1-Step Prop Firms
1-Step Prop Firms: What the Single Phase Actually Costs You (2026)
1-step prop firms fund you after one evaluation instead of two. The common assumption is that you pay a premium for the shortcut. Checked against 50 firms’ own rulebooks, that is not true: most price their 1-step at or below their 2-step for the same account size.
Quick answer: the single phase is not paid for in money, it is paid for in room. Almost every firm compensates structurally, in one of four ways: a tighter maximum drawdown, a switch from static to trailing drawdown, a consistency or best-day rule, or a lower starting profit split. FTMO’s 1-step is cheaper than its 2-step but cuts the daily loss limit from 5% to 3%, replaces a static drawdown with an end-of-day trailing one, and adds a 50% best-day rule. City Traders Imperium, Maven Trading, For Traders and Nordic Funder are all cheaper on the 1-step and all tighten the drawdown to pay for it.
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- Liechtenstein-registered (real Impressum, named directors); unregulated; contract language is German
- A flat 80% split, with no add-on to buy and no upsell at checkout
- Static on most CFD sizes; Futures and Stocks trail end-of-day
- The inactivity clock starts the day you BUY, not the day you first trade
- A 1% fee is deducted from every payout; the fee rebate now lands on your 3rd payout
★★★★★
More details +The Trading Pit
The Trading Pit is a Liechtenstein-registered firm running CFD Prime, Futures Prime and a Stocks Challenge on a flat 80% split. Two changes on 29 April 2026 reshaped the deal: the fee rebate moved from your 1st payout to your 3rd, and the drawdown on the largest accounts switched from static to trailing. The rule that ends most accounts here is not a drawdown at all - it is the inactivity clock, which starts the day you buy, not the day you first trade.PROS:
- Flat 80% split on CFD Prime and Futures Prime, with no add-on to buy
- One-time fee, not a subscription (futures market data is billed separately)
- Static drawdown on most CFD account sizes
- Weekend and overnight holding permitted on all CFD accounts
- Wide platform choice: cTrader, MT4/MT5, NinjaTrader, Tradovate, Quantower, Sierra Chart
- Payouts processed within 24 hours on business days
- Minimum payout $100 on CFD accounts
- Resets and extensions available at a discount rather than a full rebuy
CONS:
- The fee rebate now lands on your 3RD payout, not your 1st (accounts bought from 29 April 2026)
- On 29 April 2026 the max drawdown on the largest CFD accounts switched from static to trailing
- A 1% fee is deducted from every payout
- The inactivity clock starts the day you buy - 21 days without a trade breaches the account
- Hitting the daily drawdown closes the account permanently; it is not a pause
- The firm publishes three different payout requirements across three of its own pages
- The best-known firm in the sector; simulated capital; unregulated
- 2-Step max drawdown is STATIC - a genuine fixed floor
- The 2-Step fee is refunded 100% with your first payout; the 1-Step never is
- The 1-Step carries a Best Day rule that nothing warns you about
- Includes the June 2026 payout report
★★★★★
More details +FTMO
FTMO (FTMO s.r.o., Prague) is the sector's most established simulated-funding firm, running a 2-Step and a newer 1-Step challenge. The most important fact is one almost every review gets backwards: the 2-Step fee is refunded 100% with your first payout, while the 1-Step fee is NON-REFUNDABLE. The 1-Step's lower sticker price (€499 vs €540 on a $100K) therefore makes it the more expensive route to funded, permanently. The 2-Step uses a STATIC 10% drawdown; the 1-Step uses an end-of-day TRAILING drawdown, a 3% daily loss, a 50% Best Day Rule that silently blocks payouts, no Scaling Plan — and it resets your entire drawdown buffer every time you withdraw. FTMO charges no withdrawal commission, has no consistency rules on the 2-Step, and scales to $2,000,000. There is no reset product: failing means buying again at full price.PROS:
- 2-Step challenge fee is refunded 100% with your first payout — one of the only genuine full refunds in the industry
- 2-Step max drawdown is STATIC (10%) — the floor never moves
- No consistency rules on the 2-Step beyond the stated objectives
- No withdrawal commission at all — FTMO charges nothing to pay you
- Scaling Plan: +25% capital every 4 months up to $2,000,000 (2-Step), performance-gated and free
- Minimum payout just $20 by bank wire
- No time limit on either challenge; MT4, MT5 and cTrader all supported
- Swing accounts have no news or weekend-holding restrictions
CONS:
