Top prop trading firms compared

About Top prop trading firms compared

A prop trading firm lets you trade a simulated account on its own platform and keep a share of the profit, and this ranking covers 30 of them, ordered on what a retail trader in the UK and Europe actually ends up with. Three things decide that: what the account costs to buy, how much loss you are allowed before it closes, and how fast money comes back out. The trade-off runs through all of them. Firms that hand over a wider drawdown allowance and a higher profit split tend to charge more at the entry point or sit on a slower payout cycle, while the cheapest doors usually come with the tightest rules and the fewest ways to reach a human. The legal entity behind the brand matters as well, because a simulated account is not a deposit and the provider's own trading history is the only record you can read. Median figures across the group sit at €51.74 for a challenge, 8% for max drawdown and 90% for profit split. Retail accounts across the wider market lose money at a median rate of 70.15%, which is reason enough to read the objectives before you buy.

How we picked

The ranking is scored on three weights. Trust carries 40%, cost carries 35% and offer carries 25%, and those weights are applied to all 30 firms listed. Trust reads the legal entity named behind each brand, the year it was founded and the country it operates from, alongside how clearly the account rules are written. Cost reads the published challenge fee, the range of account sizes on offer and the profit split attached to them. Offer reads the steps in the account, the max drawdown and daily loss limit, and the payout cadence. Every figure comes from the provider's own published material: product pages, terms and conditions pages, about pages, help centres and regulatory disclosure pages. Wording is compared across those pages rather than marketing summaries, and where a provider lists several account types the figure that applies to the standard challenge is the one used. Partners are always listed first; this ranking contains 0 partners, so the order here runs on score alone. A label appears only where a brand leads on that single measure, and the labels come from the data rather than being assigned by hand.

Our top picks

1. 4. Instant Funding

   Instant Funding sits in this ranking as a fast route to a funded account: a single instant account rather than staged phases, sizes across $625 to $4,000,000 (USD and ZAR), a 80% to 90% split and payouts on a cadence of First payout 14 days after first trade, then every 7 days. Support runs on email, chat and help centre, and the company behind it is IF Pro Ltd, trading as Instant Funding, with Acello Ltd named as payment agent. The trade-off is the risk allowance: a max drawdown of 10% against the 10% at FTMO above, which is a wider cushion to breach before the account closes. Kraken, ranked next, applies the tightest daily loss limit in the list at 3%.

   • Profit split: 80% to 90%
   • Maximum drawdown: 10%
   • Evaluation steps: Instant

   Pros

   • The steps are listed as instant, so there is no staged evaluation to sit through before a funded account starts.
   • Payouts run on a published rhythm, First payout 14 days after first trade, then every 7 days, rather than a discretionary request.
   • Account sizes are listed as $625 to $4,000,000 (USD and ZAR), so the same rules cover a small starting balance and the larger end of the range.
   • The 10% drawdown limit ranks position 2 of 8 among the brands compared here.

   Cons

   • The 80% to 90% split leaves less of each payout than Funding Pips and Apex Trader Funding, which pay 100% and 100%.
   • The 10% limit is the loose end of the range Alpha Capital Group offers, which runs 4% to 10%.
   • Support runs on email, chat and help centre, with no phone line listed for account problems.

2. 5. Ftmo

   FTMO ranks in this ranking on the shape of the offer: the widest account ladder here at $10,000 / $25,000 / $50,000 / $100,000 / $200,000, a max drawdown of 10%, a profit split of 80% to 90% and support on email, chat and phone, the only desk in the list combining email, chat, phone, a help centre and a community. The account runs as 2 step. The trade-off is the wait at the other end: a reward claim can only be made after a waiting period counted from your opening trade, and payment follows approval of your invoice, so a good month is not paid out the same day. Instant Funding, ranked next, works as an instant account and pays on a cadence of First payout 14 days after first trade, then every 7 days.

