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Prop Firm Comparison 2025

The best prop firms for forex traders

Get funded and trade with someone else's capital. Keep up to 90% of profits. We compare challenges, drawdown rules, payouts and platforms so you don't have to.

Last updated: May 2025 · 8 firms reviewed
FTMO #1 Most Popular
The world's largest and most recognised prop trading firm
★★★★★ 4.8 (12,400+ reviews)
Max Account
$200K
Scalable to $2M
Profit Split
Up to 90%
80% from day one
Challenge From
€155
$10K account
Max Drawdown
10%
5% daily limit
MT4 MT5 cTrader No time limit Free retry News trading ✓
★ Affiliate link Learn more Start Challenge →
Funding Pips Fast Payouts
7-day payout cycle with one of the most competitive challenge fees
★★★★★ 4.6 (3,100+ reviews)
Max Account
$300K
Aggregate cap
Profit Split
Up to 90%
Starting at 80%
Challenge From
$49
$5K account
Max Drawdown
8%
4% daily limit
MT5 cTrader 7-day payout Crypto payout ✓ EA allowed
★ Affiliate link Learn more Start Challenge →
The5%ers Instant Funding
No challenge phase — start trading with a funded account immediately
★★★★★ 4.5 (2,800+ reviews)
Max Account
$4M
Scaling programme
Profit Split
Up to 100%
Scales with account
Challenge From
$95
Instant funded
Max Drawdown
4%
Strict risk rules
MT5 Instant funded Weekly payout No time limit
★ Affiliate link Learn more Get Funded →
FundedNext High Split
Get paid 15% profit during the challenge phase — unique in the industry
★★★★☆ 4.4 (5,200+ reviews)
Max Account
$200K
Per account
Profit Split
Up to 95%
15% in challenge
Challenge From
$49
$6K account
Max Drawdown
10%
5% daily limit
MT5 cTrader Challenge profit ✓ News trading ✓
★ Affiliate link Learn more Start Challenge →
Apex Trader Funding Budget-Friendly
One of the lowest-cost challenges with a simple single-phase evaluation
★★★★☆ 4.3 (4,600+ reviews)
Max Account
$300K
Multiple accounts
Profit Split
Up to 90%
First payout 25K
Challenge From
$167
$25K account
Max Drawdown
8%
Trailing drawdown
NinjaTrader Rithmic Single phase No minimum days
★ Affiliate link Learn more Start Challenge →
Before you trade

Use our free calculator to work out your exact lot size before placing a funded trade. Getting this wrong is the fastest way to blow a challenge.

Open Calculator →
Industry averages
Typical challenge fee$49 – $599
Typical profit split80 – 90%
Max drawdown8 – 12%
Payout frequency14 – 30 days
Payout methodsBank / Crypto
300 × 250 Ad
Passing your challenge

Risk 0.5–1% per trade. Most traders fail by over-leveraging, not by bad strategy.

Use the position calculator. Never estimate lot size — one mistake can end a challenge.

Trade the news carefully. Check your firm's rules — many restrict trading during high-impact events.

Keep a trading journal. Firms like to see consistent, disciplined trading during evaluation.

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Frequently asked questions
What is a prop trading firm? ▼
A proprietary trading firm provides traders with capital to trade in exchange for a share of the profits. You complete a paid evaluation challenge to prove your skills, then trade with the firm's money — keeping 80–90% of any profits you generate.
What happens if I fail the challenge? ▼
You lose the challenge fee. Most firms let you retry by paying again, and some (like FTMO) offer a free retry under certain conditions. Failing is common — it usually comes down to over-leveraging or ignoring drawdown limits, not the trading strategy itself.
How do I know how many lots to trade on a prop account? ▼
Use a position size calculator (like the one on this site). Enter the prop firm's account size as your balance, set your risk to 0.5–1% of that balance, add your entry and stop loss price, and the calculator gives you the exact lot size to use. Never estimate — one wrong trade can breach your drawdown limit.
Are prop firms legit? ▼
The top-tier firms listed here — FTMO, Funding Pips, The5%ers, FundedNext — have paid out millions to traders and have verifiable track records. That said, the industry has some poor operators. Stick to firms with large community followings, Trustpilot scores above 4.0 and transparent payout proof.
Which platform do most prop firms use? ▼
The majority use MT5, followed by MT4, cTrader and proprietary platforms like TradeLocker and DXtrade. FTMO supports MT4, MT5 and cTrader. If you trade on a specific platform, filter the list above to find compatible firms.