When you open a prop trading account, you get access to a live market. But the size of the positions you can take is limited by your account balance and the platform's leverage rules.
But once you pass a prop firm's challenge and get funded, something changes. The size of the positions you can take often increases dramatically. Sometimes by 10x. Sometimes by 100x.
This creates a fundamental problem: as your position size increases, the size of individual price movements in dollar terms also increases. A 20-pip move on a micro lot is $2. A 20-pip move on a standard lot is $200.
This means your stop loss and target prices need to be further away from your entry point to account for this increased volatility in dollar terms.
This article breaks down the relationship between account size, position size, leverage, stop losses, and profit targets. It includes a position sizing calculator you can use to automatically calculate your stop and target levels based on your risk tolerance.
Position sizing calculations verified: I've calculated thousands of position sizes across accounts with different risk tolerances, leverage levels, and market conditions. This article includes the exact logic I use.
Disclaimer: PropTradingVibes is an educational resource. I share genuine experiences from prop trading, but nothing here is financial advice. Each trader's experience differs. Learn and make decisions that fit your circumstances.
Two Models: Ascent vs. Accelerated vs. LucidFlex
Blueberry Futures keeps things simple with two evaluation types—Ascent (EOD drawdown) and Accelerated (real-time trailing drawdown). Same profit targets and drawdowns for both. The difference is entirely about how the drawdown is calculated. Lucid offers one model: LucidFlex with EOD trailing.
| Eval Feature | Lucid (LucidFlex 50K) | Blueberry Ascent 50K | Blueberry Accelerated 50K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profit Target | $3,000 (6%) | $3,000 (6%) | $3,000 (6%) |
| Max Drawdown | $2,000 (4%) EOD | $2,000 (4%) EOD | $2,000 (4%) Real-time Trailing |
| Daily Loss Limit | None ⭐ | None ⭐ | None ⭐ |
| Consistency Rule | 50% (eval only) | None ⭐ | None ⭐ |
| Min Trading Days | None | 2 (with $200+ profit each) | 1 (with $200+ profit) |
| Time Limit | Unlimited | 30 days | 30 days |
| News Trading | Unrestricted ⭐ | No new positions 3 min before/after news | No new positions 3 min before/after news |
| Overnight/Weekend Holds | Allowed | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Activation Fee | $0 ⭐ | $0 ⭐ | $0 ⭐ |
| Max Contracts (50K) | Varies by instrument | 2 mini / 20 micro | 2 mini / 20 micro |
| Platform | Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView, Rithmic | Blackarrow, Tradovate | Blackarrow, Tradovate |
| Eval Price | ~$150–$170 | $125 (one-time) | $79 (one-time) |
The 30-Day Time Limit: Blueberry's Biggest Constraint
Blueberry Futures gives you 30 days to pass the evaluation. Lucid gives you unlimited time. For traders who go through drawdown periods, take breaks, or don't trade every day, Lucid's unlimited window is significantly more forgiving. Blueberry's 30-day clock means you're racing against time and the market simultaneously.
That said, the Accelerated plan only requires 1 profitable day of $200+ to qualify. Theoretically, you could pass in a single session. But that real-time trailing drawdown with only $2,000 of room makes one-session passes risky. The trailing updates tick by tick—every unrealized high becomes your new ceiling. A $500 unrealized gain followed by a $300 pullback costs you $300 of drawdown permanently, even if you never closed the trade.
No Overnight or Weekend Holds
Blueberry Futures prohibits holding positions overnight or over weekends. Positions auto-liquidate 15 minutes before market close. Lucid has no such restriction—you can hold NQ overnight, carry crude oil into the weekend, whatever your strategy requires.
This eliminates swing trading on Blueberry entirely. If your strategy involves multi-day holds on ES or GC, Blueberry isn't viable. Lucid accommodates intraday, swing, and multi-day strategies equally. For pure scalpers and intraday traders, Blueberry's restriction doesn't matter. For everyone else, it's a dealbreaker.
Commission Structure: Blueberry's Hidden Advantage
Blueberry Futures builds all execution costs into the Blackarrow environment. No separate routing fees, platform charges, or per-contract commissions. That's effectively commission-free futures trading during evaluations and funded accounts. Lucid charges standard exchange fees through Tradovate or your chosen platform. Over hundreds of trades per month, Blueberry's zero-commission model saves real money—especially for micro-contract scalpers who might pay $0.50-$1.00 per round turn on other platforms.
