What does a $100K forex prop challenge cost?
A $100K forex prop challenge costs a median of $549 in October 2026. That figure comes from 97 plans with a published full price, drawn from 127 $100K plans across 36 firms in our data. A challenge fee is the one-time price you pay for the attempt. A funded account is the account you trade after you pass the evaluation, and you keep a share of the profits you make there.
The median is the middle plan when every full price is lined up in order, so it is not pulled up by the most expensive plans or down by the cheapest entries. Half of the 97 full-price plans cost more than $549 and half cost less. The single most expensive $100K plan in our data is Lark Funding Instant at $4,500, which is more than eight times the median. The cheapest rows in the data are not full prices at all, and the next section explains why that matters.
Not every plan shows a price. 26 of the 127 $100K plans show no US dollar price in our data. Some firms do not publish a price for every size, and one firm, FTMO, prices its $100K challenges in euros only. Those rows are left out of the dollar medians, with no currency conversion made, because a converted guess would not be the firm's published price. Our challenge list shows the plans side by side, with the missing prices shown as missing rather than filled in.
What do you get for the fee?
The fee buys an evaluation, and the evaluation comes in four shapes. A 1-step challenge has a single target and a single set of loss limits. A 2-step challenge has two phases, each with its own target. A 3-step challenge has three phases. Instant funding has no evaluation and no target, but the loss limits apply from day one. The shape you pick changes the price more than the firm name does.
The table below counts every $100K plan in our data by shape, with the median full price for each shape. 1-step and 2-step plans share the same $549 median, which tells you the step count alone does not set the price. Instant funding is the outlier at a $999 median, and 3-step plans are the cheapest group at a $365 median, though only 7 of them state a full price. One row, Axi Select Acceleration, states no step count at all, because it is a broker allocation program rather than a challenge, and its $0 figure is not a challenge fee.
The funded stage can also change the deal after you pass. Loss limits usually carry over to the funded account, and some firms add funded-only rules. FundedNext keeps its 5% daily and 10% maximum loss limits on the funded account, measured on the new starting balance. The5ers Bootcamp adds a 3% daily pause that applies only to funded accounts, where trading pauses for the day and resumes the next day. Read the funded rules before you pay for the evaluation, because that is where your payouts live.
| Challenge shape | Plans in our data | Plans with a full price | Median full price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-step | 55 of 127 | 44 | $549 |
| 2-step | 42 of 127 | 33 | $549 |
| Instant funding | 21 of 127 | 13 | $999 |
| 3-step | 8 of 127 | 7 | $365 |
| No step count stated | 1 of 127 | 0 | Not a challenge fee |
Why is the cheapest price rarely the cheapest cost?
The lowest numbers in a price list are often entry fees, not the full cost of reaching a funded account. An entry fee is a small payment to start, with the rest due later. An activation fee is a one-time payment due after passing, before the funded account opens. If you compare entry fees against full fees, the comparison is false, and the plan that looked cheapest can end up costing more than the plan next to it.
The table below shows the cheapest $100K rows in our data and what each price actually buys. Top One Trader NOVA shows $7 upfront, but a $499 activation fee is due after passing at $100K, so the real cost of reaching funding is $506. For Traders Pay After Pass shows $9, and that is the entry fee only, with the activation fee unstated in the page we checked. The5ers Bootcamp is the honest version of the split model: $95 to start and $205 only after you pass, for a $300 total, as shown on the firm's own Bootcamp page. Blue Guardian 2-Step Nano lists at $239 before a 25% discount shown on the listing page, so the list price is the full fee before any promotion, not an entry slice.
We left two rows out of this table on purpose. Orion Nova at $7 and Leveraged ONE at $188 carry no note in our data confirming they are full prices, so we do not crown either one as the cheapest. A price with no stated basis is not a bargain, it is an open question, and the checkout page is the only place that settles it.
| Plan | Price shown | What the price buys |
|---|---|---|
| Axi Select Acceleration | $0 | Broker allocation, not a challenge fee |
| Atmos Nova | $5 | Entry fee only, not the full cost |
| Top One Trader NOVA 1-Step | $7 | Entry fee, plus $499 activation fee after passing |
| For Traders Pay After Pass 1-Step | $9 | Entry fee only, activation fee unstated |
| The5ers Bootcamp | $95 | Entry fee, plus $205 after passing, $300 total |
| Blue Guardian 2-Step Nano | $239 | Full list price before a shown 25% discount |
What else do you pay beyond the headline fee?
