DNA Funded vs Upscale
DNA Funded 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: DNA Funded is $20 cheaper at the entry tier ($49 against $69). Upscale publishes the wider maximum drawdown at $25k (10% on Basic against 8% on Two Phase Evaluation). Open DNA Funded
| Term | DNA Funded | Upscale |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest evaluation | $49 | $69 |
| Size at that price | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| 25k fee | $179 | $249 |
| Profit split | 80% (90% with add-on) | 80% (90% upgrade) |
| Drawdown (25k) | 6% max total, 4% daily (Single Phase) | Maximum drawdown 10% of the starting balance, daily drawdown 5% (Basic) |
| Profit target (25k) | 10% (Single Phase) | 5% (Stage 1) and 8% (Stage 2) (Basic) |
| KYC | Before payout | Before payout |
| Payout rail | Crypto (USDT, BTC and other coins) / International bank transfer | USDT (TON) / USDT (Base) / USDT (BSC) |
| Payout speed | 14-day cycle, 24-48h processing | Within 48 hours |
| Leverage | 1:50 forex / 1:10 indices / 1:10 commodities / 1:2 crypto / 1:5 stocks | 1:5 |
| Allocation ceiling | $600,000 | $400,000 (Basic and Accelerated combined); $100,000 separate for Turbo |
| Instruments | Forex, indices, commodities, stocks and crypto CFDs (BTCUSD, ETHUSD, SOLUSD, XRPUSD on the published instrument list); crypto commission 0.01% of notional | 105 cryptocurrencies, traded 24/7 including weekends |
Each drawdown above is the rule of the plan its own $25k fee buys. The rest of the ladder at that size: DNA Funded: Two Phase Evaluation at $159 (8% of room), Rapid 10-Day Challenge at $189 (5% of room) and Instant Funding at $559 (4% of room); Upscale: Accelerated at $259 (6% of room) and Turbo at $899 (6% of room).
Which is cheaper, size by size
DNA Funded 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 | DNA Funded | Upscale | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25k | $179 | $249 | DNA Funded |
| $50k | $319 | $399 | DNA Funded |
| $100k | $619 | $799 | DNA Funded |
What the fee buys, and what it takes back
Put differently, the difference is 0.4 more of the cheapest evaluation. The fee is also only the entry cost: at the headline split, DNA Funded has to make $199 of profit before the attempt has paid for itself, and $277 at Upscale.
| Measure | DNA Funded | Upscale |
|---|---|---|
| Fee for a $25k attempt | $179 | $249 |
| Fee per $1,000 of account | $7.16 | $9.96 |
| Profit needed to win the fee back at the headline split | $199 | $277 |
| Account destroyed on a bad day (drawdown in dollars) | $1,500 (6%) | $2,500 (10%) |
| 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 $1,000 more room at Upscale ($2,500 against $1,500), which is 4.0 percentage points of the account.
Getting the money out
DNA Funded pays Crypto (USDT, BTC and other coins) / International bank transfer, Upscale pays USDT (TON) / USDT (Base) / USDT (BSC). Timing is not the same either: 14-day cycle, 24-48h processing 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: DNA Funded pays Crypto (USDT, BTC and other coins) / International bank transfer, Upscale pays USDT (TON) / USDT (Base) / USDT (BSC).
- clearing $25k means 10% (1 Phase Evaluation) in profit at DNA Funded and 5% then 8% (Basic) at Upscale.
- top allocation, Upscale: $400,000 (Basic and Accelerated combined); $100,000 separate for Turbo; DNA Funded: $600,000.
The decision rule
At $25k, if you routinely risk more than 8% of the account in a session, DNA Funded is the one that ends the attempt, not Upscale. If the first attempt is a test rather than a plan, DNA Funded at $49 costs less to be wrong about.
Which one, and for whom
Choose DNA Funded if Cost-sensitive traders who want a straightforward two-phase or instant CFD challenge and can trade on TradeLocker only.
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: DNA Funded 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.