- The 1-Step fee is NON-REFUNDABLE — it looks cheaper than the 2-Step but is permanently the more expensive route to funded
- The 1-Step uses an END-OF-DAY TRAILING drawdown (the 2-Step is static) and a tighter 3% daily loss
- The 1-Step's 50% Best Day Rule silently blocks your pass or payout — it is not a breach, so nothing warns you
- On the 1-Step, every payout RESETS your trailing drawdown back to 90% of initial capital — you lose your entire buffer
- The Scaling Plan is 2-Step ONLY — the 1-Step has none
- There is NO reset product — failing means repurchasing the challenge at full price
- CFD prop firm trading simulated capital; unregulated
- Split scales to 100% - free and performance-gated, never a paid add-on
- STATIC drawdown across every CFD programme; the floor never trails
- A 3.5% commission is deducted from every cash withdrawal, on all methods
- The 0.5% profitable-day rule is the real gate to getting paid
★★★★★
More details +The5ers
The5ers (Five Percent Online Ltd, a UK company — but contracted under Israeli law with exclusive jurisdiction in Tel Aviv) runs four CFD programmes: Bootcamp, Hyper Growth, Pro Growth and High Stakes. Its real strengths are genuine: drawdown is STATIC on every CFD programme, the split scales to 100% for free rather than as a paid add-on, and High Stakes offers 1:100 leverage. But two things are widely misreported. First, a 3.5% commission is taken from EVERY cash withdrawal — Rise, crypto and bank transfer alike; the only 0% route is non-convertible Hub Credit. Second, the celebrated ~70% fee refund is High Stakes only, is paid as account equity rather than cash, and is itself subject to that 3.5% on the way out. The rule that decides most accounts is the 0.5% profitable-day definition: on a $100K you need $500 of closed profit in a day to qualify, and an open losing position at midnight wipes the day out entirely.PROS:
- Drawdown is STATIC across every CFD programme — the floor never trails you
- The split scales to 100% and it is free and performance-gated, never a paid add-on
- High Stakes runs 1:100 leverage — double most competitors
- A genuine ~70% fee refund exists on High Stakes
- No time limit on any evaluation; one-time fee, no recurring charges
- Forex commission 4 USD per lot round turn; no commission on indices
- MT5, cTrader and TradingView (US traders) supported
CONS:
- A 3.5% commission is deducted from every cash withdrawal — Rise, crypto and bank transfer
- The 0.5% profitable-day rule is the real gate, and an open losing position at midnight destroys the day
- The 70% refund is High Stakes only, paid as equity, and the Terms separately call the fee non-refundable
- The consistency-rule percentage is not disclosed before purchase
- The5ers Futures uses a never-locking trailing drawdown — a trap for CFD traders crossing over
- CFD prop firm trading simulated capital; unregulated
- 80%, 90% or 100% split - a paid choice at checkout, not a performance tier
- E8 Zero: no daily drawdown at all and a 3% STATIC maximum. E8 Pro: 8% static, no consistency rule
- your first payout permanently raises the loss level to your initial balance
- E8’s own example shows a $104,000 account requesting $4,000 and breaching instantly
★★★★★
More details +E8 Markets
E8 Markets (E8 Funding LLC, Dallas + E8 Markets Ltd, Saint Lucia) runs three single-phase products: E8 Zero, E8 One and E8 Pro. Two things dominate. First, the profit split is a PAID CHOICE at checkout — in E8's own words, 'select 80%, 90%, or 100% at checkout. Higher splits cost more upfront,' and the choice is permanent. Second, and more dangerous: on E8 Zero and E8 Pro your first payout permanently raises the loss level to your initial balance. E8's own worked example shows a $104,000 account requesting a $4,000 payout, dropping to $100,000, and BREACHING immediately. Withdrawing your own profit can destroy the account that produced it. E8 Zero also deactivates permanently after 5 payouts, capping lifetime earnings between $15,000 and $35,000 depending on account size. There is no fee refund of any kind.PROS:
- E8 Zero: no daily drawdown at all, and a 3% STATIC max drawdown
- E8 Pro: 8% STATIC drawdown with no consistency rule
- Single-phase evaluations across the whole range — no second phase to grind
- Resets available at a 10% discount (within 7 days of failing)
- Publishes a pass rate (17.7%) — though the window is now over two years stale
- Unregulated and says so plainly; no false regulatory claim
- Choice of drawdown model and split at checkout
CONS:
- THE PAYOUT TRAP: on E8 Zero and E8 Pro, your first payout permanently raises the loss level to your initial balance — E8's own example shows a $104,000 account requesting $4,000 and BREACHING instantly at $100,000
