DEV Community: Tyler Francis

I Built a Side Project Selling Pine Script Strategies for Prop Traders

Tyler Francis — Fri, 29 May 2026 21:23:33 +0000

Started propfirmpinescripts.com a while back selling pine script strategies for futures prop firm traders. Figured I would share some of what worked and what has not.

The problem I was solving

I was actually trading on Apex myself and kept running into the same thing. Every pine script strategy I found online was not built for prop firm rules. Daily loss limits not enforced in code. No end of day flatten. Blew an evaluation partly because of it.

Figured other traders had the same problem. Coded the rules myself, then decided to sell the scripts.

What I built

Pre-built pine scripts for 4 instruments: GC (gold futures), MES (micro S&P), MNQ (micro Nasdaq), CL (crude oil). Each one has daily loss lock, EOD flatten, win lock coded in. You can configure the limits for different firms without touching the core logic.

Priced at $50 for a single script or $150 for all 4.

What actually moved conversions

Adding real payout screenshots. Like actual Apex payout certificates from traders who passed using the strategies. Before I did that — traffic but weak conversions. After — noticeably better.

Prop firm traders do not trust backtest results at all anymore. Too many people have gamed them. A real funded account payout is the only thing that actually means something to them.

Where things are at

Still early. Revenue is real but small. Building more SEO content, getting into prop firm communities, and eventually a subscription tier for updates when firms change their rules.

If you are a dev with trading knowledge this space is underbuilt.

Apex Trader Funding vs Topstep: Best Prop Firm for Algo Traders in 2025

Tyler Francis — Fri, 29 May 2026 21:23:31 +0000

I have tried a few prop firms at this point and the rules are genuinely different in ways that matter if you are running automated strategies. Here is my take after actually trading through evaluations on each.

The thing that changes everything: consistency rules

Apex Trader Funding has no consistency rule. I cannot overstate how much better this is for algo trading. Your system can have a huge trending day and it does not hurt you at all.

Topstep has a 30% rule. Your single best day cannot be more than 30% of your total evaluation profit. So if your algo catches a 200 tick CL move that represents 35% of your week profit, you are potentially failing even though you were profitable. This is not theoretical — it happened to me.

MyFundedFutures has no consistency rule, trailing drawdown of $2,200 on $50k. Good option.

FTMO has no consistency rule, 5% daily loss limit, good for automated strategies.

The instrument selection matters too

Apex has GC, CL, MES, MNQ, ES, NQ, M2K, ZB, ZN and more. Topstep is more limited — mainly the equity index micros. If you are running a gold or crude oil strategy you basically have to go with Apex or FTMO.

My recommendation

Apex if you are automating. Better rules, way more instruments, and the trailing drawdown model actually makes sense from a risk management perspective.

I sell pre-built scripts specifically for Apex at propfirmpinescripts.com — 4 strategies across GC, MES, MNQ, and CL with all the rules coded in. Tested on actual evaluations.

How to Build a Pine Script Strategy That Passes Prop Firm Evaluation

Tyler Francis — Fri, 29 May 2026 21:23:28 +0000

So I spent a while getting burned on prop firm evaluations before I figured this out. The issue was that my Pine Script was not built with prop firm rules in mind. Most scripts you find online are not. Here is what actually needs to be in your code.

Daily Loss Lock

This is the big one. Your script has to stop trading automatically if you hit the firm daily drawdown. Do not rely on yourself to close manually — you will miss it eventually.

On Apex that is $2,500 on a $50k account. Topstep is only $1,000. Code it in:

var float dayStart = na
if dayofweek != dayofweek[1] or na(dayStart)
    dayStart := strategy.equity
float dailyPnL = strategy.equity - dayStart
if dailyPnL <= -2500
    strategy.close_all("daily loss limit hit")

End of Day Flatten

Every prop firm requires you to be flat before session close. 3:55pm CT for CME futures.

if hour == 15 and minute >= 55 and strategy.position_size != 0
    strategy.close_all("EOD flatten")

Apex vs Topstep for algos

Apex has no consistency rule at all. Topstep caps your best single day at 30% of your total eval profit. If your algo has a great trending day it can actually hurt you on Topstep. I break this down at propfirmpinescripts.com.

Pre-built compliant scripts

If you want scripts that already have all this coded in, they are at propfirmpinescripts.com. The bundle includes 4 strategies for GC, MES, MNQ, and CL — all with EOD flatten, daily loss locks, and win locks built in.