A two-step prop firm challenge splits the evaluation into two consecutive phases: a phase one carrying the higher profit target, then a phase two with a reduced target, both governed by a daily loss limit and an overall drawdown ceiling. It is the original evaluation model and still the default product at most firms, generally the cheapest route to a given account size. It suits traders willing to trade a longer assessment for wider risk parameters and a lower entry price.
This ranking sorts two-step firms on how consistent the rules stay between phases, the true cost to funding once resets, activation and data fees are counted, review speed between phases, profit split, and verified payout history.
Coming in at number 1, FTMO has been operating since 2015 and scores 88/100 on our scale. Entry starts at €79 for a 1-phase evaluation. The risk envelope is a static drawdown capped at 10 %, with 3 % allowed per day. Funded traders keep 90 % of profits, with a first withdrawal available after 14 days. Notable freedoms: no time limit, expert advisors allowed, news trading allowed. Available on mt4, mt5, ctrader, dxtrade, tradingview.
Founded in Prague in 2015, FTMO reports more than $450 million paid to traders and closed its acquisition of broker OANDA in December 2025. The 2-Step challenge, static drawdown and no deadline, remains its core product, with fees fully refunded on the first payout. Price is the weak spot, and it rose again in 2026.
Ranked 2 on this list, The5ers has been operating since 2016 and scores 86/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $39 for a 2-phase evaluation. The risk envelope is a static drawdown capped at 10 %, with 5 % allowed per day. Funded traders keep 100 % of profits, with a first withdrawal available after 14 days. Notable freedoms: no time limit, no consistency rule. Available on mt5, ctrader, tradingview.
Founded in Israel in 2016, The5ers is one of the oldest forex prop firms still operating. Its strongest asset is the rulebook: static drawdown across every program, no time limit and no consistency rule. The tradable universe stays narrow, though — forex, indices, metals and futures, with no crypto and no equities.
In third place, FundedNext has been operating since 2022 and scores 85/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $59.99 for a 2-phase evaluation. The risk envelope is a static drawdown capped at 10 %, with 5 % allowed per day. Funded traders keep 95 % of profits, with a first withdrawal available after 5 days. Notable freedoms: no time limit, no consistency rule, expert advisors allowed. Available on mt4, mt5, ctrader, match-trader.
On the forex and CFD side, FundedNext runs just two routes: Stellar 1-Step (10% target, 6% max loss) and Stellar 2-Step (8% then 5%, 10% max loss). Both use static drawdown, carry no deadline and come with refundable fees. Pricing is on the high side, and the headline 95% split needs a paid option — the contractual base is 80%.
In 4th place, City Traders Imperium has been operating since 2018 and scores 83/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $29 on an instantly funded account. The risk envelope is a trailing intraday drawdown capped at 6 %. Funded traders keep 100 % of profits, with a first withdrawal available after 7 days. Notable freedoms: no time limit, no consistency rule, expert advisors allowed, news trading allowed. Available on mt5, match-trader.
City Traders Imperium has funded forex traders since 2018 through four routes — 1-Step, 2-Step, Instant Funding and Direct Funding — with no time limit and entry from $29. The profit split starts at 80% and can reach 100%, but the 1-Step allows only 5% trailing drawdown and every trade must carry a stop loss.
In 5th place, FundingPips has been operating since 2022 and scores 83/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $29 for a 2-phase evaluation. The risk envelope is a static drawdown capped at 6 %, with 3 % allowed per day. Funded traders keep 100 % of profits, with a first withdrawal available after 7 days. Notable freedoms: no time limit. Available on mt5, ctrader, match-trader.
FundingPips lets you choose the withdrawal rhythm and prices the split accordingly: 60% weekly, 80% biweekly, 90% on demand, 100% on a monthly cycle. Its four evaluation models keep static drawdown, with only the instant-funding Zero account switching to trailing. Against that, a Striking System closes a funded account on the fourth warning.
In 6th place, Alpha Capital Group has been operating since 2021 and scores 80/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $27 for a 1-phase evaluation. The risk envelope is a trailing (end of day) drawdown capped at 4 %, with 3 % allowed per day. Funded traders keep 90 % of profits. Notable freedoms: no time limit, news trading allowed. Available on mt5, ctrader, dxtrade, tradelocker.
Alpha Capital Group is a UK forex prop firm registered in 2021, running eight programs that span a $27 two-phase challenge through to accounts funded at purchase. The rulebook is permissive — news, weekend and overnight holding allowed, four platforms — but the tradable universe stops at forex, indices and metals, and Trustpilot has suspended the rating over fake reviews.
Coming in at number 7, Funded Trading Plus has been operating since 2021 and scores 80/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $89 for a 1-phase evaluation. The risk envelope is a trailing intraday drawdown capped at 6 %, with 4 % allowed per day. Funded traders keep 100 % of profits. Notable freedoms: no time limit, expert advisors allowed. Available on mt5, ctrader, dxtrade, match-trader.
A London firm founded in late 2021 and bought by Instant Funding in May 2026, Funded Trading Plus pays every 7 days on its 1-Step Express and Instant programs, with the split rising from 80 to 100% and scaling up to $5 million. The catch: intraday trailing drawdown on both, and a Trustpilot score the platform has pulled.
