Dossier · Sponsored partner
Upcomers: the dossier
Upcomers is a prop-trading challenge provider that markets large funding ceilings, a high profit split, and rapid payouts across a broad product line.
Short verdict
Upcomers stands out for broad product line and a genuinely high split on Thunderbolt funded; watch out for headline figures (up to $1.5M, up to 99%) are maximums, not typical outcomes.
The Prop Examiner verdict-in-brief
Broad product line and a genuinely high split on Thunderbolt funded; trailing drawdown and heavy 'up to' framing are the trade-offs.
99%
Profit split (up to)
$39
Entry price (from)
$1.5M
Max funding (headline)
Scorecard
Five dimensions, scored 0–5
4.2
avg
- Pricing & value
- 4.0/5
- Profit split
- 5.0/5
- Payout speed
- 5.0/5
- Rules flexibility
- 3.0/5
- Transparency
- 4.0/5
Advertised vs verified
At a glance
Advertised claims vs what we could verify. “Up to” figures are maximums; rows flagged verify before launch are unconfirmed.
Every figure traces to the cited & dated sources below.
What actually binds you
Key trading rules
Where challenges are won or lost — sourced from Upcomers’s own pages. Rules vary by product; the per-plan breakdown follows.
| Phase / model | Rule | Published value |
|---|---|---|
| Challenge | Profit target | 5% net profit |
| Challenge | Daily loss limit | 6% max within a single day |
| Challenge | Overall loss limit (Dynamic Risk Shield) | 10% below highest equity (trailing) |
| Challenge | Minimum trading days | None |
| Challenge | Consistency / Best Day Rule | Does not apply |
| Funded | Daily loss limit | 3% max daily loss |
| Funded | Overall loss limit (Dynamic Risk Shield) | 6% below peak equity (trailing) |
| Funded | Max risk per trade | 3% of initial balance (hard breach) |
| Funded | Consistency (Best Day Rule) | No single day > 20% of total withdrawal (soft) |
| Funded | Profit split | 99% to trader |
| Funded | Withdrawal requirement | Reach 1% profit on initial balance first |
Rules shown are for the Thunderbolt 1-step product, verified from the official help center. Rules differ by product — instant-funding products (e.g. Vanguard) use different drawdown and first-payout terms. Always check the specific product before buying.
EAs, algos, bots & copy trading
Automation & AI policy
MIXED — EAs/bots welcomed when genuinely unique and responsible, but identical/mass-distributed EAs, emulators, HFT and sub-2-min tick scalping are banned and trades are auto-flagged for similarity.
| Policy area | What the firm states |
|---|---|
| Expert Advisors (EAs) | Limited — "Expert Advisors, trading bots and automated tools are allowed when they represent a real, unique and responsible strategy"; EA settings must be customized to your own style and not run identical/near-identical to other traders on the same EA. |
| Algorithmic trading | Limited — algorithmic/automated tools permitted when they reflect a genuine, unique, responsible strategy; emulators and abuse of the simulated environment are banned. |
| Copy trading | Limited — replicating trades across accounts you personally own is allowed (including other firms/brokers/multiple Upcomers accounts); copying between accounts owned by different individuals (incl. relatives/friends) is prohibited in both directions. |
| HFT / tick scalping | Banned — HFT ("rapid execution of a large number of trades within extremely short timeframes, often in milliseconds"), tick scalping (avg holding times below 2 minutes likely flagged), and latency trading (exploiting delayed market data / execution delays) all prohibited. |
| Trading bots / AI | Limited — bots/automated tools allowed if a real, unique, responsible strategy; publicly sold "prop firm passing" bots, one-shot challenge bots, and mass-distributed EAs that generate identical trades across users may be treated as prohibited; emulators banned. |
| News trading | Allowed — news trading is permitted across programs per the program-comparison common terms. |
| Automation platforms | Automation-capable platform list (MT4/MT5 EAs, cTrader cBots, etc.) not explicitly enumerated on the prohibited-strategies or copy-trading articles reviewed.verify |
Verbatim policy from Upcomers. Items flagged verifyare unconfirmed — check the firm’s terms for your product. Educational information, not trading advice.
