How we rank prop firms

The four pillars

Every firm receives a score from 0 to 10 on each of four pillars. The pillars are weighted, and the weighted blend produces the overall score you see in our rankings. The weights reflect what actually determines whether a trader has a good experience and gets paid.

We publish the per-pillar scores for every firm on the homepage scorecard, not just the final number — so you can see why a firm scored as it did and weight the pillars differently if your priorities differ from ours.

Evidence levels: what we tested vs verified

This is the part of our methodology we take most seriously. We will not imply we have tested something we haven't. Every review carries one of four explicit evidence levels:

• Tested payout — we completed a full payout cycle with our own funded capital at this firm.
• Tested challenge — we purchased and ran a challenge, verifying the platform and rules, but have not completed a full payout cycle.
• Public terms verified — we verified the firm's specs against its own published terms and pricing, but have not independently traded it.
• Trader feedback only — our assessment draws on documented terms plus third-party trader feedback; we have not independently tested it.

You will see this badge at the top of every review and in the "sources checked" block at the bottom. It is the most honest way we know to tell you how much weight our assessment of a given firm can bear.

How firms are selected

We include firms that are large enough to matter to traders, have meaningful public track records or trader followings, and span the range of what the market offers — from the established incumbents to the notable newer entrants. We deliberately include firms we score poorly, and we flag specific concerns (such as a Trustpilot guideline breach or a payout disruption) rather than quietly omitting troubled firms.

How affiliate relationships are handled

We may earn a commission when a reader signs up through some of our links. This is disclosed on every relevant page. Critically, affiliate status is not one of our scoring pillars and carries zero weight in the rankings. A firm we have an affiliate relationship with is scored on exactly the same scorecard as one we do not, and our ranking order is determined solely by the weighted pillar scores. See our affiliate disclosure for the full statement.

Our limits

We are a research desk, not an auditor. We cannot independently verify a firm's internal finances, and a firm's past payout record — however strong — is not a guarantee of future behaviour, especially in a young, lightly regulated industry. Terms change frequently. We date our data, mark figures that change, and tell you to confirm specifics on the firm's own site before buying. Nothing on this site is financial advice.