Review
Upscale review: crypto challenge from $69
Upscale is the closest thing here to a no-KYC firm, and the marketing gets ahead of the terms: no documents to buy a challenge or trade it, USDT payouts on TON, Base or BSC inside 48 hours, but section 6 of its own terms requires a passport photo and a live selfie before any withdrawal. It runs three formats, from a two-stage Basic evaluation to Turbo, where there is no profit target at all but the drawdown trails your highest balance. Cheap to enter at $69 for a 5k account; the catches are the 80% base split, the per-size payout caps, a dynamic drawdown that follows profit upward, and a Trustpilot profile too small to mean anything (9 reviews at 4.3 on the .com page, 27 at 4.7 on the Irish one, checked 28 October 2026).
Every figure below comes from Upscale's own published terms, linked at the foot of this page. We have not traded this account and this is not a rating out of five.
The four numbers
- Cheapest challenge$69 for a 5,000 account$9.96 per $1,000 at the $25k size
- Profit split80% (90% upgrade)$277 of profit to clear the fee
- PayoutsWithin 48 hoursUSDT (TON) / USDT (Base) / USDT (BSC)
- Drawdown and rules5% daily / 10% max (Basic)$2,500 of room on a $25k balance
Every figure in this panel comes from Upscale's own pages, linked in the sections below. Where a firm publishes nothing, this says so rather than filling the gap.
Cheapest entry: $69 for a 5,000 USDT account. The button opens Upscale's own site in a new tab, where the terms above are what you agree to.
Open UpscaleKey terms
| Challenge formats | 1-step / 2-step / instant |
|---|---|
| Price for a $25k account | $249 (Basic) |
| Profit split | 80% (90% upgrade) |
| Drawdown | 5% daily / 10% max (Basic) |
| Profit target | no pass mark (Accelerated (1 phase)) / 5% (Stage 1) and 8% (Stage 2) (Basic (2 phases)) / no pass mark (Turbo (instant)) - one of the three set a pass mark and two set none. Per-plan table |
| Leverage | 1:5 |
| Maximum allocation | $400,000 (Basic and Accelerated combined); $100,000 separate for Turbo |
| KYC | Before payout |
| Payout methods | USDT (TON) / USDT (Base) / USDT (BSC) |
| Payout speed | Within 48 hours |
| Instruments | 105 cryptocurrencies, traded 24/7 including weekends |
| Platforms | Browser, Telegram mini-app |
| Restricted countries | United States |
| Instant plan | Turbo (instant) |
| Instant split at first payout | 80%, 90% with the upgrade bought with the challenge |
| Instant drawdown | 6% trailing; no daily limit: the firm states there is no daily drawdown on Turbo |
| First instant payout | After five profit days in a 14-calendar-day payment period, and only while the balance is above the iteration's starting balance |
All challenge prices
| Account size | Format | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| $5,000 | Basic (2 phases) | $69 |
| $10,000 | Basic (2 phases) | $119 |
| $25,000 | Basic (2 phases) | $249 |
| $50,000 | Basic (2 phases) | $399 |
| $100,000 | Basic (2 phases) | $799 |
| $200,000 | Basic (2 phases) | $1,399 |
| $5,000 | Accelerated (1 phase) | $79 |
| $10,000 | Accelerated (1 phase) | $129 |
| $25,000 | Accelerated (1 phase) | $259 |
| $50,000 | Accelerated (1 phase) | $459 |
| $100,000 | Accelerated (1 phase) | $899 |
| $200,000 | Accelerated (1 phase) | $1,499 |
| $5,000 | Turbo (instant) | $229 |
| $10,000 | Turbo (instant) | $449 |
| $25,000 | Turbo (instant) | $899 |
| $50,000 | Turbo (instant) | $1,499 |
| $100,000 | Turbo (instant) | $2,999 |
Every format the firm sells, priced on its crypto market group, read from the plan catalog on upscale.trade: Basic is its two-phase evaluation, Accelerated its one-phase, and Turbo opens straight at the funded stage with no evaluation. The same sizes are also listed in two other market groups at their own prices, so the figure depends on which markets the account trades. Basic and Accelerated both run to a $200,000 account; Turbo stops at $100,000. Drawdown is not the same across the three: Turbo carries its own, 6% of the highest balance reached and recalculated at every new high, so it trails your best equity. Drawdown at 25k by format: Basic 10% max with a 5% daily limit; Accelerated 6% max with 3% daily; Turbo 6% of the highest balance, dynamic, with no daily limit.
Basic 25k is $249 on the firm's price ladder; 5k $69, 10k $119, 50k $399, 100k $799.
Some links on this page are affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change the fee you pay or the terms described above.
