Detailed Comparison: FundingPips vs Upcomers (2025)

IFZA Business Park DDP Dubai U.A.E.

Building A1, IFZA Business Park, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Khaled Ayesh

Jakub Zeliska

2022

2023

Liquidity Provider

1 and 2 Step: Full refund with first payout

200% Challenge fee refund after the 3rd fully approved payout on Challenge accounts (Ash, Thunderbolt and Phoenix). The trader must request it through support. A partially approved payout or a payout with a strategy violation permanently disqualifies that account. It does not apply to Instant Funding accounts.

$10

• Bank Transfer (recommended): $19.90 + 2.49%.
• Cryptocurrency: $19.90 + 30% (higher due to limited UAE crypto liquidity).
• Returned payouts: $30 reprocessing fee (covers real bank/admin cost of reprocessing; not a penalty).

• 2-Step Standard: Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly or On Demand
• 2-Step Pro: Weekly or Monthly
• 1 Step Flex and 2-Step Flex: Bi-Weekly or Monthly
• FundingPips Zero: Bi-Weekly
• Prime (existing accounts only): Daily, any number of requests
• Labs 247: Daily
• Labs 003 Infinity: unlimited daily requests from Master day one, no reward buffer. Funds leave the account immediately; trading can continue.

• Withdrawal review by Risk Team: 24-48h (account trading is frozen during review).
• Bank transfers: 2-5 business days after approval.
• Crypto: faster, depends on blockchain network.
• Other programs: minimum 1% profit required per payout (resets after each payout).
• Turbo accounts: minimum 5 trading days per payout (each ≥0.5% profit).
• Vanguard (Instant Funding): minimum 5 trading days per payout (each ≥0.5% profit).
• Horizon and Odyssey: first payout 14 days after the funded account starts, then every 14 days. At least 3% profit of the initial balance is required before each payout, including between payouts, together with the required valid trading days.

Labs 247: crypto trading and weekend holding are available 24/7 in Evaluation and Master. Other models retain their existing restrictions.

• Labs 003 Infinity: no daily reward-request cap

Payout cap progresses with each approved withdrawal on the same funded account:

• Payout #1: 1% of initial balance
• Payout #2: 2%
• Payout #3: 3%
• Payout #4: 4%
• Payout #5: 5%
• Payout #6: 6%
• Payout #7: account resets to initial balance with NO payout cap (unlimited from #8 onwards)
  Cap only increases after a FULLY approved withdrawal. Partial or declined payouts do not progress the cap.

• On Demand payout: 1%
• Tuesday, bi-weekly and montly: 1%
• Prime (existing accounts only): 1% of Prime Account size (or Scaled Prime Account Size after scaling)
• Labs 247: 1% of the account size
• Labs 003 Infinity: 1% of account size per request

• 1 Step: 30:1
• 2 Step: 100:1
• Zero: 50:1
• Prime (existing accounts only): up to 1:2000 (tiered Standard Leverage Plan)
• Labs 003 Infinity: 100:1

• 1 Step: 10:1
• 2 Step: 30:1
• Zero: 20:1
• Prime (existing accounts only): up to 1:2000 (tiered Standard Leverage Plan)
• Labs 247: 5:1
• Labs 003 Infinity: 30:1

10:1

• Prime (existing accounts only): up to 1:2000 (tiered Standard Leverage Plan)
• Labs 247: 5:1
• Labs 003 Infinity: 10:1

• 1 Step: 5:1
• 2 Step, Zero: 20:1
• Prime (existing accounts only): up to 1:2000 (tiered Standard Leverage Plan)
• Labs 247: 5:1
• Labs 003 Infinity: 20:1

Labs 247: 5:1

• 1 Step: 1:1
• 2 Step, Zero: 2:1
• Prime (existing accounts only): up to 1:2000 (tiered Standard Leverage Plan)
• Labs 247: 5:1

All accounts are swap‑free

10% discount for failing during the evaluation phase. Valid for 7 days and only for accounts of the same model and size (FundingPips Zero excluded).

Resets are offered as an alternative to full suspension after a rule violation. The account continues trading, but every future payout on that account is permanently capped at 50% of the approved amount.

cTrader (+20%)
Swing: overnight and weekend holding on Master accounts for 1 Step Flex, 2-Step Standard, 2-Step Pro and 2-Step Flex; selected at purchase

Level 1 - Launchpad (Novice)

Requires 4 payouts and 10% profit. Grants +20% capital and +1% drawdown.

Level 2 - Ascender (Intermediate)

Requires 8 payouts and 20% profit. Grants +30% capital, +2% total max drawdown, and +1% daily drawdown.