Looking to compare automation rules across firms? See our best prop firms for AI, algo & EA trading ranking.
What you trade on & what binds the funded account
Platforms & funded-account rules
What binds a funded account: platforms, post-funding consistency, scaling, refunds, time and position limits, weekend / news rules. Each value links its ↗ source; = explainer; verify = unconfirmed.
Trading platforms provided
Payouts & timing
Payout frequency
On-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).
First payout
No 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. verify
Payout methods
Bank/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).
Payout speed
KYC verification ~2–4 min; exact post-request processing time not stated on official pages. verify
Profit-split scaling
Flat 99% split across all sizes/programs — does NOT scale up; it is already the firm's top split.
Payout / profit cap
Yes — tiered first-payout caps that rise each cycle. $100K example: 1st $1,000 (1%) · 2nd $2,000 · 3rd $3,000 · 4th $4,000 · 5th $5,000 · 6th $6,250 · 7th $7,500. After the 7th payout the account resets to initial balance and becomes UNLIMITED (no cap) via individual agreement (8th+).
Refundable fee
No 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.)
Funded-account rules & cost
Cost
Cheapest entry is the Bootcamp-style low tiers / Thunderbolt firm example "$39 for $5,000"; $100K reference ladder (promo-dependent): Eon $139 < Obsidian $169 < Astral $199 < Phoenix $249. Per-size ladders rotate with promos (90% OFF / SPRING90 active 2026-06-17). verify
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. verify
Time limit
No evaluation time limit (min trading days not required on most programs). Exceptions are the time-boxed Instant variants: Supernova = 24h session, Hypernova = 4h session.
Max position / lot limit
Per-trade risk caps apply on funded/instant (e.g. Thunderbolt/Phoenix/Astral funded = 3% per single trade hard breach; Vanguard/Oracle instant = 2% per trade; Supernova/Hypernova = 1% per trade). No fixed lot-count cap surfaced. verify
14 plans · per-plan detail
Rules by account plan
Every plan’s model, rules and size/price matrix. = explainer · ↗ source = firm’s page · verify = unconfirmed. Compare against other firms →
Ash
One-step evaluation with up to 99% profit split and a 2% profit target — suited to confident traders who want funding quickly without a second phase.
Sizes & price
| Account size | Entry price |
|---|---|
| Up to $1,000,000 | Not statedverify |
"The gentlest way in" — lowest profit target. Research model: half-step.
Rules sourced from official pages — Ash rules hub. Promo terms change; confirm at checkout.
Rule glossaryEvery term on this page, in plain English
- Profit target
- The percentage gain a trader must achieve on a challenge or evaluation account to advance to the next phase or become funded. It is usually measured against the starting balance and must be met without breaching any loss limit.
- Max daily loss
- A cap on how much an account may fall within one trading day, measured from either the day's starting balance or starting equity. Breaching it typically fails the account, even if the overall loss limit is untouched.
- Max overall loss
- Also called maximum total loss or overall drawdown — the furthest an account may fall from its baseline before it is failed. Whether the baseline is fixed or moves with profits depends on the drawdown type.
- Static drawdown
- A maximum-loss level calculated once from the starting balance and held fixed for the life of the account. Profits do not raise it, so the buffer below your equity grows as you gain.
- Trailing drawdown
- A maximum-loss level that follows the account upward as it reaches new equity or balance highs, locking in some gains. Once it ratchets up it usually does not fall back, so giving back profits can still breach it.
- End-of-day (EOD) drawdown
- A trailing drawdown that recalculates from the highest end-of-day balance rather than intraday peaks. Open-trade spikes during the day do not move the limit — only the closing figure does.