Every plan, its own rules
Upscale sells three models and the rules are not interchangeable.
| Plan | Profit target | Max drawdown | Daily loss | Split | Entry fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accelerated (1 phase) | Profit target 10% | Maximum drawdown 6% of the starting balance | Daily drawdown 3% | 80% (90% with the paid add-on) | $79 at $5,000 |
| Basic (2 phases) | 5% (Stage 1) and 8% (Stage 2) | Maximum drawdown 10% of the starting balance | Daily drawdown 5% | 80% (90% with the paid add-on) | $69 at $5,000 |
| Turbo (instant) | No target | Maximum drawdown 6% of the highest balance, dynamic - it follows profit upward | No daily drawdown; 6% dynamic from the highest balance | 80% (90% with the paid add-on) | $229 at $5,000 |
Two of the three state a daily loss limit of their own, and the other one states there is none.
Entry fee is the cheapest size each plan is sold at, the same rows the ladder above prices. Every figure is the firm's own wording, read from the plan pages linked under Sources.
The rules that decide whether you pass
Upscale sells 1-step / 2-step / instant challenges; on its $25k account, hit 5% then 8% (Basic) before breaching 5% daily / 10% max (Basic). Leverage is 1:5 and the account is traded on Browser, Telegram mini-app. 105 cryptocurrencies, traded 24/7 including weekends are available, so the instrument set is broad enough that position sizing matters more than the rules do.
CONFLICT ON THE FIRM'S OWN SITE: the binding Terms (section 6, 15 May 2026) require KYC before a withdrawal, while its FAQ and a dedicated no-KYC page say no documents are ever asked for. The Terms are recorded here; the discrepancy is theirs, not ours.
“Before a withdrawal can be executed, the User must complete a standard Know Your Customer (“KYC”) identity-verification procedure administered by an accredited third-party provider engaged by the Platform.”
Source: the firm's own page, read 2026-11-08. Our classification: Before payout.
This firm contradicts itself on verification. The binding document says: “Before a withdrawal can be executed, the User must complete a standard Know Your Customer (“KYC”) identity-verification procedure.”, while The firm's FAQ and a dedicated no-KYC page state that no documents are requested at sign-up, at purchase or at payout. We record the Terms of Use because a marketing page cannot override the contract a trader accepts at purchase. Read both: terms / FAQ.
| Product | Type | Rule in the firm's terms |
|---|---|---|
| Basic (2 phases) | Static | 10% of the starting balance, recalculated only after a payout. |
| Accelerated (1 phase) | Static | 6% of the starting balance. |
| Turbo (instant) | Dynamic | 6% of the highest balance reached, so profits raise the floor. |
Two practical warnings for this structure. A 5% daily / 10% max drawdown (Basic) sounds generous until you measure it against the volatility of the coins you trade: a 3% overnight move on a large position is normal in crypto and can take most of that in one candle. And the profit split of 80% (90% upgrade) applies to profit you withdraw, not to the account balance, so plan the first payout before you start rather than after you pass.
Payouts and verification
How it pays
Rails: USDT (TON) / USDT (Base) / USDT (BSC)
Timing: Within 48 hours
USDT on TON, Base or BSC, from $1 up to the profit. A single payout is capped by account size: 50% of a 5k account, 40% at 10k and 25k, 25% at 50k, 20% at 100k, 15% at 200k.
Before you request
Verification: Before payout - CONFLICT ON THE FIRM'S OWN SITE: the binding Terms (section 6, 15 May 2026) require KYC before a withdrawal, while its FAQ and a dedicated no-KYC page say no documents are ever asked for. The Terms are recorded here; the discrepancy is theirs, not ours.
Restricted: United States
Support: what this firm publishes about its own support - channels, stated hours, any response-time claim in its own words.
Confirm the network for any USDT withdrawal and the minimum payout on the firm's dashboard before you trade to the target; those two settings, not the split, are what turn a payout into a delay.
Strengths and trade-offs
What it does well
- No documents to open an account or trade the challenge, sign in with Telegram, Google or a wallet
- Payouts in USDT on TON, Base or BSC within 48 hours
- Crypto trades weekends, up to 1:5 leverage
- Three formats: two-stage Basic, one-stage Accelerated, and Turbo with no profit target
What costs you
- Split is 80% unless you buy the 90% upgrade with the challenge
- Single-payout caps by size, from 50% of a 5k account down to 15% of 200k
- Turbo drawdown is dynamic: 6% of the highest balance, recalculated on every new high
- A 30% rule applies on Turbo and API accounts: one day cannot be 30% or more of total profit
- Terms section 6 requires a passport photo and live selfie before any withdrawal, which the firm's FAQ still denies
- Listed on the Bank of Russia's warning list on 17 February 2026 for signs of an illegal professional securities-market participant (entry 42739); that is a regulator warning, not a court finding
What traders like, and what they don't
Trustpilot: no score published. The live page carries no score: "This company's rating is unavailable due to a breach of our guidelines" with the notice "We've removed a number of fake reviews for this company." Thirteen reviews remain visible, nine of them five-star. Checked 2026-10-28 - the review page. That page is theirs, not ours.
