Entry price
The upfront cost depends heavily on the chosen path. For a standard 100K evaluation, FundedHive (Classic NewBee) costs $499, while Wall Street Funded (Ultra 2-step) is slightly more expensive at $509. However, at the 10K level, FundedHive is more aggressive at $79 compared to the $99 charged by Wall Street Funded for its Classic plan.
The real difference lies in the alternative models. FundedHive offers the "Pay From Profits" (PFP) plan, where you can start a 100K challenge for just $99 or $249, but you must pay the remainder of the fee (up to $2,999 for high-risk groups) out of your future earnings or as an upfront surcharge for higher risk limits. Wall Street Funded counters with its Instant Standard accounts, which are significantly pricier upfront (e.g., $440 for 10K) but grant immediate access to capital without the two-phase wait.
What you pay while trading
Execution costs are comparable in Forex but diverge in other assets. Both firms charge a commission of $3 per lot on Forex. However, Wall Street Funded offers $0 commissions on Indices and Crypto, making it more cost-effective for swing traders in those markets. In contrast, FundedHive applies a 0.003% rate on Metals and Indices.
Furthermore, FundedHive adds a $3 processing fee for every card purchase. A hidden "cost" in FundedHive is the AADS system: if your account drops 1% below the initial balance, your trades are moved to a "B Book" environment where profits are not withdrawable until you recover the initial balance and manually reactivate the account, effectively costing you time and potential profit during the recovery phase.
What mistakes cost you
In prop trading, a rule breach is the ultimate cost. Wall Street Funded has a strict "Stop Loss" rule: you must place an SL within 2 minutes of opening a trade, or you lose the account. This is a high-pressure requirement for manual traders. They also enforce a 60-second minimum holding time; closing a trade earlier is a violation that can lead to profit deductions.
FundedHive is more lenient with SL requirements (only mandatory for certain PFP risk groups) and offers "Slippage Protection" where excess slippage can be partially credited back, though usually as a discount for a new challenge rather than cash. The cost of a mistake in FundedHive is often staying trapped in the non-withdrawable B Book until recovery. Wall Street Funded uses an EOD (End of Day) High-Watermark for daily drawdown, which is generally more trader-friendly than intra-day equity peaks, but their Instant accounts use a Trailing Drawdown, which "locks in" losses as you profit.
What it costs to get paid
This is where FundedHive transfers the most direct costs to the user. All payouts are processed via smart contracts on the Ethereum network, and the trader must pay the gas fees in ETH. Depending on network congestion, this could cost between $5 and $50 per withdrawal. They also limit daily withdrawals to $1,000 for most accounts, which delays access to large profits.
Wall Street Funded provides a more traditional payout structure. The minimum withdrawal is $100 for Crypto and $500 via Rise. Unlike its competitor, Wall Street Funded offers a real cash refund of the initial fee with your second payout. FundedHive does not offer cash refunds; instead, it gives a 200% reward in "Hive Coins," which can only be used to discount future challenge purchases by up to 50%.
Where each one hides its cost
FundedHive hides its cost in the "Hive Coins" system and the PFP backend fees. By not offering cash refunds, they ensure that your "reward" stays within their ecosystem. Additionally, their dynamic leverage decreases as your exposure increases, which can effectively "cost" you the ability to size positions as you intended during high-conviction setups.
Wall Street Funded hides its cost in the consistency and news rules. On funded accounts, you cannot open or close trades 4 minutes before or after high-impact news. Violating this leads to profit removal. Furthermore, they have a consistency rule where your biggest winning day cannot exceed 15% to 30% of your total profit at the time of payout. This forces you to trade longer or more frequently to "dilute" a single large win, delaying your payday.
Cheapest for whom
- Wall Street Funded is the cheapest for the disciplined trader who wants a cash refund, trades indices with zero commissions, and can manage the strict 2-minute Stop Loss rule.
- FundedHive is the cheapest for traders with very little starting capital who want to use the "Pay From Profits" model to leverage into a large account for under $100, provided they are willing to pay for their own blockchain transaction fees.
Frequently asked questions
Which firm is cheaper for a 50K evaluation, FundedHive or Wall Street Funded?
FundedHive is cheaper for a standard 50K evaluation with its NewBee plan at $299. Wall Street Funded charges $349 for its 50K Ultra plan (2-steps) and $369 for its 50K Classic plan (1-step). However, Wall Street Funded includes a cash refund of that fee, while FundedHive only returns the value in internal "Hive Coins" for future purchases.
Does FundedHive or Wall Street Funded have better refund terms?
Wall Street Funded has superior refund terms because it provides a 100% cash refund of the entry fee with the trader's second payout. FundedHive does not offer cash refunds; instead, it grants a 200% reward in "Hive Coins," which are internal tokens used solely to get up to 50% off future challenge purchases.
Between FundedHive and Wall Street Funded, which one is more expensive to withdraw from?
FundedHive is more expensive to withdraw from because it requires the trader to pay the Ethereum gas fees for the smart contract transaction, which varies based on network traffic. Wall Street Funded does not charge gas fees to the trader and has a fixed minimum withdrawal of $100 for Crypto, whereas FundedHive has a $50 minimum but a restrictive $1,000 daily cap.
Which firm has stricter risk rules that could cost me the account, FundedHive or Wall Street Funded?
Wall Street Funded has stricter technical rules, specifically the requirement to place a Stop Loss within 2 minutes of every trade and a 60-second minimum holding time. FundedHive is more flexible with trading styles but uses an AADS system that automatically moves accounts to a non-profitable "B Book" if they drop 1% below the starting balance, requiring a recovery process before withdrawals can resume.
