Cheapest prop firms: what does a $5K challenge really cost?
The cheapest prop firm by entry fee is not always the cheapest by the time you are paid: whether the fee comes back, what a failed attempt costs to retry and how soon a first payout is possible all change the bill. The table below sets out the 3 firms with the lowest one-time fee for a $5,000 account, and the cost check under it adds those terms firm by firm.
By John McLaren
Fact-checked by Gabriele Nigro · 4 November 2026
The 3 lowest one-time fees for a $5,000 prop firm account
| Firm | Editorial score | Starting priceCost per $1K | Profit split | Largest account | Markets and platforms | Drawdown | Payouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Goat Funded TraderLegal entity in Hong KongRead Goat Funded Trader full reviewVisit Goat Funded TraderChecked 17 Oct 2026 | 62 | Starting at $15Cost per 1K $4 | 80% to 100% | $400,000 | ForexIndicesMetalsCommoditiesStocksCrypto    Volumetrica | Static, Trailing (intraday) | Every 14 days |
 Blue GuardianLegal entity in United Arab EmiratesRead Blue Guardian full reviewVisit Blue GuardianChecked 17 Oct 2026 | 82 | Starting at $26.66Cost per 1K $2.30 | 80% to 100% | $400,000 | ForexIndicesCommoditiesCrypto | Balance-based, Static | On request, One payout only, on demand, Every 14 days, Every 7 days |
 Alpha Capital GroupLegal entity in United KingdomRead Alpha Capital Group full reviewVisit Alpha Capital GroupChecked 17 Oct 2026 | 69 | Starting at $27Cost per 1K $3.24 | 80% to 90% | $200,000 | ForexIndicesMetalsEnergies | Static, Other (see source) | Varies by programme |
- Legal entity in Hong KongRead Goat Funded Trader full reviewVisit Goat Funded TraderChecked 17 Oct 2026ForexIndicesMetalsCommoditiesStocks
- Editorial score
- 62
- Starting price
- $15
- Cost per $1K
- $4
- Profit split
- 80% to 100%
- Largest account
- $400,000
- Drawdown
- Static, Trailing (intraday)
- Payouts
- Every 14 days
- Legal entity in United Arab EmiratesRead Blue Guardian full reviewVisit Blue GuardianChecked 17 Oct 2026ForexIndicesCommoditiesCrypto
- Editorial score
- 82
- Starting price
- $26.66
- Cost per $1K
- $2.30
- Profit split
- 80% to 100%
- Largest account
- $400,000
- Drawdown
- Balance-based, Static
- Payouts
- On request, One payout only, on demand
- Legal entity in United KingdomRead Alpha Capital Group full reviewVisit Alpha Capital GroupChecked 17 Oct 2026ForexIndicesMetalsEnergies
- Editorial score
- 69
- Starting price
- $27
- Cost per $1K
- $3.24
- Profit split
- 80% to 90%
- Largest account
- $200,000
- Drawdown
- Static
- Payouts
- Varies by programme
For a $5,000 account, the lowest one-time fees among the 13 forex and CFD prop firms we compared are Goat Funded Trader at $20, Blue Guardian at $26.66 and Alpha Capital Group at $27. Counted to your first payout, if you pass on the first attempt, the order changes: FXIFY pays back 100% of its $39 fee with that payout, leaving $0 out of pocket, and The5ers 70% of its $35 fee, leaving $10.50. The cheapest way in at any size is the $9 fee Hola Prime charges for a $2,000 account. A fee refunded only after several payouts, or never, counts in full, so read the refund and net cost columns before you buy. List prices before discount codes; facts checked up to November 4, 2026.
Each row of the table reads the firm's forex and CFD evaluations only, with the date its facts were checked. The cost check below goes further: for our three cheapest and the other firms we checked at the same size, it shows the one-time fee, the cheapest account the firm sells at any size, whether the fee is refunded, what a retry costs and how soon a first payout can be requested, each linked to the firm's own page.
