Compare prop firms by their real rules, with codes that work today.

A proprietary trading firm gives you access to a funded account after you pass an evaluation. You keep a share of the profits — usually 80–90% — and the firm carries the capital risk. You never risk your own money beyond the evaluation fee, and a breach of the loss limit ends the account.

It comes down to what you already trade. Futures evaluations (Topstep, Apex, TradeDay) charge a monthly fee, have tight but transparent rules, and pay in USD. FX/CFD evaluations (FTMO, FundingPips, The5ers) are usually cheaper, support MT5 and cTrader, and pay out by crypto or Wise more readily. If you have never traded futures, do not learn on a $150,000 evaluation.

A static limit is fixed: on a $100K account with a 10% limit, your floor stays at $90,000 for the whole evaluation. A trailing limit follows your profits upward — once your balance hits $105,000, the floor rises to $95,000 and never comes back down. Intraday trailing versions track unrealised profit too, so an open winner can raise your own stop-out level.

We do not have a single recommendation, because the right answer depends on your market and your budget. The six at the top are the firms our community buys most, not our picks, and the table re-ranks every firm on what matters to you. What we will say plainly: payout history beats profit target, every time.

Each firm's code is printed on its ticket. Our partner code is XSR, at Apex and at Tradeify. Codes marked “Official code” are the firm's own public promotions, which anyone can use. Copy the code, choose an account size on the firm's site, and paste it into the promo field at checkout — the discount shows in the order summary straight away.

Our partner code (XSR, at Apex and Tradeify) is not a one-time voucher. Official codes follow each firm's own terms — some cap the number of uses, some end on a date, which we print next to the code. Most firms allow one account per order and some exclude resets and add-ons. If a code is rejected, ask in Discord and we will check the current terms with the firm.

Do not complete the payment. Take a screenshot of the checkout page and post it in the XSR Discord — we will check the current code with the firm and update this page. Official codes rotate often, and we would rather fix it than have you pay full price.

It can try, and it has happened — the disputes that make the Taiwanese financial press are almost always about terms revised after a trader became profitable, or profits withheld under a vague "rule violation". Three defences, in order of value: pick a firm with a long public payout record; screenshot the rules page on the day you buy, so you can show what you actually agreed to; and withdraw on the first eligible date rather than letting a balance sit inside the firm's account. What you cannot do is appeal to a regulator, because none of them cover this category.

No. Passing the evaluation only gives you a funded account; the payout itself depends on the firm's terms and on staying inside the rules afterwards. This is why the comparison table scores payout history and payout rails, not just profit targets.

The fastest programmes pay within 14 days of the first profitable period; slower ones take 30–60 days. Crypto (USDT) is supported by most FX/CFD firms and is the smoothest rail for HK/TW, followed by Wise and international wire. Check the payout column before buying.

Usually not. A few firms refund the fee with your first payout on a funded account, and that is flagged in the table. Budget for two or three attempts — that cost is part of the strategy, not a surprise.

Enough to buy an evaluation and to repeat it. The smallest FX/CFD evaluations list at roughly $20–$90 and futures evaluations at $50–$170, less with a code. Never fund an evaluation with money you need for anything else, and never buy a $200K account before you have passed a $25K one.

There is no Hong Kong licence for prop firms and no rule that forbids participating in a foreign evaluation. It sits outside SFC-regulated activity, which means it is permitted but unprotected: if a firm refuses to pay, no local regulator will intervene. Choose firms with a long, public payout record.

Taiwan's FSC does not license prop firms, and all the major firms operate offshore. There is no domestic prohibition on participating, but consumer-protection routes do not reach offshore operators, and payouts count as overseas income for tax purposes.