The Prop Examiner

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Matching accounts (103)

4 of 5 pinned to compare

Side-by-side comparison

Side-by-side comparison of pinned prop-firm account plans
Dimension

Upcomers

Ash

1-stepSponsored partnerConditional

FTMO

1-Step Challenge

1-stepSponsored partnerAutomation-friendly

Topstep

$50K Trading Combine

Futures evaluationIndependent reviewConditional

The5ers

High Stakes (New)

2-stepSponsored partnerConditional
Profit target2%bestphase1 10% of initial simulated capital (challenge only; none on funded account)$3,000phase1 10% / phase2 5%
Max daily loss5% (challenge)3% of initial simulated capital (basis: initial capital; recalculated at 00:00 CE(S)T)none required (optional DLL can be added at purchase)5% — taken from the closing equity or balance of the previous day, whichever is higher (basis: higher of prior-day EOD equity/balance)
Max overall loss6% "Dynamic" (trailing) (trailing)10% of initial simulated capital — END-OF-DAY TRAILING (limit only increases, never decreases; resets to 90% when a reward is withdrawn and a new account is provided) (end-of-day trailing)$2,000 (trailing, EOD-updated / real-time monitored; locks at starting balance) (trailing)10% from initial balance (type: static / absolute) (static)
Min trading daysNot requiredverifyNoneas few as 2 to pass the CombineMinimum 3 profitable trading days across both phases (a profitable day = closed positions netting ≥ +0.5% of initial balance)
Consistency ruleFunded Best Day Rule — no single day may exceed 15% or 20% of total withdrawal depending on account (soft, delays payout)Best Day Rule — best single day must not exceed 50% of total Positive Days' Profit; applies in BOTH challenge and funded phasesbest single day ≤ 50% of Profit Target (Combine)No fixed profit-consistency cap surfaced; inactivity rule — accounts with no trading activity for 30+ consecutive days expire
Leverage1:100bestUp to 1:100 (Standard)best—Forex 1:100; Indices & Metals 1:25; Commodities 1:5; Crypto 1:2 (temporary reduction to 1:5 on Oil only for 50K/100K funded accounts noted)best
Profit split99% (funded)90% on the funded FTMO Account90% trader / 10% Topstep up to the payout cap (Express Funded Account). Traders who joined before Jan 12, 2026 keep 100% of first $10,000 lifetime profit, then 90/10.best80% scaling toward 100% as the account grows on meeting each 10% target; ~80% at $2.5K–$150K tiers, ~85% at $175K–$200K, ~90% at $250K–$300K, 100% (to trader) plus fixed payouts ($4,000–$10,000 by balance level) at $350K+; scaling reaches up to $500,000best
PayoutFunded — generate ≥1% profit from initial balance before each withdrawal; payout cap lifts after 7th approvalFirst reward on/after day 14 from first trade; min $20 (bank) / $50 (crypto)first payout requires winning days in the Express Funded Account (Standard path: 5 winning days of $150+ net P&L; Consistency path: 3 trading days w/ ≥1 trade). Min $125 per request. Methods: Prop Payout to Brokerage (same-day, US), Aeropay, Wise, ACH ($30 fee), Wire/SWIFT ($30 fee). Processed during CME hours.Minimum withdrawal $150 (after profit split); first withdrawal 14 days after activation, then every 2 weeks. Methods: Rise (3.5%), Crypto USDT/USDC/ETH/LTC ($1,500/withdrawal cap, 3.5%), Bank Transfer (3.5% + bank fees), Hub Credits (no fee, for buying accounts only)
ProhibitedProhibited: Martingale, one-sided bets, single-trade pass, tick scalping (<2 min avg hold), grid trading, gambling-style all-inForbidden: error exploitation, opposite-position manipulation, non-replicable risk, excessive sizing, EA >2,000 server requests/day, artificial profit distribution/hedgingTopstep publishes a prohibited-practices list (e.g., certain automated/abusive strategies); review before trading. Specific news rule not detailed on parameters page reviewed.Prohibited: arbitrage, account selling, pass-my-challenge services, cross-operator coordinated trading, bracketing around news, copy/coordinated trading. News trading otherwise allowed except bracket strategies
