AquaFunded vs Blue Guardian
AquaFunded and Blue Guardian are not the same product at different prices. Below is every term each firm publishes, side by side, and the differences that decide which one suits a given trader.
The difference in two lines: AquaFunded is $4 cheaper at the entry tier ($15 against $19 with code NOV30). Verification differs: AquaFunded publishes no KYC policy, Blue Guardian verifies identity before the first payout. Open AquaFunded
| Term | AquaFunded | Blue Guardian |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest evaluation | $15 | $19 code NOV30 |
| Size at that price | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| 25k fee | $194.93 | $94 code NOV30 |
| Profit split | 90% (100% with add-on) | 85% default, 90% with paid add-on |
| Drawdown (25k) | 6% max trailing, 3% daily (1-Step Standard) | 6% trailing, 4% daily (1 Step Standard) |
| Profit target (25k) | 9% (1-Step Standard) / 8% then 5% (2-Step) | 9% (1 Step Standard) |
| KYC | Not stated by firm | Before payout |
| Payout rail | Crypto (BTC, ETH, USDC ERC20/TRC20) / Rise (bank transfer or crypto) | Crypto (BTC/ETH/USDT, $100 min, under $5,000) / Rise Works (bank, $500 min) |
| Payout speed | Bi-weekly, 24 business-hour guarantee | Instant accounts on-demand; challenge accounts every 14 days, 7-day add-on; processing within 24 business hours |
| Leverage | 1:100 forex / 1:20 indices / 1:20 commodities / 1:2 crypto (evaluation); 1:50 forex / 1:2 crypto (funded) | Forex 1:50 (1:100 on 1 Step Standard challenge), indices/metals 1:10-1:20, crypto 1:2 |
| Allocation ceiling | $400,000 per funded account (up to $4,000,000 via scaling plan) | $400,000 active funded allocation; scaling plan to $4,000,000 |
| Instruments | Forex pairs, indices, commodities and crypto CFDs on the CFD accounts (crypto 24/7 at 1:2 leverage); separate futures product via AquaFutures | Forex, indices, gold and commodities, cryptocurrencies; crypto commission $0 |
Which is cheaper, size by size
Blue Guardian is cheaper at 3 of the 3 sizes where both publish a price. Comparing the entry tier alone hides that: fee ladders do not scale at the same rate, so the cheaper start can become the dearer account.
| Account size | AquaFunded | Blue Guardian | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25k | $194.93 | $94 code NOV30 | Blue Guardian |
| $50k | $281.08 | $140 code NOV30 | Blue Guardian |
| $100k | $453.39 | $279 code NOV30 | Blue Guardian |
What the fee buys, and what it takes back
Put differently, the difference is 1.1 more of the cheapest evaluation. The fee is also only the entry cost: at the headline split, AquaFunded has to make $217 of profit before the attempt has paid for itself, and $104 at Blue Guardian.
| Measure | AquaFunded | Blue Guardian |
|---|---|---|
| Fee for a $25k attempt | $194.93 | $94 code NOV30 |
| Fee per $1,000 of account | $7.80 | $3.76 |
| Profit needed to win the fee back at the headline split | $217 | $104 |
| Account destroyed on a bad day (drawdown in dollars) | $1,500 (6%) | $1,500 (6%) |
| Drawdown type | trailing | trailing |
Cost per $1,000, the break-even profit and the cost of 1% of drawdown are our arithmetic from each firm's published fee, split and limit; each drawdown figure is the firm's own percentage for the plan that fee buys, applied to a $25,000 balance.
Getting the money out
AquaFunded pays Crypto (BTC, ETH, USDC ERC20/TRC20) / Rise (bank transfer or crypto), Blue Guardian pays Crypto (BTC/ETH/USDT, $100 min, under $5,000) / Rise Works (bank, $500 min). Timing is not the same either: Bi-weekly, 24 business-hour guarantee against Instant accounts on-demand; challenge accounts every 14 days, 7-day add-on; processing within 24 business hours.
Worth checking against your own cash-flow: a fast rail that pays into an account you then have to move is not the same as one that lands where you spend it.
Where they actually differ
- Payout rails are not the same: AquaFunded pays Crypto (BTC, ETH, USDC ERC20/TRC20) / Rise (bank transfer or crypto), Blue Guardian pays Crypto (BTC/ETH/USDT, $100 min, under $5,000) / Rise Works (bank, $500 min).
- the Blue Guardian fee is $15.67 per 1% of drawdown at $25k, from $94 with code NOV30 over a 6% limit (1 Step Standard); AquaFunded works out at $32.49 from $194.93 over a 6% limit (1-Step Standard).
The decision rule
If the first attempt is a test rather than a plan, AquaFunded at $15 costs less to be wrong about. If identity documents are the sticking point, note that AquaFunded publishes no KYC policy and Blue Guardian verifies identity before the first payout.
Which one, and for whom
Choose AquaFunded if Traders who want a big choice of challenge formats, large per-account size and fast documented payouts, and who will trade crypto alongside FX.
Choose Blue Guardian if Traders who want a cheap, well-documented challenge and will pay crypto or Rise for payouts, and who treat crypto as one market among several.
Both reviews carry the specific terms and the source pages: AquaFunded review and Blue Guardian review. If a figure here has changed since it was read, email research@cryptopropfirms.com and it will be re-checked against the firm's own page.