There are a lot of advantages to joining a good proprietary trading firm. You can trade someone else’s capital, walk away from losses, access premium trading platforms, and receive education and guidance from successful traders.
The best proprietary trading firms will provide you with all of these benefits and then some.
The worst prop firms would rather bleed you dry with fees than actually see you succeed. Unfortunately, there are plenty of prop trading firms like this who will make enticing but ultimately empty pitches in order to lure you in.
The bottom line is that you will not succeed if you don’t choose the right proprietary trading firm.
Table of Contents
Review Summary
BEST FOR FOREX | BEST EDUCATION/ BEST CURRENT PROMO | MOST REPUTABLE | |
---|---|---|---|
Firm | The 5%ers | Topstep | FTMO |
Initial Balance /Fees | Bootcamp: $100K – $95 $250K – $225 | $50K – $49 $100K – $99 $150K – $149 (per month with current promo ) | $10K – €155 $25K – €250 $50K – €345 $100K – €540 $200K – €1080 |
Current Discount | Click this link for 5% off | Click this link for up to 70% off! | Click to start trading with FTMO |
Highlights | Pay small initial fees listed above; pay remainder upon becoming a funded trader Three-step evaluation 6% profit target, 5% max loss No time limits Scale up to $4 million Profit splits start at 50% but can reach 100% | Keep 100% of your first $5,000 in profits; 80% thereafter One-step evaluation 6% profit targets Outstanding educational resources including live TopstepTV and free coaching One rule: Don’t exceed max loss limit (3-4%) Offers forex futures + index futures + many other CME & CBOT products | Most renowned prop firm FTMO Challenge: 2-step evaluation process All fees refundable upon passing of Challenge Step 1: 5% max daily loss; 10% overall max loss; 10% profit target Step 2: same loss limits; 5% profit target |
Swap-Free Accounts | No | N/A | Yes |
Get Started | Start Trading with the 5%ers | Start Trading with Topstep | Start Trading with FTMO |
BEST FOR FOREX | |
---|---|
Firm | The 5%ers |
Initial Balance /Fees | Bootcamp: $100K – $95 $250K – $225 |
Current Discount | Click this link for 5% off |
Highlights | Pay small initial fees listed above; pay remainder upon becoming a funded trader Three-step evaluation 6% profit target, 5% max loss No time limits Scale up to $4 million Profit splits start at 50% but can reach 100% |
Swap-Free Accounts | No |
Get Started | Start Trading with the 5%ers |
BEST EDUCATION/ BEST CURRENT PROMO | |
---|---|
Firm | Topstep |
Initial Balance /Fees | $50K – $49 $100K – $99 $150K – $149 (per month with current promo ) |
Current Discount | Click this link for up to 70% off! |
Highlights | Keep 100% of your first $5,000 in profits; 80% thereafter One-step evaluation 6% profit targets Outstanding educational resources including live TopstepTV and free coaching One rule: Don’t exceed max loss limit (3-4%) Offers forex futures + index futures + many other CME & CBOT products |
Swap-Free Accounts | N/A |
Get Started | Start Trading with Topstep |
MOST REPUTABLE | |
---|---|
Firm | FTMO |
Initial Balance /Fees | $10K – €155 $25K – €250 $50K – €345 $100K – €540 $200K – €1080 |
Current Discount | Click to start trading with FTMO |
Highlights | Most renowned prop firm FTMO Challenge: 2-step evaluation process All fees refundable upon passing of Challenge Step 1: 5% max daily loss; 10% overall max loss; 10% profit target Step 2: same loss limits; 5% profit target |
Swap-Free Accounts | Yes |
Get Started | Start Trading with FTMO |
My Top Pick: Topstep Futures – 9.3/10 (Best for Futures)
The Topstep Futures funded trader program is world renowned, with outstanding educational resources, great customer support, a fantastic current promotion with up to 70% off, and you can keep 100% of your first $5K – $10K in profits.
Pros
Topstep has been funding trades for more than 10 years, and they fund thousands of accounts a month. Many of these new accounts belong to traders new to the world of prop trading.
How is Topstep so successful in funding traders? Part of it is, of course, a numbers game. Topstep’s current 70% off has traders signing up in droves. The more traders signing up, the more that are getting funded.