Trading platformsMT5, TradeLocker, Match-Trader, Bybit, cTraderMT5, MT4, cTraderTopstepX (proprietary, default & required for new Combine sign-ups; integrates TradingView charts), NinjaTrader (NT8 desktop, legacy/existing accounts), Tradovate (web, legacy/existing accounts), Quantower (legacy only, no longer offered to new accounts)MT5, Match-Trader, cTrader
Funded consistency ruleBest Day Rule on funded/instant accounts — no single trading day may exceed 15–20% of total cycle profit (exact cap depends on account/program). SOFT: violating it only delays the payout (account stays active); not applied during evaluation phases.No standing consistency rule on the funded FTMO Account beyond the Best Day Rule. The Best Day Rule (best single day ≤ 50% of total Positive Days' Profit) is payout-gated, not account-gated — exceeding it holds the payout request until additional positive days dilute the ratio; it does NOT breach. (On the 1-Step product the Best Day Rule applies in both challenge and funded phases; 2-Step shows no Best Day Rule.)Express Funded Account (XFA) payout uses a consistency rule — largest single day must not exceed 40% of total net profit (Consistency payout path). The Combine eval uses a 50% best-day-vs-profit-target rule.None — The5ers' High Stakes program has no fixed profit-consistency cap on funded accounts (the gating mechanisms are minimum profitable days, the 30-day inactivity rule, and prohibited-practice rules). Bootcamp scales on every 5% target rather than a consistency cap.
Profit-split scalingFlat 99% split across all sizes/programs — does NOT scale up; it is already the firm's top split.Yes. 1-Step funded = 90% from the start. 2-Step funded = starts 80%, scales to 90% via the Scaling Plan. Scaling Plan: +25% balance every qualifying 4-month cycle (≥4 months active, ≥10% total net profit in window, ≥2 rewards processed, positive balance), cap $2,000,000; split rises 80%→90%.90% trader / 10% Topstep up to the payout cap (XFA). Traders who joined before Jan 12, 2026 keep 100% of first $10,000 lifetime profit, then 90/10. Live Funded Account (after 30 winning days) payouts uncapped.Yes — split scales as the account grows. High Stakes: ~80% at $2.5K–$150K → ~85% at $175K–$200K → ~90% at $250K–$300K → 100% (to trader) plus fixed cash payouts ($4,000–$10,000) at $350K+, scaling to $500,000. Hyper Growth: 75% up to $300K → 80% at $350K+ → up to 80–100% at $400K+ (growth to $4,000,000). Bootcamp Funded Trader: up to 100%.
Refundable feeNo fee refund. Instead, a bonus of 200% of the original Challenge fee is added to the payout balance AFTER the 3rd successful payout (must be requested manually; not automatic). Applies to Challenge programs only (Ash, Thunderbolt, Phoenix, Astral, Obsidian, Eon), NOT Instant. (Some sources also cite a 5% bonus on first funded payout.)2-Step — entry fee IS refunded, paid with the first Reward withdrawal via the original payment method (one fee covers both stages). 1-Step — entry fee is NOT refunded.Standard path has a one-time activation fee on funding; 'No Activation Fee' path available (higher monthly, no activation cost). Monthly Combine fee is non-refundable.Yes — 70% of the refundable fee is returned with the first payout, provided ≥$150 profit generated and the account active ≥14 days. The 70% applies only to the portion paid with external funds (not Hub Credit).
Payment methods (to buy)Card (Visa/Mastercard) and crypto are the standard checkout options; crypto-funded accounts get a reduced payout fee (2.49% vs 30%), indicating crypto is a first-class purchase method. Full method list not enumerated on official help pages.verifyCredit/debit card, bank wire transfer, crypto (BTC, ETH, LTC, USDC ERC20, USDT TRC20), plus Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Skrill, and processors Checkout.com / Confirmo / LetKnow Pay / Nuvei. Bank transfer unavailable in some regions (e.g. Venezuela, Cuba, Sudan, Ukraine).Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. PayPal not supported; gift cards and pre-paid cards not accepted.Credit/debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, bank transfer, and crypto (USDT via TRON/Solana/BNB/Arbitrum; USDC via Ethereum/Solana/Arbitrum; TRX; USDG; ETH). The5ers hub credit can also be applied at checkout.
