For founders
How to start a prop firm
What traders compare before they buy a challenge, and what you need to run one: the rules, the company, the platform, the CRM and the risk - with live numbers from the firms on PropFirmWay.
The market you are entering
49 prop firms and 1232 active challenges on PropFirmWay, updated as firms change their terms. This is the offer a new firm is compared against.
80%
most common profit split
58% of challenges
$519
median fee, $100K evaluation
one-time fee, before discounts
75%
of challenges have a daily loss limit
43% / 27%
one-step / two-step evaluations
28% instant funding, 4% billed monthly
Platforms firms offer
- MetaTrader 561%
- TradingView39%
- cTrader35%
- MatchTrader35%
- Tradovate33%
- NinjaTrader33%
- TradeLocker20%
- DXtrade16%
Share of listed firms offering each platform; most offer more than one.
Six steps to launch
- 1
Design the programmes
Decide what you sell: one-step, two-step or instant funding, which account sizes, the profit target, daily and maximum loss, the profit split and how often you pay out. These rules are what traders compare first - and what your risk depends on.
- 2
Set up the company and the paperwork
A legal entity, terms of service and a funded-trader agreement, KYC and AML checks before payouts, and a payment processor that accepts prop trading. Most firms run evaluations on simulated accounts; whether that needs a licence depends on the country, so take legal advice for yours.
- 3
Choose the trading platform
Forex and CFD firms offer MetaTrader 5 and, next to it, TradingView, Match-Trader, cTrader, TradeLocker or DXtrade - or a white-label terminal under their own brand; futures firms use Tradovate, NinjaTrader or Rithmic-connected platforms. MetaQuotes tightened MetaTrader access for prop firms in 2024, which is why many firms now run a second platform.
- 4
Run it on a prop firm CRM
Checkout and account creation, live rule monitoring, phase upgrades, payout requests, KYC, affiliates and support - the CRM is where a prop firm actually operates. Spreadsheets and manual account issuing stop working after the first few hundred traders.
- 5
Manage the risk
Real-time monitoring of every account against its rules, and a policy for consistently profitable traders - some firms hedge them with a liquidity provider. Payout reliability is what traders remember, and it depends on this step.
- 6
Earn trust before you scale
New firms are judged on reviews and verified payouts. List the firm where traders compare, answer reviews, and show your independent rating on your own site.
After MetaTrader 5: TradingView, Match-Trader, TradeLocker - or your own platform
61% of the firms on PropFirmWay offer MetaTrader 5. Next come TradingView (39%), Match-Trader (35%), cTrader (35%) and TradeLocker (20%). Most firms run two or three platforms, so traders can stay on the one they know.
TradingView
39% of firmsThe charts most traders already use every day. Firms rarely run TradingView on its own - they offer it through a platform or broker connection that supports trading from TradingView.
Match-Trader
35% of firmsA forex and CFD platform licensed to brokers and prop firms, with web and mobile apps. One of the most common second platforms next to MetaTrader 5.
TradeLocker
20% of firmsA web-first platform built around TradingView charts, adopted by many newer prop firms as a MetaTrader replacement.
Each is a third-party product licensed to your firm. Before you choose, check the price per account, whether the platform carries your brand, and how it connects to your CRM and risk tools.
IntraQuote Trader: TradingView charts on a platform with your name on it
Instead of licensing someone else's branded platform, run a trading terminal of your own. Execurve's IntraQuote Trader is built for brokers and prop firms:
- TradingView Advanced Charts built in - the charts, indicators and drawing tools your traders already know
- Your brand on the terminal: logo, colours and your own trading domain
- Challenge and funded account groups, a risk engine and A-book / B-book routing in the same back office
- Forex, metals, commodities and crypto in one web terminal, in 9 languages
- Liquidity providers over FIX, WebSocket or REST, and an API to connect any CRM
Launch on a white-label stack instead of building one
Steps three to five are where most of the time and money goes. Execurve provides them as one white-label package: a trading platform, a prop firm CRM with rule monitoring and payouts, risk management and your own branding and domain.
See Execurve's prop firm platformAlready running a firm? Get it in front of traders
A free PropFirmWay profile: reviews, verified payouts, your challenges in the comparison tables, and a rating widget for your own site.
Starting a prop firm: common questions
How much does it cost to start a prop firm?
It depends mostly on the technology route. Building a trading platform and CRM yourself is the expensive, slow path; a white-label stack - platform, CRM and branding licensed from one provider - is how most new firms launch. On top come legal set-up, a payment processor, a capital reserve for payouts and marketing.
How long does it take to launch a prop firm?
With a white-label platform and CRM, the technology can be ready in weeks; company formation, the payment processor and legal documents usually set the pace. Building your own platform takes many months.
Do I need a licence to run a prop firm?
Most prop firms sell evaluations on simulated accounts and say they are not brokers, and in many countries that does not require a financial licence. Rules differ by jurisdiction and some regulators have looked closely at the model, so get legal advice where you set up the company and where you sell.
Which trading platform should a new prop firm offer?
The one your target traders already use. MetaTrader 5 is still the most common; after it forex firms offer TradingView, Match-Trader, cTrader and TradeLocker, and futures firms Tradovate, NinjaTrader or Rithmic. The platform shares above show what firms listed on PropFirmWay offer today.
What is an alternative to Match-Trader, TradeLocker or TradingView for a prop firm?
Another licensed platform such as cTrader or DXtrade, or a white-label trading terminal that runs under your own brand and domain. IntraQuote Trader from Execurve is one: it comes with TradingView Advanced Charts, so traders keep the charts they know, plus challenge and funded account groups, a risk engine and liquidity connections in the same back office.
How do prop firms make money?
Mainly from evaluation fees: most traders do not pass, and the fees fund the payouts to those who do. Monthly subscriptions, resets and add-ons are common extras. A firm that pays out reliably keeps selling - one that does not, does not last.
How do I get my prop firm listed on PropFirmWay?
Create a free business account and add your firm. After review the profile goes live, traders can review it, and you can reply to reviews and add a rating widget to your site.