Time limits
Trading at these firms means working under the pressure of a clock that never stops, though they apply it differently:
- PipFarm imposes a hard deadline of 90 days to complete most evaluation stages. If you don't reach the target within three months, you lose the account unless you pay an extra 5% or 10% fee to extend the limit to 180 or 360 days.
- Hola Prime does not have a maximum completion date, but it forces you to stay active. You cannot go 30 consecutive calendar days without opening a trade; doing so results in a hard breach and account termination, even in the evaluation phase.
- Minimum trading days prevent you from advancing quickly even if you are profitable. At Hola Prime, you are locked for at least 2 to 3 days per phase depending on the challenge. PipFarm’s Classic mode forces a 3-day wait per stage, which can only be removed by paying a 10% surcharge.
Weekends and news
The freedom to hold positions or trade during volatile events is heavily restricted depending on the account type you choose:
- Hola Prime prohibits news trading on Pro and Direct funded accounts. You cannot open or close trades 5 minutes before or after high-impact news. Violating this in a Pro account means losing the profit from that trade; in a Direct account, it means immediate termination. Furthermore, Pro and Direct accounts cannot hold positions over the weekend (must close by Friday 15:45 EST).
- PipFarm is less restrictive regarding news and weekends, but it limits your growth through "Profitable Days" requirements. For example, in One Step Light or Endurance modes, you cannot withdraw profits unless you have completed 4 profitable days where the balance increased by 0.25% or 0.5% respectively.
Where you can trade from
Geography and technology are significant barriers at both firms:
- Hola Prime has an extensive list of excluded countries. You cannot trade if you are from the United States, India, China, Russia, Pakistan, or Vietnam, among many others. Their VPN policy is strict: your IP must always match your registered country. You cannot use a VPS for manual trading; it is only allowed for EAs and requires a dedicated static IP.
- PipFarm blocks access to traders from the United States, North Korea, Iran, and several African nations. Unlike its competitor, PipFarm explicitly states that VPN usage is not allowed, which limits your ability to trade while traveling or from non-static domestic connections.
What the platform limits
The technical environment restricts your strategy and the tools you can use:
- PipFarm locks you into a single platform: cTrader. If you are used to MetaTrader or specialized tools like TradeLocker, you cannot use them here. Additionally, you cannot use EAs purchased from third-party marketplaces (like MQL5 or cBot market); you are only allowed to use your own strategies or approved copiers.
- Hola Prime restricts Expert Advisors (EAs) to MetaTrader 5 only. You cannot use EAs on cTrader, MatchTrader, or TradeLocker. Furthermore, EAs are completely forbidden on Direct accounts, and on evaluations, they require a paid add-on (+10% fee) and a mandatory strategy declaration.
- Trading styles like HFT, tick scalping, martingale, and grid are prohibited by both. Hola Prime also limits the number of simultaneous orders to 100 on MT5.
What the rules cost you
The financial structure limits how much of your profit actually reaches your pocket and how much you must risk:
- Risk limits: Both firms cap your "risk per idea" at 2% of the initial balance. If you exceed this through overlapping positions or re-entries within 10 minutes (at Hola Prime), you risk account closure or profit deductions.
- Withdrawal caps: PipFarm imposes a "hard cap" of $5,000 per payout. No matter how much profit you have generated, you cannot withdraw more than that amount in a single request. Hola Prime does not have a hard cap but charges a 2.5% fee on every payout, with a minimum of $50 for crypto and $500 for Rise.
- Profit sharing: While both advertise high percentages, PipFarm starts many accounts at 70%, forcing you to "rank up" through their Experience Program to reach higher splits. Hola Prime locks your payout cycle (biweekly or monthly) at the time of purchase; you cannot change it later.
Restrictions that add up
The combined effect of these rules creates a narrow path for the trader. At Hola Prime, the combination of mandatory stop losses, a 2% maximum risk per idea, and the prohibition of news/weekends on Pro accounts means you cannot employ swing strategies or high-volatility plays without risking a hard breach. At PipFarm, the 90-day time limit combined with the consistency score (which must stay below 40% or 50% for payouts) prevents you from relying on a few "home run" trades; you are forced to trade frequently and consistently, which increases the chance of hitting the trailing drawdown.
Frequently asked questions
Which firm is more expensive to start a 100K evaluation, Hola Prime or PipFarm?
PipFarm is generally more affordable for a standard entry, with its 100K Classic 1-Stage evaluation priced at $490. In contrast, Hola Prime’s 100K Prime 1-Step challenge costs approximately $579. This means that for the price of one attempt at Hola Prime, you have significantly more margin to cover other costs or smaller accounts at PipFarm.
Which firm has more restrictive payout conditions, Hola Prime or PipFarm?
Both have significant hurdles. Hola Prime limits you by charging a 2.5% commission on every withdrawal and requiring a minimum of $500 for Rise transfers. PipFarm, however, imposes a strict maximum limit of $5,000 per payout, which prevents traders from withdrawing large sums of profit at once, regardless of their account balance.
Who offers less freedom for EA users, Hola Prime or PipFarm?
Hola Prime is more restrictive because it only allows EAs on the MT5 platform and requires the purchase of a specific "EA Trading" add-on (+10% of the fee). Additionally, EAs are completely banned on their Direct (Instant) accounts. While PipFarm allows EAs on all accounts via cTrader, it prohibits any bot purchased from public marketplaces, forcing you to use only your own code.
Between Hola Prime and PipFarm, which one restricts more countries?
Hola Prime has a much longer list of banned jurisdictions, including major markets like India, China, Vietnam, and Pakistan, which are not allowed to join. PipFarm's list is shorter but includes a critical restriction: it does not accept traders from the United States, a country that is also on Hola Prime's prohibited list.



















