Prop firm challenges compared
The "challenge" is the evaluation you pay for to prove you can trade. Here's every reviewed firm's challenge type, account sizes and entry price in one place — plus what the formats actually mean.
| Firm | Challenge type | Account sizes | From | Max funding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funding Pipes | 1-step & 2-step | $5K - 200K | $32 | $200,00 |
| FTMO | 2-step | $10K – $200K | €89 | $200,000 (scalable to $2M) |
| Topstep | Trading Combine (1-step) | $50K – $150K | $49/mo | $150,000 |
| FundedNext | 1-step, 2-step & Express | $6K – $300K | $39 | $300,000 |
| Apex Trader Funding | 1-step evaluation | $25K – $300K | $147/mo (frequent discounts) | $300,000 |
| The Funded Trader | 1, 2 & 3-step | $5K – $400K | $59 | $400,000 |
| Alpha Futures | 1-step evaluation | $25K – $150K | $67 | $150,000 |
| The5ers | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $47 | $4,000,000 |
| FXIFY | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $34 | $400,000 |
| MyFundedFutures | 1-step evaluation | $50K – $150K | $49/mo | $300,000 |
| E8 Markets | 1, 2 & 3-step | $5K – $400K | $33 | $400,000 |
| FunderPro | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $39 | $300,000 |
| TakeProfit Trader | 1-step evaluation | $25K – $250K | $147 | $150,000 |
| Alpha Capital Group | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $37 | $400,000 |
| Earn2Trade | 1-step evaluation | $50K – $150K | $49/mo | $400,000 |
| Blue Guardian | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $45 | $200,000 |
| Goat Funded Trader | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $33 | $400,000 |
| Instant Funding | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $29 | $200,000 |
| City Traders Imperium | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $49 | $4,000,000 |
| Tradeify | 1-step evaluation | $25K – $250K | $147 | $150,000 |
| BrightFunded | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $35 | $200,000 |
| MyFundedFX | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $38 | $300,000 |
| Funded Trading Plus | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $40 | $500,000 |
| Hola Prime | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $31 | $400,000 |
| Elite Trader Funding | 1-step evaluation | $25K – $250K | $147 | $300,000 |
| Maven Trading | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $30 | $200,000 |
| Audacity Capital | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $44 | $1,000,000 |
| Breakout | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $32 | $400,000 |
| Bulenox | 1-step evaluation | $50K – $150K | $49/mo | $250,000 |
| Funded Futures Network | 1-step evaluation | $50K – $150K | $49/mo | $150,000 |
| Lark Funding | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $34 | $500,000 |
| The Trading Pit | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $39 | $5,000,000 |
| Leeloo Trading | 1-step evaluation | $50K – $150K | $49/mo | $300,000 |
| UProfit | 1-step evaluation | $50K – $150K | $49/mo | $250,000 |
| Aqua Funded | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $29 | $200,000 |
| Finotive Funding | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $28 | $400,000 |
| TopOne Trader | 1-step evaluation | $25K – $250K | $147 | $300,000 |
| TickTick Trader | 1-step evaluation | $25K – $250K | $147 | $150,000 |
| Quant Tekel | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $30 | $200,000 |
| Lucid Trading | 1-step evaluation | $25K – $250K | $147 | $150,000 |
| GlowNode | 1-step & 2-step | $5K – $200K | $29 | $200,000 |
| Legends Trading | 1-step evaluation | $25K – $250K | $147 | $150,000 |
1-step vs 2-step vs 3-step challenges
These numbers describe how many phases you must clear before you're funded:
- 1-step — a single phase. Fastest route to a funded account, usually paired with stricter daily rules to balance the speed.
- 2-step — a Challenge then a Verification, each with its own profit target. The classic, balanced format.
- 3-step — three gentler phases. The lowest daily pressure, but the longest road to your first payout.
What to check before buying a challenge
Beyond price, the deciding factors are the profit target (commonly 8–10%), the maximum daily loss, the overall drawdown and whether that drawdown is static or trailing. Two challenges at the same price can have wildly different difficulty. Match the format to your discipline: if you blow daily limits, a multi-step program protects you from yourself.
Rule of thumb: buy the largest account you can pass consistently in a demo, not the largest you can afford. The fee is sunk; the habit is what scales.
Once you understand the formats, see our step-by-step guide to approaching a challenge.