AquaFunded vs E8Markets
AquaFunded and E8Markets are not the same product at different prices. Below is every term each firm publishes, side by side, and the differences that decide which one suits a given trader.
The difference in two lines: AquaFunded is $1 cheaper at the entry tier ($15 against $16 with code E8). AquaFunded publishes the wider maximum drawdown at $25k (10% on 2-Step Pro against 8% on E8 Pro). Open AquaFunded
| Term | AquaFunded | E8Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest evaluation | $15 | $16 code E8 |
| Size at that price | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| 25k fee | $194.93 | $132 code E8 |
| Profit split | 90% (100% with add-on) | 80% / 90% / 100% chosen at purchase |
| Drawdown (25k) | 6% max trailing, 3% daily (1-Step Standard) | 6% dynamic drawdown (trails closed profit), ~4% daily drawdown (E8 One) |
| Profit target (25k) | 9% (1-Step Standard) / 8% then 5% (2-Step) | 9% (E8 One default; configurable 6-21%) |
| KYC | Not stated by firm | Before activation |
| Payout rail | Crypto (BTC, ETH, USDC ERC20/TRC20) / Rise (bank transfer or crypto) | Rise Works / WorkMarket / Aeropay |
| Payout speed | Bi-weekly, 24 business-hour guarantee | On-demand; E8 One first payout from day 3 of the performance stage, then any time; E8 Pro daily |
| Leverage | 1:100 forex / 1:20 indices / 1:20 commodities / 1:2 crypto (evaluation); 1:50 forex / 1:2 crypto (funded) | Classic markets: forex 1:30, indices/metals/energy 1:15, crypto 1:1. Perpetual futures: BTC 1:15, ETH 1:15, other crypto 1:2 |
| Allocation ceiling | $400,000 per funded account (up to $4,000,000 via scaling plan) | Unlimited challenge accounts; $500,000 max active performance allocation on E8 One |
| Instruments | Forex pairs, indices, commodities and crypto CFDs on the CFD accounts (crypto 24/7 at 1:2 leverage); separate futures product via AquaFutures | Forex, indices, metals, energies, stocks, crypto (Classic); crypto perpetual futures on the Hyperliquid feed incl. BTC, ETH, alts, 24/7 |
Which is cheaper, size by size
E8Markets is cheaper at 3 of the 4 sizes where both publish a price. Comparing the entry tier alone hides that: fee ladders do not scale at the same rate, so the cheaper start can become the dearer account.
| Account size | AquaFunded | E8Markets | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5k | not sold | $16 code E8 | - |
| $25k | $194.93 | $132 code E8 | E8Markets |
| $50k | $281.08 | $202 code E8 | E8Markets |
| $100k | $453.39 | $342 code E8 | E8Markets |
What the fee buys, and what it takes back
Put differently, the difference is 0.5 more of the cheapest evaluation. The fee is also only the entry cost: at the headline split, AquaFunded has to make $217 of profit before the attempt has paid for itself, and $147 at E8Markets.
| Measure | AquaFunded | E8Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Fee for a $25k attempt | $194.93 | $132 code E8 |
| Fee per $1,000 of account | $7.80 | $5.28 |
| Profit needed to win the fee back at the headline split | $217 | $147 |
| Account destroyed on a bad day (drawdown in dollars) | $1,500 (6%) | $1,500 (6%) |
| Drawdown type | trailing | trailing |
Cost per $1,000, the break-even profit and the cost of 1% of drawdown are our arithmetic from each firm's published fee, split and limit; each drawdown figure is the firm's own percentage for the plan that fee buys, applied to a $25,000 balance.
Getting the money out
AquaFunded pays Crypto (BTC, ETH, USDC ERC20/TRC20) / Rise (bank transfer or crypto), E8Markets pays Rise Works / WorkMarket / Aeropay. Timing is not the same either: Bi-weekly, 24 business-hour guarantee against On-demand; E8 One first payout from day 3 of the performance stage, then any time; E8 Pro daily.
Worth checking against your own cash-flow: a fast rail that pays into an account you then have to move is not the same as one that lands where you spend it.
Where they actually differ
- Verification differs: AquaFunded publishes no KYC policy, E8Markets verifies identity before the account activates.
- Payout rails are not the same: AquaFunded pays Crypto (BTC, ETH, USDC ERC20/TRC20) / Rise (bank transfer or crypto), E8Markets pays Rise Works / WorkMarket / Aeropay.
- divide each fee by the limit that fee is tested against and AquaFunded costs $32.49 per point of drawdown, E8Markets $22.00: $194.93 over a 6% limit (1-Step Standard) against $132 with code E8 over a 6% limit (E8 One).
The decision rule
At $25k, if you routinely risk more than 8% of the account in a session, E8Markets is the one that ends the attempt, not AquaFunded. If the first attempt is a test rather than a plan, AquaFunded at $15 costs less to be wrong about. If identity documents are the sticking point, note that AquaFunded publishes no KYC policy and E8Markets verifies identity before the account activates.
Which one, and for whom
Choose AquaFunded if Traders who want a big choice of challenge formats, large per-account size and fast documented payouts, and who will trade crypto alongside FX.
Choose E8Markets if Traders who want a single-phase challenge at a low fee and intend to trade crypto perpetuals alongside forex, and who are comfortable with a Rise/WorkMarket payout account.
Both reviews carry the specific terms and the source pages: AquaFunded review and E8Markets review. If a figure here has changed since it was read, email research@cryptopropfirms.com and it will be re-checked against the firm's own page.