But the reasons for Topstep’s success goes beyond that. They also fund a lot of traders because they offer exceptional trader guidance. Their customer service ranks amongst the best in the industry should you have technical or procedural questions, and their education department is in a class of its own.
The recent debut of TopstepTV is an invaluable resources for newcomers. Topstep broadcasts live every trading day — professional traders offer tips, answer questions, show their current trades, and talk strategies. It is as close as you’re going to get to being in a real trading room.
In addition to TopstepTV, Topstep offers group coaching sessions, “Coach T,” an automated account monitoring system, and a wealth of online materials including podcasts, webinars and videos.
Topstep does such a good job at educating its traders that you can find reviews from traders who failed the Trading Combine, but still thanked Topstep for how much they learned.
They also give traders unlimited time to hit your profit objectives, which gives newcomers a chance to learn the ropes without the pressure of an imminent deadline. Profit objectives are attainable at just 6%, but watch out for tight loss limits.
The one-step, one rule evaluation process is also a huge draw for new traders. While other prop firms try to trip you up with a lot of rules, Topstep keeps it very simple. You only have to keep your account above the max loss limit. That’s it. No other rules. And with only one-stop, you could earn a funded account in only two days.
Once you become funded, you can keep their first $10,000 in profits without giving Topstep a cut. It’s all yours. That’s a great boost to the bank account for traders who are at the beginning of their prop trading careers. After that, you’ll still keep 80-90%, one of the highest profit splits in the industry.
Cons
Topstep offered a forex prop trading program for awhile, but decided to focus on futures, which has always been their strength. So if you are interested in trading other assets, you should probably look to another prop firm.
Topstep also charges a recurring monthly fee. That’s in contrast to a lot of prop firms that just charge you once. With fees as low as $49 a month, however, if you pass your evaluation quickly, you’ll end up paying less than the initial fee at other firms.
Topstep’s website can get a little confusing. Between the account options including the Express Funded Account and the Live Funded Account, it all gets a little jumbled. Topstep’s customer service department is top notch, so they can certainly help you if you get confused, but I wish their website was a little more clear.
Overall
Topstep is one of the most popular prop firms in the world for a lot of good reasons. Their expert guidance has led to thousands of funded traders profiting millions of dollars. If you want to trade futures, they are an outstanding bargain with their current promotion, and a great place to start your trading career.
#2: The 5%ers – 9.1/10
The 5%ers offer account types suitable for traders with any level of experience, but their cheap prices, obtainable profit targets and trading resources make them ideal for newcomers.
Pros
There’s a lot of reasons to love the 5%ers, but for new traders, perhaps the best reason is their unique pricing structure on their Bootcamp program. With the 5%ers, you pay a fraction of the costs upfront. You only pay the rest of your fee if you actually pass the evaluation.
That’s a great way to break in as a trader — you risk far less money than you would with other firms, but if you get funded you still get a hefty opening balance. For example, a $100K account is only $95 upfront. You’d pay five times that price for a similar account at FTMO. Once you pass, you pay an additional $205 and you’ve still made a great bargain.
The Bootcamp program isn’t the only offering from the 5%ers. You can also choose either the Hyper Growth or High Stakes program, which cater to more experienced traders but offer much quicker funding.
New traders also favor the 5%ers for their easily obtainable profit targets and simple rules. To pass the Bootcamp evaluation, you only need to hit 6% profit, and once you are funded, you can scale your account every time you profit 5%.
The max loss limit of 5% is pretty low, but there’s no daily loss limit, just a “daily pause” once you become funded. The daily pause is set at 3% and just means you’re locked out of your account for the remainder of the trading day if you’ve lost 3% that day.
Stop losses are required on every trade, and that stop loss should be set at 2% or less of the account value. There is some grace if you make a mistake, however. If you make a trade without a stop loss or accidentally risk too much, you’ve committed a “risk violation.” You can make up to five risk violations before you’ve failed your evaluation or lost your account.
Most of the 5%ers rules are pretty lax, another boon for first-timers. You can trade news, as well as hold trades overnight and over weekends. You can use some EAs, but they do have some restrictions, so double check the specifics of your EA.
The 5%ers also provides excellent educational content, particularly when it comes to the psychological aspects of trading.
