What Is ProjectX and Which Prop Firms Use It?
ProjectX is a trading platform and API layer licensed by futures prop firms, not a firm itself. Learn which firms still use it after the 2026 changes.
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ProjectX is a trading platform and API layer that futures prop firms license, not a prop firm itself. If you have searched "what is ProjectX prop firms" hoping to sign up directly, you cannot. You join a firm that runs on the ProjectX infrastructure, and then ProjectX becomes the technology underneath your account.
That distinction matters more than ever after 2025, when ProjectX announced it was winding down third-party support for most of its prop firm partners. The lineup of firms using the platform changed sharply, and traders who had built automation on top of the API needed to understand what changed and what did not.
This article explains what ProjectX is, which firms still use it, what the platform supports technically, and what to do if your firm moved off it.
ProjectX Is Not a Prop Firm
Platform vs. Firm vs. Broker
ProjectX is the trading dashboard, API, and order routing infrastructure that prop firms layer their account rules on top of. The prop firm sets the rules, runs the evaluation or funded account, and handles payouts. ProjectX provides the execution technology underneath. Traders interact with ProjectX tools every day but sign contracts with the firm, not with ProjectX.
Think of it like the difference between a restaurant's point-of-sale system and the restaurant itself. The software processes the order; the restaurant decides the menu, pricing, and staff.
What ProjectX Actually Provides
ProjectX provides a trading dashboard, API access, and order routing infrastructure. The programmatic interface for third-party tools is the ProjectX Gateway API, which is how external platforms connect to accounts at firms running on the platform.1 ProjectX is headquartered at 2121 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33137, and operates as ProjectX Trading, LLC.2
Why You Pick a Firm Inside ProjectX
One API, Multiple Firms
Because multiple prop firms shared the same ProjectX API layer, a single integration could reach accounts at different firms without rebuilding the connection from scratch. When connecting via the ProjectX Gateway API, you select which trading platform your account belongs to, and that selection determines which firm's infrastructure you are reaching.
As of September 2026, the ProjectX Gateway API documentation platform picker lists exactly two options: TopstepX and The Futures Desk.1
How TradersPost Routes Through ProjectX
TradersPost connects to ProjectX accounts using the ProjectX Gateway API. When you set up the connection, you pick your firm from the platform list, which as of September 2026 shows TopstepX and The Futures Desk. The ProjectX connection in TradersPost supports futures as the asset class, with order types including market, limit, stop, and trailing stop.
If you are ready to connect a ProjectX-powered account, set up your broker connection in TradersPost and select your firm from the platform dropdown during the setup flow.
What Changed in 2026
The November 2025 Announcement
In November 2025, ProjectX notified partner firms that it would wind down third-party service for most partners.3 The notice stated: "Shifts in operational demands and upcoming compliance reporting, oversight, and audit requirements have made continuing third-party support no longer sustainable."4
Multiple prop firms confirmed they received the discontinuation notice, including Top One Futures, Lucid Trading, Tradify, and Blue Guardian Futures.3 The CEO of Lucid Trading posted on Discord that ProjectX had scheduled a meeting "to announce their intent to discontinue support for all third-party firms" and that the platform "will be moving exclusively to TopStep."3
The February 28, 2026 Cutoff
ProjectX committed to supporting third-party prop firm partners through February 28, 2026, giving firms a transition window.2 After that date, firms that had built on ProjectX needed to migrate their traders to alternative platforms. Top One Futures noted that the timeline provided more than enough room to manage the transition cleanly and without disruption.3
Topstep's Exclusive Position
Multiple industry sources reported that ProjectX would move exclusively to Topstep after ending third-party partnerships.4 The ProjectX homepage now directs traders who wish to continue using the platform to visit topstep.com/topstepx to get started.2 Top One Futures described the move as unexpected for "every firm in the industry."3
Which Firms Use ProjectX Now
The Current Platform List
As of September 2026, the ProjectX Gateway API documentation lists exactly two platforms: TopstepX and The Futures Desk.1 Firms that previously used ProjectX, including One Top Futures, Trading Lucid, Tradify, Blue Guardian Futures, and Tick Tok Trader, are no longer listed.3
Verify With Your Own Firm
Prop firm platform lineups change frequently, and any published list can become outdated between updates. If you are evaluating a firm and want to know whether it runs on ProjectX, check the firm's own support documentation or contact their team directly. Relying on a third-party list, including this article, introduces the risk of acting on stale information.
How to Tell If Your Account Runs on ProjectX
Check Your Firm's Platform Docs
Firms running on ProjectX typically direct traders to create a ProjectX Dashboard account at dashboard.projectx.com as part of onboarding.5 If your firm's setup guide asks you to register there and subscribe to API access, your account runs on ProjectX. Topstep's help documentation states explicitly that TopstepX API Access "is powered by ProjectX."5
The API Subscription Step
Traders using the API with a ProjectX-powered firm must complete four steps: create a ProjectX Dashboard account, subscribe to API Access, link that subscription to their firm account, and generate an API key.5 The API Access subscription is billed separately from the firm's evaluation or funded account fee. For TopstepX, the subscription is $29 per month, with a 50% discount available using promo code topstep, bringing the monthly cost to $14.50 with no stated end date.5
One detail catches many traders off guard: billing for API Access appears as Sim2Funded Solutions on bank statements, not as ProjectX or the prop firm name.5
What ProjectX Gives You and What It Does Not
Supported Order Types and Asset Classes
The ProjectX connection supports futures as its asset class. It does not support stocks, options, or crypto through the API. Supported order types are market, limit, stop, and trailing stop. Stop-limit orders are not supported. Day is the supported time-in-force for orders; GTC and other time-in-force options are not available through the ProjectX connection.
