AquaFunded vs Upscale
AquaFunded and Upscale 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 $54 cheaper at the entry tier ($15 against $69). Verification differs: AquaFunded publishes no KYC policy, Upscale verifies identity before the first payout. Open AquaFunded
| Term | AquaFunded | Upscale |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest evaluation | $15 | $69 |
| Size at that price | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| 25k fee | $194.93 | $249 |
| Profit split | 90% (100% with add-on) | 80% (90% upgrade) |
| Drawdown (25k) | 6% max trailing, 3% daily (1-Step Standard) | 5% daily / 10% max (Basic) |
| Profit target (25k) | 9% (1-Step Standard) / 8% then 5% (2-Step) | 5% then 8% (Basic) / 10% (Accelerated) / none on Turbo |
| KYC | Not stated by firm | Before payout |
| Payout rail | Crypto (BTC, ETH, USDC ERC20/TRC20) / Rise (bank transfer or crypto) | USDT (TON) / USDT (Base) / USDT (BSC) |
| Payout speed | Bi-weekly, 24 business-hour guarantee | Within 48 hours |
| Leverage | 1:100 forex / 1:20 indices / 1:20 commodities / 1:2 crypto (evaluation); 1:50 forex / 1:2 crypto (funded) | 1:5 |
| Allocation ceiling | $400,000 per funded account (up to $4,000,000 via scaling plan) | $400,000 (Basic and Accelerated combined); $100,000 separate for Turbo |
| Instruments | Forex pairs, indices, commodities and crypto CFDs on the CFD accounts (crypto 24/7 at 1:2 leverage); separate futures product via AquaFutures | 105 cryptocurrencies, traded 24/7 including weekends |
Which is cheaper, size by size
AquaFunded 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 | Upscale | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25k | $194.93 | $249 | AquaFunded |
| $50k | $281.08 | $399 | AquaFunded |
| $100k | $453.39 | $799 | AquaFunded |
What the fee buys, and what it takes back
Spent on the other firm, that gap buys 0.3 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 $277 at Upscale.
| Measure | AquaFunded | Upscale |
|---|---|---|
| Fee for a $25k attempt | $194.93 | $249 |
| Fee per $1,000 of account | $7.80 | $9.96 |
| Profit needed to win the fee back at the headline split | $217 | $277 |
| Account destroyed on a bad day (drawdown in dollars) | $1,500 (6%) | $2,500 (10%) |
| Drawdown type | trailing | unstated |
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
Upscale 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 $1,000 more room at Upscale ($2,500 against $1,500), which is 4.0 percentage points of the account.
Getting the money out
AquaFunded pays Crypto (BTC, ETH, USDC ERC20/TRC20) / Rise (bank transfer or crypto), Upscale pays USDT (TON) / USDT (Base) / USDT (BSC). Timing is not the same either: Bi-weekly, 24 business-hour guarantee against Within 48 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), Upscale pays USDT (TON) / USDT (Base) / USDT (BSC).
- at $25k the target is 9% (1-Step Standard) for AquaFunded, 5% then 8% (Basic) for Upscale.
- the Upscale fee is $24.90 per 1% of drawdown at $25k, from $249 over a 10% limit (Basic); 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 Upscale 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 Upscale if Traders who will not upload documents to buy a challenge, want USDT to a wallet they control and trade crypto at weekends.
Both reviews carry the specific terms and the source pages: AquaFunded review and Upscale 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.