Why headline split is a trap
A 90% split looks great until you discover the firm pays it only on the first 25K of profit, requires a 15% consistency rule that you never see in the dashboard, and trails the drawdown daily so a single overnight gap kills the account. The split is the marketing number. The rule schema is the actual product. Our directory tracks 14 rule signals per firm — the headline split is one of them, not the only one.
Our ranking inputs
We weight by: (1) trust score, derived from payout track record + complaint volume + age; (2) rule schema favorability for the trader's style (a scalper and a swing trader want opposite things); (3) hidden-rule density — firms that hide rules in T&Cs get penalised even when the headline numbers are good; (4) instrument allowance (news trading, weekend holding, crypto support, EAs/HFT); and (5) account-tier ladder, because a $5K cheap entry that scales to $200K beats a $100K-only firm for most traders.
Who should buy what
Every firm we track is a futures prop, so the rule shapes rhyme but the details differ. If you are new and risk-averse, start at the smallest account tier with the most drawdown room and no consistency rule, and treat your first one or two failed evaluations as tuition. If you want to skip the assessment, the instant-funding plans (offered by several firms here) trade a higher upfront fee for tighter drawdown, so only take them with a tested edge. Read each firm's drawdown style closely: end-of-day trailing, intraday trailing, and static drawdown are very different products even at the same headline percentage. Verify the exact plan on the firm's own site before paying.
Methodology
Our rule data is collected via Playwright snapshots (HTML + screenshot + meta.json per run, persisted for audit) plus hand-verified baselines from each firm's published T&Cs. We re-run the scrape continuously; the change-feed surfaces any silent rule edits within 24 hours. Reviews are weighted by 4-tier proof (email → dashboard → payout proof → funded proof). Verified-funded reviews count 5× a karma-only review.
Frequently asked
Are these rankings sponsored?+
No. We use affiliate links to fund the work, but rankings are mechanical and the methodology is public. Sponsored placements are labeled. If a firm changes our mind about ranking position, it is because of data — never because of a payment.
How often do you update the rankings?+
The directory refreshes on every scraper run. A nightly scrape + AI rule parser diffs each firm's pricing and rules pages so any change is caught and reflected in the firm's profile after review.
What if a firm changes rules silently?+
That is exactly why the snapshot trail exists. Every scrape persists the raw HTML so we can prove what was promised on a given date. Phase 4 turns this into a public change-feed.