AquaFunded vs Kraken Prop
AquaFunded and Kraken Prop 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 $5 cheaper at the entry tier ($15 against $20). AquaFunded publishes the wider maximum drawdown at $25k (10% on 2-Step Pro against 6% on Starter). Open AquaFunded
| Term | AquaFunded | Kraken Prop |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest evaluation | $15 | $20 |
| Size at that price | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| 25k fee | $194.93 | $95 |
| Profit split | 90% (100% with add-on) | 80% (90% add-on) |
| Drawdown (25k) | 6% max trailing, 3% daily (1-Step Standard) | 3% fixed at a set level below your starting balance, 3% in a single day (Advanced) |
| Profit target (25k) | 9% (1-Step Standard) | 9% (Advanced) |
| KYC | Not stated by firm | Before activation |
| Payout rail | Crypto (BTC, ETH, USDC ERC20/TRC20) / Rise (bank transfer or crypto) | USD to your Kraken wallet / USDG to your Kraken wallet |
| Payout speed | Bi-weekly, 24 business-hour guarantee | Typically 12 hours, guaranteed within 24 |
| Leverage | 1:100 forex / 1:20 indices / 1:20 commodities / 1:2 crypto (evaluation); 1:50 forex / 1:2 crypto (funded) | Up to 5x on crypto |
| Allocation ceiling | $400,000 per funded account (up to $4,000,000 via scaling plan) | $200,000 across all accounts |
| Instruments | Forex pairs, indices, commodities and crypto CFDs on the CFD accounts (crypto 24/7 at 1:2 leverage); separate futures product via AquaFutures | 60+ crypto pairs on perpetual-style contracts |
Each drawdown above is the rule of the plan its own $25k fee buys. The rest of the ladder at that size: AquaFunded: 2-Step Pro at $71.20 (10% of room), 2-Step Standard at $142.15 (8% of room), 3-Step Standard at $157 (8% of room), Instant Funding Standard at $172 (3% of room), Instant Funding Pro at $185.34 (6% of room), 1-Step Pro at $199 (6% of room) and Aqua Man at $269 (6% of room); Kraken Prop: Intermediate at $150 (5% of room) and Starter at $215 (6% of room).
Which is cheaper, size by size
Kraken Prop is cheaper at 3 of the 6 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 | Kraken Prop | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5k | not sold | $20 | - |
| $10k | not sold | $40 | - |
| $25k | $194.93 | $95 | Kraken Prop |
| $50k | $281.08 | $180 | Kraken Prop |
| $100k | $453.39 | $330 | Kraken Prop |
| $200k | not sold | $660 | - |
What the fee buys, and what it takes back
Spent on the other firm, that gap buys 1.1 further attempts. 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 $106 at Kraken Prop.
| Measure | AquaFunded | Kraken Prop |
|---|---|---|
| Fee for a $25k attempt | $194.93 | $95 |
| Fee per $1,000 of account | $7.80 | $3.80 |
| Profit needed to win the fee back at the headline split | $217 | $106 |
| Account destroyed on a bad day (drawdown in dollars) | $1,500 (6%) | $750 (3%) |
| Drawdown type | Trailing | Static |
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.
The rule that ends most attempts
Kraken Prop measures drawdown from a fixed floor, while AquaFunded trails it - so a profitable run can leave the second account closer to its line than the balance suggests. At $25k there is $750 more room at AquaFunded ($1,500 against $750), which is 3.0 percentage points of the account.
Getting the money out
AquaFunded pays Crypto (BTC, ETH, USDC ERC20/TRC20) / Rise (bank transfer or crypto), Kraken Prop pays USD to your Kraken wallet / USDG to your Kraken wallet. Timing is not the same either: Bi-weekly, 24 business-hour guarantee against Typically 12 hours, guaranteed within 24.
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
- Verification differs: AquaFunded publishes no KYC policy, Kraken Prop verifies identity before the account activates.
- Payout rails are not the same: AquaFunded pays Crypto (BTC, ETH, USDC ERC20/TRC20) / Rise (bank transfer or crypto), Kraken Prop pays USD to your Kraken wallet / USDG to your Kraken wallet.
- top allocation, Kraken Prop: $200,000 across all accounts; AquaFunded: $400,000 per funded account (up to $4,000,000 via scaling plan).
The decision rule
At $25k, if you routinely risk more than 6% of the account in a session, Kraken Prop is the one that ends the attempt, not AquaFunded. 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 Kraken Prop verifies identity before the account activates.
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 Kraken Prop if Kraken users who want a no-time-limit one-step evaluation on 60+ pairs without leaving the exchange.
Both reviews carry the specific terms and the source pages: AquaFunded review and Kraken Prop 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.