Time limitNo evaluation time limit (min trading days not required on most programs). Exceptions are the time-boxed Instant variants: Supernova = 24h session, Hypernova = 4h session.Unlimited time for both evaluation phases (trade at your own pace). 2-Step requires a minimum of 4 trading days per phase; 1-Step has no minimum-days requirement.No time limit to pass the Combine (can pass in as few as 2 trading days; subscription runs until passed or cancelled).Unlimited time to complete all programs (High Stakes, Hyper Growth, Bootcamp) — the only timing gate is the 30-day inactivity expiry. Min trading days: High Stakes 3 profitable days (≥+0.5% each).
Payout frequencyOn-demand once eligible — must generate ≥1% profit from initial balance before each withdrawal request (threshold resets per payout). Instant programs gate withdrawal eligibility on N profitable days (≥0.5% each).On-demand after the first reward — the FTMO Account runs on a flexible profit-split schedule; you choose your own payout day from the dashboard once eligible (no forced fixed cycle after the first).On-demand once eligible (Express Funded Account) — no fixed cycle; requests processed during CME trading hours.Every 14 days — withdrawals available from the dashboard on a 14-day cycle on funded High Stakes accounts.
First payoutNo fixed day-count on the payout-structure page; gated by the ≥1% profit threshold (Instant programs require N profitable days first). Exact first-payout timing not stated as a day count.verifyFirst reward claimable on or after the 14th day from your first funded trade (you may also shift the payout day to align future cycles).First payout requires winning days in the Express Funded Account — Standard path: 5 winning days of $150+ net P&L; Consistency path: 3 trading days with ≥1 trade.First withdrawal 14 days after account activation (then every 14 days). Refund/withdrawal eligibility also requires ≥$150 profit and account active ≥14 days.
Minimum payout—verifyMinimum closed profit to withdraw: $20 (bank) / $50 (crypto).Minimum $125 per request; max per request = 50% of account balance up to the cap.Minimum withdrawal $150 (after split). Crypto withdrawals capped at $1,500 per withdrawal.
Payout methodsBank/IBAN transfer (19.9 USD + 2.49% processing) or Crypto (19.9 USD + 30%, reduced to 2.49% if the account was funded with crypto).Bank wire, Visa Direct / Mastercard Send (≤ $20k), Skrill (≤ $3k), and crypto.Prop Payout to Brokerage (same-day, US), Aeropay, Wise, ACH ($30 fee), Wire/SWIFT ($30 fee).Crypto, Rise, or Bank Transfer.
Payout speedKYC verification ~2–4 min; exact post-request processing time not stated on official pages.verifyReward requests are typically processed quickly (within ~1–2 business days); arrival time then depends on the chosen method.verifyProcessed during CME trading hours (Prop Payout to Brokerage is same-day for US traders).Processing time once requested not stated as a fixed window on the pages reviewed.verify
Entry price (from)Not stated$155$49$19lowest
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Independence & risk disclosure
We are independent and unaffiliated except where labelled — sponsored links are marked, all others point to the firm’s own site with no commission to us. Rules vary by product and promos change, so confirm exact terms and price at checkout. None of this is financial advice, and no payout is guaranteed — prop challenges are simulated, educational products and most buyers never reach a payout.