E8Markets vs Kraken Prop
E8Markets 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: E8Markets is $4 cheaper at the entry tier ($16 with code E8 against $20). E8Markets publishes the wider maximum drawdown at $25k (8% on E8 Pro against 3% max drawdown and 3% daily, Advanced). Open E8Markets
| Term | E8Markets | Kraken Prop |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest evaluation | $16 code E8 | $20 |
| Size at that price | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| 25k fee | $132 code E8 | $95 |
| Profit split | 80% / 90% / 100% chosen at purchase | 80% (90% add-on) |
| Drawdown (25k) | 6% dynamic drawdown (trails closed profit), ~4% daily drawdown (E8 One) | 3% max drawdown and 3% daily, Advanced |
| Profit target (25k) | 9% (E8 One default; configurable 6-21%) | 9% (Advanced) / 12% (Intermediate) / 10% (Starter) |
| KYC | Before activation | Before activation |
| Payout rail | Rise Works / WorkMarket / Aeropay | USD to your Kraken wallet / USDG to your Kraken wallet |
| Payout speed | On-demand; E8 One first payout from day 3 of the performance stage, then any time; E8 Pro daily | Typically 12 hours, guaranteed within 24 |
| Leverage | Classic markets: forex 1:30, indices/metals/energy 1:15, crypto 1:1. Perpetual futures: BTC 1:15, ETH 1:15, other crypto 1:2 | Up to 5x on crypto |
| Allocation ceiling | Unlimited challenge accounts; $500,000 max active performance allocation on E8 One | $200,000 across all accounts |
| Instruments | Forex, indices, metals, energies, stocks, crypto (Classic); crypto perpetual futures on the Hyperliquid feed incl. BTC, ETH, alts, 24/7 | 60+ crypto pairs on perpetual-style contracts |
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 | E8Markets | Kraken Prop | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5k | $16 code E8 | $20 | E8Markets |
| $10k | not sold | $40 | - |
| $25k | $132 code E8 | $95 | Kraken Prop |
| $50k | $202 code E8 | $180 | Kraken Prop |
| $100k | $342 code E8 | $330 | Kraken Prop |
| $200k | not sold | $660 | - |
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, E8Markets has to make $147 of profit before the attempt has paid for itself, and $106 at Kraken Prop.
| Measure | E8Markets | Kraken Prop |
|---|---|---|
| Fee for a $25k attempt | $132 code E8 | $95 |
| Fee per $1,000 of account | $5.28 | $3.80 |
| Profit needed to win the fee back at the headline split | $147 | $106 |
| Account destroyed on a bad day (drawdown in dollars) | $1,500 (6%) | $750 (3%) |
| 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
Kraken Prop measures drawdown from a fixed floor, while E8Markets 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 E8Markets ($1,500 against $750), which is 3.0 percentage points of the account.
Getting the money out
E8Markets pays Rise Works / WorkMarket / Aeropay, Kraken Prop pays USD to your Kraken wallet / USDG to your Kraken wallet. Timing is not the same either: On-demand; E8 One first payout from day 3 of the performance stage, then any time; E8 Pro daily 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
- Payout rails are not the same: E8Markets pays Rise Works / WorkMarket / Aeropay, Kraken Prop pays USD to your Kraken wallet / USDG to your Kraken wallet.
- the Kraken Prop fee is $31.67 per 1% of drawdown at $25k, from $95 over a 3% limit (Advanced); E8Markets works out at $22.00 from $132 with code E8 over a 6% limit (E8 One).
The decision rule
At $25k, if you routinely risk more than 3% of the account in a session, Kraken Prop is the one that ends the attempt, not E8Markets. If the first attempt is a test rather than a plan, E8Markets at $16 with code E8 costs less to be wrong about.
Which one, and for whom
Choose E8Markets if Traders who want a single-phase challenge at a low fee and intend to trade crypto perpetuals alongside forex, and who are comfortable with a Rise/WorkMarket payout account.
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: E8Markets 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.