This page covers the trading rules of Alpha Capital Group across every plan the firm offers: Alpha One (1-step), Alpha Pro 6%, 8% and 10% (2-step), Alpha Three (3-step), Alpha Swing (2-step, swing-focused) and Alpha Direct (instant-qualified). The information below comes exclusively from the firm's official help-centre pages, each checked on 2026-10-02.

The official pages used are: the Alpha One plan page, the Alpha Pro 8%/10% page, the Alpha Pro 6% page, the Alpha Three page, the Alpha Swing page, the Alpha Direct page, the daily risk limits page, the maximum total loss page, the Max Risk Rule page, the news trading page, the weekend hold page, the prohibited strategies page, the 2-minute average trade duration page, the copy trading page, the Qualified Analyst earnings page and the performance fee payout page.

Alpha Capital Group calls a funded trader a Qualified Analyst and calls a profit withdrawal a performance fee. Both terms are used throughout this page in line with the firm's own language.

Evaluation Plans at a Glance

Alpha Capital Group offers five evaluation routes and one instant-qualified account. The table below summarises the key targets and limits for each plan. Understanding how daily drawdown and max drawdown interact on prop firm accounts is essential before choosing a plan, because Alpha Capital Group measures each limit differently depending on the plan type.

PlanStepsPhase 1 TargetPhase 2 TargetPhase 3 TargetMax DrawdownMax Daily DrawdownMin Trading Days (per phase)
Alpha One 6%16%n/an/a4% trailing (high-water mark)3% eval / 4% Qualified (balance or equity, higher of)1
Alpha One 10%110%n/an/a6% trailing (high-water mark)4% (balance or equity, higher of)1
Alpha One 12%112%n/an/a8% trailing (high-water mark)5% (balance or equity, higher of)1
Alpha Pro 6%26%6%n/a6% static3% (balance or equity, higher of)3
Alpha Pro 8%28%5%n/a8% static4% balance-based3
Alpha Pro 10%210%5%n/a10% static5% balance-based3
Alpha Three38%4%4%6% static4% (balance or equity, higher of)3
Alpha Swing210%5%n/a10% static5% balance-based3
Alpha Direct0 (instant)n/an/an/a5% trailing (high-water mark)3% (balance or equity, higher of)n/a

How Drawdown Limits Are Measured

Maximum Drawdown: Static vs Trailing

The maximum total loss rules differ by plan type. For Alpha Pro (all variants), Alpha Swing and Alpha Three, the maximum drawdown is static: it is calculated once from the initial starting balance and never moves, even if the account grows. For illustration only: on a $100,000 Alpha Pro 10% account, the hard floor is always $90,000 regardless of whether the balance later reaches $120,000.

For Alpha One and Alpha Direct, the maximum drawdown is trailing, based on the high-water mark (the highest balance the account has ever reached). For illustration only: on a $100,000 Alpha One 10% account with a 6% trailing drawdown, the initial floor is $94,000. If the balance rises to $102,000, the floor moves up to $96,000. The trailing stops moving once the balance reaches $106,000, at which point the floor locks at the original $100,000 balance and cannot move further down.

Daily Drawdown: Balance-Based vs Balance-or-Equity

The daily risk limit article explains two calculation methods. The daily limit resets at 00:00 GMT+3 (the start of a new daily candle in broker time).

  • Balance-based (Alpha Pro 8%, Alpha Pro 10%, Alpha Swing): The daily loss limit is always a fixed percentage of the opening balance for that day, regardless of whether equity is higher or lower. Floating profits from the previous session do not raise the floor; a floating loss carried overnight does reduce the remaining room for that day.
  • Balance or equity, whichever is greater (Alpha Pro 6%, Alpha One all variants, Alpha Three, Alpha Direct): At 00:00 GMT+3 the system checks both the balance and the equity. The higher figure becomes the base for that day's limit. For illustration only: on a $100,000 Alpha One 10% account where equity stands at $101,000 at the candle open, the 4% limit is applied to $101,000, giving a floor of $96,960 for that session.