The headline fee is rarely the last payment. Three further costs show up in our data, and each one changes the real price of a plan.
First, refunds. 43 of the 97 $100K plans with a published full price list the fee as refundable. A refundable fee is a fee the firm returns, usually with your first payout on a funded account, not when you fail. FundedNext Stellar 2-Step at $100K costs $549.99, and the fee comes back with the first performance reward after passing both phases. If a plan does not list a refund, treat the fee as money you will never see again.
Second, resets and repeat attempts. A reset is a paid second try on the same account after a failed attempt, where the firm offers one. FundedNext charges $494.99 to reset a $100K Stellar 2-Step account, against $549.99 for a fresh attempt. A trader who fails twice and resets twice has paid more than the headline fee before ever reaching funding, so the reset price belongs in the same comparison as the entry price.
Third, payments due after passing. The5ers Bootcamp is the clearest case, with $205 due on success at $100K on top of the $95 entry fee. Some firms also charge for add-ons at checkout, such as a higher profit split or a weekend-holding permission. Add-ons are optional, but they are part of the price if you need them, so check the checkout total, not just the plan list price.
How do you pick a $100K plan on price?
Start from the total cost of reaching funding, not the headline number. Add the entry fee, any activation fee due after passing, and any add-on you need, then subtract a refund only if the plan lists one and you are willing to bet on passing. On that basis, The5ers Bootcamp at $300 total with no refund sits below FundedNext Stellar 2-Step at $549.99 with a refund on the first payout, but only if you pass: fail Bootcamp and you have spent $95, fail FundedNext and you have spent $549.99.
Then weigh price against the rules, because the cheapest plan is a bad deal if its limits do not fit your trading. A $999 median for instant funding buys immediate funded access with no evaluation, but the most expensive $100K plans in our data are all instant plans, up to $4,500. A 3-step plan at a $365 median costs less, but it asks you to pass three phases instead of one or two. The right question is not which plan is cheapest, but which plan's limits your trading already respects at a price you can afford to lose.
Prop trading can cost you every fee you pay, so treat each fee as money you may never see again. Compare the full price, the refund terms, and any payment due after passing, and read the funded-stage rules before you buy. Our how we rank page explains how we check the rules and prices behind these comparisons.
Frequently asked questions
Why do some $100K plans show no price?
26 of the 127 $100K plans in our data show no US dollar price. Some firms do not publish a price for every size, and FTMO prices its $100K challenges in euros only. We leave those rows out of dollar medians rather than converting or guessing a price.
Is the cheapest $100K plan the best deal?
Not always. The cheapest rows in our data are entry fees, not full costs. Top One Trader NOVA shows $7 upfront with a $499 activation fee after passing, so the real cost is $506. Always add entry, activation, and funded-stage payments before comparing.
Do I get my fee back if I pass?
On 43 of the 97 $100K plans with a published full price, yes, the fee is listed as refundable, usually with the first payout. FundedNext returns its $549.99 Stellar 2-Step fee with the first performance reward. If a plan does not list a refund, assume the fee is gone.
Why does instant funding cost more?
Instant funding skips the evaluation, so you reach a funded account at once, and firms price that access higher. In our data the instant median at $100K is $999, against $549 for 1-step and 2-step plans, and the four most expensive $100K plans are all instant plans.
Does the price change after I pass?
It can. The5ers Bootcamp charges $205 on success at $100K on top of its $95 entry fee, for a $300 total. Funded-stage rules can also add costs or limits, such as a daily pause, so read the funded rules before you pay for the evaluation.
Prop trading carries a real risk of losing every fee you pay. This article is general information, not financial advice. Always read the firm's own rules before you buy.
How we got these numbers
Based on 127 $100,000 challenge rows across 36 firms in the forex firms we track (October 2026); 101 rows show a US dollar price, of which 97 are full prices and 4 are not full challenge prices, and the $549 median uses the 97 full-price rows; FundingPips rows are excluded because their prices are provisional, and FTMO rows priced in euros only are excluded from dollar medians with no conversion made.