Comparison
Prop firm comparison
Figures at each firm’s flagship program and a $100K account. Prices are standard list rates — most firms run frequent promo discounts, and futures activation fees are charged only once you pass. *Earn2Trade’s 10-day minimum is disputed in current sources; confirm it live. Last checked July 2026.
How to actually choose between them
A comparison table can tell you the rules, but not which rules matter for the way you trade. Four things decide it — and each one has a calculator on this site that turns it from a guess into a number.
Drawdown type first, not price
The gap between static, end-of-day trailing and real-time trailing drawdown matters far more than a $20 difference in fee. A cheap firm with a punishing trailing drawdown is more expensive than it looks. Model your edge against each one before you commit.
Drawdown calculator →Then your real odds of passing
A firm’s rules are only half the equation — the other half is your win rate, your average win and loss, and how often you trade. The pass-probability simulator runs thousands of accounts through the firm’s actual rules and gives you the honest number.
Pass probability calculator →Then whether the fee is worth it
Once you know your odds of passing and reaching a payout, the ROI calculator turns the challenge fee into an expected return — the answer to “is this specific challenge worth my money?”, which is the real buying question.
ROI & risk-of-ruin calculator →Then what you keep, and when
Split and payout schedule decide what actually lands in your account. A 100% split on a firm you cannot pass beats nothing; an 80% split you reach every two weeks beats a 90% one you never trigger. The payout calculator projects it across cycles.
Payout calculator →How this comparison is built
Each firm is shown at its flagship program and a representative account size, because that is what most people actually buy — Topstep, Apex and Earn2Trade on a $50K account, The5ers on its $100K High Stakes Challenge. Where a rule is quoted in dollars (futures firms) versus a percentage (forex/CFD firms), we keep it in the firm’s own terms rather than forcing a false apples-to-apples conversion.
Numbers come from each firm’s published rules and reputable third-party reviews, last checked July 2026. Prop firms change pricing, splits and payout mechanics often, and run frequent discounts — treat the fee figures as list prices and always confirm the current terms on the firm’s own dashboard before you pay.
This is a comparison, not a ranking. We do not sell a “#1 firm” spot and we are not paid to place any firm above another. The one firm we hold an affiliate link with (The5ers) is flagged as a partner everywhere it appears, so you can weigh that yourself.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best prop firm in 2026?
There is no single best firm — it depends on what you trade and how. If you trade forex or CFDs and want a fixed, predictable drawdown, FTMO or The5ers fit. If you trade futures and want a 100% split with no daily loss limit, Apex fits. If you want the most forgiving end-of-day trailing drawdown with weekly payouts, Topstep fits. The comparison table above lines up the rules that actually decide this side by side.
What is the difference between static and trailing drawdown?
A static (fixed) drawdown is a floor that never moves — FTMO’s Maximum Loss sits 10% below your starting balance and stays there. A trailing drawdown follows your account up as you make profit, so the level you cannot cross rises with your equity. Real-time trailing (Apex) even counts an open position at its high, while end-of-day trailing (Topstep, Earn2Trade) only re-anchors on your closing balance, which is more forgiving. Trailing drawdown is the single biggest reason a challenge that looks easy on paper is hard in practice — model it with the drawdown calculator before you buy.
Which prop firm has the highest profit split?
Apex pays a flat 100% split on approved payouts. Topstep pays 90% (with 100% on the first $10K for traders who joined before January 2026), FTMO starts at 80% and scales to 90%, Earn2Trade is a flat 80%, and The5ers starts at 80% and scales toward 100% as your account grows. A higher split only matters if you actually reach a payout, so weigh it against how hard the firm’s rules are to pass.
How often do prop firms pay out?
It varies a lot. Topstep and Earn2Trade run weekly cycles, The5ers is bi-weekly, and FTMO and Apex are on-demand once you clear an initial waiting period (14 days from your first trade for FTMO; the 8th trading day for Apex). Most firms also require a minimum number of trading or winning days before your first payout, shown in the table above.
Are these prop firm rules accurate?
The figures were last checked in July 2026 against each firm’s published terms and reputable reviews. Prop firms change pricing, splits and payout rules often, so always confirm the specifics on the firm’s own site before you pay. These calculators and tables are for planning, not a substitute for the firm’s current terms.
Which of these firms do you have an affiliate link with?
The5ers only. If you sign up through the The5ers links on this page we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you — it does not change your price or their rules. Every other firm here is listed for comparison with a plain, non-referral link. We include firms we are not paid for on purpose: a comparison you can only trust if it is honest about the ones we do not earn from.
Put a firm to the test
Pass probability
Run your edge through any firm’s real rules and see your honest odds of passing.
Drawdown calculator
Compare static vs trailing drawdown across firms and see exactly where your line sits.
ROI & risk of ruin
Turn a challenge fee into an expected return — is this firm worth your money?
Djosa
Founder, QuantPropTraderI've been trading CFDs for about 18 months, and most of that was losing. What turned it around wasn't a better setup — it was measuring one simple strategy until the numbers stopped being an opinion: 20,000+ trades back-tested by script, ~2,000 by hand, and 500-1,000 forward-tested live. That's what makes a calculator like this useful instead of decorative, because it only works if the win rate and R:R you type in are numbers you've actually measured. I built these tools because the odds of passing a challenge are the one number nobody hands you before you pay for it.
Affiliate disclosure. The5ers links on this page are affiliate links — if you sign up through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Every other firm is listed with a plain, non-referral link. Firm rules and pricing were last checked July 2026 and change often; always confirm current terms on the firm’s own site. Nothing here is financial advice.