This page walks through how the data gets here, how often it updates, how the Power Rankings are scored, and what gets a firm removed from the list.

Where the data comes from

Everything in the tables is verified against each firm’s own published pricing pages, terms of service, FAQs, and trader dashboards, and that is the only place the data ever comes from. Third-party data never touches the tables, and when a firm’s own pages contradict each other, PickAPropFirm asks the firm directly and holds the change until it’s confirmed.

What gets tracked for every plan

For each plan the site tracks the advertised price, the real discounted price with a working code, activation and reset fees, drawdown type and amount, profit goals, daily loss limits, consistency rules, minimum trading days, payout minimums, caps and splits, and how many accounts you can run. Out of all that, the number that matters most is the all-in cost, which is what it actually costs to get from signup to a funded account once activation fees and the discount are counted. Right alongside it sits the ROI metric, a return multiple showing how many times your first payout can pay back the cost of the plan, and it’s one of the most important numbers a trader can look at when evaluating a plan.

How often the data is verified

Prices sync automatically from the master data throughout the day, so when a firm changes a price or a promo ends, the tables update within minutes. Beyond that, systems have been built to track when firms make changes and send notifications, which keeps the site completely updated and keeps it that way. Put plainly: you won’t find a more correct, vetted, and up-to-date source for this data anywhere else on the internet. And if you ever spot a mismatch, report it and it will be verified with the firm directly.

How the Power Rankings work

No firm can pay for a ranking spot. Plenty of firms have offered money for premium placement or just to get listed, and every single one has been refused, so not one dollar has ever changed hands for placement on this site. And judging by the company some other sites in this space keep, not many can say the same.

The rankings pull from a mix of signals: how fast payouts actually arrive and how big they run, how hard the plans are to pass, how trader-friendly the rules are, and how quickly traders get moved to live money. Plan changes are actively tracked across each firm’s own website, help center, and FAQs, watching how often plans change and whether those changes help or hurt traders, and a firm that keeps quietly making its plans worse gets marked down for it. On top of that, complaints and sentiment get followed across reviews and private and public trading groups, along with web traffic to each firm, page visits and unique visitors included, because where traders are actually going says a lot. And when all the data is in, two questions settle it: would I actually buy a plan at that firm, and would I feel comfortable recommending it to a friend? If the answer to either is no, the numbers don’t matter.

What gets a firm excluded

Most firms evaluated never make the list, and the ones that do can still lose their spot. Firms get excluded or removed for slow or disputed payouts, predatory rules or rules that exist mainly to block withdrawals, rules that change quickly and without warning, and terms too vague to verify. Affiliate offers have zero influence on any of it, and deals have been declined from firms that didn’t meet the bar. Some have even offered money just to get listed after falling short, and the answer has been no every time. If a firm is listed here, it earned its place as a premier prop firm with its pricing and its rules.

Who does the verifying

Hey, Jmu here. I’m the trader behind PickAPropFirm and the one maintaining the data. I trade evals and funded accounts myself, taking payouts along the way, and I run the numbers and read the fine print that costs traders money. And when firms have acted in shady ways, I’ve spoken up while others stayed quiet, stood my ground, and dug deeper into what’s really going on at a firm than most anybody else in the space. There’s more on that on the About page.

Found something that doesn’t match a firm’s site? Reach out on X @jmutrades or in the Discord and it will be verified with the firm directly.