Alpha Direct is Alpha Capital Group’s Instant-Qualified account. There is no evaluation target to pass, but the account is governed by several connected controls from the first trade: a 5% trailing maximum drawdown, 3% daily drawdown, 1% maximum open risk per asset, lot-exposure limits, a 3% payout buffer and a 15% best-day rule.
This guide reflects the official Alpha Direct help article checked on 4 September 2026. The account agreement and dashboard remain controlling if terms change. For the broader company assessment, read the Alpha Capital review on Prop Firm Audit.
Alpha Direct rules at a glance
| Rule | Current published term |
|---|---|
| Account type | Instant-Qualified; no evaluation phase |
| Profit target | None |
| Daily drawdown | 3% based on the higher of end-of-day balance or equity |
| Maximum drawdown | 5% trailing from the high-water mark, then locks at starting balance |
| Maximum open risk | 1% per asset |
| Same-asset cool-down | Losses can combine when reopening the same direction within 10 minutes |
| Profit split | 90% |
| First payout requirement | Build and retain a 3% profit buffer |
| Minimum request | 1% of gross starting balance above the buffer |
| Best-day rule | 15% |
| News trading | No execution on targeted instruments from five minutes before to five minutes after listed events |
| Weekend holding | Not allowed |
| Expert Advisors | Disabled |
| Maximum total allocation | $400,000 shared across Alpha plan families |
| Scaling or merging | Direct accounts cannot be merged or scaled |
The rules are concentrated around payout eligibility and open-position risk. Skipping evaluation does not reduce the need for preparation; it removes the period in which a trader might otherwise learn the rules before reaching the qualified stage.
No evaluation target—but immediate qualified rules
The official Alpha Direct article states that the account is qualified from purchase. There is no Phase 1 or Phase 2 profit target.
This changes the objective. Instead of racing toward an evaluation target, the trader must build enough profit to satisfy the buffer, minimum request and best-day calculation without breaching the loss limits.
The Max Risk Rule applies from the very first trade. A method that would be acceptable during another Alpha evaluation may not fit Direct’s 1% per-asset ceiling.
How the 5% trailing drawdown works
Alpha Direct uses a 5% maximum drawdown trailing from the high-water mark, which Alpha Capital defines as the highest account balance achieved.
On a $100,000 account:
- Initial maximum-loss threshold: $95,000
- High-water mark rises to $102,000
- Threshold rises to $97,000
- High-water mark reaches $105,000
- Threshold reaches $100,000 and locks
Once locked at initial balance, the maximum-loss line does not continue rising. Until then, profitable closed balance lifts the floor and reduces the amount of accumulated profit that can later be given back.
A high-water-mark model is different from a static floor. Closing a large winner can immediately change future risk room. Traders should record the dashboard threshold after every new balance high.
Floating equity can still breach the existing line even if an unrealized profit did not create the high-water mark. The safe comparison is always current equity versus the dashboard floor.
The 3% daily drawdown
Alpha Direct’s daily limit is 3%, calculated over the higher of the end-of-day balance or equity. This matters when a trade is held through rollover.
Suppose a $100,000 account closes the day with a $101,000 balance but has $103,000 equity because of an open winner. The higher $103,000 reference can determine the next daily threshold. If the position retraces, the account may consume daily room faster than a balance-only calculation suggests.
The daily limit and maximum floor operate simultaneously. Early in a $100,000 account, the 3% daily rule may stop equity near $97,000 even though the 5% maximum line is $95,000. After the trailing floor rises, the maximum line can become the tighter rule.
Use a personal daily stop well below 3%. A 0.75% to 1% cap leaves room for spread widening, slippage, commissions and multiple correlated positions.
The 1% Max Risk Rule per asset
Alpha Direct limits open drawdown to 1% per asset. This is measured using floating or unrealized loss for each instrument.
Multiple positions on the same asset are combined. If a trader has three XAU/USD positions, their cumulative open drawdown is treated as one gold exposure. Reaching the 1% threshold on any single asset closes the account and all open trades.
On a $100,000 account, 1% equals $1,000. A trader should not use $1,000 as the planned stop because execution costs or slippage can take the account to the threshold. Set the strategy stop inside the limit.
The rule is per asset, not per trade ticket. Splitting one large idea into several positions does not create multiple 1% allowances.
The 10-minute cool-down rule
Losses can remain connected when the trader closes a position and quickly reopens the same asset in the same direction.
Alpha Capital’s example uses a $100,000 account. A trader closes XAU/USD at a 0.5% loss and reopens a same-direction gold trade within 10 minutes. If the new position loses another 0.5%, the combined 1% reaches the Max Risk threshold and breaches the account.
The cool-down prevents traders from resetting the risk counter by repeatedly closing and reopening the same idea. After a loss, record the closure time and wait beyond the current rule window before considering a same-direction re-entry.
A reverse-direction trade or different instrument may be treated differently, but traders should not use order sequencing to bypass the intent of the rule.