Level 3 - Trailblazer (Advanced)

Requires 12 payouts and 30% profit. Grants +40% capital and 13% max drawdown.

Level 4 - Hot Seat (Elite)

Requires 16 payouts and 40% profit. Doubles initial balance, offers 100% reward split, on-demand payouts, up to $2M capital, and monthly bonuses.

Level 5 - Elite Trader Status (Advanced Hot Seat)

Unlocks advanced tools, +1% additional max drawdown (4% total cumulative), +1% additional daily drawdown (2% total), customized trading conditions, and monthly bonuses based on initial account size ($100-$500).

Prime (existing accounts only)

The first four scale-ups require +5% total profit; from the fifth onward, +10%, measured against the starting size of the current level. Required profitable days: none for the first scale-up, 2 for the second and third, 4 for the fourth, and 10 from the fifth onward. Each profitable day must close at +1% or more of the account size; the counter resets after each scale-up. Each scale-up adds +10% to the current level's starting size, up to $2M. At Level 10 or $2M: Certified FundingPips Trader status, listed on the Tradin Investor Marketplace with 20% profit share on investor capital.

Scaling Plan for Thunderbolt and Vanguard accounts:

• Apply every 4 consecutive months via help@upcomers.com.
• +35% increase on simulated initial balance per cycle.
• Maximum allocation scalable up to $4,000,000.
  Requirements per cycle:
• ≥15% cumulative account growth across the 4 months.
• ≥2 withdrawals completed in the 4-month period.
• Final cycle must end in profit.
  Separate "4M on request" individual contract available after 6+ consecutive profitable months.

• 1 Step Flex, 2 Step: Static
• Zero: Trailing
• Prime (existing accounts only): 8% static below the starting balance; recalculated only after a scale-up
• Labs 247: 4% static in Evaluation and Master
• Labs 003 Infinity: static in Evaluation and Master; never trails

Current CFD programs use two systems:

• Dynamic Risk Shield™: 6% on Ash and Thunderbolt, 10% on Phoenix Legacy, 7% on Vanguard, 5% on Oracle and 4% on Ember. It trails the equity high-water mark and locks at the initial balance where specified.
• Static maximum loss: 6% on Phoenix Classic. The floor is fixed from the initial balance.
  Percentages and behavior are shown per phase in the challenge catalogue.
• Horizon and Odyssey: Dynamic Risk Shield™ follows the highest equity, only moves upward and stops at the initial balance, in evaluation and funded phases.

Reward split depends on the selected reward cycle and account configuration.

• 2-Step Standard: Weekly (60%), Bi-Weekly, On Demand (90%) or Monthly (100%)
• 2-Step Pro: Weekly or Monthly (100%)
• 1 Step Flex: Bi-Weekly or Monthly (100%)
• 2-Step Flex: Bi-Weekly, with an alternative 95% split selected at purchase at the same price, or Monthly (100%)
• FundingPips Zero: fixed Bi-Weekly cycle
• Prime (existing accounts only): 80%, Daily, any number of requests
• Labs 247: Daily

The Monthly cycle requires consistency and profitable days. Earlier purchases retain their legacy conditions.

Standard profit split: 90%. A trader can select 80% or 100% at checkout; changing the split also changes the Challenge price. The selected split remains linked to that account, and older accounts retain their original conditions.

Higher of the opening balance or equity for the trading day

• Prime (existing accounts only): 3% (soft breach, pauses trading for the rest of the day, account stays open, resumes at 00:00 UTC+3)
• Labs 247: 2% of the starting balance in Evaluation and Master
• Labs 003 Infinity: fixed daily loss allowance based on starting balance, in Evaluation and Master

Resets daily at 00:00 UTC and is calculated under the rules of each program. Current limits:

• Ash Classic/Turbo and Thunderbolt Classic/Turbo: 3%
• Phoenix Classic: 4%
• Phoenix Legacy: 5%
• Vanguard and Oracle: 4%
• Ember: no daily drawdown
• Horizon: 3% and Odyssey: 4%, in evaluation and funded.

Labs 247: maximum 5 accounts per user. These accounts are separate from the standard capital allocation.
Labs 003 Infinity: maximum 3 accounts per user, outside standard allocation caps.

A Master account can only be merged with another Master account from the same evaluation model.

Merging accounts is not supported in the FundingPips Zero Model.

• Prime (existing accounts only): any Prime accounts can merge, regardless of the originating model. Request through the dashboard; the resulting account takes the higher of the two scale-up levels. Merged size respects the $2M maximum.

