Leverage in Prop Firms: Real Comparison by Asset in 2026

Leverage is one of those parameters that traders compare without quite understanding what they're comparing. "1:100 on forex" sounds the same between two firms, but it often isn't: one applies it only in the evaluation phase, another only on the standard plan, another shifts the number depending on the asset, and another drops it sharply once you move to a funded account. The result is that two firms advertising the same leverage on their website can deliver very different behavior once you're actually trading a real account.

In this guide we review the actual leverage offered by the most active prop firms in the sector, broken down by asset class: forex, indices, metals, energies and crypto. The data comes directly from the firm pages we maintain in our database. If you need to refresh the basics first, it's worth reading how funding firms work and our guide on calculating position size, because without proper sizing, leverage is an irrelevant detail.

What makes leverage so noisy

Three points before looking at the table:

1. Leverage is not risk. A trader with 1:100 risking 0.5% per trade has less risk than a trader with 1:30 risking 3% per trade. Leverage only determines the maximum possible size — the risk is determined by sizing. What high leverage does offer is flexibility: being able to open large positions on a small account, or scale into entries without burning available margin.

2. Leverage changes between evaluation and funded account at many firms. It's common to see 1:100 in the challenge phase and 1:50 (or less) in the funded phase. This is a risk management mechanism on the firm side: once they fund you, they reduce margin to limit max losses. FundedNext, Goat Funded Trader and many others follow that pattern.

3. The asset difference is huge. Forex and metals usually carry the highest leverage (1:100, 1:50), indices and energies sit around 1:20-1:25, and crypto rarely passes 1:5 — most commonly 1:2 or 1:1. If your strategy depends on moving large sizes in indices or crypto, you'll find many more restrictions than in forex.

Leverage in forex: the most generous category

Forex is where firms allow the highest leverage. Numbers range from 1:30 (regulated Europe style) up to 1:100 on standard plans. The ones reaching 1:100 are the most common in the top tier.

• 1:100 (highest on the list): BrightFunded, Funded Trader Markets, My Crypto Funding, Upcomers, FTMO (Standard plan), Finotive (2-Step), FundingPips (2-Step), Fintokei (ProTrader), The5ers (High Stakes), Goat Funded Trader (evaluation).
• 1:50: E8 Markets (Signature), Blue Guardian, Hantec Trader, QT Funded, The Trading Pit, Tradexprop, Lark Funding (3-Step), Finotive (1-Step), FundingPips (Zero), Goat Funded Trader (funded).
• 1:30 (Europe-style regulated): ATFunded, City Traders Imperium, FXIFY (standard, upgradable to 50:1 with add-on), Funded Trading Plus (1-Step), Think Capital (Lightning), E8 Markets (One).
• 1:25 or less: Maven (1:75 — outlier), Fintokei (StartTrader 1:25), Atmos Funded (1:50), Ment Funding (1:20).

Watch the FTMO nuance: the Standard runs at 1:100 but Swing drops to 1:30. It makes sense: Swing allows holding positions overnight and over weekends, so the firm reduces leverage to contain gap risk. The same pattern shows in Fintokei (StartTrader 1:25 vs ProTrader 1:100) and in GoatFundedTrader (1:100 evaluation, 1:50 funded).

Leverage in indices: the most restrictive category after crypto

In indices the spread is wide. Numbers go from 1:50 (FTMO Standard) down to 1:5 at many firms. Most sit between 1:10 and 1:25, which in practice means moving large sizes in indices is much more margin-expensive than the forex equivalent.

• 1:50: FTMO (Standard), Fintokei (ProTrader). The only ones offering indices leverage comparable to forex.
• 1:25-1:30: FundedNext (2-Step Challenge), Funded Trader Markets, Upcomers, The5ers (High Stakes).
• 1:20: ATFunded, BrightFunded, Maven, Atmos Funded, QT Funded, Finotive (2-Step), Goat Funded Trader (evaluation), FundingPips (2-Step and Zero), Lark (3-Step), Funded Trading Plus (2-Step Classic).
• 1:10-1:15: Blue Guardian, Hantec Trader, The Trading Pit, Ment Funding, Atmos Funded, Funded Elite, City Traders Imperium, Goat Funded Trader (funded), Blueberry Funded, Lark (Instant), FXIFY (2 Phase Pro).
• 1:5: FundingPips (1 Step), Finotive (1-Step and Instant), FundedNext (Instant), Tradexprop.

For intraday index traders (especially DAX, S&P 500 and Nasdaq), the options that offer 1:25 or above are the ones with real headroom to scale. Below 1:20, large sizes eat so much of available margin that they constrain the strategy, especially if you pyramid or stack multiple entries.

Leverage in metals (gold, silver): intermediate numbers

Metals usually carry intermediate leverage between forex and indices. The most common ranges:

• 1:50-1:100: My Crypto Funding (1:100), BrightFunded (1:40), Lark (Instant 1:50), Fintokei (ProTrader 1:100), FundingPips (2-Step 1:30).
• 1:25-1:30: FTMO (Standard 1:30), FundedNext (2-Step Challenge 1:25), Funded Trader Markets, Upcomers, The5ers, Hantec Trader (1:20).
• 1:15-1:20: Goat Funded Trader (evaluation), Atmos Funded, Funded Elite, City Traders Imperium, The Trading Pit, Blue Guardian, Ment Funding, Blueberry Funded, ATFunded, FundedTradingPlus (Gold 1:20), QT Funded.
• 1:5-1:10: Tradexprop, FundingPips (1 Step 1:10), FXIFY (2 Phase Pro), E8 (One), Funded Trading Plus (Express 1:30, Classic 1:50).