- The 80/90/100% profit split is a PAID CHOICE at checkout — higher splits cost more upfront and are locked for the life of the account
- E8 Zero DEACTIVATES after 5 payouts — capped at $15k ($50K acct) to $35k ($500K acct) lifetime
- E8 Pro's '80% split' is really 40% of profits — only half your profit is ever made requestable
- E8 One's max drawdown TRAILS (4-14%) and breaches on intraday equity
- Futures-only prop firm across 6+ asset classes; simulated capital
- There is NO daily drawdown - the best thing about the product
- A $10,000 lifetime ceiling takes your profit, and prior withdrawals count toward it
- Rebuilt as "TradeDay 2.0" - the terms changed with the relaunch
- Unusually transparent about its own numbers
★★★★★
More details +TradeDay
TradeDay (TradeDay LLC - an ILLINOIS company, not a UK one) is a futures-only prop firm trading simulated capital, rebuilt as TradeDay 2.0. Its best feature is genuine: there is no daily drawdown at all. The constraint to understand before you buy is the $10,000 lifetime ceiling, which takes your profit once you reach it - and prior withdrawals count toward it. The firm is unusually transparent about its own numbers, which we credit in the review.PROS:
- Split reaches 90% in Funded Live (Quick Pay starts at 50/50 until $4,000 net profit)
- Day One Payouts - withdrawals available from day one of funded trading, no consistency requirement
- One-step evaluation with no time limits
- Specializes in futures trading across 6+ asset classes
- Trailing drawdown freezes at starting balance (trader-friendly)
- Choice of three drawdown types at signup: Intraday TMD, End-of-Day TMD, or Static
- Trade up to 6 simultaneous accounts
- Reset $99 mid-cycle, or free at next monthly subscription renewal
- Strong educational resources and mentorship program
- 4.6/5 Trustpilot rating from 1,354+ reviews (April 2026)
CONS:
- Futures-only firm - not suitable for forex or stock spot traders
- Weekend holding strictly prohibited
- News trading not allowed
- Single-step evaluation only - no public phased structure
- Minimum 5 trading days required in evaluation
- Crypto-first prop firm; the Swiss operator states it is NOT authorised or licensed in Switzerland
- Base split 80%; the 90% is a paid add-on (+20%), and weekly payouts are a separate paid add-on
- Static 10% on the 2-Phase; the 1-Phase is 6% TRAILING
- Simulated profit capped at $10,000 per day AND per trade, per user - the excess is deducted
- Default payout cycle is 15 traded days or every 30 calendar days; includes the June 2026 payout report
★★★★★
More details +Crypto Fund Trader
Crypto Fund Trader is a crypto-first prop firm running 1-Phase, 2-Phase, Instant and Break evaluations on simulated capital up to $300,000, across MetaTrader 5, Match-Trader and Bybit. The base split is 80%, and the default payout cycle is 15 traded days or every 30 calendar days - weekly payouts and the 90% split are both paid add-ons. Simulated profit is hard-capped at $10,000 per day and per trade, with the excess deducted, which is the rule most crypto traders here meet first.PROS:
- Account sizes from $5,000 up to $300,000 in simulated capital
- 80% base profit split on the funded stage
- Crypto-native: 556 crypto instruments, routed to Bybit's real matching engine
- Four routes: 1-Phase, 2-Phase, Instant and the newer Break model
- No time limit on any evaluation phase
- MetaTrader 5, Match-Trader and Bybit all supported
- News trading, overnight and weekend holding all permitted
- Payouts in USDT, BTC or ETH as well as bank transfer
CONS:
- Simulated profit capped at $10,000 per day AND per trade, per user - the excess is deducted and open trades force-closed
- The 90% split is a paid add-on (+20% of the fee); the base is 80%
- Weekly payouts are also a paid add-on (+20%); the default is 15 traded days or every 30 calendar days
- T&C 14.2 reserves the right not to pay despite the trader hitting the target - the only stated remedy is a refund of fees
- The 1-Phase drawdown is 6% TRAILING, not the 10% static floor of the 2-Phase
- The operator states it is not authorised or licensed in Switzerland; all accounts are demo
- Real UK company (Companies House 13719951); NOT FCA regulated, and no FCA warning exists
- A flat 80% split on every plan - there is no 90% tier at any price
- Static on Alpha Pro, Swing and Three; Alpha One trails a high-water mark
- The 2-minute rule: 50% of profits must come from trades held over two minutes
- $100 minimum payout; the fee is not refundable - all sales are final
★★★★★
More details +Alpha Capital