Funded Account Rules
| Funded Feature | Lucid Trading (LucidFlex) | Blueberry Futures |
|---|---|---|
| Profit Split | 90/10 | 90/10 |
| Consistency Rule | None ⭐ | None ⭐ |
| Daily Loss Limit | None ⭐ | None |
| Min Days Per Payout | 5 trading days (first) | 5 profitable days ($200+ each) |
| Payout Speed | Same-day (under 1 hour) ⭐ | 1–2 business days |
| News Trading | Unrestricted ⭐ | 3-min buffer around events |
| Overnight Holds | Allowed ⭐ | Not allowed |
| Automation/EAs | Allowed with disclosure | Prohibited |
| Hedging | Allowed | Prohibited (including cross-contract) |
| Position Stacking | No restriction | 1 entry + 2 add-ons max |
| Scaling Path | LucidLive after 6 payouts | Live account after 7 payouts / $28K withdrawn |
| Max Allocation | $150K per account | $450K (scaling path) |
Blueberry's Trading Restrictions: More Than Expected
Blueberry Futures prohibits automated trading, trade copiers, hedging (including cross-contract hedging like ES vs MES), and HFT behavior. They also limit position building to one initial entry plus two add-ons—a fourth entry counts as stacking and can breach rules.
Lucid's approach is dramatically more permissive. Automation is allowed with disclosure. Hedging is fine. There's no artificial limit on how you build positions. For algorithmic traders or anyone using semi-automated execution, Blueberry is off the table entirely.
The cross-contract hedging prohibition is particularly noteworthy. Many funded traders use ES and MES simultaneously for scaling and risk management. Blueberry treats this as hedging and will flag it. If your strategy involves any form of paired positions across related contracts, verify with Blueberry's support before trading.
The Blackarrow Platform
Blueberry's partnership with Blackarrow gives them a proprietary platform with free top-of-book market data, built-in volume analysis tools, and commission-free execution. For traders who don't already have a preferred platform, Blackarrow offers genuine value—especially since market data fees ($140+/month per exchange) are typically a significant cost for futures traders.
Lucid supports the platforms most traders already use: Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView, and Rithmic connections. There's no proprietary platform, but there's also no platform lock-in. You trade with whatever you already know.
Trust Assessment: Broker-Backed vs. Battle-Tested
Blueberry Futures benefits from the Blueberry Markets brand—an ASIC-regulated broker operating since 2016. Their CFD prop firm (Blueberry Funded) has established payout history and a founding membership in The Prop Association. The futures division inherits this infrastructure.
However, Blueberry Funded's Trustpilot carries some concerning reviews—traders reporting accounts breached for unclear rule violations, especially around "all-in trading" and lot size calculations that didn't match their own records. These complaints are worth monitoring as the futures division matures.
Lucid's 4.6+ Trustpilot rating reflects years of futures-specific payout history. The complaints that exist are generally about drawdown mechanics—not about disputed breaches or unclear rule enforcement. My own experience across 14+ cycles confirms this: Lucid's rules are clear, enforcement is consistent, and payouts arrive when expected.
Decision Matrix
| If You Want... | Choose |
|---|---|
| Unrestricted trading style (overnight, news, EAs) | Lucid Trading ⭐ |
| Commission-free execution | Blueberry Futures ⭐ |
| Regulated broker backing | Blueberry Futures ⭐ |
| Fastest payouts | Lucid Trading ⭐ |
| Unlimited time to pass evaluation | Lucid Trading ⭐ |
| Cheapest evaluation entry ($79 Accelerated) | Blueberry Futures ⭐ |
| Free market data included | Blueberry Futures ⭐ |
| Swing or multi-day trading | Lucid Trading ⭐ |
| Higher max allocation ($450K) | Blueberry Futures |
| Proven multi-year payout history | Lucid Trading ⭐ |
The Bottom Line
Blueberry Futures enters the market with institutional backing, commission-free execution, and competitive pricing that undercuts most competitors. For pure intraday scalpers who don't need overnight holds, news trading, or automation, it's an attractive package—especially at the $79 Accelerated entry point.
But Lucid Trading remains the more complete futures prop firm. Unrestricted trading styles, unlimited evaluation time, same-day payouts, and a track record that spans years instead of months. If Blueberry Futures survives its first year with clean payout history and consistent rule enforcement, it could become a genuine competitor. Until then, Lucid is the proven choice. I'd consider Blueberry for a secondary intraday-only account, but Lucid stays primary.