Futures Prop Firm Challenges Compared 2026

Side-by-side comparison of 1114 challenges. Filter by price, profit target, drawdown rules, and profit split to find the right challenge for your capital and trading style.

1 challenge found

Loading challenges...
Loading challenges...
PropfirmbookProp Firm Book

Stay ahead of the prop firm market with prop firm updates and offers

How to Choose a Prop Firm Challenge

Match the price to your risk tolerance

Challenge fees range from ~$50 (small accounts) to ~$1,200 (six-figure accounts). Don't buy a challenge you can't afford to fail at — most traders need 2–4 attempts before passing. Budget for multiple attempts and treat the fee as a tuition cost, not a one-time payment.

Check the profit target vs the time limit

A 10% profit target with no time limit is much easier than 8% in 30 days. Aggressive profit targets with tight deadlines push traders into overtrading and tilt. Always check whether the firm gives you unlimited time or a hard deadline before buying.

Understand the drawdown rules

Trailing daily drawdown is the silent killer. A 5% trailing drawdown that resets on equity highs is much stricter than a 5% static drawdown. Always read the firm's exact rule before paying — the difference between static and trailing can determine whether a normal winning pullback fails your account.

Verify the profit split actually pays

A "90% profit split" is meaningless if the firm denies payouts. Cross-reference Trustpilot reviews mentioning the word "payout" and check the firm's payout frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly). Only trade with firms that have a documented track record of paying funded traders on time.

12 Things to Compare Across Prop Firm Challenges

  • 1
    Challenge fee — The upfront cost. Refundable on most firms only if you reach payout.
  • 2
    Account size — The simulated capital. Larger isn't always better — bigger accounts have bigger drawdown limits but also bigger profit targets.
  • 3
    Profit target phase 1 — Percentage gain required to pass the first phase. Industry standard is 8–10%.
  • 4
    Profit target phase 2 — Lower than phase 1 (typically 4–5%). Some firms have 1-step evaluations with no phase 2.
  • 5
    Maximum daily drawdown — How much you can lose in a single day. Typically 4–5%.
  • 6
    Maximum overall drawdown — Total loss limit. Critical to understand if it's static (calculated from starting balance) or trailing (follows equity highs).
  • 7
    Time limit — Days you have to complete each phase. "Unlimited time" is the most trader-friendly.
  • 8
    Profit split — Percentage of profits you keep when funded. Industry standard is 80–90%.
  • 9
    Payout frequency — How often funded traders can withdraw (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly).
  • 10
    Minimum trading days — Some firms require 4–5 days of activity before phase completion.
  • 11
    News trading allowed — Trading during high-impact news is restricted by some firms — a deal-breaker for news traders.
  • 12
    EA / copy trading allowed — Important if you run automated strategies or copy from a master account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Challenge prices vary by account size, so "cheapest" depends on the capital you want to trade. For $10K accounts, prices range from roughly $50–$100. For $100K accounts, prices range from $500–$700. Use the filters above to sort by price within your target account size.
"Easy" usually means low profit target, generous drawdown, and no time limit. Look for challenges with 6–8% phase 1 targets, 5%+ static (not trailing) maximum drawdown, and unlimited time. Pass rates across the industry sit around 10% — no challenge is truly easy.
A 1-step challenge has a single profit target (typically 10%) before you're funded. A 2-step challenge has phase 1 (8–10%) then phase 2 (4–5%) before funding. 1-step is faster but usually has stricter drawdown rules; 2-step is slower but more forgiving on risk parameters.
Static drawdown is a fixed dollar amount calculated from your starting balance — easier to understand and respect. Trailing drawdown moves up with your equity highs but rarely moves down, meaning a winning streak followed by a normal pullback can fail you even if you're up overall.
The reputable ones in our database do. We track payout reliability via Trustpilot keyword analysis ("payout", "withdrew", "deposit received") and only show firms with consistently positive payout history. Be cautious of firms with a high volume of "no payout" complaints regardless of how cheap their challenge is.
For disciplined traders with a proven strategy, yes — passing means trading larger capital than you could fund personally. For undisciplined or unprepared traders, the challenge fee is effectively a loss. Average trader fails 2–4 attempts before passing, so budget accordingly.
Mostly yes, but rules vary. Most firms allow forex, indices, commodities, and crypto. Restrictions to watch for: news trading bans (high-impact economic events), hedging restrictions, weekend position rules, and minimum holding times. Always read the specific firm's rulebook before paying.
You lose the challenge fee but keep your knowledge. Most firms offer discounted "reset" fees if you want to retry without paying the full price again. Some firms include a free reset if you breach by a small margin in the final phase.