Cons
A lot of traders don’t like the leverage offered by the 5%ers — the most you’ll get in the Bootcamp program is 1:10. Other prop firms offer substantially more, but when you’re only allowed to risk 2% anyway, 1:100 leverage won’t do you a lot of good.
Others complain about the mandatory stop losses, but, again, you get five chances to get those right. Besides, beginners should be using stop losses with every trade anyway. If you feel that you’ve outgrown them, you can try one of the 5%ers other programs in which they are not mandatory.
Finally, the 5%ers don’t have quite as many tradable assets as other prop firms. They are mainly forex focused, but have added gold, silver, plus some indices and crypto. If you want to trade shares with a prop firm, the 5%ers has opened a separate fund specifically for that.
Overall
The 5%ers is an excellent place to start your trading career. They have affordable programs, with obtainable profit targets and few restrictions. Sign up here to get 5% off and start trading your way towards a $4 million account.
#3 FTMO 9.1/10 (Most Reputable)
FTMO does everything they can to ensure the success of new traders, from providing the best educational resources, to top-of-the-line trading platforms, to substantial trader support.
Pros
First things first, when choosing a prop trading firm, you have to find a company you can trust. FTMO is that company. They have more than 10,000 traders worldwide and their reputation is impeccable. They issue timely, accurate profit payouts and they have an outstanding customer service team.
As a newcomer to proprietary trading firms, you should pay special attention to the educational resources provided. In this category, FTMO is one of the industry leaders.
Each FTMO trader has access to a series of apps that record, monitor, and analyze your every trade. A mentoring app also allows you to improve your discipline by comparing your trades to strategic parameters that you set.
Access to performance coaches is also part of the FTMO program. These coaches focus on the critical role that psychology plays in trading. Even the most experienced traders can let emotions get in the way of executing their strategy, and the psychological aspect of trading is often the most difficult to master for new traders. FTMO is there to help.
New traders and experienced prop traders alike love FTMO’s profit payout and scaling plan, which allows you to withdraw profits and grow your account at the same time. Payouts start at 80% of profits and can reach 90% if you continue to meet profit targets, plus your account can grow up to $2 million in capital, even if you withdraw your profits.
Initial fees are also quite low as €155 will provide you with $10,000 funding capital. More capital is more expensive, of course, with a maximum initial funding capital of $200,000 costing €1,080. Unlike some other prop trading firms, FTMO will refund your initial fee with your first profit split if you pass the evaluation stages.
Finally, FTMO has the widest range of tradable assets in the business. Most proprietary trading firms cater only to forex traders, but FTMO allows trading in forex, commodities, indices, crypto, stocks, bonds, and more. They also don’t limit trading strategies, so long as your trades conform to FTMO account rules.
Cons
I’m sure you’re eager to get started as a funded trader, so going through FTMO’s two-stage evaluation may seem like an impediment to your ultimate goal. I’d argue the opposite. The evaluation period is an ideal time for you to test your strategy and familiarize yourself with your trading platform, which will put you in a better position to have long term success.
With no time limits, you can take your time on your evaluation, but you can also do it much more quickly if you meet your profit objectives earlier. In fact, each stage requires only four trading days each if you meet or exceed the established goals. That means if all goes well you’ll pass your evaluation after just 8 trading days and become an FTMO trader.
The educational apps are fairly sophisticated so, if you are not technically savvy, you may not receive their full benefit. The performance coaches and customer service department do help in that regard, but the more you can glean from the trading apps, the better.
Overall
FTMO offers cheap access to trading capital, tremendous educational resources and performance coaches, all while paying up to 90% of trading profits. They are also as dependable as you’ll find in this industry. If you’re new to proprietary trading and want to start your career off with the most reputable firm in the business, open an account with FTMO today.
#4 Lux Trading (8.3/10)
Lux Trading is a reputable prop firm and a good entry point into the world of funded accounts. They made my Best for Beginners list thanks to their new Elite Package, which is an expensive but invaluable program for learning the ins and outs of trading.
Pros:
If you really want to learn the prop trading game, and don’t mind spending some money to do so, Lux Trading has recently introduced an Elite Package, that offers the most hands-on training in the business. You’ll receive one-on-one guidance, access to live trading sessions, and much much more.
