City Traders Imperium vs Kraken Prop
City Traders Imperium 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: Kraken Prop is $9 cheaper at the entry tier ($20 against $29). City Traders Imperium publishes the wider maximum drawdown at $25k (10% on 2-Step Challenge against 6% on Starter). Open Kraken Prop
| Term | City Traders Imperium | Kraken Prop |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest evaluation | $29 | $20 |
| Size at that price | $2,500 | $5,000 |
| 25k fee | $199 | $95 |
| Profit split | 80%, up to 100% via VIP | 80% (90% add-on) |
| Drawdown (25k) | 10% static of the initial balance, 5% from each day's starting balance (2-Step Challenge) | 3% fixed at a set level below your starting balance, 3% in a single day (Advanced) |
| Profit target (25k) | 10% / 5% (2-Step Challenge) | 9% (Advanced) |
| KYC | Before activation | Before activation |
| Payout rail | Bank transfer / Crypto wallet / Dashboard wallet | USD to your Kraken wallet / USDG to your Kraken wallet |
| Payout speed | Within 24 hours, roughly 8 hours average | Typically 12 hours, guaranteed within 24 |
| Leverage | Crypto 1:2, FX 1:30 | Up to 5x on crypto |
| Allocation ceiling | $400,000 on challenges, up to $4M on instant and direct | $200,000 across all accounts |
| Instruments | 53 symbols including six crypto pairs quoted in USD | 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: City Traders Imperium: 1-Step Challenge at $159 (5% 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 | City Traders Imperium | Kraken Prop | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5k | not sold | $20 | - |
| $10k | not sold | $40 | - |
| $25k | $199 | $95 | Kraken Prop |
| $50k | $329 | $180 | Kraken Prop |
| $100k | $549 | $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, City Traders Imperium has to make $249 of profit before the attempt has paid for itself, and $106 at Kraken Prop.
| Measure | City Traders Imperium | Kraken Prop |
|---|---|---|
| Fee for a $25k attempt | $199 | $95 |
| Fee per $1,000 of account | $7.96 | $3.80 |
| Profit needed to win the fee back at the headline split | $249 | $106 |
| Account destroyed on a bad day (drawdown in dollars) | $2,500 (10%) | $750 (3%) |
| Drawdown type | Static | 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
At $25k there is $1,750 more room at City Traders Imperium ($2,500 against $750), which is 7.0 percentage points of the account.
Getting the money out
City Traders Imperium pays Bank transfer / Crypto wallet / Dashboard wallet, Kraken Prop pays USD to your Kraken wallet / USDG to your Kraken wallet. Timing is not the same either: Within 24 hours, roughly 8 hours average 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
- Kraken Prop advertises the higher split ceiling (80% (90% add-on)).
- Payout rails are not the same: City Traders Imperium pays Bank transfer / Crypto wallet / Dashboard wallet, Kraken Prop pays USD to your Kraken wallet / USDG to your Kraken wallet.
- the profit target at $25k runs 10% then 5% (2-Step Challenge) at City Traders Imperium against 9% (Advanced) at Kraken Prop.
- allocation ceiling, City Traders Imperium: $400,000 on challenges, up to $4M on instant and direct; Kraken Prop: $200,000 across all accounts.
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 City Traders Imperium. If the first attempt is a test rather than a plan, Kraken Prop at $20 costs less to be wrong about.
Which one, and for whom
Choose City Traders Imperium if FX-led traders who want a cheap two-step and an occasional crypto position.
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: City Traders Imperium 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.