Regardless of which method applies, breaches are always triggered by the account's current equity (unrealised losses included). A breach causes all open trades to close and the account to terminate. Using the prop firm daily loss calculator can help you work out the exact equity floor for any session before you trade.

The Max Risk Rule and the Alpha Direct Risk Cap

The Max Risk Rule limits the open (unrealised) loss a Qualified Analyst can carry on any single asset at any one time. It applies to Qualified Analyst accounts purchased after 21 July 2026; accounts acquired before that date are not subject to it. The limits by account size are:

  • $5,000 and $10,000 and $25,000: 3% of account size per asset
  • $50,000, $100,000 and $200,000: 2% of account size per asset
  • Alpha Direct, all sizes: 1% of account size per asset

Each instrument is tracked separately. If multiple losing positions are open on the same asset, their losses are combined and measured against the threshold. Profitable positions on the same asset do not offset the losing positions. A 10-minute cool-down rule also applies: if a trade on an asset is closed and a new trade on the same asset in the same direction is opened within 10 minutes, the losses from both trades are combined toward the threshold. The first asset to breach its limit triggers the closure of the entire account, including all other open positions.

For Alpha Direct specifically, the Max Risk Rule applies from the very first trade because there is no evaluation stage. For all other plans it applies only at the Qualified Analyst stage.

Time-Based and Consistency Rules

2-Minute Average Trade Duration

The 2-minute average trade duration rule applies to all accounts. The average duration of all trades must exceed 2 minutes. Beyond the average, at least 50% of gross generated profits (profits above the initial balance on Qualified Analyst accounts, or total targeted profits during evaluations) must come from trades lasting longer than 2 minutes. If the profit contribution from sub-2-minute trades exceeds 50% of that amount, the rule is breached. A breach during evaluation requires restarting from Phase 1; a breach at the Qualified Analyst stage results in all profits being removed and the account being reset to its initial balance.

News Trading Rules

Understanding how news trading rules work at prop firms is critical because the consequences at Alpha Capital Group differ by plan and by account stage.

During evaluation phases on all plans, trading during news releases is unrestricted. Once a trader becomes a Qualified Analyst, the rules change as follows, per the news trading page:

  • Alpha Pro (all), Alpha One, Alpha Three, Alpha Direct: No new trade may be opened, and no existing trade may be closed, on the targeted instrument within 5 minutes before or 5 minutes after the listed news release. Holding a trade through the window is permitted only if the trade was opened more than 5 minutes before the restricted event. A Stop Gain or Take Profit triggered during the window counts as a violation (a soft breach: profits from that trade are removed but the account stays active).
  • Alpha Swing (Qualified and evaluation): News trading is allowed, but if a trade is opened within 2 minutes before or up to 2 minutes after a release (a 4-minute window), the trade must remain open for more than 2 minutes to be valid.

The affected instruments and news types are listed on the news trading page and cover a wide range of macroeconomic releases including CPI, interest rate decisions, NFP, GDP, PMI and many others across USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, NZD, CHF, JPY and related instruments.

Weekend Hold Rules

Per the weekend hold page:

  • Alpha Pro: Weekend holds are allowed during Phases 1 and 2. On a Qualified Analyst Pro account, weekend holds are not allowed. Doing so results in a soft breach: profits from those trades are removed, though the account remains active provided the updated balance does not breach the maximum drawdown.
  • Alpha One, Alpha Three, Alpha Swing: Weekend holds are allowed at all stages, including the Qualified Analyst stage.
  • Alpha Direct: Weekend holds are not allowed.

Lot Exposure Limits and Leverage

Each plan has a maximum lot exposure per account size. Accurate lot sizing for prop firm accounts is essential because Alpha Capital Group enforces the limit at the withdrawal review stage, with escalating consequences. Using the prop firm lot size calculator can help verify position sizes before placing a trade.

