FundingPips Zero is their instant funding product. No evaluation phases, no profit targets, no waiting. You pay the fee, get a funded account, and start trading with a 95% profit split from day one.
That's the sales pitch. It's accurate.
What the pricing page won't prepare you for: the Zero Model operates under a completely different rule set than every other FundingPips account. The drawdown trails instead of staying static. There's a 1% floating loss cap that doesn't exist on evaluation models. News trading is restricted with a wider buffer window. Weekend holding is prohibited. And the consistency requirements are permanent, not something you can opt out of.
This article is the full breakdown. Every rule, every restriction, exact pricing, and what I've changed since that first breach to make Zero accounts survivable.
Learned the hard way: I've traded FundingPips challenges across multiple account types—2-Step Standard, Pro, and Zero. The rule breakdowns here come from real funded trading experience, including the funded-stage surprises that catch most traders off guard (news restrictions, consistency rules, lot size limits).
The single biggest trap at FundingPips is the rule changes between evaluation and funded stages—news trading gets restricted, consistency rules kick in, and the 3% single-trade cap applies. I broke down every rule with real examples and compliance strategies in my complete FundingPips rules guide, including drawdown mechanics, prohibited strategies, and payout structures. For the absolute latest, check FundingPips' website or their FAQ section.
What Is the FundingPips Zero Model?
Every other FundingPips product requires you to pass an evaluation. The 2-Step Standard needs an 8% Phase 1 target and 5% Phase 2. The 1-Step needs 10% in a single phase. You're proving your strategy before touching a funded account.
Zero skips all of that.
You pay a one-time fee, receive an instantly funded account, and keep 95% of whatever profits you generate. There's no refundable evaluation fee because there's no evaluation. The 95% split is the highest FundingPips offers on any model, and it applies from your very first trade.
The account functions like a Master (funded) account from the start. You trade on real market conditions with the same platforms available on evaluation accounts: MT5, cTrader, Match-Trader, and TradeLocker.
Sounds clean. And conceptually, it is. The trade-off isn't in the structure. It's in the rules.
Zero Model Pricing
Zero costs more than evaluation models across every account size. That's expected since you're buying direct access to a funded account. Here's how the pricing stacks up:
| Account Size | Zero Price | 2-Step Standard Price | 1-Step Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5,000 | $69 | $36 | $59 |
| $10,000 | $99 | $66 | $99 |
| $25,000 | $199 | $159 | $199 |
| $50,000 | $299 | $289 | $349 |
| $100,000 | $499 | $444 | $555 |
A few things to notice. At the $5K and $10K levels, Zero is cheaper or comparable to the 1-Step. But at $50K, the gap between Zero ($299) and the 2-Step Standard ($289) is only $10. You're paying essentially the same amount, but Zero locks you into trailing drawdown and tighter rules across the board.
There's no evaluation fee refund on Zero. On the 2-Step Standard, you can get your fee back after the 4th payout. That refund option doesn't exist here because there's no evaluation to refund.
The bottom line: the $50K Zero looks like a bargain compared to the $50K 1-Step ($349). But $299 for an account with a 5% trailing drawdown and a 1% floating loss cap is a different proposition than $289 for an account with a 10% static drawdown and no floating loss restriction.
The Trailing Drawdown Trap
This is where most Zero accounts die.
Every other FundingPips model uses static drawdown. Your loss floor is calculated from your starting balance and it never moves. On a $50K 2-Step Standard account, the 10% static drawdown means your floor sits at $45,000 forever. Grow the account to $58,000 and your floor is still $45,000.
Zero doesn't work like that. Zero uses a 5% trailing drawdown, and the mechanics change everything about how you size positions and manage risk.
Here's how it works on a $50K Zero account, step by step:
Day 1: You start at $50,000. Your drawdown floor is $47,500 (5% below starting balance). You have $2,500 of breathing room.
Day 3: Your equity peaks at $51,200 during a winning session. Your floor immediately moves up to $48,640 (5% below $51,200). It doesn't matter if the trade is still open. The floor moved because your equity peaked.
