Prop firm hidden fees: sticker price vs. real cost
The big number on a prop firm’s homepage is the evaluation fee. What you pay to reach a funded account is often higher, because of activation fees and monthly billing.In Futures the median sticker price at $100,000 is $240, and the median all-in cost is $298. In Forex & CFD the median sticker price at $100,000 is $470, and the median all-in cost is $473. In Crypto the median sticker price at $50,000 is $245, and the median all-in cost is $337.
Data as of 2026-11-06. List prices only; promo codes never change a ranking. Firms with an unverified activation fee are left out, never guessed. Recalculated automatically from our open dataset.
Futures: $100,000 accounts (27 firms)
13 of 27 firms cost more than their sticker price. Top One Futures has the lowest sticker price ($39), but Traders Launch is cheapest to get funded ($99). 21 firms move three or more places in the ranking once the full cost is counted.
| Firm | Sticker price | All-in to funded | Extra | Share not in sticker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top One Futures | $39 | $298 | +$259 | 87% |
| BluSky Trading | $69 | $287 | +$218 | 76% |
| Elite Trader Funding | $207 | $661 | +$454 | 69% |
| Phidias Propfirm | $273 | $695 | +$422 | 61% |
| Earn2Trade | $315 | $769 | +$454 | 59% |
| Take Profit Trader | $330 | $790 | +$460 | 58% |
| Phoenix Trader Funding | $269 | $538 | +$269 | 50% |
| Leeloo Trading | $240 | $480 | +$240 | 50% |
The eight firms with the largest share of the real cost missing from the sticker price. All-in = evaluation + activation fee, monthly plans counted as two months. See the full Futures comparison.
Forex & CFD: $100,000 accounts (40 firms)
1 of 40 firm costs more than its sticker price. FTUK has the lowest sticker price ($9), but OFP Funding is cheapest to get funded ($200). 1 firm moves three or more places in the ranking once the full cost is counted.
| Firm | Sticker price | All-in to funded | Extra | Share not in sticker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTUK | $9 | $681 | +$672 | 99% |
The eight firms with the largest share of the real cost missing from the sticker price. All-in = evaluation + activation fee, monthly plans counted as two months. See the full Forex & CFD comparison.
Crypto: $50,000 accounts (7 firms)
1 of 7 firm costs more than its sticker price. Crypto Fund Trader has the lowest sticker price ($139), but Breakout is cheapest to get funded ($180). 1 firm moves three or more places in the ranking once the full cost is counted.
| Firm | Sticker price | All-in to funded | Extra | Share not in sticker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crypto Fund Trader | $139 | $337 | +$198 | 59% |
The eight firms with the largest share of the real cost missing from the sticker price. All-in = evaluation + activation fee, monthly plans counted as two months. See the full Crypto comparison.
Frequently asked
How much does it really cost to get funded at a Futures prop firm?
At the $100,000 size the median advertised evaluation fee is $240, but the median all-in cost to get funded (evaluation + activation, monthly plans counted as two months) is $298 (27 firms, November 2026). 13 of 27 firms charge more than the sticker price.
How much does it really cost to get funded at a Forex & CFD prop firm?
At the $100,000 size the median advertised evaluation fee is $470, but the median all-in cost to get funded (evaluation + activation, monthly plans counted as two months) is $473 (40 firms, November 2026). 1 of 40 firm charges more than the sticker price.
How much does it really cost to get funded at a Crypto prop firm?
At the $50,000 size the median advertised evaluation fee is $245, but the median all-in cost to get funded (evaluation + activation, monthly plans counted as two months) is $337 (7 firms, November 2026). 1 of 7 firm charges more than the sticker price.
Is the cheapest advertised prop firm also the cheapest to get funded?
Futures: no, Top One Futures has the lowest sticker price ($39) but Traders Launch is cheapest to get funded ($99). Forex & CFD: no, FTUK has the lowest sticker price ($9) but OFP Funding is cheapest to get funded ($200). Crypto: no, Crypto Fund Trader has the lowest sticker price ($139) but Breakout is cheapest to get funded ($180). List prices, November 2026.
Which costs are not included?
Promo codes, reset fees, data and platform fees, and any fee a firm has not published. Firms whose activation fee we could not verify are left out of the all-in counts rather than guessed.
Method and related pages
For each firm we take the cheapest product at the reference size and add the verified activation fee to the evaluation fee (monthly plans count two months). Reset fees, data fees and promo codes are excluded. Read more: the true cost of a prop firm, activation and data fees, the challenge cost calculator and the methodology. Data: open dataset (CC BY 4.0).
Suggested citation: “PropFirmVS, Prop firm hidden fees, propfirmvs.com/prop-firm-hidden-fees, accessed November 2026.” Not financial advice.
Disclosure: PropFirmVS earns a commission when you buy through some of the links on this site. The figures on this page come from the firms’ published prices, and commissions do not change them. See how we make money.