Alpha Capital Group is a UK-registered prop firm running four evaluation paths - Alpha One, Alpha Pro, Alpha Swing and Alpha Three - on MT5, cTrader, DX Trade and TradeLocker. The split is a flat 80% on every plan, and scaling raises your balance rather than your share. Every plan uses a static drawdown except Alpha One, which trails. The fee is non-refundable, and the rule that ends most accounts here is not a drawdown at all - it is the 2-minute average trade duration test.PROS:
- Static drawdown on Alpha Pro, Alpha Swing and Alpha Three
- Hedging and stacking permitted; overnight and weekend holds allowed in all evaluation phases
- Four platforms: MetaTrader 5, cTrader, DX Trade and TradeLocker
- No time limit and no account expiry on any evaluation
- On-demand payouts available once the account is 2% in profit
- Payouts processed within 2 business days via Rise, Wise or bank transfer
- Scaling to a cumulative $2m in allocated balance
- A 0.25% bonus of initial account size on your 4th payout
CONS:
- The fee is non-refundable: "All sales are final and no refund will be issued"
- The split is a flat 80% - there is no 90% tier at any price, and scaling does not raise it
- The 2-minute rule: at least 50% of profits must come from trades held over 2 minutes, or profits are removed
- Alpha One trails on a high-water mark, and once locked, withdrawing all profit closes the account
- The Risk Management Group can cut your leverage to 1:30 and halve your lot caps at the firm's discretion
- UK-registered but not FCA regulated; the group's only licence sits with a Seychelles sister broker
- US futures prop firm (Austin, Texas); unregulated; all funded accounts are simulated
- 100% profit split - there is no split at all on current accounts
- Choose your drawdown: EOD Trail (once daily) or Intraday Trail (real-time on peak equity)
- Evaluations expire in 30 days with NO resets; a funded account closes after 6 payouts
- $500 minimum payout; 5 qualifying days per payout; nothing is refundable
★★★★★
More details +Apex Trader
Apex Trader Funding replaced its entire product line on 1 March 2026. Everything on sale now is a one-time fee with no rebill, a 100% profit split and no consistency rule in the evaluation. The old model - monthly subscription, 90/10 split, the 30% negative P&L rule and the 5:1 risk-reward rule - is now Legacy and cannot be bought. Most reviews of Apex, including our previous one, still describe the old product.PROS:
- 100% profit split on all current simulated funded accounts - no split at all
- One-time fee, no rebill and no monthly charge on the funded account
- No consistency rule in the evaluation; no MAE rule; no 5:1 risk-reward rule
- No minimum trading days - you can pass in a single day
- News trading permitted for a normal strategy
- An EOD account option, so you can avoid intraday trailing entirely
- NinjaTrader licence and real-time data included
- Trustpilot 4.3 from over 20,000 reviews, with no consumer alert
CONS:
- Evaluations now expire after 30 days and there are NO RESETS - a failed eval must be repurchased
- A 50% consistency rule applies on the funded account and gates the payout button
- Only 6 payouts per funded account, then it closes and you must qualify again
- The safety net must now be maintained for the LIFE of the account, not just the first three payouts
- Contract limits are roughly halved when you move to the funded account
- Holding a position through the market close forfeits the account and all balances
- Binding terms name a UAE company (GrowthNext F.Z.E.) as the contracting party; unregulated
- Base 80%; 90% via Scale-Up; 95% is a paid add-on (+25-30% of the fee)
- Up to 3.5% is deducted from EVERY payout - an "80%" split nets about 77%
- Static on Stellar 1-Step, 2-Step and Lite; only Stellar Instant trails
- The 3% max risk rule: a second breach permanently caps you at 1% risk for life
★★★★★
More details +Funded Next
FundedNext is a UAE proprietary trading firm operating through GrowthNext F.Z.E. (Ajman Free Zone), running the Stellar range: 1-Step, 2-Step, Lite and Instant. Per its own disclaimer it is a simulation-based platform. The base profit split is 80% — 90% is reached through the Scale-Up plan, and 95% is a PAID add-on costing 25–30% on top of the challenge fee. A processing fee of up to 3.5% is deducted from EVERY payout, so a nominal 80% split nets closer to 77%. Since 12 January 2026 the 1-Step split starts at 80% rather than 90% — and resetting an older account moves you onto the newer, worse terms. The 1-Step pays on a 5-business-day cycle; the 2-Step's first cycle is 21 days, then 14 thereafter. Minimum payout from 20 USD, and only 2 minimum trading days on the 1-Step.PROS:
- Static drawdown on Stellar 1-Step, 2-Step and Lite
- The 100% fee refund is standard and free (not an add-on)
- Four platforms: MT4, MT5, cTrader and Match-Trader