Cost check
Cost check: what a $5,000 evaluation really costs
Each row shows what one firm charges for a $5,000 forex or CFD evaluation as a one-time list fee, the cheapest account the firm sells at any size, whether the fee comes back once you are paid, what you are still out of pocket at your first payout, what a failed attempt costs to retry and how soon a first payout can be requested. Our three cheapest come first; the firms marked Also checked follow, by fee. Every figure comes from the firm's record and links to its own page. Where a firm states nothing, the cell says so: a missing figure is never shown as zero.
| Firm | One-time fee, $5,000 account | Cheapest account at any size | Fee refunded once funded | Net cost at first payout | Retry or reset | First payout after |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goat Funded Tradersource | One-time fee, $5,000 account$20 one-time | Cheapest account at any size$15 for a $1,000 account | Fee refunded once fundedOn conditions (see the firm's terms) | Net cost at first payout$201 | Retry or resetOffered (terms on the firm's page) | First payout afterOn request |
| Blue Guardiansource | One-time fee, $5,000 account$26.66 one-time | Cheapest account at any size$26.66 for a $5,000 account | Fee refunded once fundedOn conditions (see the firm's terms) | Net cost at first payout$26.661 | Retry or resetNot stated | First payout afterNot stated |
| Alpha Capital Groupsource | One-time fee, $5,000 account$27 one-time | Cheapest account at any size$27 for a $5,000 account | Fee refunded once fundedNo | Net cost at first payout$271 | Retry or resetNot stated | First payout afterDepends on the option chosen |
| E8 MarketssourceAlso checked | One-time fee, $5,000 account$28 one-time | Cheapest account at any size$28 for a $5,000 account | Fee refunded once fundedNo | Net cost at first payout$281 | Retry or resetOffered (terms on the firm's page) | First payout afterSet by the firm's own schedule |
| FundingPipssourceAlso checked | One-time fee, $5,000 account$29 one-time | Cheapest account at any size$29 for a $5,000 account | Fee refunded once fundedNo | Net cost at first payout$291 | Retry or resetOffered (terms on the firm's page) | First payout afterSet by the firm's own schedule |
| FundedNextsourceAlso checked | One-time fee, $5,000 account$32.99 one-time | Cheapest account at any size$32.99 for a $5,000 account | Fee refunded once fundedOn conditions (see the firm's terms) | Net cost at first payout$32.991 | Retry or resetOffered (terms on the firm's page) | First payout afterSet by the firm's own schedule |
| The5erssourceAlso checked | One-time fee, $5,000 account$35 one-time | Cheapest account at any size$19 for a $2,500 account | Fee refunded once fundedIn part | Net cost at first payout$10.501 | Retry or resetNot stated | First payout after14 days |
| FXIFYsourceAlso checked | One-time fee, $5,000 account$39 one-time | Cheapest account at any size$19 for a $2,500 account | Fee refunded once fundedYes | Net cost at first payout$01 | Retry or resetOffered (terms on the firm's page) | First payout afterOn request |
| Hola PrimesourceAlso checked | One-time fee, $5,000 account$39 one-time | Cheapest account at any size$9 for a $2,000 account | Fee refunded once fundedOn conditions (see the firm's terms) | Net cost at first payout$391 | Retry or resetNot stated | First payout afterDepends on the option chosen |
| Crypto Fund TradersourceAlso checked | One-time fee, $5,000 account$40 one-time | Cheapest account at any size$40 for a $5,000 account | Fee refunded once fundedNot stated | Net cost at first payoutNot stated | Retry or resetNot stated | First payout after15 days |
- 1 Net cost at first payout: the one-time fee minus the part of it the firm pays back with your first payout, if you pass on the first attempt and meet the firm's payout conditions. A refund paid only with a later payout, or as store credit, is not subtracted, so the fee counts in full. Not stated means the firm's terms, as we read them, do not say what comes back with the first payout.
Lowest one-time fee for $5,000
How soon can the $20 account at Goat Funded Trader pay you?
Two profit targets stand between the $20 fee and a first payout at Goat Funded Trader: 8% in the first step, then 6% in the second, with at least 3 trading days and no deadline. No consistency rule applies, so one strong day counts in full towards the target. Two limits can end an attempt, and either one means buying a new attempt at $20: losing 4% in a single day, or reaching a maximum loss measured from the starting balance. News trading comes with conditions, and holding over the weekend is allowed. Once funded, the first payout can be requested on demand, then every 14 days, from $100, at 80% to 100% of the profit, and getting the fee back depends on conditions. In our score its payouts take 17 of 20 points and its track record 7 of 10, for a firm founded in 2023.
2nd-lowest one-time fee for $5,000
What rules come with the $26.66 account at Blue Guardian?
