Company Overview
The Funded Trader is a simulated trading evaluation firm that provides clients the ability to complete trading evaluations and prove their trading skills in a risk-free environment for an upfront evaluation fee. After passing the evaluation, eligible traders receive a profit split on the profits generated in their funded account, subject to compliance with Terms of Use and Customer Agreement.
Business Model and Philosophy
The Funded Trader was founded with a mission to provide every retail trader the opportunity to raise capital based on their performance and commitment to building their skills in a merit-based environment. The founders created The Funded Trader after reviewing other platforms, aiming to provide a solution as “a community for traders, by traders.”
Challenge Programs and Account Structure
The firm offers multiple evaluation pathways with varying complexity and requirements:
1. Classic Challenges (1-Step and 2-Step)
The Classic 1-Step Challenge is designed for traders who value simplicity and speed, featuring a single-step evaluation with 3% daily drawdown, 6% max drawdown, and flexibility to trade during news and weekends. Traders can earn rewards every 7 days with an 80% profit split and scale up to $300K in funded capital.
2. Royal Challenge Series
The Royal Challenge is a two-phase program that allows unlimited trading days and equity/balance-based drawdown calculations. This is the only challenge that permits use of Expert Advisors (EAs) and holding trades over weekends, with no lot size limitations and only 5 minimum trading days required to complete objectives for both phases.
3. Royal Pro Challenge
The Royal Pro Challenge offers advanced features including 2-day rewards for faster profit access, up to 99% reward splits on all withdrawals, equity & balance-based daily drawdowns, and allowance for up to 3 soft breaches per phase. It supports scaling opportunities up to $1.2M in challenge funds and $600K in funded accounts.
4. Knight Challenge
The Knight Challenge is a 1-step fast-track evaluation with daily drawdown soft breaches (up to 3 allowed per phase), news trading allowed, the largest maximum allocation of up to 20 accounts or $2,500,000 in total funded allocation, automated trading enabled, and anytime payouts with up to 99% reward split.
Account Sizes and Capital Allocation
Traders can trade up to $600,000 on a TFT Account and receive up to 95% of the earnings. Account sizes range from $5,000 to $200,000 for individual challenges, with various scaling opportunities available.
Trading Conditions and Rules
The platform offers several trader-friendly features:
- Unlimited trading days for most challenges
- Weekend holding permitted on certain account types
- News trading allowed on specific challenges
- Automated trading systems permitted on select programs
- Balance-based or equity-based drawdown calculations depending on the challenge type
Payout Structure and Processing
The Funded Trader offers a maximum profit split of up to 90/10, with funded traders able to request payouts in the form of cryptocurrencies or bank transfers via Deel once they achieve profitability. Payout eligibility varies by challenge type, with some accounts allowing withdrawals after 7, 14, 21, or 30 days following the first trade.
Technology and Platform Infrastructure
The company underwent a significant platform migration in 2024, transitioning from MT5 to Match Trader, which has caused operational disruptions and communication challenges according to user feedback.
Community and Support
The Funded Trader maintains an active presence on YouTube and Instagram for daily trading education and has built a Discord community for traders to stay updated with improvements and celebrate achievements together.
Regulatory and Operational Considerations
The firm currently does not offer evaluation services to traders residing in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Russia, and specific regions of Ukraine (Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk). KYC/AML screening is required before funded accounts or payouts are issued.
Trustpilot User Reviews
The Funded Trader has a 3.1 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot based on 22,094 reviews. Most reviewers were somewhat happy with their experience overall. Customers appreciate the company’s efforts to improve its platform and services, particularly highlighting the responsiveness and helpfulness of the support team in resolving issues. However, significant concerns have emerged regarding payment delays and platform migration issues. Many users report difficulties accessing funds following the recent platform migration from MT5 to Match Trader, with some unable to access their funded accounts for extended periods. While long-term traders with established relationships express confidence in eventual resolution, newer users report frustration with automated support responses and lack of clear communication timelines. The review sentiment appears divided between loyal traders who’ve received substantial payouts historically and recent users experiencing operational challenges during the platform transition.