The lot limits for most plans (Alpha Pro all variants, Alpha One, Alpha Three) follow the same scale: $5k = 2.5 lots, $10k = 5 lots, $25k = 10 lots, $50k = 20 lots, $100k = 40 lots, $200k = 80 lots, $300k = 120 lots. Alpha Swing uses half those limits at each size. Alpha Direct has its own scale starting at $2,500 = 1.25 lots up to $200k = 80 lots.

Violations are assessed per position, not per trade idea. On a first violation, the performance fee earned through the oversized positions is not eligible for withdrawal. On a second violation, the entire performance fee is forfeited and the Qualified Analyst account is deactivated. A sequence of open trades can generate multiple violation counts simultaneously.

Leverage varies by plan. Alpha Pro plans offer up to 1:100 on FX. Alpha Three offers up to 1:50 on FX. Alpha One, Alpha Swing and Alpha Direct offer up to 1:30 on FX. All plans have lower leverage on metals, indices and oil as specified on each plan's page.

Prohibited Strategies, Copy Trading and Account Access

The prohibited strategies page lists the following as not permitted: exploiting unrealistic prices or mispricing, front-running price feeds, latency trading, arbitrage trading, high-frequency trading, reverse trading or group hedging, position spamming, and group trading or signal following. Account management services are not permitted: all accounts and trades must be handled by the named trader only.

Position spamming means intentionally splitting the intended exposure for a single trade idea across multiple separate positions within a short period. The page gives an example: an intended 3-lot position opened as three 1-lot positions, each within 60 seconds of the previous one, is not permitted, where one 3-lot trade or two 1.5-lot trades would be. The page adds that the rule is not meant to stop traders from scaling into positions.

On copy trading: copying trades from other traders or groups is prohibited and constitutes group trading. A trader may copy from their own external account acting as the Master, provided they submit proof of ownership (account number, investor password and server) to Alpha Capital Group before copying begins. Copy trading between two Alpha Capital Group accounts is also permitted with prior notification. Only one Master account may be active at any time. Copy trading on or from cTrader, DX Trade and TradeLocker is not currently possible. Expert Advisors (EAs) are disabled entirely on Alpha Direct accounts.

A prop firm consistency rule also applies to Alpha Direct: the 15% Best Day Rule states that no single trading day should contribute more than 15% of total generated profits before a performance fee is requested.

Performance Fees: How Qualified Analysts Are Paid

Once a trader passes the evaluation (or purchases Alpha Direct), they become a Qualified Analyst and are eligible to receive a performance fee, which is the firm's term for a profit withdrawal. Per the Qualified Analyst earnings page, the standard performance fee is 80% of profits. An optional 90% Profit Split add-on is available at the point of purchase. Alpha Direct carries a fixed 90% profit split.

Per the performance fee payout page, two payout methods are available: bi-weekly and on-demand. Alpha Swing and Alpha Direct accounts are available with the on-demand payout type only. All trades must be closed before a payout request is submitted. Requests are processed within 2 business days. Payment methods include Rise, Wise, bank transfer (WIRE, ACH or SWIFT) and cryptocurrency (cryptocurrency withdrawals are processed through Rise, a third-party payment provider, rather than directly).

For Alpha Direct specifically, before the first on-demand performance fee can be requested, a 3% profit buffer must be built and maintained in the account. The minimum additional withdrawal above that buffer is 1% of gross profits. The 15% Best Day Rule also applies to Alpha Direct: the best single trading day must not represent more than 15% of total profits at the time of the request. Identity verification (KYC via Veriff) is required on Alpha Direct before the first payout if the trader has not previously verified identity with the firm.

The maximum total allocation across all five plans (Pro, Swing, One, Three and Direct) is $400,000. Alpha Direct accounts cannot be merged or scaled. Alpha One plans are available up to $200,000, except the One 12% plan, which is available up to $100,000.

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Official Sources

Rules verified on October 2, 2026 against Alpha Capital Group's official pages below. Rules change: the firm's own pages always prevail. The rules of other firms are in our prop firm rules hub.

Disclaimer: Fast Funded is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any prop firm mentioned in this article. Rules and conditions change: always verify current terms on the firm's official website.