If you trade gold as your main asset, it's worth reviewing the plan details: gold often has a distinct entry from other metals at several firms. FXIFY stands out for allowing a checkout upgrade to 1:50 on gold on some plans.

Leverage in energies (oil, gas)

Energies are traditionally one of the asset classes with the lowest leverage in the space. Most firms sit between 1:5 and 1:25.

• 1:20-1:25: My Crypto Funding (1:100, outlier), BrightFunded (1:40), FundedNext (2-Step Challenge 1:25), Upcomers, Funded Trader Markets, The Trading Pit (1:15), FundingPips (1:10), Atmos Funded (1:15), Hantec Trader (1:15), QT Funded (1:10), Goat Funded Trader (evaluation 1:20).
• 1:5-1:10: Lark, FTMO doesn't specify directly (energies inherit forex), Funded Trading Plus (1:5), The5ers (1:5 High Stakes), Tradexprop, FXIFY (1:5 on 2 Phase Pro), Goat Funded Trader (funded 1:10), Ment Funding.

For traders specializing in energy commodities (Brent, WTI, natural gas), firm choice can heavily limit operable size. It's a niche that only a few firms cover with wide leverage.

Leverage in crypto: the most conservative category

Crypto is the category where leverage almost always stays below 1:5. The few exceptions are notable:

• 1:5: BrightFunded, Tradexprop, E8 (Signature, BTC and ETH), FXIFY (BTC/ETH/SOL), Goat Funded Trader (evaluation 1:2), Crypto Fund Trader (variable per plan).
• 1:2-1:3: Maven, Atmos Funded, Blue Guardian (1:4), Blueberry Funded, FTMO (Standard 1:3.33), Finotive (2-Step), FundingPips (2-Step and Zero), The Trading Pit, Ment Funding, Funded Elite, QT Funded, City Traders Imperium, ATFunded, FundedNext (2-Step Challenge 1:5 on BTC), The5ers (High Stakes 1:2), Lark, FXIFY (other crypto), Funded Trading Plus.
• 1:1: E8 (One), Finotive (1-Step and Instant), FundingPips (1 Step), Hantec Trader.

If your main strategy is cryptocurrencies, traditional (forex-first) prop firms are likely to feel limiting. For serious crypto volume, specialists like Crypto Fund Trader or dedicated programs (Klein Funding with Bybit, MyCryptoFunding) usually offer higher leverage in that niche.

Why leverage changes between plans and phases

There are three structural reasons why a firm offers you 1:100 in challenge and 1:50 in funded (or why the Pro plan has more leverage than Standard):

1. Firm risk: in the evaluation phase the firm charges a fee — its max loss is operating cost. In funded, it pays real payouts. Cutting leverage limits how fast a trader can move profit (and loss).
2. Plan profile: Swing, Pro or Premium plans allow trading weekends and overnight, which introduces gap risk. Lowering leverage is the direct way to compensate. Clearest example: FTMO Swing at 1:30.
3. Broker regulatory framework: when the firm is broker-backed (see regulated prop firms in 2026), the broker enforces regulatory caps from its home country. In Europe that means 1:30 forex cap for retail clients.

How to choose based on strategy

• Forex scalping with micro-stops: prioritize firms with 1:100 (FTMO Standard, Finotive 2-Step, FundingPips 2-Step, BrightFunded, MyCryptoFunding). High leverage lets you stack entries without saturating margin.
• Swing trading with conservative sizing: leverage is less critical. FTMO Swing (1:30) or any firm at 1:50 is enough. Static drawdown matters more.
• Index trading: main filter is firms with 1:25 or more on indices. Short list: FTMO Standard, Fintokei ProTrader, FundedNext 2-Step Challenge.
• Crypto trading: nearly all forex-first firms are limiting. Consider specialized niches like Crypto Fund Trader, Klein Funding or MyCryptoFunding.
• No asset preference: the leverage-by-asset table on our forex prop firm comparator filters better than any manual list.

Common mistakes when comparing leverage

• Comparing only forex. If you trade indices or crypto, the forex number is irrelevant.
• Not looking at evaluation vs funded. A firm at 1:100 in challenge and 1:30 in funded isn't the same as one at 1:50 in both. The second can be more operable long term.
• Assuming more leverage is always better. If your sizing is conservative, 1:30 is plenty. The 1:30 vs 1:100 difference only matters if you need large sizes on a small account.
• Forgetting swap cost. Leverage is just margin — swap (overnight cost) can eat the profit from leveraged positions held several days. Look at swap-free firms if that affects you.

Conclusion

Leverage is a useful parameter to understand a prop firm's operational flexibility, but it only makes sense when read alongside the asset, phase and the rest of the product. Comparing firms by the standalone forex number without checking the rest is the classic recipe for a bad pick. Firms with the highest forex leverage (BrightFunded, FTMO Standard, Finotive 2-Step, FundingPips 2-Step) are comfortable for the scalper or the position-stacker. Those at 1:30 (Europe, FXIFY standard, ATFunded) are more solid for swing traders or anyone prioritizing regulatory framework.

If you want to compare every firm in the sector by actual leverage on every asset, our forex prop firm comparator lets you filter by leverage, drawdown and profit split together.