Labs 247: 6 months for the Evaluation phase and a separate 6-month period for the Master account.
Labs 003 Infinity: separate 6-month windows for Evaluation and Master.

Classic and Legacy challenges have no time limit. Ash Turbo and Thunderbolt Turbo have 30 calendar days and a maximum of 7 trading days.

New purchases and resets from 28 September 2026:

• 2-Step Standard: 3 trading days per evaluation phase; no minimum with the 3% daily-loss configuration
• 2-Step Pro: no minimum trading days
• 1 Step Flex: no minimum trading days
• 2-Step Flex: 1 trading day per phase on the standard reward configuration; the alternative configuration requires profitable days
• Labs 247: no minimum trading days
  Earlier purchases retain their legacy conditions.

No minimum trading days to pass the challenge in any Classic or Turbo program. Turbo challenges require only 1 trading day with real activity. For those programs, minimums apply only at the payout stage: see 'minimumProfitableDays'.
Horizon requires 2 valid trading days in its evaluation. Odyssey requires 2 valid trading days in each evaluation phase. A valid day earns at least 0.5% of the initial balance.

Participant Limit: Up to 50,000 participants. Registration closes once full.

Prizes

• 1st: 100K Evaluation + $1,500
• 2nd: 100K Evaluation + $1,200
• 3rd: 100K Evaluation + $1,000
• 4th: 100K Evaluation
• 5th: 50K Evaluation
• 6th–10th: 25K Evaluation
• 11th–20th: 10K Evaluation
• Bonus Prize: 13 random participants (ranked 4th–1000th) receive $100 each.

Rules

• Max loss: 10%
• Daily loss: 5%
• No EAs
• No exploiting unrealistic demo fills
• One account per person

Zero: Minimum of 7 days with 0.25% profit or more by the end of each 30-day period. Failure to meet this requirement will result in a rule violation.

• Monthly reward cycle (1 Step Flex, 2-Step Standard, 2-Step Pro, 2-Step Flex): 7 profitable days per cycle, each with at least 0.5% of the starting Master account size; the count resets after each reward
• 2-Step Flex alternative reward configuration: 3 profitable days per evaluation phase and per Bi-Weekly Master reward cycle, each with at least 0.5% of the starting account size

Payout eligibility requirements (a valid day has at least 0.5% realized profit):

• Vanguard, Oracle, Ember, Phoenix Legacy, Ash Turbo and Thunderbolt Turbo: 5 valid days
• Ash Classic, Thunderbolt Classic and Phoenix Classic: no valid-day minimum
  The counter resets after each successful payout.
  Horizon funded accounts require per payout 3 valid days up to $50,000, 4 above $50,000 and below $200,000, and 5 from $200,000. Odyssey funded accounts require 3 below $100,000 and 4 from $100,000. Each valid day earns at least 0.5% of the initial balance.

Default rule (third-party EAs): Permitted ONLY when used strictly as a trade or risk manager. Any other use of a third-party EA = denial of evaluation/reward and account closure.

Personal EA Exception
Full automation allowed only with proof of ownership of the EA code.

Account-type exceptions

• 1K Instant Account: third-party EAs and trade copiers permitted (full automation OK).
• Monthly Competition: ALL EAs prohibited (including personal with proof).

Allowed, including third-party EAs, bots and trade or risk managers, as long as the trading rules are followed. HFT, tick scalping, latency arbitrage, emulators and running the same EA with the same settings as other traders are prohibited.

Not explicitly prohibited, but strongly discouraged. Use of VPN/VPS during KYC/AML verification is prohibited and can result in the account not being funded or being closed. If suspicious activity is detected, VPN usage will be used against the trader in the review.

Prohibited, also within the same account and across multiple accounts.

Multiple challenges and funded accounts combinable under a single user profile, as long as total funded capital does not exceed $1,500,000 across all Upcomers programs.

There is a limit on simultaneous open lots:

• $5K–$10K: no limit
• $25K: 10 lots
• $50K: 20 lots
• $100K or more (including merged accounts): maximum 40 lots

Penalties

• 1st violation: warning
• 2nd violation: removal of excess profits, reward reduced to 30%, and account closure

1 Step Flex, 2-Step Flex, 2-Step Pro and 2-Step Standard

Risk Per Trade Idea and the Striking System are removed in Evaluation and Master for new purchases from 28 September 2026. Earlier purchases retain their legacy conditions.

Maximum loss per trade in the funded phase (all positions on the same instrument and direction count as one trade):

• Ash Classic, Thunderbolt Classic and Phoenix Classic: 3%
• Phoenix Legacy, Odyssey, Vanguard and Oracle: 2%
• Ash Turbo, Thunderbolt Turbo, Horizon and Ember: 1.5%
  Exceeding the applicable limit is a hard breach.