Day 5: You take a loss. Account drops to $49,800. Your floor is still $48,640 because it only moves up, never down. You now have just $1,160 of room before breach.
Day 8: Another win. Equity peaks at $52,000. Floor moves to $49,400. You've grown $2,000 in profit, but your buffer is only $2,600 ($52,000 minus $49,400). On a static account, that same $2,000 in profit would have given you $7,000 of buffer.
See the problem? Every dollar of unrealized profit during a session ratchets your floor higher. A trade that spikes 40 pips in your favor and then retraces to +10 pips just permanently moved your floor based on that 40-pip peak. The profit you gave back is gone, but the floor remembers it.
The Lock Point: The trailing stops once you've banked 5% profit above starting balance. On a $50K account, that's $52,500. At that point, your floor locks at $50,000 (starting balance) and becomes effectively static. Everything above $50,000 is yours to work with.
Reaching that lock point takes most disciplined traders 3 to 6 weeks. Many accounts breach before they get there. The first two weeks are the highest-risk window because your buffer stays razor thin while the trailing mechanic punishes any intraday volatility in your P&L.
Zero Model Rules Breakdown
I've compared every major rule between the Zero Model and the 2-Step Standard. The Standard is FundingPips' most popular evaluation account, and it gives you the clearest picture of how much tighter Zero operates.
| Rule | Zero Model | 2-Step Standard (Funded) |
|---|---|---|
| Max Drawdown | 5% trailing (locks at +5% profit) | 10% static |
| Daily Loss Limit | 3% | 5% |
| Floating Loss Cap | 1% (hard breach) | None |
| Consistency Rule | 15% (permanent) | None (or cycle-dependent) |
| Profitable Days | 7 per 30-day rolling period | None required |
| News Trading | 10-min buffer each side | 5-min buffer each side |
| Weekend Holding | Prohibited | Allowed |
| Profit Split | 95% | 60%-100% (cycle-based) |
| Payout Frequency | Bi-weekly (14 days) | On-demand / Weekly / Bi-weekly / Monthly |
| Fee Refund | No | Yes (after 4th payout) |
| Leverage (Forex) | 1:50 | 1:50 |
| Inactivity Breach | 30 days | 30 days |
Count the rows where Zero is stricter. It's nearly every single line. The only place Zero wins is the profit split: 95% guaranteed versus the Standard's tiered system that starts at 60% and takes multiple payout cycles to reach 100%.
The 1% floating loss cap deserves its own spotlight. On a $50K account, your combined unrealized loss on all open positions cannot exceed $500 at any point. If it does, even for a second, the account terminates. No warning. No grace period.
Think about what $500 means with EUR/USD at 1 standard lot. A 5-pip move against you is $50. Two lots and a 25-pip adverse move puts you at $500 exactly. During the London/New York overlap, 25-pip swings happen within minutes. A trade that briefly dips 30 pips against you before running 80 pips in your favor would breach your Zero account before it ever becomes profitable.
This cap doesn't exist on any evaluation model. You won't encounter it until you're already trading live capital on a Zero account.
News Trading and Weekend Restrictions
Zero accounts operate under stricter event rules than everything else in the FundingPips lineup.
The news trading restriction on Zero uses a 10-minute buffer window on each side of high-impact economic releases. On evaluation models, that window is 5 minutes. The difference matters if you're trading the London session. NFP, FOMC, CPI, ECB decisions... all of these create extended no-trade zones on Zero.
If you have an open position during that window, you're in breach territory. The enforcement isn't always instant, but the rule is clear in FundingPips' documentation: positions opened or held during the restricted window can result in account termination.
Weekend holding is outright prohibited. All positions must be closed before Friday market close. There's no exception for hedged positions, no exception for positions deep in profit, no exception for markets that technically stay open on weekends. Everything flat by Friday close. If you trade indices or crypto and you're used to holding through the weekend, Zero isn't built for that approach.
On the 2-Step Standard, both of these restrictions are more lenient. The news window is narrower and weekend holding is allowed. These aren't minor differences for swing traders or news-reaction traders. They fundamentally change which strategies are viable.
