What is the best prop firm?
There is no single answer, which is why this page ranks rather than crowns. The firm at the top of the list scores best across trader ratings and years operating, but a firm is only right for you if its rules survive the way you actually trade. A trader who holds through the weekend and a trader who scalps the open are ruled out by completely different clauses, so read the rules on the firm page before the position in the table.
How do you rank prop firms?
On signals we can check, weighted and published. A firm has to have been read before it scores at all, and a firm we have not verified sits unranked rather than at zero, because unchecked is not the same as bad. Anything we cannot source is left blank instead of estimated. The full method, including the weight on each signal, is on the how we rank page.
What are hidden prop firm rules?
Terms that are not on the pricing page but decide whether you keep a funded account. News windows, consistency requirements, how the drawdown is measured, limits on expert advisors, minimum trading days and re-entry limits are the common ones. We read them out of each firm’s own terms, quote them, link the page and date the check, because this is the part of the decision firms compete on least.
Which prop firm actually pays out?
We answer this by counting rather than asking. Payout totals on this site are read directly off the blockchain the payout rails settle on, tied to the firm that sent them, and every figure opens as its transaction. That is a floor on what a firm has paid rather than a complete record, and it is the one number in this industry nobody can write a press release about.
How much does a prop firm challenge cost?
Entry prices on this site run from under fifty dollars to several hundred, and the spread is mostly account size rather than quality. A cheap challenge on a small account with a tight trailing drawdown is not cheaper than a dearer one you can survive. Where a firm bills in euros or pounds we convert before comparing, because ranking a 79 euro challenge against a 29 dollar one as though both were dollars is simply a wrong number.
Are prop firms regulated?
Mostly not, in the way a broker is. Most firms sell an evaluation on a simulated account, which does not require a licence in most places, so there is usually no regulator to complain to and no compensation scheme behind your balance. Some firms have a licensed brokerage in the group, which is a real difference and is worth checking rather than assuming.
Can I use a prop firm from my country?
Not always. Firms turn away traders from particular countries for sanctions, licensing or payment reasons, and they rarely put it anywhere near the checkout. We keep the restriction list per firm and per country, taken from what each firm publishes. Check yours before you pay, because a country restriction is usually found at the payout stage rather than at signup.
What is the difference between a one step and a two step challenge?
A two step evaluation has a verification phase after the first target. A one step removes it, which is shorter but not automatically easier: firms generally price the missing phase back in through a tighter drawdown, a higher target or a consistency rule. Compare what the rules ask of you rather than counting the phases.
Do you get paid by the firms you rank?
Some links on this site earn a commission. That pays for the research and it does not buy a position, a score or a blank left blank. Rankings come from the published method and nothing else, and a firm cannot pay to have a hidden rule removed from its page. How the site makes money is set out in full on the about page.
How often is this data checked?
Every rule we publish carries the date we read it and a link to the page we read it on, so you can see how fresh it is rather than trusting that it is. Rules change without announcement in this industry, which is why we keep a public log of the changes we catch rather than quietly editing the old figure.
MT4
MT5
cTrader
Match Trader
Tradovate
NinjaTrader
TradingViewMT4, MT5, cTrader, Match Trader, Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView
