20 firms, ranked on what decides whether you actually get paid: drawdown type, payout rules and the real cost of getting funded. Each one comes with the catch the other lists leave out.
Disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It doesn't buy a ranking. Firms I earn from get the same "watch out" note as everyone else. I earn a commission if you use my code LEDGER.
Most "best prop firm" lists are written by marketers who have never sat through an evaluation, and they rank firms by who pays the biggest commission. This one is written by a trader, so it leads with the rules that actually end accounts and block payouts, not the headline profit split.
Short on time? Start with the firm that fits how you trade.
No consistency rule and no minimum days to pass, and you choose end-of-day drawdown. One strong day can pass you.
The catch: every payout needs 5 qualifying days and has to clear a 50% consistency check.
The longest track record (since 2012), an end-of-day loss limit and no deadline to pass. Clear, well-documented rules.
The catch: you pay every month until you pass, and a ~55% best-day rule can raise your real target.
The best Trustpilot score of any large futures firm, a one-time fee and a 90/10 split.
The catch: on the Rapid plan, the funded account switches to intraday drawdown, which is harder to keep.
Over a decade running, and the 2-Step's fixed 10% max loss is the friendliest drawdown of any firm here.
The catch: two phases to pass, and the daily loss limit counts trades you haven't closed yet.
More reviews than any other firm, up to a 95% split and a written 24-hour payout guarantee.
The catch: one payout tracker noted its monthly payout report stopped after February 2026.
Forgiving rules for slow, steady trading, payouts every 14 days, and a split that scales up to 100%.
The catch: the split can start as low as 50% before you scale up.
Bitcoin, forex and gold in one firm. The 2-Step has a static 10% max loss, and my payouts arrived in 2–3 days with no denials.
The catch: a Swiss regulator warning, no Trustpilot score and no independent payout record. Keep account sizes modest.
CME futures (ES, NQ, CL, GC and the micros). Ratings are Trustpilot scores from PropFirmMap's Q2 2026 data.
| # | Firm | Good | Watch out | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Apex Trader Funding Full review |
Easy to pass: no consistency rule, no minimum days, end-of-day drawdown available. | Each payout needs 5 qualifying days and has to clear a 50% consistency check. | Visit |
| 02 | Topstep Full review |
Longest track record (since 2012), end-of-day loss limit, no deadline to pass. | Monthly fee until you pass; a ~55% best-day rule can raise your target. | Visit |
| 03 | My Funded Futures | Highest-rated futures firm (~17,500 reviews), one-time fee, 90/10 split. | The Rapid plan's funded account uses intraday drawdown, which is harder to keep. | Visit |
| 04 | Tradeify | Big and established (reported $150M+ paid out); the Growth plan can be passed in one day. | Its plans differ a lot. Read the rules of the exact plan you're buying. | Visit |
| 05 | Take Profit Trader | End-of-day drawdown, and withdrawals from day one once funded. | Evaluations bought since August 2026 need 3 days and carry a 50% consistency rule. | Visit |
| 06 | Lucid Trading Full review |
Fast payouts (mine was instant); 90/10 split and end-of-day drawdown. | Three plan types (Pro, Flex, Direct) make comparing prices confusing. | Visit |
| 07 | Alpha Futures Full review |
End-of-day drawdown on every account, 90/10 split, and the Zero plan has no evaluation consistency rule. | Dropped NinjaTrader in July 2026 and has payout-delay complaints; I haven't traded it. 4.4 on Trustpilot (6,177 reviews). | Visit |
| 08 | Bulenox | Choice of real-time or end-of-day drawdown, and more room than most ($2,500 on 50K). | Fewer independent reviews than the bigger names. | Visit |
| 09 | Earn2Trade Full review |
End-of-day drawdown while you're evaluated, and accounts from 25K up to 200K. | Live accounts switch to trailing drawdown, and a LiveSim fee comes out of your first withdrawal. | Visit |
| 10 | TradeDay | You choose intraday, end-of-day or static drawdown. | Relaunched in May 2026 and has changed its rules several times since; no automated trading tools. | Visit |
For forex, indices and gold. CFD firms set their rules in percentages and usually count open trades toward the daily loss limit.
| # | Firm | Good | Watch out | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | FTMO Full review |
The benchmark: over a decade running, with a fixed 10% max loss on the 2-Step. Paid me in 2–3 days. | The split starts at 80%, and the daily loss limit counts trades you haven't closed yet. | Visit |
| 02 | FundedNext Full review |
Most reviews of any firm, up to 95% split, and a 24-hour payout guarantee. | One payout tracker noted its monthly payout report stopped after February 2026. | Visit Use code LEDGER at checkout |
| 03 | The5ers | Forgiving for swing traders; payouts every 14 days; split scales to 100%. | The split can start as low as 50% before it scales up. | Visit |
| 04 | FundingPips | A huge user base (~67,000 reviews). | The split runs 60–100% depending on the payout schedule you pick, so "100%" has conditions. | Visit |
| 05 | E8 Markets Full review |
Futures and forex lines; 80% split, with 90–100% as a paid add-on (per reviewers). | Trustpilot shows no score; payout caps and buffers; I haven't traded it. | Visit |
| 06 | FXIFY | Up to 90% split (95% with scaling); the two-phase program has a static 10% max loss. | The one-phase program's 6% trailing drawdown is tight. | Visit |
| 07 | Maven Trading | Known for low-cost small challenges, an inexpensive way to start. | Little independent 2026 coverage of its rules. Read them on its site before buying. | Visit |
| 08 | BrightFunded | No consistency rule, no minimum withdrawal, up to 100% split at scale. | Trustpilot flagged it in May 2026 for breaching review guidelines after removing fake reviews. | Visit |
| 09 | Funded Trading Plus | 80% split rising to 90% after 20% profit on the funded account. | Reviewers call its drawdown rules strict. | Visit |
| 10 | Blueberry Funded | Backed by the broker Blueberry Markets. | Little independent coverage. Check its rules on its site before buying. | Visit |
Torn between two firms? These go rule by rule, with my own results where I have them.
Easy to pass with a 30-day clock, or a monthly fee with no deadline.
Same headline rules, different daily limits and payout caps.
The benchmark vs the cheaper challenger with lower targets.
New in 2026: the new prop firm launches everyone's talking about, including FTMO Futures.
Not sure where to start? The prop firm finder matches you to three firms in 30 seconds, and the free rules cheat sheet puts every major firm's rules on one printable page.
Pick the market you already trade. A firm's rules matter less than trading the instrument you know.
The established ones pay out, but the business model depends on most traders failing and paying evaluation fees. Many funded accounts are simulated. Stick to firms with a long payout record, read the payout rules before you buy, and treat the fee as money you might lose.
Easiest to pass usually means no consistency rule, no minimum days and end-of-day drawdown. Apex and Alpha Futures' Zero plan fit that in 2026. But easy to pass doesn't mean easy to get paid: check the payout rules too.
Fixed (static) is the most forgiving, end-of-day trailing comes next, and intraday trailing is the hardest. Here's how each one works, with examples.
Multiply the fee by the number of attempts you realistically need, then add any activation fee. A $150 challenge passed on the third try costs about $450. Compare firms on that total.
From some of them, yes. That's how this site stays free. Firms I earn from get the same honest "watch out" note as the rest, and none of them can pay for a better rank.