   • Profit split: 80% to 90%
   • Maximum drawdown: 10%
   • Evaluation steps: 2 step

   Pros

   • Trading limits are published in plain form: a 10% maximum drawdown and a 3% to 5% daily loss limit, both easy to check against your own risk plan.
   • The drawdown limit stays at 10% across the evaluation, while Alpha Capital Group works with limits of 4% to 10%.
   • Account sizes of $10,000 / $25,000 / $50,000 / $100,000 / $200,000 let a trader scale the account to the capital they actually have.
   • Support covers email, chat and phone, with phone and chat sitting alongside email and a help centre.

   Cons

   • The profit split of 80% to 90% leaves a share of each payout with the firm, where Funding Pips and Apex Trader Funding list 100% and 100%.
   • The daily loss limit of 3% to 5% and the 10% maximum drawdown are both hard, so a weak session can end an evaluation on a larger size than planned.
   • A reward claim only opens after a waiting period counted from the first trade, and payment waits on invoice approval, so the first payout takes patience.

3. 6. OANDA

   OANDA earns its place in this ranking on longevity rather than on a stated trading objective. It has been trading since 1996, longer than any other firm in the list, and it operates through OANDA TMS Brokers S.A. in US, which is a track record the newer challenge sellers cannot show. For readers who put weight on how long a company has been standing, that record carries weight of its own. The trade-off is support: OANDA runs on email and phone, so live chat, a help centre and a community sit with the firms ranked around it rather than here. OFP Funding, ranked next, covers email, chat and a community around an instant account instead.

   • Minimum deposit: $0
   • Markets: Stocks, ETFs, Forex, and 3 more
   • Regulators: FCA, CFTC

   Pros

   • No minimum deposit: $0 means the account opens without putting money in first, and OANDA sits at the top of our minimum deposit ranking, ahead of Vantage and its $5.
   • Regulated in Britain and the US: FCA and CFTC covers an FCA licence 542574 and a CFTC registration 0325821.
   • UK balances sit under protection of FSCS up to GBP 85,000, which pays compensation if the firm cannot return the money.
   • Wider than CFI on the fixed income side: OANDA covers stocks, etfs and forex while CFI lists stocks, etfs and forex.
   • A demo account and a mobile app appear in demo account and mobile app, so the platform can be tried before any funding.

   Cons

   • Support runs on email and phone only, which leaves anyone wanting a live chat desk looking at other brokers.
   • A retail loss rate of 72% is no better than the site figure of 70.15%, so the risk sits at the sector norm.
   • Retail leverage of 1:30 magnifies losses as quickly as gains, and a $0 entry point makes it easy to size positions too large.
   • No futures in stocks, etfs and forex, where eToro's stocks, etfs and forex adds them.

4. 7. Topstep

   Topstep completes this ranking with account sizes aimed at deeper traders: buying power of $50K, $100K, $150K buying power, a fixed challenge fee of $49, a 90% profit split and a 2 step account. Payouts come on a cadence of Every 2 weeks, which is slower than the on-demand rhythm at Kraken above it and slower still than the trading-day cycle at Apex Trader Funding near the top. Support is the broadest in the list, on email, chat and phone, with email, chat, phone, a help centre and a community, and the company has run since 2010 from US as Topstep LLC. For readers who want a larger account rather than a small one, that is the case for it.

   • Challenge price: $49
   • Profit split: 90%
   • Evaluation steps: 2 step

   Pros

   • Entry is priced at $49 for a 2 step evaluation, with a profit split of 90%.
   • The brokerage account fee is $0 and the inactivity fee is $0, so an account left open does not slowly bleed money.
   • Payouts arrive Every 2 weeks, a steadier rhythm than a single monthly cycle.
   • Support runs on email, chat and phone, so phone and chat sit alongside email and a help centre.
   • A demo account is listed in demo account and futures, so the platform can be tried before the evaluation.