For their standard accounts, Lux Trading has the patience to let you learn the ropes, as they offer as much time as you need to pass your evaluation. There’s no running clock and no monthly fees . Once you sign up, you have unlimited time to meet a 6% profit target to pass the first stage.
That means you can really familiarize yourself with the trading platform and trading parameters and carefully execute your strategy when the market conditions are right.
Once you meet your objectives in the first stage, you get half of your fees reimbursed. Hit a 4% profit target, with no time limits once again, and you’ll get the rest of your start-up fee back. From there, your on the fast track to a lot of trading capital. If you open a $200K account, you could be trading $10 million in just six stages.
I also like the variety of assets you can trade with Lux, including stocks, CFDs, commodities and more. If you’re coming from one discipline like simple equity trading, you can do that with Lux while you learn other markets.
The Lux trader dashboard is also quite user-friendly and allows you to very easily monitor your maximum relative drawdown and your progress towards reaching profit targets. And if you’re looking to make a career out of trading, Lux partners with KPMG to provide you with audited trading records.
Cons:
Lux places a premium on your risk-management skills. They are looking for patient traders who aren’t overly aggressive. To make sure they only trust their capital to risk-averse traders, they have a 5% max relative drawdown, which is pretty tight.
In order to further mitigate their risk, Lux requires a stop-loss to be placed on each trade. They won’t close your account if you forget, but they will close the position and you won’t receive credit for any profits.
And although the Lux scaling program offers giant leaps in capital from one level to the next, in order to make the jump you have to have traded over a minimum of 29 days each for the demo level and the second evaluation. Once you’ve cleared those levels, there’s a minimum of 49 trading days before you can advance to more funding.
Overall
Lux Trading is looking for risk-averse, consistently profitable traders. If that’s you, they will give you a tremendous amount of capital to trade in a wide variety of markets. Sign up here to begin your journey.
#5 The Funded Trader – 8.2/10
The Funded Trader is a cheap alternative to other two-step evaluation programs, offers very loose trading parameters, great payouts and a lot of freedom to trade however you’d like. They’ve also experienced a lot of trouble lately, including a shutdown of several weeks. Proceed with caution.
Pros
The Funded Trader became a sensation in the prop trading world thanks mainly to its founders, both of whom have substantial experience mentoring forex traders. Their use of clever marketing and a lot of great promotions made them popular almost from the moment the fund went live.
It wasn’t all smoke and mirrors, however. The Funded Trader remains popular for some very good reasons. I think they are a particularly good fit for beginners for several reasons, but mainly for their very trader-friendly trading rules.
The Funded Trader features a max overall loss of 10% and a max daily loss of 5%, which are better than a lot of prop firms. The longer you can stay in the game, the better your chance of eventually finding success.
The Funded Trader also has very lax rules when it comes to trading style, so if you’re new to trading, you have free reign to experiment. You can also access a number of markets including forex, of course, plus crypto, indices and some commodities.
As far as the rest goes, the Funded Trader matches up well with the competition: 80%-90% profit splits, scaling up to $1.5 million, and only five minimum trading days for each stage of the evaluation.
Finally, the Funded Trader has an incredibly active community centered around its Discord, which has nearly 60,000 members. This community can be invaluable when it comes to sharing tips for passing the trading challenge, finding trading opportunities, and generally supporting one another.
Cons
I’m not convinced that the Funded Trader is going to last. After the CFTC shut down My Forex Funds, many of us began guessing which prop firm would be their next target. I think the Funded Trader is a pretty good candidate. They are wildly successful, which puts a bullseye squarely on them, and they seem to be making a lot of the same mistakes that MFF did.
The Funded trader is leaning heavily on the word “simulated” to keep them out of regulators’ crosshairs, but a judge stated very clearly that even these type of demo trades are “real” and require registration with the CFTC. If this opinion holds up, the Funded Trader will probably need to completely reinvent itself to survive. Do they have the patience and foresight to do so? I have my doubs.
There’s also been a lot of chatter amongst traders that the Funded Trader has been closing accounts without due cause. This is just hearsay at this point, but I’ve heard the rumor enough to think it’s worth mentioning.