At Blue Guardian, $26.66 buys a $5,000 1 Step Nano account, a one-step evaluation with a 10% profit target and no time limit. You can lose 4% of the balance in a day, under a balance-based maximum loss. The rule most likely to put a second fee on your bill is the consistency rule: no single day may bring more than 50% of your profit, so a trader who makes most of the target in one session keeps trading until the rest of the profit catches up. Funded traders keep 85% to 100% of the profit and can ask for a payout every 7 days, from $100, while the fee comes back only on conditions. Jurisdiction earns Blue Guardian 3 of 10 points in our score, the part to read if where a firm is registered matters to you.
3rd-lowest one-time fee for $5,000
What do the two steps of the $27 evaluation at Alpha Capital Group involve?
Alpha Capital Group sells its $5,000 Alpha Pro account for $27, with no refund, so that fee is the whole cost only if you pass at the first attempt. It is a two-step evaluation: you pass two stages before a funded account, and failing either one usually means buying the evaluation again, so the retry column of the cost check matters more here than for a one-step firm. You trade for at least 3 days, there is no time limit, and the maximum loss is static: it stays at the level it starts from, however much you make. A funded account pays you 80% of the profit, and you can trade it on MetaTrader 5, cTrader, DX Trade, and TradeLocker. The trade-off sits in its score: payout terms earn 6 of 20 points and its rules 10 of 25, so read how and when it pays before the price decides for you.
In this table
What the cheapest firms in this table offer
Each bar counts the firms in the table above that record it, and the logos show which ones. The text below gives the figures for every firm we cover with a matching programme.
Platforms
- MetaTrader 5Goat Funded Trader, Blue Guardian, and Alpha Capital Group3/3
- TradeLockerGoat Funded Trader, Blue Guardian, and Alpha Capital Group3/3
- cTraderGoat Funded Trader and Alpha Capital Group2/3
- Match-TraderGoat Funded Trader and Blue Guardian2/3
- DX TradeAlpha Capital Group1/3
- VolumetricaGoat Funded Trader1/3
Drawdown type
- StaticGoat Funded Trader, Blue Guardian, and Alpha Capital Group3/3
- Balance-basedBlue Guardian1/3
- Other (see source)Alpha Capital Group1/3
- Trailing (intraday)Goat Funded Trader1/3
Programme type
- Instant fundingGoat Funded Trader, Blue Guardian, and Alpha Capital Group3/3
- One phaseGoat Funded Trader, Blue Guardian, and Alpha Capital Group3/3
- Two phaseGoat Funded Trader, Blue Guardian, and Alpha Capital Group3/3
Profit split
- 90% or moreGoat Funded Trader, Blue Guardian, and Alpha Capital Group3/3
How we picked these firms
We take the forex and CFD prop firms whose records we have approved and order them by one number: the lowest one-time list fee for a $5,000 evaluation, before discount codes, as each firm publishes it on its own price page. Only one-time fees are compared. Monthly subscriptions, pay-after-pass structures and deposits with the balance due later are left out, because the price shown is only part of what you pay, and a free entry is a promotion, not a price. A fee past its freshness date drops out until it is checked again. Refunds, retries and payout timing are not part of the order: they sit in the cost check so you can weigh them yourself.
Why is the lowest entry fee not always the cheapest way to a payout?
The entry fee is what you pay at checkout, but the cost that matters is what you have spent by the time a first payout reaches you. Three things move that number. The first is the refund: some firms return the evaluation fee with an early payout, some only after several payouts, and some never, so a fee a few dollars higher can end up costing nothing at all. The second is the retry: most traders do not pass every attempt, and a failed evaluation is usually bought again at the full list price unless the firm sells a cheaper reset. The third is timing: a firm that pays on demand returns your money sooner than one with a fourteen-day first cycle, which matters when the refund comes with that payout. The cost check on this page shows all three for each firm, so the order by fee is where the comparison starts, not where it ends.
When do prop firms refund the challenge fee?
Refund rules differ more than prices do. A firm can refund the fee in full with the first payout, refund it only after a set number of payouts or rewards, refund part of it, or state that fees are never refunded. Many firms refund only some programmes, often the pricier ones, so the cheapest entry a firm sells may carry no refund while its standard evaluation does. The refund column in the cost check reads the rule of the exact programme priced in the fee column, so it never borrows a better policy from another product of the same firm. Conditional means the firm ties the refund to something, such as a number of payouts or a minimum withdrawal, and the linked page sets out the condition in the firm's own words. A refund lowers what the evaluation costs you in the end, but it is paid only after you pass and withdraw, so budget for the fee as money spent.