   Cons

   • The split of 90% leaves a share of profits with the firm, where Apex Trader Funding shares 100%.
   • Markets are futures only, against 80.6% of the brands here that cover stocks.
   • Topstep ranks 7 of 21 on challenge price, and Alpha Capital Group lists $27 for its own challenge.
   • The deposit and withdrawal fees add a processing fee on debit card deposits and withdrawals, plus a flat fee on outbound wires, so moving money in and out costs extra.

5. 8. City Traders Imperium

   City Traders Imperium is the longest-established prop provider in this ranking, founded 2018, and it keeps a wide account ladder across its step and instant plans, scaling to very large balances. The challenge fee spans $29 to $549 and the profit split runs 80% to 100%, so the top of the range matches the 100% at Apex Trader Funding above it. Risk sits on the wider side of the trade, with a max drawdown of 5% to 10% and a daily loss limit of 5% on a 2 step account. Payouts start after a waiting period, then run weekly or on demand by VIP tier. OANDA, ranked next, brings a longer corporate history but keeps support to email and phone.

   • Challenge price: $29 to $549
   • Profit split: 80% to 100%
   • Maximum drawdown: 5% to 10%

   Pros

   • Fees of $29 to $549 keep the entry affordable, and the profit share runs 80% to 100%, so the reward on offer is large for the ticket size.
   • A ceiling of 80% to 100% matches what Apex Trader Funding publishes at 100%, so the top of the range is not the weak spot.
   • The standard route is 2 step, with a 5% to 10% maximum drawdown and a 5% daily loss limit, which keeps the rule set short enough to hold in mind.
   • Payouts can be drawn weekly or at any time once the first one has been made, with the cadence set by VIP tier.
   • The operator is named as City Traders Imperium Limited, in business since 2018, which gives a reader a company to check before paying.

   Cons

   • Support runs on email, chat and help centre only, so a trader who wants to speak to someone has to write instead.
   • Most retail traders lose money: the median retail loss across the site's listings is 70.15%, with the middle band running 65.75% to 74.5%, so a funded account changes the size of the position rather than the odds of keeping money.
   • The 5% to 10% maximum drawdown bracket straddles the 8% median recorded across the site's listings, so there is no unusually deep buffer to lean on.
   • Fees of $29 to $549 top out below Funding Pips, where fees of $29 to $555 stretch further for the larger packages.

What to look for

What the entry fee actually costs

The median challenge fee across this ranking is €51.74, and the priciest desks sit at €192.93. Look for a firm that publishes one clear figure for the size you want, such as $27 at Alpha Capital Group, rather than a band that only makes sense at the top of the ladder.

How much drawdown you are allowed

Median max drawdown here is 8%, and the widest allowance in the list is Funding Pips at 12%. A wider cap is room to recover from a bad run, and also more that can be lost before the account closes, so match it to the position sizes you actually trade.

What share of profits you keep

The median profit split is 90%, and a few desks hand over the full amount, with Funding Pips and Apex Trader Funding on 100%. Bands such as the 80% to 90% range at Kraken mean your share depends on the account you buy, so check which split comes with the size you are taking.

How the account is structured

Two-step accounts are the most common in this ranking at 43.5%, with one-step at 34.8% and instant at 13%. Instant accounts reach a funded stage with less admin, as at OFP Funding, and come with a drawdown allowance of 5% to 10%.

Support when a rule is unclear

A help centre appears on 86.2% of these firms and email on 82.8%, with community channels on 79.3%. A single-channel desk such as Apex Trader Funding on help centre leaves you reading articles instead of asking someone.

Regulation and realistic odds

Just 4 of the 30 brands in this ranking are licensed, so check any licence against the legal entity named, such as Payward Europe Solutions Limited behind Kraken. On realistic outcomes, retail accounts lose money at a median rate of 70.15%, with a lower quartile of 65.75% and an upper quartile of 74.5%.

Frequently asked questions

Brokers compared head to head

• PropNext vs Hola Prime
• PropNext vs Instant Funding
• Hola Prime vs Instant Funding

The data behind this ranking

All data and the CSV