Cheapest $100K Prop Firm Challenges

Two-step: Blue Guardian 2-Step Nano $100,000 at $239. One-step: Blue Guardian Futures Reserve $100,000 at $148. Instant funding: Maven Instant $100,000 at $380. Cheapest means the least it costs to reach a funded account - the entry fee plus any one-off activation charge, at regular list prices, with fees in other currencies converted to dollars. Monthly subscriptions are listed separately because their total depends on how long you take.

Across 174 active $100K challenges from 47 firms, a two-step $100K challenge costs $549 at the median ($239 to $899 across 50), a one-step $100K challenge costs $550 at the median ($148 to $1,075 across 63) and an instant funding $100K challenge costs $795 at the median ($380 to $5,300 across 42). That is the fee plus any one-off activation charge. Half cost less than the median and half more; the range shows how far apart firms price the same size.

The most common phase-one target on a $100K two-step challenge is 8% (27 of 48). On a one-step it is 6% (29 of 75), in a single phase. On a $100K account that is $8,000 or $6,000 of profit before funding.

An instant $100K account costs $795 at the median, against $549 for a two-step challenge - $246 more. The difference buys skipping the evaluation. It also buys less room: a median maximum loss of 5% against 10% on a two-step, and trailing drawdown on 62% of instant accounts against 20% of two-step challenges. Compare the drawdown rows before deciding the evaluation is not worth passing.

BrightFunded and FTMO charge the fee in euros for a dollar account. The fee is shown as charged; the ranking converts it at the European Central Bank daily rate so it sits where its dollar value puts it.