- Minimum trading days
- A requirement to place trades on a set number of distinct days before an account can pass a phase or request a payout. It discourages passing on a single lucky trade.
- Consistency rule
- A limit on how concentrated profits may be — for example, no single day may account for more than a set percentage of total profit. It is meant to reward steady performance over one-off windfalls; breaching it can delay a payout or block a pass.
- Profit split
- The percentage of profits a funded trader keeps, with the rest retained by the firm (e.g. an 80% split means the trader keeps 80%). Advertised "up to" splits are usually ceilings reached only at higher tiers or after scaling.
- Scaling plan
- A structured path that increases a funded trader's account size (and sometimes profit split) after meeting performance and consistency conditions. Terms and timelines vary widely between firms.
- Leverage
- The ratio between position size and the capital backing it (e.g. 1:100 means $1 controls $100 of exposure). Higher leverage amplifies both gains and losses against your drawdown limits.
- Evaluation / challenge
- A simulated trading test — sometimes called a challenge — where a trader must hit a profit target without breaking the rules to earn a funded (or simulated-funded) account. It usually carries a one-time fee.
- Instant funding
- A product that skips the evaluation and grants a funded account immediately, typically for a higher upfront fee and often with stricter rules, lower initial splits, or tighter drawdown than evaluation paths.
- 1-step
- An evaluation that funds a trader after one phase, requiring a single profit target to be hit within the loss limits. Fewer phases can mean a tighter target or drawdown.
- 2-step
- An evaluation split into two phases, each with its own profit target, before funding. The two-phase structure is the most common model across the industry.
- 3-step
- An evaluation with three sequential phases before funding, usually with lower per-phase targets spread across the stages. More phases can mean a longer path but gentler individual targets.
- Payout / withdrawal cycle
- The schedule and conditions for withdrawing funded profits — for example, on-demand, bi-weekly, or monthly, sometimes after a minimum profit or a set number of trading days. Early-payout terms and minimums vary by firm.
- Prohibited strategies
- Approaches a firm bans in its rules — breaching them can void profits or fail an account. Commonly restricted styles include martingale, grid, certain hedging or arbitrage, high-frequency or tick scalping, news trading, copy trading, and all-in gambling-style bets.
- Martingale
- A strategy that raises trade size after each loss in an attempt to recover prior losses with one win. Firms often prohibit it because it concentrates risk and can blow through drawdown limits quickly.
- Grid trading
- A system that places a ladder of buy and sell orders at fixed intervals regardless of direction. It is frequently restricted because it can build large, correlated exposure that strains risk limits.
- Hedging
- Opening opposing positions in the same or correlated instruments to offset risk. Some firms allow internal hedging but prohibit hedging across accounts or between traders to game evaluations.
- Arbitrage
- Profiting from price discrepancies between brokers, feeds, or instruments, including latency arbitrage. It is commonly banned because it can exploit a firm's simulated pricing rather than reflect genuine market skill.
- HFT / tick scalping
- High-frequency trading and tick scalping involve large numbers of trades held for seconds or less, often automated. Firms frequently restrict them, sometimes via minimum hold-time rules, because they can exploit feed latency.
- News trading
- Opening or holding positions through scheduled high-impact news events to capture volatility. Some firms restrict trading within a window around major releases on evaluation or funded accounts.
- Copy trading
- Automatically replicating one account's trades onto others, or copying signals from a third party. Firms often limit it to a trader's own accounts and prohibit copying between unrelated traders.
- Expert Advisors (EAs)
- Algorithms or robots — often MetaTrader Expert Advisors — that place trades automatically. Policies range from fully allowed to banned; many firms permit personal EAs but forbid shared or exploit-oriented bots.
- Gambling / all-in
- Staking an outsized share of the account on a single trade in hope of a fast pass. Firms restrict it because it relies on luck rather than risk management and undermines consistency rules.