What does a failed attempt cost at a cheap prop firm?
A failed evaluation usually costs the full fee again. Some firms sell a reset at a fixed price or at a share of the fee, some offer a free retry under conditions they set out, and some have no reset at all, so you buy a new evaluation. Because of this, the cheapest firm on paper can be the more expensive one for a trader who needs two or three attempts. A rough way to compare is to multiply each fee by the number of attempts you expect to need, then subtract any refund you would receive once you are paid. Daily loss limits matter here too: a tighter limit ends more attempts early, which raises the expected cost of a low fee. The retry column shows each firm's stated reset terms for the programme priced in the table, and where a firm states nothing, the cell says so instead of guessing a figure for it.
Worked example
Worked example: what one retry does to a cheap fee
Take the cheapest fee in the table, the $20 Goat Funded Trader charges for a $5,000 account. If you pass on the first attempt, that is the whole cost before a first payout, and less again if the firm refunds it once you are paid. If you fail once and buy the evaluation again at list price, you have paid $40 before you can be funded. A firm whose fee is a few dollars higher but which refunds it with your first payout costs you nothing in the end if you pass on the first try, and only the second fee if you need one retry. This is arithmetic to show how refunds and retries change the order, not a forecast: pass rates depend on your trading, and each firm's page sets its own refund condition and reset price.
Which other firms did we check?
We also checked 11 more firms with a matching programme. They are listed alphabetically.
Frequently asked
What is the cheapest prop firm in 2026?
Among the 13 forex and CFD prop firms we compared for a $5,000 account, the lowest one-time fee is Goat Funded Trader at $20, followed by Blue Guardian at $26.66 and Alpha Capital Group at $27. Counted to your first payout, if you pass on the first attempt, the order changes: FXIFY pays back 100% of its $39 fee with that payout, leaving $0 out of pocket, and The5ers 70% of its $35 fee, leaving $10.50. Those are list prices before discount codes, read from each firm's own price page and checked up to November 4, 2026.
What is the cheapest way to start with a prop firm?
The lowest one-time fee at any account size among the firms we compared is the $9 Hola Prime charges for a $2,000 account. Smaller accounts cost less to start but pay out less on the same percentage gain, so compare the fee with the account size you actually want to trade.
Do cheap prop firms refund the challenge fee?
Some do and some never do. The refund often depends on the programme: a firm's cheapest entry may carry no refund while its standard evaluation is refunded with an early payout. The cost check reads the refund rule of the exact programme priced, and links the page where the firm states it.
How much does it cost to retry a prop firm challenge?
At most firms a failed evaluation is bought again at the full list price. Some sell a reset for a fixed amount or a share of the fee, and some do not offer one. The retry column of the cost check shows each firm's stated terms; where a firm states nothing, it says Not stated.
Are there hidden costs in cheap prop firm challenges?
Watch for add-ons sold at checkout, such as a higher profit split or a longer time limit, which raise the price above the list fee; fees on some payout methods; and monthly subscriptions shown next to one-time fees. This guide compares one-time list fees only, before add-ons and discount codes.
Why are futures prop firms not in this comparison?
Many futures prop firms bill their evaluations monthly and add an activation fee when you pass, so a one-time fee comparison would understate what they cost. Our futures guide has its own cost check, which adds the monthly fee and the activation fee for a $50K account and lists data fees beside them.
Is there a free prop firm challenge?
A few firms run free challenges or trading competitions as promotions. A free entry is not counted as a price in this comparison, because it is a promotion with its own limits rather than the cost of an evaluation. Our free prop firm challenge page covers the free routes separately.
Why do you compare prices before discount codes?
Discount codes change often, are not open to every trader and sometimes exclude the cheapest programmes. List prices are what every trader can check on the firm's own page on the day, so they are the only fair basis for an order. If a code applies to you, it lowers the fee you pay, not the order of the table.
Keep comparing
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- Forex prop firms: will your strategy break a rule?
- Instant funding prop firms: no evaluation, different rules
- Futures prop firms: what do they really cost before your first payout?
- What Is a Funded Trading Account? 3 Ways to Get One in 2026
- Best Prop Firm for Beginners 2026: Three Firms With Room for Mistakes
FundedFast is a publisher, not a broker, and is not regulated by any financial authority. Nothing on this page is investment advice, and a prop firm challenge is a fee-based evaluation, not an investment. Figures come from each firm's own published terms on the dates shown, and firms change their rules, so check the firm's page before you pay.