Permitted

• Copying trades between your own FundingPips accounts (registered under same individual).
• Using your FundingPips account as MASTER to copy to external accounts (as slave).

Prohibited

• Copying between FundingPips accounts of different users.
• Coordinated trading across master accounts not owned by same individual.
• Inbound copy trading (external source as master, FundingPips as slave).
• Third-party account management (immediate termination).

Only between accounts owned by the same person (Upcomers, other prop firms or brokers). Copying to or from other people's accounts and signal services are prohibited.

Evaluation Stage (1 Step, 2 Step Standard, 2 Step Flex, 2 Step Pro)
No restrictions on holding trades during news events. Purposely trading news = account closure.

Master Account (1 Step, 2 Step Standard, 2 Step Flex, 2 Step Pro)
Trades opened/closed within 5 minutes before/after a high-impact (red folder) news event have their FULL profit deducted, UNLESS the trade was executed 5+ hours before the event.
Speech window: 5 min before speech start to 5 min after speech end.

FundingPips Zero
HARD BREACH if any position is opened/closed/held within 10 minutes before/after a high-impact news event on affected currencies.
Speech window: 10 min before speech start to 10 min after speech end.

Labs 247
Evaluation: news trading is allowed on every instrument.
Master: profits may be deducted from trades opened or closed 5 minutes before or after high-impact news affecting the corresponding currency. For high-impact speeches, the window runs from 10 minutes before the speech begins until 10 minutes after it ends. Trades opened at least 5 hours before the event are exempt.
Labs 003 Infinity
Evaluation: news trading allowed. Master: profits on trades within 5 minutes before or after high-impact news or speeches are deducted.

30 consecutive days without completed trades results in hard breach. Applies to all account types including Master accounts.

35 consecutive calendar days without a trade closes the account automatically. Warning email sent 7 days before expiration.

• On Demand (2-Step Standard): no single trading day may account for more than 35% of total profit
• Monthly (1 Step Flex, 2-Step Standard, 2-Step Pro, 2-Step Flex): 35% consistency score, reset after each reward
• Bi-Weekly (FundingPips Zero): 15% consistency score; the biggest losing day cannot exceed the biggest winning day
• Bi-Weekly (1 Step Flex and 2-Step Flex): no consistency score
• Profit Concentration Policy: removed for new purchases from 28 September 2026; qualifying legacy accounts retain their existing conditions
• Labs 247: no consistency rule in Evaluation or Master
  Labs 003 Infinity: no consistency rule.

Consistency is checked at payout and does not breach the account:

• 20% Best Day Rule: current Classic, Legacy and Turbo challenges, Vanguard, Oracle and Ember
  The Best Day cycle resets after each successful payout.
• Horizon and Odyssey: no consistency or Best Day Rule in evaluation or funded accounts.

1 Step Flex, 2-Step Standard, 2-Step Pro and 2-Step Flex
Evaluation: overnight and weekend holding allowed on all instruments.
Master: overnight and weekend holding require the Swing add-on selected at purchase. Without Swing, positions are automatically closed each trading day; this is not an account breach and does not count as a valid trading day.

FundingPips Zero
Weekend holding is a hard breach on Master accounts. Close all positions before Friday market close, including crypto.

Prime (existing accounts only)
Weekend holding allowed.

Labs 247
Trading and weekend holding allowed 24/7 in Evaluation and Master.
Labs 003 Infinity
No weekend holding in Evaluation or Master. Overnight holding is allowed in Evaluation. Master positions close automatically at day end without breaching the account.

• Gap trading
• High-frequency trading
• Server spamming
• Latency arbitrage
• Toxic trading flow
• Hedging
• Long-short arbitrage
• Reverse arbitrage
• Tick scalping
• Server execution
• Opposite account trading

• Emulators, and running the same EA with the same settings as other traders to produce identical trades.
• Tick scalping (trades held under 2 minutes on Oracle) and high-frequency trading (HFT).
• Martingale, grid trading, one-sided bets, reverse trading and hedging (also within the same account).
• News straddling (bracket orders placed around economic releases).
• Signal services and copying trades from other people's accounts.
• Team/group trading or executing identical trades across accounts to bypass the $1.5M cap.
• Sharing passwords, account access or identity (KYC).
• Exploiting platform bugs, delays or pricing errors.
• Opening multiple user profiles (One Person, One Account policy).
• Splitting trades intentionally to bypass the 20% Best Day Rule.