- Weekend and overnight holding permitted on CFDs
- Payouts from a $20 minimum, targeted within 24 hours
- No consistency rule on standard CFD accounts
- Scaling to 90% and up to a $4m allocation
- Trustpilot 4.5 from over 73,000 reviews, with no consumer alert
CONS:
- A processing fee of up to 3.5% is taken from every payout - an 80% split nets about 77%
- The base split is 80%; 95% is a paid add-on at +25-30% of the fee
- The 3% max risk rule: a second breach permanently caps you at 1% risk for the life of the account
- News-window profits count at 40%, but news-window losses count at 100%
- Payouts are capped at $2,000 per request for most traders
- Stellar Instant uses a trailing drawdown and has no fee refund
- UK-based futures prop firm (Alpha Group) trading CME-group contracts on AlphaTrader/Quantower/WealthCharts; simulated evaluations
- Signature: Alpha Prime — a rare salaried, real-capital London trading-floor path, not just a perpetual simulator
- Trader-friendly end-of-day trailing drawdown that locks at starting balance and doesn’t move after payouts
- One-step Zero, Advanced (flat 90% split, no daily loss limit) & Direct (instant); sizes $25K–$150K; US accepted
- July 2026 caveat: NinjaTrader split + Premium-plan closure and payout-handling episode — factor it in
★★★★★
More details +Alpha Futures
Alpha Futures is a UK-based futures prop firm, part of the Alpha Group, trading CME-group contracts and migrating traders to its in-house AlphaTrader platform alongside Quantower and WealthCharts. Its defining feature is Alpha Prime, a rare path to real proprietary capital: qualify and you can be invited to a 60 percent split plus a guaranteed 12-month salary and a London trading-floor seat, rather than a perpetual simulator. It uses a trader-friendly end-of-day trailing drawdown that locks at your starting balance and does not move when you take a payout. Plans are one-step Zero, Advanced (flat 90 percent split, no daily loss limit) and Direct (instant). US traders are accepted. Its evaluations are simulated. Important July 2026 caveat: Alpha ended its NinjaTrader partnership and closed its Premium plan, initially mishandling earned payouts before agreeing to honour approved ones.PROS:
- Alpha Prime offers a rare salaried, real-capital London trading-floor path
- Trader-friendly EOD trailing drawdown that does not move after payouts
- Advanced pays a flat 90 percent split with no daily loss limit
- Industry-leading 15,000 dollar maximum per payout request on Advanced
- US traders accepted; strong historical reputation and payout record
CONS:
- July 2026 NinjaTrader split, Premium-plan closure and payout-handling backlash
- Platform migration to AlphaTrader is ongoing, so confirm what you are buying
- Consistency rules vary by plan (40 percent Zero, 20 percent Direct)
- One of the very few stock/ETF-focused prop firms — the equities arm of the 5%ers group; simulated US equities
- Signature: a buying-power model for 12,000+ US stocks & ETFs (short-selling, penny stocks), no PDT rule
- A “Pump” scaling engine grows buying power & daily-loss allowance 10% per 10% profit milestone
- Flex (unlimited time) or Max (60-day, cheaper); day buying power $5K–$200K + swing tiers
- 70% profit split; payouts from 14 days ($300 min); US traders welcomed; no futures/crypto
★★★★★
More details +The Trade Pool
Trade The Pool is one of the very few prop firms built specifically for stock and ETF traders, the equities-focused arm of the 5%ers group (Five Percent Online Ltd). It offers simulated trading of more than 12,000 US-listed stocks and ETFs, including short-selling and penny stocks, with no Pattern Day Trader rule, on its own platform built on TraderEvolution. Its defining feature is a buying-power model paired with a Pump scaling engine that grows your buying power and daily-loss allowance by 10 percent at each 10 percent profit milestone. You pick a Flex track with unlimited time and fewer rules, or a cheaper Max track with a 60-day window and a stricter consistency rule, with day-trade buying power from 5,000 to 200,000 plus swing tiers. The profit split is 70 percent, payouts start 14 days after inception with a 300 dollar minimum, and US traders are welcomed. It is simulated and does not offer futures or crypto.PROS:
- One of the few genuine stock and ETF prop firms
- Buying power for 12,000-plus US stocks and ETFs, including short-selling, no PDT rule
- Pump scaling grows buying power with performance
- Flex (unlimited time) or cheaper Max (60-day) tracks
- US traders explicitly welcomed
CONS:
- Simulated, not real share ownership, and unregulated
- Modest 70 percent profit split by current standards
- Up-to-72-hour risk review before payout