Coming in at number 8, Goat Funded Trader has been operating since 2023 and scores 78/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $36 for a 2-phase evaluation. The risk envelope is a static drawdown capped at 10 %, with 4 % allowed per day. Funded traders keep 100 % of profits. Notable freedoms: no time limit, expert advisors allowed, news trading allowed. Available on mt5, tradelocker, ctrader.
Goat Funded Trader launched in 2023 out of Hong Kong. It publishes a full price grid, runs static drawdown across its three evaluation models, and pays every 14 days with a profit split from 80 % up to 100 %. The counterweight: its Trustpilot score is suspended over fake reviews, rules tightened in summer 2026, and 29 countries are excluded.
Ranked 9 on this list, BrightFunded has been operating since 2023 and scores 76/100 on our scale. Entry starts at €47 for a 2-phase evaluation. The risk envelope is a static drawdown capped at 8 %, with 4 % allowed per day. Funded traders keep 100 % of profits, with a first withdrawal available after 30 days. Notable freedoms: no time limit, no consistency rule, news trading allowed. Available on mt5, ctrader, dxtrade.
Set up in 2023 by a Dutch team and operated out of Dubai, BrightFunded keeps its rulebook short: no consistency rule, no time limit, static drawdown on both 2-Step plans. The model leans instead on paid add-ons — fee refund, 90% split, waived minimum days — and the first payout only lands 30 days after the first trade.
Ranked 10 on this list, Fintokei has been operating since 2022 and scores 75/100 on our scale. Entry starts at $44 for a 3-phase evaluation. The risk envelope is a static drawdown capped at 6 %, with 3 % allowed per day. Funded traders keep 100 % of profits, with a first withdrawal available after 14 days. Available on tradingview, mt5, ctrader.
Fintokei is a Czech prop firm launched in 2022 and backed by Purple Holding, the group behind broker Purple Trading, which supplies execution. All four of its evaluation tracks run on static drawdown measured from the starting balance, never trailing. The trade-off is a narrow instrument list: forex and CFDs on metals, energy and indices, with no crypto and no stocks.
Why the two-phase model still anchors the industry
Two-step evaluations came first, and they still account for most of what firms sell. The sequence does two jobs: phase one tests whether a trader can produce a profit, phase two checks that the result repeats under a smaller target and identical risk parameters. Filtering twice lowers the number of funded accounts a firm hands out, which is exactly why two-step challenges are usually priced below one-step or instant funding accounts of the same size. Traders get some of the loosest risk settings on the market in exchange: industry norms sit near a 5% daily loss cap and 10% total drawdown, with roughly 8-10% required in phase one and 4-5% in phase two.
What actually separates one two-step offer from another
Headline targets are close to identical across the field, so the difference lives in the fine print. Drawdown mechanics come first: a static floor anchored to the starting balance and a trailing floor that follows peak equity give very different room to breathe at the same advertised percentage. After that, look at minimum trading days, whether a consistency rule applies during evaluation, how long the review between phases takes (instant automation versus a manual queue measured in days), reset pricing, and the add-ons — funded account activation, platform subscriptions, market data on futures. The real cost of reaching a first payout almost always exceeds the sticker price of the challenge. Finally, check the permitted scope: news trading, weekend holds, EAs and copy trading decide whether your strategy is eligible at all.
Who this format fits
Two-step rewards consistency over a single strong week. It suits traders who accept several weeks of evaluation, trade swing or standard intraday horizons, and want the lowest entry cost for a given account size. It fits poorly for anyone who needs capital quickly, anyone who takes only a handful of setups a month — minimum trading days become the binding constraint — or anyone whose returns concentrate in a few exceptional sessions, the profile consistency rules punish hardest. Those traders are usually better served by a one-step challenge or a firm with no consistency requirement.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a two-step challenge take to pass?
It depends on the rulebook and your style. Most offers set a minimum number of trading days per phase, which creates a hard floor of several sessions regardless of how quickly you hit the target. A consistent trader typically clears both phases within a few weeks. Add the review time between phases and the funded account setup, which is not always instant.
Is a two-step challenge harder than a one-step?
Longer, not necessarily harder. The combined target across both phases exceeds a one-step target, but risk parameters are usually wider and the drawdown less aggressive. One-step challenges tend to ask for less total profit under stricter rules, sometimes including a consistency requirement. Two-step formats forgive a bad stretch more easily, provided you can sustain the process over several weeks.
What happens if I fail phase two?
The evaluation account closes and you buy again, unless the firm offers a paid reset or a free retry. Some firms let you restart directly at phase two for a reduced fee; others send you back to phase one at full price. That single clause changes the real cost of a funding attempt, so check it before you buy rather than after you fail.
Are two-step challenge fees refundable?
Often, but never automatically. Many firms return the challenge price with your first payout, sometimes subject to a minimum profit or a waiting period, and sometimes as internal credit rather than cash. Resets and paid add-ons are rarely included in the refund. Read the exact clause in the terms and conditions rather than the summary on the product page.