How we test prop firms
PropFirm Beacon tracks 15 prop firms on rules, real cost and payout evidence. This page is the full methodology — read it before you trust any score on this site. Dataset last verified July 20, 2026.
Who writes this
We are a two-person research desk that has traded funded accounts with futures and forex prop firms since 2019. Every number on this site is read off the firm's own rulebook, dashboard or payout receipt — never off an affiliate brochure.
- ·Live funded accounts held with FTMO, Topstep and Apex since 2019
- ·Rulebooks re-read in full every quarter, plus after any announced rule change
- ·Payout claims only counted when backed by a dated receipt or dashboard screenshot
- ·Complaint desk: we email the firm on every submitted non-payment case and publish the reply
The trust score, weight by weight
Payout evidence35%
Dated receipts, dashboard screenshots and third-party payout threads. A firm with no verifiable receipt in the last 90 days cannot score above 60, regardless of marketing.
Rule fairness25%
Drawdown type (static beats trailing), consistency rules, news and overnight restrictions, and how much of the rulebook can change without notice.
Cost to funded20%
Real 12-month cost of ownership: entry fee, expected number of attempts, resets, activation and monthly platform data fees — not the discounted sticker price.
Operating history10%
Years live, ownership transparency, broker/exchange relationships and behaviour during past outages or regulatory events.
Support & disputes10%
Response time to our own tickets, plus how the firm answers complaints filed through our payout complaint desk.
Where the data comes from
- Firm rulebooks, FAQ pages and terms of service, read in full and re-checked quarterly.
- Live dashboards from accounts we hold, for payout timing and fee lines that are not published publicly.
- Payout receipts submitted by traders to our payout proof desk, and non-payment reports filed through payout complaints.
- Firm announcements in Discord and email, which is usually where rule changes appear first.
How we handle money
Some links on this site are affiliate links, and we earn a commission if you buy a challenge through them. Commission rates are never an input to the trust score, ranking order or verdict — the weights above are the only inputs. We do not accept payment to remove a complaint, and we publish firm replies verbatim, including the ones that make us look wrong.
Corrections
If a number here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it and stamp the page with a new verification date. Rule changes are treated as urgent: a firm that silently changes drawdown or payout terms gets its score re-run the same week.