- Irish-registered; describes itself in its own terms as an educational platform; does not accept US citizens
- 80% base; 90% is a bought price tier - and can be cut to 70% permanently after a risk flag
- 6% TRAILING drawdown, tested against equity, so floating losses count
- Your first payout deletes your buffer - the floor moves to your initial balance permanently
- Since 2 Feb 2026 a breach forfeits all earned-but-unpaid profit; $1 crypto minimum, weekly
★★★★★
More details +Sabio Trade
Sabio Trade offers comprehensive forex trading services with user-friendly platforms and educational resources. Their competitive spreads and responsive customer support make them popular among both beginners and experienced traders. The company maintains strong security protocols while providing access to diverse market opportunities through their intuitive trading interface.PROS:
- 1-step evaluation - no multi-phase process
- No monthly fees - one-time evaluation cost only
- No time limit on the evaluation
- Free 7-day trial account ($20K balance), one per trader
- Payout cycle every 7 days, processed within 24 hours
- Very low withdrawal minimums - $1 by crypto, $15 by bank transfer
- 250+ assets: forex, stocks, indices, ETFs, crypto, commodities
- SabioTrade Academy included with the PRO Club bundles
CONS:
- Proprietary Sabio Traderoom platform only - no MT4, MT5 or cTrader
- 6% max drawdown TRAILS a high-water mark and is measured on equity, so open-trade floats can breach it
- After your first payout the floor becomes your initial balance - your drawdown buffer is gone permanently
- A breach forfeits ALL earned-but-unpaid profit (for accounts bought on or after 2 Feb 2026)
- The 90% split is a price tier, and the firm can cut it to 70% permanently after a risk flag
- 55% consistency rule: one big day RAISES your profit target
The ranked list
Two firms in this category do not sell a conventional evaluation at all. Axi Select is a free broker-funded allocation programme entered by depositing to a live Axi account, and Darwinex Zero is a paid membership that builds an investable track record. Neither is a 1-step challenge. Check current terms with any firm before buying.
Reviewed by the JoinProp editorial team. Last updated 3 August 2026.
What the single phase costs you, firm by firm, verified August 2026
| Firm | Target | Max drawdown | What the one phase costs you |
|---|---|---|---|
| FTMO | 10% | 10%, end-of-day trailing | Cheaper than the 2-step, but daily loss cut to 3% from 5%, trailing instead of static, a 50% best-day rule, and no fee refund |
| FundedNext | 10% | 6%, static | Same price or cheaper, but 6% drawdown instead of 10% and 3% daily instead of 5% |
| City Traders Imperium | 8% | 5%, trailing on closed profit | Cheaper at every size. The 5% trailing floor is the tightest of the pair; no daily loss limit |
| Maven Trading | 8% | 5%, trailing from highest equity | Cheaper at every size, but 5% trailing against the 2-step’s 8% static |
| For Traders | 9% | 6%, trailing (or static on Fast Static) | Cheaper than Classic, but 6% instead of 8% and 3% daily instead of 4% |
| Nordic Funder | 10% | 6%, trailing | Cheaper than the 2-step, but trailing where the 2-step is 8% static |
| Hantec Trader | 10% | 6%, trailing then locking | Same price as the 2-step, but 6% trailing against 10% static |
| FXIFY | 10% | 6%, trailing then locking | Roughly 40% less room than the 2 Phase: 6% versus 10%, and 3% daily versus 4% |
| Funded Trading Plus | 10% | 6%, intraday trailing | Identical price at $100k. You trade an 8% static drawdown for a 6% trailing one, and leverage drops |
| The5ers | 10% per level | 6%, static | A lower split: Hyper Growth starts at 50% against 80% on the 2-step |
| FunderPro | 10% | Not reliably documented | A 40% consistency rule, where the 2-phase Classic has none at all |
| Fintokei | 6% | 3%, static | The harshest ratio here: a 6% target against a 3% total loss limit, plus a 60-day cap |
| Pip Farm | 12% | 9% trailing, or a static option | Dearer than the two-stage at every size, and a 12% target against 9% plus 6% |
| TTT Markets | 10% | 8%, trailing | Substantially dearer than the 2-step, and the first payout splits 50% before rising |
| Funding Pips | 12% | 12%, static | A 12% single target against 8% plus 5%, tighter 3% daily, and a profit concentration policy |
| Blue Guardian | 10% | 6%, end-of-day trailing then locking | Trailing rather than static, and 3 minimum trading days each needing 0.5% profit |
| Goat Funded Trader | 10% | 6%, static | 6% against the 2-step’s 10% static, and a daily limit cut to 3% for accounts bought from 1 August 2026 |
| Hola Prime | 10% forex, 6% futures | 6% static forex, 4% trailing futures | A stop-loss required within 3 minutes of entry and a 2% per-trade risk cap on forex |
