trader who successfully completes Phase 1 becomes eligible for the Phase 1 payout.

The trader then begins Phase 2 with a fresh balance and must demonstrate the same standard again.

That sequence continues through Phase 4.

The result is a progression model where the trader is compensated along the way rather than being asked to complete the entire process before receiving anything.

That is one of the features StillFunded specifically calls out as a positive.

The Path Ends With a Real Live Account

The most important part of the progression is what happens after Phase 4.

18th Street Trading does not keep successful traders indefinitely in a simulated funded environment.

After completing all four phases, the trader progresses to a Live Capital Partner account.

That account executes under live market conditions.

The trader receives 90% of profits.

The Live account has a different risk structure from the simulated qualification phases because real capital is now at risk.

StillFunded specifically highlights that progression as a distinguishing feature of the model.

The fourth payout is not the end of the relationship.

It is the transition point.

The trader has completed the simulated record.

The next responsibility is live capital.

Why the Live Balance Is Smaller Than the Simulated Plan Size

StillFunded's review also points out that the Live account begins at 12% of the original simulated plan size.

This can look unusual to traders who compare only headline account balances.

But the two environments serve different purposes.

A simulated account uses notional capital to measure the trader's ability to meet the standard.

A Live account represents actual capital at risk.

Those figures should not be expected to be identical.

The purpose of the simulated plan size is to establish the qualification environment.

The Live balance represents the actual capital allocation earned after completing the progression.

That distinction is published before a trader begins.

Transparency around the difference between simulated and Live capital matters.

A Balanced Review Also Includes Criticism

Independent reviews are most valuable when they are not purely promotional.

StillFunded also identifies trade-offs in the 18th Street model.

The review notes that the firm is still new and therefore has a shorter public operating history than established competitors.

It also points out that the larger plan fees can be higher than some one-time offerings elsewhere in the industry.

The 60-day limit and lack of resets are also identified as factors traders should consider.

Those are legitimate considerations.

18th Street does not need every independent review to say that every part of the model is perfect.

That would be unrealistic.

What matters is whether the structure is clear enough for traders to evaluate honestly.

A serious trader should ask:

Does the pricing fit me?

Do the rules fit my strategy?

Can I operate within the 60-day phase limit?

Am I comfortable with the lack of resets?

Does the payout structure make sense for how I trade?

Do I value the path to actual Live capital?

There is no universal answer.

The right proprietary trading firm is the one whose structure aligns with the trader's objectives, risk management, and approach to the profession.

Why Transparency Matters More Than a Perfect Score

StillFunded currently scores 18th Street Trading at 61 out of 100 using its own methodology.

That number should be understood in context.

StillFunded's scoring system incorporates factors such as operating history, Trustpilot data, payout evidence, cost, rules, and other signals.

Because 18th Street Trading launched in 2026, some of those factors naturally reflect a short operating history rather than a judgment about the firm's future.

StillFunded itself labels the data confidence on the review as low and notes the limited public track record.

That is fair.

A new firm should have to establish its reputation over time.

Trust is not created by declaring it.

It is earned through consistency.

Through payouts.

Through support.

Through the treatment of traders.

Through transparency.

And through operating the business according to the standards it publishes.

That is exactly how 18th Street intends to build its record as a firm.

We Encourage Traders to Read Independent Reviews

18th Street Trading publishes its own rules, pricing, payouts, risk structure, platform information, and progression model.

But traders should not rely exclusively on a firm's own website.

Read independent reviews.

Compare multiple sources.

Understand how different reviewers evaluate the same structure.

Then return to the firm's official specifications and verify the details before making a decision.

That process helps create a healthier proprietary trading industry.

And it creates better-informed traders.

StillFunded's review gives prospective traders another independent source to include in that research.

Read the Full StillFunded Review

The full StillFunded review examines 18th Street Trading across trust, cost, payouts, and rules.

It includes the current plan pricing, payout structure, trailing drawdown, consistency rule, Live account progression, pros and cons, and StillFunded's own independent scoring methodology.

Read the full review here:

https://stillfunded.com/prop-firms/18th-street-trading/

Then compare that review directly with the current specifications published at trade18th.com.

Know the rules.

Understand the structure.

And determine whether the model aligns with how you trade.

Institutional Standard. Professional Traders.

18th Street Trading was built around a different idea of what a futures proprietary trading firm should be.

One qualification.

Four phases.

One standard.

Every trader begins at Phase 1.

Every successful phase creates a payout.

Every progression must be earned.

And completing all four phases creates the opportunity to trade live capital.

StillFunded's independent review gives traders another perspective on that structure.

We welcome the scrutiny.

Because a professional trading firm should not ask traders to rely on marketing alone.

The rules should stand on their own.

The payouts should be clear.

The progression should be clear.

And the standard should be the same for everyone.

Performance. Payout. Progression. Live Capital.

Institutional Standard. Professional Traders.

Explore the complete 18th Street Trading qualification structure, plans, payouts, and progression at trade18th.com.

Futures trading involves substantial risk and is not suitable for every investor. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Phases 1–4 at 18th Street Trading operate in a simulated environment using notional capital. Fixed phase payouts require successful completion of the applicable requirements and verification. The Live account executes on the exchange under live market conditions. Participation does not guarantee successful qualification, payouts, profits, or progression to a Live account.