Prop Firm Rating Methodology: How FX Recap Scores Prop Firms

How FX Recap rates prop firms

A prop firm sells you a paid evaluation, funds you on an account that is usually simulated, and pays a share of the profit. None of the firms we review is licensed the way a broker is, so our broker method cannot be copied over. This method asks the questions that decide whether a prop firm is worth your fee: who runs it, how much room the rules give you, how you get paid, what it costs and what you are allowed to do.

Each parameter is scored from 0 to 10 using the point rules below, then weighted. The weighted total is out of 100 and the star rating is that total divided by 20. We have not traded these programs, so a score grades the firm's published rules and terms, not live trading results.

The seven parameters and their weights

Each parameter carries a set share of the 100-point total.

Score bands and star ratings

How each parameter gets its score

The point rules behind every parameter. Each one scores 0 to 10.

1. Company & track record (20%)

   Who stands behind the firm and how long it has been paying traders. Prop firms are not licensed like brokers, so this replaces the regulation score.

   Rule	Points
   Years operating, as the firm states: 8+ years	4
   4 to 7 years	3
   2 to 3 years	2
   Under 2 years	1
   Operating company named with its registration number	2
   Company named without a number	1
   Company registered in the UK, US, EU or Israel	2
   Offshore registration only (Saint Lucia, SVG, Comoros and similar)	0.5
   Backed by a regulated broker group	2

2. Rules & room to trade (20%)

   How much room the rules give you before an account fails.

   Rule	Points
   Widest maximum loss on any program: 12% or more	4
   10% to 11%	3
   8% to 9%	2
   6% to 7%	1
   Under 6%	0.5
   A program with no daily loss limit	2
   Lowest first profit target: 6% or less (or a no-target program)	2
   7% to 8%	1.5
   9% to 10%	1
   Over 10%	0.5
   Static maximum loss on the main program	2
   Trailing or dynamic maximum loss	0.5

3. Payouts & profit split (16%)

   How much of the profit you keep and how soon you can withdraw it.

   Rule	Points
   Best profit split: 100%	4
   90%	3
   85%	2.5
   80%	2
   Under 80%	1
   First payout within 7 days	3
   8 to 14 days	2
   15 to 30 days	1
   Payout methods published: crypto and bank (or Rise)	2
   One kind of method	1
   Published scaling plan	1

4. Trading freedom (15%)

   What you are allowed to do on the account.

   Rule	Points
   Expert advisors allowed / with limits / banned	2.5 / 1.5 / 0
   News trading allowed / with limits / banned	2.5 / 1.5 / 0
   Weekend holding allowed / with limits / banned	2.5 / 1.5 / 0
   No time limit on a program / on some / never	1.5 / 0.75 / 0
   A program with no consistency rule / on some / never	1 / 0.5 / 0

5. Cost of entry (12%)

   What it costs to get a funded account, per $10,000 of starting balance, on the cheapest published program.

   Rule	Points
   Up to $30 per $10K	8
   $31 to $40	7
   $41 to $50	6
   $51 to $60	5
   Over $60	4
   Free to join, but your own money is at risk	5
   Fee refunded on at least one program	2

6. Trader feedback (10%)

   Verified ratings from traders on FX Recap, scored like the broker SCAT formula. Shown as n/a until enough reviews are in; the other weights are rescaled meanwhile.

   Rule	Points
   Verified trader reviews on FX Recap	n/a for now

7. Programs & platforms (7%)

   Choice of programs, platforms and how far an account can grow.

   Rule	Points
   Program types (1-step, 2-step, instant, 3+ steps, futures, stocks): 4 or more	4
   3	3
   2	2
   1	1
   Platforms: 3 or more	3
   2	2
   1	1
   Largest account or scaling target: $1M or more	3
   $200K to under $1M	2
   Under $200K	1

Facts we could not verify

A fact we could not verify on the firm's own pages (for example a help centre behind a bot check, or prices that only appear after clicking) earns half the points for that line and is marked "not verified" in the review. A whole parameter with no verified data, such as cost when no prices could be read, is left out and the other weights are rescaled. The score is re-run as soon as the fact is checked.

We never fill a gap with a figure from a third-party site. If a firm shows us where a rule is published, we read it there, update the review and re-run the score.

Current prop firm scores

All 18 firms we review, scored with this method on 11 November 2026. Select a firm to see its full breakdown.

How we review a prop firm

1. Read the firm's own pages

   Program pages, rules or FAQ pages, payout pages and the terms and conditions. We record the page and the date for every fact.

2. Fill the fact sheet

   Company and registration, start year, every program's targets and loss limits, prices, splits, payout timing and methods, and the rules on EAs, news, weekends, time limits and consistency.

3. Score with the rules on this page

   The scores are computed from the fact sheet, not typed in, so the same facts always give the same score.

4. Fact-check and publish

   A second team member checks each figure against the firm's pages before the review goes live.

5. Re-check

   Offers are re-checked before they expire and rules at least every quarter, or sooner when a firm announces a change.

Editorial firewalls

Most firms on our list pay us a commission when readers buy through our links. These rules keep that away from the scores.

How we earn money is set out in our affiliate disclosure.

What a prop firm score does not tell you

• Whether you will pass. Most traders fail paid evaluations, whatever the firm.
• That a funded account is real money. Most funded accounts are simulated, and payouts depend on the firm staying in business.
• How a firm will treat your payout in future. Rules and ownership can change after we check.
• Personal advice. A score is one input, and the decision is yours.

Prop Firm Rating Methodology FAQs