How we rank prop firms (and why it can't be bought)
Every score is computed by a public formula from the data shown on each firm page. Sponsors, affiliate commissions and featured listings have zero input. The code is in build.py → score().
Tie-breaks
Firms with equal scores are ordered by (1) data completeness: the share of challenge fields verified on the firm's own pages, higher first; then (2) the number of confirmed changelog entries, more first (a firm whose changes we can track publicly is easier to hold to account); then (3) name, A–Z.
What "payout speed" measures
We score the published payout eligibility rule: how soon after trading you're allowed to request money. Daily, on-demand or anytime requests score full marks. Fixed 48-hour, 5-day, 7-day or weekly cycles score 70%. Bi-weekly cycles, or rules that need several qualifying winning days first, score 40%. Fast processing after you request doesn't change this score.
Missing data is never scored as zero
If we can't verify a component, it shows "Insufficient data" and is left out: the score is the weighted average of the components we could verify. A firm is ranked only when at least 4 of the 5 components are verified and at least 50% of its challenge fields are filled. Otherwise it's listed as Unranked: insufficient data, below ranked firms, until we can verify more.
Data rules
- Every fact links to the page it came from and the date we checked it.
- If we can't verify a field it shows "Unknown". Unknowns are excluded from scoring, not counted as zero.
- We never label firms as scams. Documented disputes are linked neutrally to their sources.
- Changes are detected by snapshotting each firm's rules pages and diffing the text; a human confirms before logging.