Educational definitions only — not trading advice, and no outcome is guaranteed. The exact meaning of any rule depends on the firm’s own terms for your specific product; always verify there before relying on it.
Want the full reference? See the prop-firm rule glossary.
The field, in bars
How the profit split compares
Headline (“up to”) maximum vs the field — ceilings gated behind tiers or scaling, not what every trader gets.
Profit split — headline maximum (%)
Higher is betterBalanced view
Pros, cons & open risks
Strengths
- Documented, public rules and a help center you can read before buying.
- Wide range of account sizes and products (challenge + instant funding).
- High advertised profit split (up to 99%, verified at 99% on Thunderbolt funded).
- No minimum trading days on the Thunderbolt challenge.
- States it does not act as a broker or accept deposits for investment.
Cons & open risks
- Headline figures (up to $1.5M, up to 99%) are maximums, not typical outcomes.
- Profit split and rules vary by product — 99% is verified only on Thunderbolt funded.
- Trailing drawdown (“Dynamic Risk Shield”) is stricter than a static limit.
- Promotional pricing changes frequently and is not permanent.
- Self-reported metrics (e.g. 99% payout approval) are not independently audited.
- As with all prop challenges, most buyers do not reach a payout.
Do this first
What to verify before buying
Confirm each of these for your exact product:
- 01The exact drawdown, daily-loss, and consistency rules for the specific product you buy.
- 02The current promotional price at checkout — promos change frequently, so confirm the total shown before paying.
- 03Whether the 99% split applies to your chosen product (verified for Thunderbolt funded only).
- 04Payout eligibility, the 1%-profit withdrawal requirement, and any first-payout caps on instant funding.
- 05Prohibited strategies (news, copy, EA, HFT, hedging) for your product.
The Prop Examiner
Our verdict
Upcomers documents its rules publicly and offers an unusually broad product line with a genuinely high split on its Thunderbolt funded product. The trade-offs are a trailing “Dynamic Risk Shield” drawdown that is less forgiving than a static limit, heavy reliance on “up to” headline figures, and promo pricing that shifts. It is a reasonable option to compare if you read the rules for your exact product, treat the headline numbers as ceilings, and start with the smallest suitable plan.
Affiliate link
If Upcomers fits your needs
Common questions
Upcomers FAQ
- What is Upcomers's profit split?
- Up to 99% (99% verified on Thunderbolt funded). Confirm the split for the exact product you buy, as it can vary by model and tier.
- How fast does Upcomers pay out?
- On-demand after 1% profit; “12h” advertised, <1h avg claimed. Payout speed and eligibility depend on the product and on meeting the firm's rules; no payout is guaranteed.
- What account sizes does Upcomers offer?
- $5,000 – $1,000,000 (scaling to $4M). Headline maximums are ceilings reached via scaling, not the size you start with.
- Does Upcomers have a discount code?
- Any current Upcomers promotion is applied at checkout — promo pricing changes frequently, so always confirm the total shown before paying. We do not display or advertise a specific code; check the price on the day you buy.
- Is Upcomers worth it?
- Broad product line and a genuinely high split on Thunderbolt funded; trailing drawdown and heavy 'up to' framing are the trade-offs. Read the rules for your exact product, treat headline numbers as ceilings, and start with the smallest suitable plan — prop challenges are simulated/educational products and most buyers do not reach a payout.
Cited & dated
Sources
Every figure traces to a Upcomers source below, accessed on the date shown. Re-verify before relying on any number — pricing and promos change.
- 1.Upcomers — homepage (headline claims)· accessed 2026-06-17
- 2.Upcomers — how we operate· accessed 2026-06-17
- 3.Upcomers — Thunderbolt complete rules· accessed 2026-06-17
- 4.Upcomers — instruments & platforms· accessed 2026-06-17
- 5.Upcomers — affiliate program terms· accessed 2026-06-17
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