Who Should (and Shouldn't) Use Zero
After blowing my first Zero and surviving the second, I have a clear picture of who this account type actually serves.
Zero works for:
Scalpers with a proven edge who trade the same session daily. If you're taking 3-8 trades per session, targeting 5-15 pips, and your average winner is larger than your average loser by a measurable margin, Zero's rules aren't going to trip you up. The floating loss cap hurts less when you're in and out of positions in minutes, and the trailing drawdown matters less when your individual trade risk is tiny.
Experienced traders who've already passed evaluations elsewhere and want a second income stream without waiting 4-8 weeks for another evaluation. If you're already funded at another firm and profitable, paying $299 for instant access to a 95% split makes financial sense.
Zero does not work for:
Swing traders. The weekend restriction alone kills most swing setups. The 1% floating loss cap kills the rest. Holding a position overnight that's down 0.8% would leave you $100 from breach on a $50K account. One gap against you and it's over.
News traders. A 10-minute buffer on each side of high-impact events eliminates most news-reaction strategies. You can't enter before the number hits, and by 10 minutes after, the move is already priced in.
Beginners or traders still developing their edge. Zero is the hardest account type FundingPips offers. The breach rate is the highest of any model they sell. Starting your prop trading journey with a trailing drawdown and a 1% floating loss cap is setting yourself up to burn through $299 in a week. Take the 2-Step Standard for $289, get a 10% static drawdown, and use the evaluation to confirm your strategy works before risking funded capital.
Aggressive position sizers. If your standard risk per trade is 1-2% of account balance, the floating loss cap will breach you on any setup that requires a stop wider than 10 pips at meaningful lot size. You'd need to cut your position size in half just to survive normal intraday noise.
The bottom line: Zero is a specialist tool, not a shortcut. Roughly 90% of traders are better served by the 2-Step Standard.
Zero Model vs Evaluation Models: Honest Comparison
Here's the side-by-side across all four FundingPips models on a $50K account. This makes the trade-offs concrete:
| Feature | Zero | 2-Step Standard | 1-Step | 2-Step Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price ($50K) | $299 | $289 | $349 | $249 |
| Evaluation | None | 2 phases (8% + 5%) | 1 phase (10%) | 2 phases (6% + 6%) |
| Max Drawdown | 5% trailing | 10% static | 6% static | 6% static |
| Daily Loss | 3% | 5% | 4% | 3% |
| Floating Loss Cap | 1% | None | None | None |
| Profit Split | 95% | 60%-100% | Up to 100% | 80% |
| News Window | 10 min each side | 5 min each side | 5 min each side | 5 min each side |
| Weekend Holding | Prohibited | Allowed | Allowed | Allowed |
| Consistency Rule | 15% permanent | None / cycle-dependent | None | None |
| Fee Refund | No | Yes (4th payout) | Yes (4th payout) | No |
| Scaling | Yes (up to $2M) | Yes (up to $2M) | Yes (up to $2M) | Yes (up to $2M) |
The 2-Step Standard gives you twice the drawdown buffer (10% vs 5%), 67% more daily loss room (5% vs 3%), no floating loss cap, weekend holding, and a narrower news window. The only thing it doesn't give you is the 95% split from the start or instant access.
If you're confident enough to skip the evaluation, you're confident enough to pass it in 2-3 weeks. And once you do, you're trading with double the safety margin. That math is hard to argue with.
Real Strategy Adjustments for Zero
If you're committed to trading a Zero account, here's what I changed after blowing the first one.
Cut your position size in half. Whatever you normally trade on a 10% static account, halve it. On a $50K Standard account, you might risk 1% per trade ($500). On a $50K Zero, you need to risk 0.3-0.5% per trade ($150-$250). The trailing drawdown and floating loss cap both demand this. It feels small. It keeps you alive.
Get to the lock point before anything else. Your only objective for the first 3-6 weeks is reaching that 5% profit mark ($2,500 on a $50K account). Don't try to extract income during this phase. Trade conservatively. Take high-probability setups only. The goal is survival, not performance.
