What you are signing up for
When you join a prop firm, you are paying an evaluation fee—a one-time entry cost—to access a demo account. Your goal is to reach a profit target, which is a specific amount of money you must earn to prove you can trade. If you succeed, the firm gives you a funded account where you keep a large part of the gains.
OneFunded offers several products like "Core," "Flash," and "Value," including "Instant" accounts that skip the test phase for a higher price. The5ers is known for its low entry costs, such as the $5,000 High Stakes account for just $39, or the Bootcamp, where you pay a small initial fee ($22 to $225) and only pay the rest once you pass the first stages.
How hard each one is
The main difficulty lies in the drawdown, which is the maximum loss you are allowed to have before your account is closed.
- OneFunded uses a "Static" drawdown. This means your loss limit is fixed at a specific number and does not move, which is generally easier for beginners to track. However, they have a "Max Exposure Rule": you cannot risk more than 3% of your account on a single trade idea.
- The5ers uses a "Balance-based" drawdown, calculated at the end of the day. In their High Stakes program, the maximum drawdown is 10%, giving you a generous margin of error. However, in the Bootcamp, you must use a Stop Loss (a tool that automatically closes a trade to limit losses) on every trade, and you cannot risk more than 2% per position.
How long it takes
Both firms have removed the maximum trading days, meaning there is no time limit to reach your goal. You can trade as slowly as you need.
For the minimum time, OneFunded requires a specific number of active trading days that varies by account size. The5ers requires at least 3 profitable days (days where you earn at least 0.5% of the balance) to pass their High Stakes and ProGrowth evaluations. OneFunded is better if you want to skip the wait entirely through their "Instant" funding, while The5ers is better for those who want to grow a small account into a large one over several months through scaling.
Where beginners fail
Most beginners lose their accounts because of the "consistency rule," which ensures your success isn't just a lucky one-time gamble. Both firms use a 50% rule: no single trading day can account for more than half of your total profit. If it does, you won't lose the account, but you must keep trading until that percentage drops.
Another trap is news trading. The5ers High Stakes program prohibits opening or closing trades 2 minutes before and after high-impact economic news. OneFunded allows news trading but monitors a 5-minute window; if they think you are "gambling" on the volatility of the news, they may review your account.
What happens if you make it
If you pass, you get a profit split, which is your share of the earnings. OneFunded gives you 80% by default. The5ers starts at 50% or 80% depending on the plan, but they have a scaling plan (a system to increase your capital) that can take you up to a 100% profit split as you hit new targets.
Both firms pay every 14 days. OneFunded limits payouts to $10,000 per cycle. The5ers has different limits; for example, the $100k High Stakes account limits you to $4,000 per payout cycle.
If it is your first time
If you are a complete beginner, The5ers is the safer recommendation. They have been active since 2016, providing a level of stability that OneFunded (founded in 2026) cannot yet match. Their $39 entry price for the High Stakes account is an unbeatable way to experience a real evaluation without risking much money. OneFunded is more attractive if you specifically want to use TradeLocker or if you have a very high-volume strategy that requires the 1:100 leverage they offer across all assets.
Frequently asked questions
Which firm is cheaper to start an evaluation, OneFunded or The5ers?
The5ers is significantly cheaper for a first attempt. You can start a $5,000 High Stakes evaluation for only $39, or enter the $20,000 Bootcamp for an initial fee of $22. OneFunded does not offer such low-cost entry points, focusing instead on larger account structures and instant funding options that require a higher initial investment.
Who offers better platforms for a beginner, OneFunded or The5ers?
The5ers offers a slight advantage because it includes TradingView, which is the most user-friendly and popular charting software for beginners, alongside MetaTrader 5 and cTrader. OneFunded offers MetaTrader 5, cTrader, and TradeLocker. While TradeLocker is modern, the inclusion of TradingView at The5ers usually makes the learning curve flatter for those who have never traded before.
Which firm has stricter rules for Expert Advisors (EAs), OneFunded or The5ers?
OneFunded is much stricter because every EA (automated trading software) must be pre-approved via email before use, and they only allow "assistants" rather than fully autonomous bots. In contrast, The5ers allows EAs more freely across most programs, although they require you to own the source code and prohibit using the same "off-the-shelf" EAs that many other traders use.
Who has the better drawdown rule for a first-timer, OneFunded or The5ers?
OneFunded is better for beginners who struggle with calculations because they use a "Static" drawdown, meaning your account's danger zone never moves from its original level. The5ers uses a balance-based drawdown that updates at the end of the day. While The5ers offers a larger total margin (up to 10% in High Stakes vs. OneFunded's typical 8%), the simplicity of a fixed, static limit at OneFunded helps many novices avoid confusion.