Overall
The Funded Trader offers great price points, frequent promotions, obtainable profit targets and loose trading rules. If you trust they’ll stay a head of the CFTC and have put their dark days behind them, sign up to join an enthusiastic trading community and become their next funded trader.
#7 SurgeTrader – 7.9/10
SurgeTrader is a relatively new prop firm, but their educational resources, simple rules and one-step evaluation have them quickly moving up my rankings for beginning proprietary traders.
Pros
If you are new to the prop trading game but have done some trading on your own, SurgeTrader could be a good fit. SurgeTrader offers a one-stage evaluation program, so if you sign up with them, you’ll be step closer to being funded than if you signed up with just about anyone else on my list.
If you prefer a more affordable two-step evaluation, Surge now offers that too. They’ve also added a “Lightning” account, which gives you seven days to meet a 5% profit target.
SurgeTrader also keeps the evaluation process as simple as possible. Some prop firms make their rules pretty opaque in order to trip up traders, but with SurgeTrader those rules are crystal clear. You can only lose your account if you violate one of the loss limits, which are set at 5% on a daily basis and 8% overall. Very simple, and pretty generous too.
There are just a few other guidelines, like mandatory stop losses, but they are “soft rules” and a violation only means your position is closed and you can live to trade another day.
I also like the fact that SurgeTrader offers access to a ton of financial markets through CFDs. Shares, indices, forex, crypto, metals and energy are all available.
SurgeTrader has also shown an impressive dedication to the education of their traders. Their informative blog is updated daily and novice traders could learn a great deal just by going back through the archives. They also have a number of downloadable trading guides that offer market outlooks, in depth reviews of technical trading techniques and more.
Cons
SurgeTrader seems like another easy target for the CFTC. They’re US-based and paying out traders on the results of simulated trading. We’ll know more when the dust settles from the MFF case, but until then I would look for alternatives.
SurgeTrader is also on the expensive side, especially when compared to the Funded Trader . Their prices don’t put me off, however. To me, SurgeTrader’s one-step evaluation makes them worth the premium price. I’d rather pay for one account, but pass in one stage, then pay for two accounts after I failed in the second stage of someone else’s evaluation.
The Funded Trader and others also beat SurgeTrader on profit splits. Although SurgeTrader advertises “up to 90%” payouts, the 90% is only for those who pay for premium add-ons. Standard payout is 75%. SurgeTrader would argue that they deserve that extra split because of how quickly they get their traders capital and the fact that the capital is real.
Overall
SurgeTrader has a simple, streamlined evaluation process that puts you into real money in a hurry. Simple rules make SurgeTrader a good choice for beginners so long as you’re willing to pay a slight premium in price and aren’t worried about regulator interference.
The Bottom Line
As a newcomer to the world of proprietary trading, you have to be very careful what prop trading firm you choose. Many are better suited for seasoned traders and there are some out there that take advantage of the inexperienced.
Before you sign up for any funded trading account, make sure you are with a trading firm that invests in your success with mentoring and education programs, is transparent regarding fees and trading parameters, supports your trading style, and won’t overcharge you for access to their capital.
For most traders, newcomers, and veterans alike, Topstep checks all of these boxes. If you’re confident in your trading strategy, well-versed in your chosen market and just need sufficient capital to realize your financial dreams, sign up with Topstep today.
Methodology
I used almost the same methodology for this review as I did for my article listing the overall best prop trading firms. I discuss that methodology in more detail here. I also go into much more individual detail about the above firms and their strengths and weaknesses with my longform reviews: FTMO, TopStep Futures, the 5%ers, Fidelcrest and Lux Trading.
When considering the best prop firms for beginners, I put far more weight on the educational resources and customer service departments. Those are important factors for any trader to consider, but far more important to newcomers to the prop trading world.
I ranked the above prop trading firms according to the following seven factors:
Factor 1: Educational Resources
Clearly this is one of the most important factors for those new to prop trading. Even if you have significant trading experience, there’s still a lot to learn about the intricacies of trading with a prop firm.
A really good prop firm will offer clear instructions on the rules specific to their funded accounts and will help teach you how to manage risk according to their parameters. A firm that doesn’t spend a lot of time teaching you these basics is not interested in your long term success.