Once the drawdown locks, your account transforms into something close to a normal funded account with a 5% static floor at your starting balance. From that point, you can start sizing up gradually.
Avoid the London/New York overlap if your strategy requires wide stops. The volatility during overlap sessions (13:00-16:00 UTC) creates exactly the kind of intraday equity spikes that ratchet your trailing floor higher. A trade that goes 30 pips in your favor and retraces 20 pips just permanently cost you the equivalent of 20 pips of drawdown room. You never get that back.
Quieter sessions like late New York or early Asian are easier to manage because the intraday P&L fluctuations are smaller. Your trailing floor moves less aggressively.
Close trades before high-impact news. The 10-minute window applies even if you opened the trade hours ago. If you're holding a EUR/USD position and NFP is at 8:30 AM ET, close it by 8:20 AM ET or risk a rule breach. Calendar apps and economic event reminders aren't optional on Zero.
Never hold overnight unless you're deep in profit with a tight stop. The 1% floating loss cap means any position that gaps against you at market open could breach the account before you can react. If you insist on holding through the daily close, your unrealized P&L at that point needs to be positive enough that a reasonable gap won't push your open drawdown past 1%.
Track your equity curve intraday, not just daily. On static accounts, end-of-day balance is what matters. On trailing drawdown, your intraday equity peak is what moves the floor. If you're not monitoring your peak equity during each session, you don't know where your floor actually is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the FundingPips Zero Model require any evaluation?
No. Zero is an instant funding product. You pay the one-time fee, receive a funded account, and start trading immediately. There are no profit targets to hit, no phases to pass, and no minimum trading days before you're funded.
What is the trailing drawdown on FundingPips Zero?
The Zero Model uses a 5% trailing drawdown that follows your highest equity peak upward. On a $50K account, your floor starts at $47,500 and moves higher every time your equity reaches a new peak. The trailing stops and locks into a static floor once you've accumulated 5% profit above your starting balance.
How does the 1% floating loss cap work on Zero?
Your combined unrealized loss across all open positions cannot exceed 1% of your account balance at any time. On a $50K account, that's $500 maximum in open drawdown. If your floating loss hits that threshold even briefly, the account terminates immediately with no warning.
Can I hold trades over the weekend on a FundingPips Zero account?
No. Weekend holding is prohibited on all Zero accounts. You must close every open position before Friday market close. This restriction doesn't apply to the 2-Step Standard, 1-Step, or 2-Step Pro models.
Is news trading allowed on FundingPips Zero?
News trading is restricted with a 10-minute buffer on each side of high-impact economic releases. You cannot open new positions or hold existing ones during this window. Evaluation models use a shorter 5-minute buffer.
What is the profit split on FundingPips Zero?
The profit split is 95%, which is the highest split FundingPips offers on any model. This split applies from your first trade and doesn't change based on payout cycles. Payouts are available every 14 calendar days.
How much does a $50K FundingPips Zero account cost?
The $50K Zero account costs $299. By comparison, the 2-Step Standard at the same account size costs $289 and comes with a 10% static drawdown and a potential fee refund after 4 payouts. Discounts are available through affiliate codes.
What is the consistency rule on FundingPips Zero?
Zero requires a 15% consistency score, meaning your single largest winning trade cannot exceed 15% of your total accumulated profit. You also need at least 7 profitable trading days within any rolling 30-day period. A day counts as profitable if you earn at least 0.25% of your starting balance.
Can FundingPips Zero accounts be scaled?
Yes. Zero accounts are eligible for FundingPips' Hot Seat scaling program, the same one available to evaluation accounts. Scaling increases your account size by 25% every 4 months based on consistent performance, up to a maximum of $2 million.
Should I choose Zero or the 2-Step Standard?
The 2-Step Standard is the better choice for most traders. It offers 10% static drawdown (twice Zero's buffer), a 5% daily loss limit, no floating loss cap, weekend holding, a narrower news window, and a fee refund after 4 payouts. Zero only makes sense if you're an experienced, consistently profitable scalper who values the 95% split and instant access over risk management flexibility.