Known Limitations
The ProjectX connection does not send bracket orders, so automated take-profit and stop-loss legs cannot be attached directly to entry orders through it. Risk parameters such as daily loss limits are typically set inside the prop firm's own risk settings rather than through the API itself. Confirm with your specific firm what risk controls are available at the account level.
VPS and Automation Restrictions
Topstep explicitly prohibits order execution originating from VPS, VPNs, or remote servers.5 Historical data storage, backtesting, and read-only analytics on a private server are permitted. Placing, modifying, or canceling orders from a server is not.5 Violation of this restriction can result in account suspension or removal from the program.5 Check your specific firm's terms, as each firm sets its own rules.
ProjectX vs. Other Prop Firm Platforms
The Broader Prop Tech Landscape
Platform disruptions are not new to the prop firm world. MetaQuotes restricted MetaTrader access for US-based prop firm traders in early 2024, forcing many firms off that platform overnight.3 FTMO is cited as the only prop firm offering MetaTrader 5 in the US, made possible through a partnership with OANDA.3 The ProjectX wind-down follows this same pattern of platform providers exiting or restricting the prop firm market.
Tradovate as an Alternative Path
For futures prop firm traders whose firm moved off ProjectX, Tradovate is another platform used for prop firm connections. The choice of underlying platform is usually determined by which firm a trader selects, not by the trader directly. TradersPost supports both ProjectX and Tradovate for futures prop firm connections, so traders whose firm migrated off ProjectX may find their new platform is already supported without rebuilding their automation from scratch.
If Your Firm Moved Off ProjectX
What to Do First
- Contact your firm's support team to confirm which platform they migrated to and whether API access is available on the new platform.
- If your firm migrated to a platform with a different API, set up a new broker connection and re-link any automated strategies.
- Cancel any ProjectX API Access subscription you are no longer using to avoid continued billing.
Rebuilding Automation After Migration
Automated strategies connected through webhooks are broker-agnostic at the signal level. The webhook payload fields, including ticker, action, quantity, and orderType, remain the same regardless of which platform executes the order. The primary change when migrating is pointing your strategy subscription at the new broker connection, not rewriting your alert logic or Pine Script code. Test any rebuilt connection using a practice account before routing live orders.
Bottom Line
- ProjectX is a trading platform and API layer licensed by prop firms, not a firm you can sign up with directly.
- As of September 2026, only two firms appear in the ProjectX Gateway API documentation: TopstepX and The Futures Desk.
- ProjectX ended third-party support for most partners on February 28, 2026, after announcing the change in November 2025.
- API Access for TopstepX costs $29 per month billed separately, and billing appears as Sim2Funded Solutions on bank statements.
- If your firm migrated off ProjectX, your webhook payloads do not need to be rewritten; only the broker connection needs to be updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ProjectX a prop firm I can sign up with?
No. ProjectX is a trading platform and API provider that prop firms license. You cannot open a funded or evaluation account directly with ProjectX. To trade through ProjectX, you sign up with a prop firm that runs on the platform, such as Topstep or The Futures Desk, and then create a ProjectX Dashboard account as part of that firm's onboarding.5
Which firms still use ProjectX after 2026?
As of September 2026, the ProjectX Gateway API documentation lists TopstepX and The Futures Desk as the two supported platforms.1 Firms including One Top Futures, Trading Lucid, Tradify, and Blue Guardian Futures are no longer listed after ProjectX wound down third-party support on February 28, 2026.3 Always verify with your specific firm, as platform lineups change and any published list can become outdated.
Why did ProjectX stop supporting most prop firms?
ProjectX cited shifts in operational demands and upcoming compliance reporting, oversight, and audit requirements as making third-party support no longer sustainable.4 The platform transitioned to an exclusive arrangement with Topstep, and its homepage now directs traders to topstep.com/topstepx.2
Do I pay extra for ProjectX API access?
Yes. API access is billed separately from your prop firm subscription. For TopstepX, the ProjectX API Access subscription is $29 per month. Topstep traders can apply promo code topstep for 50%, bringing the cost to $14.50 per month with no stated end date. Billing appears as Sim2Funded Solutions on bank statements.5
Can I run automated strategies through ProjectX?
Yes, custom automated strategies are allowed through the ProjectX API, subject to each firm's platform rules and prohibitions on high-frequency trading.5 Topstep prohibits order execution originating from VPS, VPNs, or remote servers, so all order flow must originate from your personal device.5 All trading activity remains subject to the prop firm's trading guidelines regardless of whether orders are placed manually or through automation.5
References
1 ProjectX Gateway API Documentation
2 ProjectX Trading, LLC
3 Prop Firms Report: Futures Tech Provider ProjectX to End Its "Third-Party Service Offering" - Finance Magnates via TradingView
4 ProjectX Going Exclusive with Topstep, Pulling Plug on All Other Partners - Prop Traders Weekly
5 TopstepX API Access - Topstep Help Center