Beyond that is the general market education. Even the most seasoned traders need to stay up to date on ever-evolving markets. Good prop firms will provide timely information on current market conditions, alert you to potential trading opportunities and generally help you become a more informed trader.
For the purposes of this ranking list, I awarded the highest points to those firms who have proven through investment that they care about trader education.
Factor 2: Customer service
An experienced trader probably won’t have much contact with a prop firm’s customer service department, but as a newcomer, a good customer service team can be invaluable.
You can be a very profitable trader but still need some help getting started as a prop trader. Prop trading comes with its own set of rules, and you need to master those rules to be successful. Having a knowledgeable, responsive customer service team to help answer your questions before you make critical mistakes can make a huge difference.
A good customer service department is also a good indicator that a prop firm is truly invested in your long term success.
Factor 3: Trading parameters
This is a very important factor for beginning traders because it is where most beginners get tripped up. If you violate trading parameters, you often lose access to your funded account and have to start over from the beginning. That can mean new fees and new evaluation periods.
Since they provide the capital, prop firms are very concerned about limiting the risks you take with their money.
They do this by making you close positions at the end of every trading day, prohibiting you from trading news such as the release of unemployment data, and other tactics. You’ll also face loss limits, both daily and overall. Should you exceed those limits your account will probably be cancelled.
Some trading strategies may also be prohibited, and you’ll have to use stop loss orders on every trade.
I also put profit targets in this category as different prop firms provide different targets you have to meet in order to graduate from your evaluation period or scale up to a larger account size. Typically you’re expected to grow your account 8-10% in order to move on. Obviously lower profit targets make life considerably easier, especially for beginning prop traders.
For the purposes of my rankings, I gave the highest scores to prop firms that most clearly disclosed their trading parameters and put as few restrictions on trading as possible. I also awarded extra points to those firms that had lower profit targets.
Factor 4: Profit splits
Profit split percentages are probably the first thing any trader looks at. I understand that, and for experienced traders that’s the first thing I’d look at too.
It’s not as important for beginning traders, however, because you need to make a profit before you can split a profit. It is better to get 50% of something than 80% of nothing.
That doesn’t mean you should just ignore the profit splits all together. Of course it’s still an important factor in your decision. Prop firms are letting you use their capital, so they deserve a cut of your profits, but obviously the more you can keep for yourself the better.
Factor 5: Scaling opportunities
As you move from being a new prop trader to a successful prop trader, most firms will give you access to more and more capital. Some firms scale you up faster than others, and some firms also improve your profit splits as you continue to meet your trading objectives.
Just about every prop firm has a splashy banner on their website advertising the largest account size you can obtain. “Trade up to $2 million of our money!” It is extremely difficult to maintain consistent enough profits to graduate all the way to this level, so I don’t put a lot of stock in the top-end scaling.
I’m much more interested in how quickly each firm allows you to move up and how easy they make it to do so.
Factor 6: Affordability / Value
This is another critical factor for beginners, since you don’t want to be wasting your money if it becomes pretty obvious early on that prop trading isn’t for you. At the same time, you don’t want to select a super cheap firm based on price alone if they don’t give you a good chance to succeed. The perfect prop firm offers premium services at a reasonable price.
As a general rule, I prefer one-time fees to monthly fees. Even low monthly fees add up over time, and I feel like impending monthly fees make me more aggressive than I should be. Like I have to succeed or fail before my next payment.
Factor 7: Tradable assets
As a newcomer, I strongly urge you to focus on one particular market niche and really build up a level of expertise. I’ve known a lot of successful traders who have done exactly that. Some just choose one currency pair for example, and don’t allow themselves to be distracted by anything else.
That said, I still prefer prop firms that offer a lot of tradable assets. It’s impossible to predict the future, and I don’t want to have to start over with a new prop firm because I’ve decided to start trading a new asset.
Conclusion
I don’t like to sugarcoat things—making it as a prop trader is a challenging endeavor. You can make it a lot easier on yourself by doing your homework, understanding the rules and choosing the prop firm that’s best for you.
I truly hope my rankings have helped you make this important choice and that prop trading is your path to financial freedom.
If you’re ready to get started and you want to go with my pick for the prop firm that gives you the best chance to succeed, sign up with TopStep today.