| Alpha Capital | 10% | 6%, trailing high-water mark | Trailing where Alpha Pro is static, and leverage cut to 1:30 from 1:100 |
| Top One Trader | 10% | 7%, intraday trailing | Marginally cheaper, but 7% against the 2-step’s 9% |
| Finotive Funding | 10% | 7.5%, static | A tighter 7.5% ceiling and 3 minimum profitable days against 2 per phase |
| Blueberry Funded | 10% | 6%, static | A flat 80% split with no scaling, and 3 active days each closing at 0.5% profit |
| AudaCity Capital | 10% | 6%, static | Same list price, but 6% against the 2-step’s far wider allowance |
| Breakout | 9 to 12% by tier | 3 to 6%, static | Drawdown of 3 to 6% against the 2-step’s 8%, though the 1-step is static and the 2-step trails |
| E8 Markets | 9% | 6%, trails on closed profit then locks | Nothing at evaluation. The constraint moves to the funded stage as a 40% best-day rule |
| Lux Trading Firm | 10% | 6%, static | No second phase and a full fee refund on passing. Daily loss limit not documented |
| Lark Funding | 10% | 7%, static | A 5% daily loss limit that hard-breaches. Pricing is not published on the site |
| Ment Funding | 10% forex | 6%, static | No consistency rule on forex, but futures carries 33% and the window is 90 days |
| Funded Elite | Customisable, from 2% | Static, on starting balance | $5 upfront with the balance payable only after you pass. Lower targets cost more |
| AtlasFunded | Not published | Not published | 5 minimum trading days, where the two and three-step models are marketed as more relaxed |
| Trade The Pool | 6% day, 15% swing | 3 to 4%, static | A 70/30 split, a 30 to 50% single-position cap, and minimum position counts |
| Apex Trader Funding | 6% | $1,000 to $4,500, trailing | A hard 30-day window and a separate activation fee after passing |
| Earn2Trade | 7% on $25k | $1,500, end-of-day trailing | A 30% consistency rule, a 3-contract cap, and a monthly subscription rather than a one-off fee |
| TradeDay | 6% | Trailing, intraday or end-of-day by plan | A consistency rule of 30 or 45% plus minimum days, and monthly billing |
| My Funded Futures | 6% | End-of-day trailing, then intraday once funded | A 50% consistency rule during evaluation and a drawdown type that changes after you pass |
| Take Profit Trader | 6% | $2,000 on $50k, trailing | A recurring monthly fee until you pass, and a weekly activity requirement once funded |
| Tradeify | 6% | End-of-day trailing | No consistency rule and 1 minimum day, but payouts every 5 days rather than daily |
| Day Traders | 6% | Trailing, end-of-day or static by variant | A 50% consistency rule and 2 qualifying days |
| Bulenox | 6% | Trailing, intraday or end-of-day by option | Monthly billing, and a separate data feed or activation cost once funded |
| Lucid Trading | 5 to 6% | End-of-day trailing, locking on payout | A 50% consistency rule during evaluation, dropped once funded |
| Goat Funded Futures | 6% | 3 to 4%, end-of-day trailing | Consistency rules of 30 to 50% depending on plan. Single-phase, though not marketed as 1-step |
| Blusky Prop Trading | Varies by plan | End-of-day trailing, or static on Growth plans | A mandatory buffer stage with its own target sits between passing and being sim-funded |
| Instant Funding | 10% | 8%, static | A 40% consistency rule and 3 minimum days. The one-phase challenge sits beside its headline instant product |
| Aqua Funded | 9% Standard, 6% Pro | 6%, trailing | 3 profitable days on Standard, 5 plus a 25% consistency rule on Pro |
| Think Capital | 10% | 6%, trailing then locking | 3 minimum days, leverage capped at 1:30, and news trading sold as a paid add-on |
| Crypto Fund Trader | Not documented | Not documented | The drawdown-widening add-ons are restricted to the 2-phase product |
| Sabio Trade | 10% | 6%, trailing | A tiered split: 80% until the $100k tier, 90% above it |
| The Trading Pit | 6% futures | Static on CFD Prime, end-of-day trailing on futures | A 50% consistency rule, and a 30-day cap on the futures challenge |
| Axi Select | Not an evaluation. A free broker-funded allocation programme entered by depositing to a live Axi account and passing an internal score. No entry fee, no challenge | ||
| Darwinex Zero | Not an evaluation. A paid membership from about €45 per month that builds a verified track record for investor allocation. No profit target, no pass or fail | ||
Verified against each firm’s own help centre, FAQ or terms pages in August 2026. Where a firm’s marketing page and help centre disagreed, the help centre was treated as authoritative. Figures a firm does not publish are recorded as not documented rather than estimated.
