How I Review Prop Firms
Proptradingvibes combines my own trading record with research into account rules, costs and payout conditions. A test covers the products I used. A review can also cover products I have only researched.
This page explains the evidence behind a review and the limits of a PTV rating.
What my test record covers
I've traded prop accounts with my own money since 2022 and personally tested 50+ firms. That count includes different outcomes: failed evaluations, funded accounts and payouts. It does not mean a payout from every firm.
Futures are my main market now. My record also includes FX/CFD accounts. The tests span different dates, products and market conditions; they are not a controlled experiment with identical trades.
At Lucid Trading, my test record covers LucidFlex and LucidPro. It does not cover LucidDaily, LucidDirect or LucidMaxx. My FTMO experience is with Standard CFD accounts; FTMO Futures remains research-only.
A test ending before the first payout leaves that part untested. My result cannot establish another trader’s approval rate, typical support speed or chance of passing.
Start with the exact account
A firm name alone does not tell you which rules or experience a review covers. Check these details before comparing two accounts.
Product and market
The product line, account size and market define the comparison. An FX/CFD test cannot establish how a newer Futures product performs.
Platform and configuration
Platform access can depend on the connection chosen at checkout. Published compatibility and a platform I have personally used are separate claims.
Account phase and eligibility
Evaluation, simulated funded and live accounts can have different rules. Country eligibility also needs its own check before purchase.
The account mechanics to compare
These are the questions used to read a rulebook or compare plans. The evidence in the individual review determines which answers come from personal use and which come from published terms.
The drawdown explainer compares EOD, intraday and static mechanics. Check country eligibility separately against the firm’s current policy.
Compare costs for the same setup
A useful cost comparison identifies the account size, product, platform and billing period. Add an activation fee, recurring charge or data fee only when it applies to that setup. Resets are a separate scenario, with the number of retries stated.
The Lucid reset guide compares the total shown for a dashboard reset with the total for a new account at checkout. It leaves unverified prices for the reader to enter. A public reset policy does not establish the price on an individual account.
How updates are handled
PTV keeps internal records of detected changes on monitored source pages. Those records flag work for review; they do not automatically update an article. Coverage depends on the sources being monitored and successfully checked. I cannot promise a complete log of every rule change at every firm.
A changed price, eligibility rule, account model or newly documented test can trigger a content update. A routine check that confirms the existing information does not by itself change the public “updated” date. A Trustpilot count check verifies that count only.
Support and community reports
A measured support-response claim needs the question, date, channel and response. Without that record, a listed support schedule establishes availability claimed by the firm, not how quickly it resolved a case.
Community complaints can identify a rule or process that needs checking. They cannot establish a typical payout delay or denial rate without a defined sample and supporting evidence.
A test that ended before a payout
At Goat Funded Trader, I traded three challenges, passed one 50K evaluation and lost the funded account before any payout cleared.
That record supports an account of my evaluation and funded trading. It gives me no personal payout result for that firm.
Payout records and privacy
The proof page brings together public receipts and per-firm first-hand records. Some confirmed payout records do not yet have a public receipt for every event. Dates, payment methods and processing times appear where the record contains them.
Personal payout amounts, account numbers and identifying payment details stay private. A certificate supports the event shown on it; it does not establish every withdrawal detail or guarantee a future payout.
A published certificate or redacted screenshot you can inspect.
Experience I have confirmed; a public receipt may be unavailable for some events.
A rule, term or figure attributed to its source. Firm-reported totals remain firm-reported.
Sources and their limits
For current rule research, the starting point is the firm’s own help center, terms, pricing or platform documentation. The working record identifies the product, relevant passage, source URL and check date. Conflicting sources require a narrower answer or an unresolved question.
A source has to answer the particular question. A published payout schedule establishes the stated schedule. My payment record establishes an observed event. Neither one proves that every eligible trader gets paid within the same time.
I cannot infer a firm’s finances, reserves or future ability to pay from its discount codes, Trustpilot rating or my own completed withdrawals. Firm-reported trader counts and pass rates need to stay attributed unless independent evidence supports them.
Older reviews vary in how much source detail and test history they publish. If a claim lacks that detail, this methodology page does not fill the gap. Use the linked evidence and the stated product limits when deciding how much weight to give it.
How to read a PTV rating
PTV scores and star ratings are editorial assessments attached to personally tested firms. Research-only profiles carry no personal PTV rating. The separate Trustpilot rating reports a third-party review score.
There is no published, reproducible breakdown of every criterion behind each firm’s score. The number summarizes an editorial judgment; it does not predict your likelihood of passing or receiving a payout.
Read the account rules, costs, test scope and payout evidence alongside the score. A high rating can still describe a firm whose available product, platform or country policy does not fit you. Some links pay me a commission, as disclosed on the site.
Report a specific correction
Send the page URL, the account or product concerned and a source or supporting record to hi@proptradingvibes.com. Remove account identifiers and personal payment details before sending a receipt.