What a $25k crypto prop firm challenge actually costs
Twenty-one firms, twenty-one prices, and a rule that changes which one is cheapest: cost per 1% of drawdown. All figures from the firms' published terms.
A $25k crypto prop firm challenge costs $59 at the cheapest firm here (Funded Trader Markets) and $249 at the most expensive, with a median of $153 across 21 firms that publish a price at that size. The table below is every one of them, plus our own cost-per-percentage-point-of-drawdown calculation.
Worth knowing before you buy one: every firm here also sells a smaller account for less, the cheapest of them a $15 5k challenge, and the percentage rules are usually identical at either size. So $25k is not the entry price of this market - it is the size most traders compare.
| Firm | Price | Format priced | Total drawdown | Split | Price per 1% of drawdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AquaFundedOpen account | $194.93 | 1-Step Standard | 6% max trailing, 3% daily (1-Step Standard) | 90% (100% with add-on) | $32 |
| E8MarketsOpen account | $132 code E8 |
E8 One | 6% dynamic drawdown (trails closed profit), ~4% daily drawdown (E8 One) | 80% / 90% / 100% chosen at purchase | $22 |
| HyroTraderOpen account | $249 | Two-Step | 10% total (2-Step) / 6% (1-Step) / 5% (Zero-Step) | 80% to 90% | $25 |
| Blue GuardianOpen account | $94 code NOV30 |
1 Step Standard | 6% trailing, 4% daily (1 Step Standard) | 85% default, 90% with paid add-on | $16 |
| Breakout Prop FirmOpen account | $95 | 1-Step Turbo | Static: 3% (Turbo) / 5% (Pro) / 6% (Classic) | 80% (90% at checkout) | $32 |
| Kraken PropOpen account | $95 | Advanced | 3% max drawdown and 3% daily, Advanced | 80% (90% add-on) | $32 |
| Funded Trader MarketsOpen account | $59 | 1 Step Nitro | 6% overall trailing, 4% daily (1 Step Nitro) | Up to 90% | $10 |
| ProprOpen account | $125 | Turbo 1-Step | 3% static max and 3% daily (Turbo 1-Step) | 80% | $42 |
| City Traders ImperiumOpen account | $199 | 2-Step Challenge | 10% static, 5% daily (2-Step Challenge) | 80%, up to 100% via VIP | $20 |
| FundedNextOpen account | $199.99 | Stellar 2-Step | 10% max static, 5% daily (Stellar 2-Step) | 80%, up to 95% with add-ons | $20 |
| MyFundedPerpsOpen account | $75 code ELITE |
Select | 3% static max, 3% daily, Select | 80% (90% with paid upgrade) | $25 |
| VelotradeOpen account | $132 code BOTS20 |
PRO 1-Step | 3% static / 3% daily (PRO 1-Step) | 80% (90% add-on) | $44 |
| BitfundedOpen account | $124 | 1-Step Express | 10% total (2-Step) / 6% (1-Step) / 3% (1-Step Express) | 80% | $41 |
| FundedbitOpen account | $153 | 1-Step | 6% trailing (1-step) / 10% static (2-step) | 80% (up to 100% on Fast Track) | $26 |
| Crypto Fund TraderOpen account | $240 | Evaluation | 10% total (Evaluation) | 80% | $24 |
| For TradersOpen account | $116 code TRADE15 |
Fast PRO Crypto | 4% trailing end-of-day (Fast PRO Crypto), no daily loss rule | 90% on Fast PRO | $29 |
| Instant FundingOpen account | $234 | IF Micro Pro | 6% static, 4% daily (IF Micro Pro) | 80% (90% add-on) | $39 |
| DNA FundedOpen account | $179 | Single Phase Evaluation | 6% max total, 4% daily (Single Phase) | 80% (90% with add-on) | $30 |
| FX2 FundingOpen account | $235 | 2-Step | 10% static, 4% daily (2-Step) | 80% base, 95% add-on | $24 |
| FXIFYOpen account | $249 | Crypto Standard 1-Step | 3% daily / 6% trailing (both programmes) | 80% bi-weekly or 100% monthly | $42 |
| UpscaleOpen account | $249 | Basic | 5% daily / 10% max (Basic) | 80% (90% upgrade) | $25 |
"Price per 1% of drawdown" is our own calculation from each firm's published price and published total drawdown. It is not a firm metric and no firm endorses it.
Why $25k is the size worth starting with
At the bottom of a firm's size ladder the fee is smallest and the rules are usually identical to the $100k account: same drawdown percentage, same profit target, same split. That makes $25k the cheapest way to find out how a firm behaves - how fast support answers, whether the platform slips on a news candle, and whether the payout process matches the marketing. Sizing up before you have tested any of that is how traders lose the larger fee.
The trade-off is that the same percentage return produces a smaller payout, so the fixed cost of the challenge is a larger share of your first withdrawal. If you plan to trade one account and keep it, the arithmetic favours a larger size once you are confident; if you are still learning the firm's rules, $25k is the right place to learn them.
What the fee actually buys
A simulated account with a profit target attached, access to the firm's platform, and a contract that specifies how profit is split and when you can withdraw it. It does not buy capital in the sense of money the firm risks on your behalf, in most cases - read the firm's own wording on whether accounts are simulated, because several crypto firms now say so explicitly and affiliates rarely repeat it.
Costs beyond the challenge fee
The advertised price is not the full cost of passing. Spreads, commissions, overnight funding on leveraged positions and the cost of a reset after a failed attempt all sit on top. A firm with a wider spread can cost more over a 10% target than a firm charging $100 more for the challenge, and a firm that charges for resets turns one failed attempt into two fees. Ask support two questions in writing before paying: what a reset costs, and whether the challenge fee is refunded with the first payout.
After you pass
The account stops being an evaluation and starts being a payout relationship, and the terms that matter change: minimum payout amount, payout cycle, whether the split rises with performance, and how long verification takes before the first payment. Plan that first withdrawal before you start trading the funded account - a firm that pays in a week and a firm that pays in a month feel identical during the challenge and completely different afterwards.
Common questions
- Is a $25k challenge easier to pass than a $100k one?
- No. The percentage targets and drawdown rules are normally identical, so the difficulty is the same; only the fee and the payout size change.
- Can I trade crypto on a $25k prop firm account in the US?
- Some firms exclude US traders outright. Crypto Fund Trader's published terms restrict the United States; check each firm's restricted-country list before paying, because it changes.
- Do firms refund the challenge fee?
- Some refund it with the first payout and some do not. It is not shown consistently on pricing pages, so ask support and keep the answer in writing.