Lot-exposure limits
Alpha Direct publishes maximum lot exposure by account size:
| Account size | Maximum lot exposure |
|---|---|
| $2,500 | 1.25 lots |
| $5,000 | 2.5 lots |
| $10,000 | 5 lots |
| $25,000 | 10 lots |
| $50,000 | 20 lots |
| $100,000 | 40 lots |
| $200,000 | 80 lots |
The firm says limits are assessed per position. If the account allows 10 lots, holding an 11-lot position and then adding another position can create multiple violations rather than one trade-idea breach.
On a first violation, performance generated through excess lots may be excluded from withdrawal. A second violation can forfeit the performance fee and deactivate the account under the published process.
Leverage is listed as 1:30 for FX, 1:9 for metals, 1:10 for indices and 1:10 for oil. Available margin does not override the lot or 1% per-asset rules.
The 3% profit buffer
Before requesting the first on-demand payout, the trader must build a 3% profit buffer and leave it in the account.
On a $100,000 account, the required buffer is $3,000. Profit above that amount can become requestable, subject to a minimum request equal to 1% of gross starting balance. In this example, that minimum is another $1,000.
The account would therefore need at least $4,000 total profit before a $1,000 request can meet the basic buffer and minimum figures. The trader receives 90% of an approved $1,000 request, or $900, while the $3,000 buffer remains.
The buffer protects the account after withdrawal. Because the trailing maximum line can lock at starting balance, removing all profit would otherwise leave little or no usable drawdown room.
The 15% best-day rule
Alpha Direct also requires that no single trading day contribute more than 15% of total generated profit when payout eligibility is checked.
Use this formula:
Best day ÷ total generated profit ≤ 15%
If the best day is $600, the required total profit is $4,000:
$600 ÷ $4,000 = 15%
Another method is to multiply the best day by approximately 6.67. A $900 best day would require about $6,003 in total generated profit before the ratio falls to 15%.
The best-day rule should be planned alongside the 3% buffer. On a $100,000 account with $4,000 total profit, the best day must be $600 or less. A $1,500 best day would require $10,000 total profit even though the buffer and minimum request were already met.
A large winning day does not necessarily breach the account, but it can delay payout eligibility until enough profit is generated on other days.
On-demand payout and 90% split
Alpha Direct’s current terms list a 90% profit split and on-demand requests once all conditions are satisfied.
“On-demand” refers to the absence of a fixed waiting cycle after eligibility, not unconditional access to every displayed dollar. The trader must satisfy:
- The retained 3% buffer
- The 1% minimum gross request
- The 15% best-day rule
- Daily, maximum, lot and per-asset risk rules
- Identity verification
- Account-conduct review
For the first request, KYC is completed when the trader becomes eligible unless identity has already been verified. A payout cannot be requested until verification succeeds.
News trading restrictions
Alpha Direct permits trading around major news only outside a restricted execution window. The current rule prohibits opening a new trade or closing an existing trade on the targeted instrument from five minutes before until five minutes after the listed release.
This includes manual closures and can affect stop-loss or take-profit execution depending on the firm’s targeted-instrument policy. Traders should check the official news list and flatten or protect positions well before the window if their strategy cannot tolerate the restriction.
A position may remain open through some events, but executing during the restricted window can create a violation. “News trading allowed” would therefore be an inaccurate summary for Direct.
Weekend holding, EAs and scaling
Weekend holding is not allowed. Positions should be closed before the relevant market cutoff, with enough time for execution.
Expert Advisors are disabled on Alpha Direct. Traders who require automated entry, management or exit should choose a compatible Alpha evaluation instead of assuming general company permissions apply to Direct.
Direct accounts cannot be merged or scaled. Alpha Capital states that the maximum allocation is $400,000 shared across Pro, Swing, One, Three and Direct. Holding other Alpha accounts can therefore reduce the remaining Direct allocation.
Who is Alpha Direct best for?
Alpha Direct may suit traders who:
- Want to skip an evaluation.
- Use manual strategies.
- Risk substantially less than 1% on each asset.
- Produce profit across several days rather than one oversized day.
- Can retain a permanent 3% payout buffer.
- Close all positions before weekends.
- Can avoid restricted news execution windows.
It is less suitable for EA-dependent traders, weekend swing traders, systems with concentrated daily returns or strategies that regularly exceed 1% open drawdown before recovering.
Practical payout plan
First, target the buffer separately from withdrawable profit. Treat the initial 3% as account protection, not income.
Second, cap the best day. If the desired first total is 4%, keep every day at or below 0.6% so the 15% ratio is naturally satisfied.
Third, risk below the 1% asset threshold. A planned maximum open loss of 0.5% to 0.7% leaves room for slippage.
Fourth, track the high-water mark after each closed gain. Recalculate the trailing floor and post-payout cushion.
Finally, audit lot exposure and same-direction re-entries. The 10-minute aggregation rule can turn two individually small losses into an account-ending combined breach.
Conclusion
Alpha Direct provides immediate qualified access and a 90% split, but its rules reward controlled, distributed returns. Traders must manage a 5% trailing floor, 3% daily limit and 1% open risk per asset while building a 3% permanent buffer and satisfying a 15% best-day ratio.
The most suitable strategy is manual, low-risk and consistent across multiple days. Before the first trade, calculate the dollar values for all five thresholds: daily loss, maximum loss, per-asset risk, retained buffer and best-day ceiling.