What traders like
- Reviewers describe first withdrawals arriving in about a day in USDT to a wallet they control, and one reports taking $24,000 out of each of two $400,000 funded accounts
- Signing up without documents and the Telegram mini-app are the most repeated reasons given for joining
- Daily drawdown protection is named repeatedly as the reason people stayed through a volatile session
What they do not
- A one-star review dated 24 October 2026 calls it a scam over 'massive slippage' and 'bullshit requirements to get paid'; it names no account size or payout figure, so it is a complaint rather than evidence
- A one-star review dated 24 April 2026 describes the app not working two days after purchase; the firm replied that a DDoS attack caused a temporary outage and says it compensated affected traders with bonus days, drawdown protection and rolled-back losses
- Nine of the thirteen visible reviews are five stars and Trustpilot has removed fake reviews from this profile, so the positive skew cannot be read as a track record in either direction
These are reviewers' claims, sorted into praise and complaints, not our verdict: a complaint is not proof and a five-star review is not verification. Our own assessment of the terms is above, in What works and What costs you. Read on 2026-10-28; the sources are the firm's review page.
Who it suits, and who it does not
Suits: Traders who will not upload documents to buy a challenge, want USDT to a wallet they control and trade crypto at weekends.
Does not suit: Traders who want a static drawdown at every tier, or a 90% split without paying for the upgrade.
How it compares with the rest of the list
At the $25k size Upscale sits at $249 for its Basic account with a split of 80% (90% upgrade) and a 5% daily / 10% max drawdown (Basic). The firms that undercut it charge less for the challenge but usually ask for a tighter drawdown or a one-step target, and the firms that publish wider room to trade ask more up front. If the deciding factor for you is the split rather than the fee, read the side-by-side comparison before choosing.
Sources
- Firm's crypto page: price ladder, no-KYC claim, USDT payouts, 1:5 leverage
- Firm's own llms.txt: 80-90% split, USDT within 48 hours, founded 2027, Dubai
- Docs: targets, drawdown tables, profit split, 30% rule
- Docs: payout networks, per-size caps, iteration rules
- Eligibility clause: US residents excluded
- Bank of Russia warning list: Upscale, entry 42739, 17 February 2026
Copied from the firm's own pages. If a term has changed since, tell us at research@cryptopropfirms.com and we will re-check it against the firm's own wording.
Head to head
- Upscale vs Crypto Fund Trader
- Upscale vs Bitfunded
- Upscale vs HyroTrader
- Upscale vs Breakout Prop Firm
- Upscale vs Fundedbit
- Upscale vs Kraken Prop
- Upscale vs Propr
- Upscale vs FXIFY
- Upscale vs Velotrade
- Upscale vs Funded Trader Markets
- Upscale vs Instant Funding
- Upscale vs FX2 Funding
- Upscale vs For Traders
- Upscale vs City Traders Imperium
- Upscale vs FundedNext
- Upscale vs DNA Funded
- Upscale vs Blue Guardian
- Upscale vs E8Markets
- Upscale vs AquaFunded
- Upscale vs MyFundedPerps
The rules that end accounts
Every firm here publishes a fee and a split. These are the terms that decide whether the account survives a bad week, taken from Upscale's own rules page and quoted verbatim under the table.
| Maximum drawdown type | Depends on the plan |
|---|---|
| Daily loss limit | 3-5% 3% on Accelerated, 5% on Basic, none on Turbo |
| Consistency rule | Yes Turbo/API accounts only: 30% max single day |
| Minimum trading days | 3 days |
| News trading | Allowed |
| Weekend holding | Not allowed |
| Cap on a single payout | 15-50% of account size per payout, by size |
On Turbo the maximum drawdown is 6% of the highest balance reached. It is dynamic: it is recalculated at every new balance high On drawdown, from https://upscale.trade/faq
Where a firm runs several plans with different rules, the field says so rather than picking the flattering one. "Not published" means the page we read does not say.
Position and per-trade limits
| Largest position | No limit on position size within available leverage. |
|---|---|
| Risk per trade | Not published |
| Open positions | No limit on the number of trades. |
| Hedging | Allowed within one account; prohibited across two or more accounts. |
| Bots and EAs | Programmatic trading allowed on accounts with the API Trading option. |
| Other limits | 60-second profit adjustment and a 30% best-day rule on API and Turbo accounts. |
Read from https://docs.upscale.trade/how-to-join-upscale/participation_requirements. Where a firm publishes nothing, this says so rather than assuming a limit.
Other firms
- Crypto Fund Trader review - Two-step, no time limit
- Bitfunded review - Coins first, 100+ of them, plus 20 TradFi pairs
Related: what a $25k challenge costs · firms that pay in USDT · KYC at signup vs payout.