Compare prop firms side by side
The firms listed below carry a JoinProp score out of 10, graded by our editorial team on payout reliability, fees, drawdown rules, profit split, evaluation terms, trading rules, customer support, scaling and track record. No firm can buy its grade. See our prop firm ranking methodology for what each category measures, where the data comes from, and how to dispute a rating.
How to judge a 1-step evaluation
The single phase is paid for in room, not money
Across the 50 firms on this page, the 1-step is usually priced at or below the same firm’s 2-step for a comparable account. Only Pip Farm and TTT Markets charge a clear premium for it.
What changes instead is the risk envelope. A typical 2-step gives you an 8 to 10% drawdown split across two targets of around 8% and 5%. A typical 1-step compresses that into one 10% target with a 6% drawdown. You have less room and one attempt at using it, which is the whole trade.
Static versus trailing is the detail that decides it
A static drawdown is fixed from your starting balance and never moves. A trailing drawdown follows your equity or closed balance upward, so profit you make and hand back permanently raises the level at which you fail. Most trailing drawdowns stop climbing once they reach your starting balance.
Several firms use the switch itself as the price of the single phase. Hantec Trader, Maven Trading, Alpha Capital, Nordic Funder and Funded Trading Plus all pair a cheaper or equal-priced 1-step with a trailing drawdown where their multi-phase product is static. FTMO does the same. Breakout runs it the other way: its 1-step is static and its 2-step trails.
Consistency rules are the hidden second phase
A consistency or best-day rule caps how much of your total profit may come from a single day. It does not fail you outright, but it delays the payout until the rest of your performance catches up, which functions as an extra hurdle after you have already passed.
FunderPro is the clearest case: its 1-step carries a 40% consistency rule while its 2-phase Classic has none. FTMO applies a 50% best-day rule on the 1-step. Lucid Trading and Day Traders apply 50%, Earn2Trade 30%, and My Funded Futures 50% during evaluation only.
Two listings here are not evaluations at all
Axi Select is a broker-funded allocation programme, not a challenge. You deposit to your own live Axi account, trade it, and progress through stages on an internal score. There is no entry fee and no profit target to buy.
Darwinex Zero is a paid membership, from roughly €45 per month, that builds a verified and investable track record. It has no pass or fail. Both are legitimate routes to trading capital; neither is a 1-step evaluation, and they are flagged in the table rather than compared on target and drawdown.
Frequently asked questions
What is a 1-step prop firm?
A firm whose evaluation has a single phase: you hit one profit target without breaching the drawdown rules, and you are funded. A 2-step firm makes you clear a second, usually smaller, verification target before funding. The single phase is faster, and it is normally paired with a tighter risk envelope.
Instant funding is a different product again. There you are funded on purchase with no evaluation, which is why firms that sell only instant accounts do not belong on this page.
Are 1-step challenges more expensive than 2-step?
Usually not. Checked against 50 firms’ own pricing, most sell the 1-step at or below the price of their 2-step for the same account size, and several are clearly cheaper: City Traders Imperium, Maven Trading, For Traders and Nordic Funder among them. Pip Farm and TTT Markets are the exceptions that do charge a premium. The single phase is normally paid for with a tighter drawdown, a consistency rule or a lower starting split rather than with money.
Are 1-step challenges easier to pass?
Not necessarily. You only have to reach one target, but you usually have less room to reach it. A common 2-step gives roughly 8% and 5% targets against a 10% drawdown, while the equivalent 1-step asks for 10% against 6%. Fintokei is the sharpest example on this page: a 6% target against a 3% total loss limit. Whether that is easier depends on whether your risk of ruin or your patience is the binding constraint.
What is the catch with 1-step prop firms?
There are four common ones, and most firms use at least one. A tighter maximum drawdown. A switch from static to trailing drawdown, so profit you give back raises your failure level. A consistency or best-day rule that delays payouts. Or a lower starting profit split, as with The5ers, which begins at 50% on its 1-step against 80% on its 2-step.
Which 1-step firms use a static drawdown?
Static drawdowns on the 1-step are documented at FundedNext, Goat Funded Trader, Fintokei, Funding Pips, Breakout, Finotive Funding, Blueberry Funded, AudaCity Capital, Instant Funding, Ment Funding, Lark Funding, Lux Trading Firm, Trade The Pool, The5ers and Funded Elite. Static removes the risk of the failure level climbing behind you as you trade.
How were these firms checked?
Each firm was verified against its own website, help centre, FAQ or terms pages in August 2026. Where a marketing page and a help centre contradicted each other, the help centre was treated as authoritative, because it is the document the firm applies to a live account. Figures a firm does not publish are recorded as not documented rather than estimated. Read more in our ranking methodology.