- Independent evaluation — not ordered by affiliate payouts
- Top three: FTMO, Topstep, Apex Trader Funding
- Best Japanese-language support: FinTokei
- Cheapest entry: FundingPips ($19)
The authoritative order is the ranking page. It is generated from our firm data and updates automatically, and it is what this site means by its ranking. This article is a snapshot of the scoring detail for 15 firms, taken on 9 September 2026; the order below is that snapshot’s and does not match the ranking page’s current order — Audacity Capital, for instance, sits 19th there. Use the ranking page for position. Every rating and trust level printed here matches that firm’s own page.
A 2026 ranking only matters if it ignores affiliate payouts and weights the boring stuff: operating history, payout transparency, and regulatory environment. The list below leans on those three criteria, in that order. In practice, the top three positions are stable across most independent evaluations — the disagreements happen in the middle of the table, where younger firms with attractive pricing compete against older firms with steadier records.
Top 8
| # | Firm | Founded | Trust | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FTMO | 2015 | High | 4.7 |
| 2 | Topstep | 2012 | High | 4.0 |
| 3 | Apex Trader Funding | 2021 | High | 4.0 |
| 4 | Earn2Trade | 2016 | High | 3.9 |
| 5 | FundedNext | 2022 | Medium | 4.0 |
| 6 | FundingPips | 2022 | Medium | 3.8 |
| 7 | FinTokei | 2023 | Medium | 3.0 |
| 8 | The5%ers | 2016 | Low | 3.3 |
FinTokei was also re-rated on 2026-08-01 (★4.0→3.0, trust stays Medium), mainly reflecting its short operating history. The5%ers held the top spot in earlier versions of this ranking. On 2026-08-01 this site re-rated it from High to Low trust (★4.6→3.3) after the firm itself acknowledged payout delays in March 2026; if you use it, keep the ticket small.
The other seven firms scored
Seven more firms complete the 15 this article scores. They are listed by rating rather than by rank, because the ranking page is where positions are settled.
| Firm | Founded | Trust | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade The Pool | 2022 | Medium | 3.7 |
| City Traders Imperium | 2018 | Medium | 3.6 |
| MyFundedFutures | 2023 | Medium | 3.5 |
| E8 Markets | 2021 | Medium | 3.5 |
| Funded Trading Plus | 2021 | Medium | 3.4 |
| Audacity Capital | 2012 | Medium | 3.1 |
| Maven Trading | 2022 | Medium | 3.1 |
Four of these firms have no Trustpilot rating
Trustpilot has withdrawn the rating of four firms in this list for a breach of its guidelines, and publishes no score for them. All four profiles were read directly on 2026-09-15, and each still carries the breach notice: Audacity Capital (297 reviews behind the suppressed profile), E8 Markets (3,297), Funded Trading Plus (2,661), Maven Trading (5,206).
The notice does not prove the firm bought reviews. Trustpilot publishes that a breach occurred; it does not publish why, and it does not publish who submitted the removed reviews, so competitors and third parties can be the source. The usable conclusion is narrower: while the notice is up, a withdrawn score cannot be quoted as a rating, and any site still printing one for these firms is printing a number Trustpilot has retracted. We publish no third-party score for them. The full sweep is in the prop firm transparency report, where nine of 31 firms are in this state.
Audacity Capital is the one to read carefully here. It is UK-based and has operated since 2012, but being UK-based is not the same as being FCA-authorised, and we have not verified an FCA authorisation for it. Most prop firms sell simulated trading outside the regulatory perimeter, so investor-protection rules do not apply. With no verifiable published payout record and no external score to check the firm against, longevity is the only evidence available, and longevity is not on its own evidence of payment.
To compare these firms’ fees, drawdown rules, and payout cycles side by side, see the prop firm comparison table.
How the ratings are weighted
The rating is a composite of four factors: operating history (40%), payout transparency (25%), regulatory environment (20%), and trader-facing economics like profit split and rule clarity (15%). By design, this weighting punishes firms that look attractive on price but have not yet survived a full economic cycle.
Recommended
FTMO — the industry standard, and #1 in this ranking
Operating since 2015 with the industry’s longest published payout record. The free trial lets you test everything at no cost, and the 2-Step Challenge fee is refunded with your first payout after passing (no refund if you fail). See the FTMO free trial guide.
→ See FTMO official site → The5%ers (coupon “HZZS4”) — re-rated Low trust on 2026-08-01; see the note above