Our scoring formula, step by step

Every score on this site comes from the same formula, applied to the same data for all 90 firms. Scores are recalculated whenever a firm changes prices or rules. Last recalculated September 29, 2026.

The formula

Each firm gets six sub-scores from 0 to 100. The overall score is 2 + 3 × the weighted average, so it runs from 2.0 to 5.0.

1. Trader reviews (25%). Public review ratings, pulled towards neutral when few reviews back them.
2. Price per $10K (20%). The median price per $10K of account size across the firm's accounts, ranked against firms in the same market (forex, futures, crypto).
3. Rules and drawdown (20%). Drawdown model (static best, intraday trailing worst), consistency rules, profit-target-to-drawdown ratio and minimum trading days, averaged over all accounts.
4. Payouts and split (15%). Fastest payout cycle and maximum profit split.
5. Track record (10%). Years in operation, capped at six.
6. Platforms and programs (10%). Number of platforms and challenge types.

Prices

All prices are the firms' official list prices. We do not use discounted prices from other sites' exclusive promo codes, so the price per $10K and the value part of the score reflect what any trader pays without a code.

Trustpilot data

For the most searched firms we take a snapshot of the public Trustpilot page: rating, number of reviews, star distribution and reply behaviour. When Trustpilot shows a warning that it removed fake reviews on a firm's profile, the rating gets half its usual weight in the trader-reviews part of the score and the warning is listed on the firm's review.

Warnings

When we find a public warning about a firm (for example a regulator alert naming the operating company, or a review platform suspending its rating), we show it at the top of the firm's review and next to its name in tables. The score formula does not change, but firms with open warnings are excluded from our beginner and most-established lists.

Editor's Choice

Editor's Choice (Hash Hedge) is an editorial and commercial pick shown above the ranking tables on the pages whose criteria it meets. It carries an editor's rating (4.5/5) that reflects our editors' judgement of its rules and payout terms; this rating is shown next to the calculated score, which comes from the formula and alone decides every rank, including its own (3.7/5).

Data sources

Firms' published pricing pages, terms and FAQs, public review platforms and aggregated public comparison data. Where a value is missing we leave it blank rather than estimate it.

Money

We earn commissions from some firms when readers buy through our links. Commissions never enter the formula. See our affiliate disclosure.