Next Step Funded - Firm Review

Status: proceed with extreme caution

Before anything else: Next Step Funded is widely reported as no longer operating. Its own website still loads, but independent review platforms mark it CLOSED with an explicit warning not to send funds, and its recent Trustpilot history is dominated by non-payment complaints — payout requests (one example dated February 2025) left unanswered after repeated emails, and payouts declined citing disputed “copy-trading” or consistency violations, with traders alleging the firm “makes up rules just before payouts are due.” The firm has referenced a “dashboard migration” in some replies. Whatever the internal cause, the practical takeaway is the same: do not deposit money here unless and until it demonstrably resumes reliable payouts. The rest of this review describes the product as advertised, for reference.

Company and regulation

Next Step Funded is reported to be operated by Prop Solutions FZE-LLC, a UAE free-zone entity (not confirmed on its own pages). It is unregulated, and its accounts are simulated. Its own FAQ is explicit that even funded traders start on demo: “All new funded traders begin on demo accounts… During this demo stage, the profits are virtual… After consistently profiting for at least 4 months… transition from the demo to live market trading.” So “funded” here means at least four months on a demo account before any live transition. Trading is on Eightcap (an ASIC-regulated broker), covering forex, metals, oil, indices and stock CFDs.

The rule that defined it: the “trade range” system

Next Step Funded’s most distinctive mechanic is a “trade range” consistency system that can quietly erase profits. The firm calculates your average lot size and builds a personal band from about -75% to +100% of that average (a 10-lot average yields a roughly 2.5–20 lot band). Any profitable trade that falls outside that band is deleted from your profit calculation entirely and doesn’t count toward your minimum days. Layered on top: no single trade may exceed 50% of your monthly profit, a 5% profit cap in early months, and the four-month demo period above.

The firm openly says the two-step consistency rules exist because it “permits HFT to pass the challenge.” Even taken at face value, this stacks multiple independent ways for earned profits to be voided before you’re paid — which, against the backdrop of the non-payment complaints, is exactly the wrong combination. It’s the clearest single reason to be cautious even if the firm were paying reliably.

How it was advertised

For reference, Next Step Funded offered one-step and two-step challenges, account sizes $15k to $200k (fees $100–$1,000), on Eightcap. The split ran 60% in month one, 70% in month two and 80% from month three (one-step started at 80%) — note the “keep up to 80%” framing understates that most traders start at 60%. Drawdown was static at 12% of the initial balance. Payouts had a $100 minimum, required trading at least 30 days for the first two payouts and then ran bi-weekly, with a 5% profit cap early on. Fees were one-time (no monthly fee).

Contradictions to note

• “No minimum trading days” marketing vs a 3-day (one-step) or 10-day (two-step) requirement plus a 30-day hold before the first payout.
• “Keep up to 80%” vs a two-step split that actually starts at 60%.
• “Get funded / trade our capital” vs an FAQ admitting funded accounts are demo for at least four months.

Verdict

There is no positive recommendation to make. Next Step Funded is widely flagged as closed or non-paying, with a Trustpilot history full of unanswered payout requests and disputed denials, so the practical advice is simple: do not deposit money here.

Even if it were paying reliably, the product design is stacked against the trader: funded accounts are demo for at least four months, the split starts at 60% despite “up to 80%” marketing, and a “trade range” system plus a 50%-best-trade rule and a 5% profit cap give the firm several ways to void earned profit before payout. If you are already owed money, treat it as a serious payout dispute: document everything, chase in writing, and be wary of any “recovery” services. We’ll update this review if the firm demonstrably returns to reliable operation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Next Step Funded still operating and paying?

Its website still loads, but independent review trackers mark it as closed and warn against sending funds, and its recent Trustpilot history is dominated by non-payment complaints, including unanswered payout requests and payouts denied on disputed rule violations. Treat it as high-risk and do not deposit money unless it demonstrably resumes reliable payouts.

Is Next Step Funded regulated, and is the capital real?

Next Step Funded is unregulated, and its accounts are simulated. Its own FAQ states that all new funded traders begin on demo accounts with virtual profits, and only after consistently profiting for at least four months are they evaluated for a transition to live trading. So even funded accounts are demo for a minimum of four months. Its broker partner is Eightcap.

What is the Next Step Funded trade range rule?

The firm calculates your average lot size and builds a personal band from roughly -75 percent to +100 percent of that average. Any profitable trade that falls outside the band is deleted from your profit calculation entirely and does not count toward your minimum trading days. Combined with a rule that no single trade may exceed 50 percent of monthly profit and a 5 percent profit cap, this gives several ways for earned profit to be voided before payout.

What was the Next Step Funded profit split?

The split ran 60 percent in month one, 70 percent in month two and 80 percent from month three on the two-step, while the one-step started at 80 percent. The up-to-80-percent marketing understates that most traders start at 60 percent, and the firm own FAQ caps the split at 80 percent despite some aggregator claims of up to 100 percent.

What were the Next Step Funded products and rules?

It offered one-step and two-step challenges with account sizes from $15k to $200k on the Eightcap platform, trading forex, metals, oil, indices and stock CFDs. Drawdown was static at 12 percent of the initial balance with no separate daily limit stated. Payouts had a $100 minimum, required at least 30 days of trading before the first two payouts, then ran bi-weekly, with a 5 percent profit cap early on.

I am owed money by Next Step Funded. What should I do?

Treat it as a serious payout dispute. Document everything, including your purchase, account statements, payout requests and all correspondence, and chase the firm in writing. Report the issue to relevant consumer or financial authorities where applicable, and be wary of recovery services that promise to retrieve your money for an upfront fee, as these are a common follow-on scam after prop-firm payout failures.

Next Step Funded is widely flagged as closed / non-paying — do not deposit money until it demonstrably resumes reliable payouts.