For many traders worldwide, partnering with a prop trading firm is the most efficient way to access capital large enough to place meaningful trades. Rather than relying solely on personal funds, traders can operate with significantly higher balances under structured risk conditions.
In South Africa, prop trading has gained strong traction, which has naturally led to a highly competitive market. Although many firms appear similar at first glance, the differences become clear when looking closer. Trading rules, payout consistency, platform stability, and overall fairness vary considerably, and these factors directly influence a trader’s ability to perform consistently and scale over time.
This article ranks the top five prop trading firms in South Africa based on the criteria that matter in real trading conditions. Each firm is evaluated on elements such as funding models, risk limits, and reliability for traders in the region. The list begins with the firm that stands out as the strongest overall option and one of the fastest-growing prop trading firms OneFunded.
1. OneFunded
OneFunded states on its website that it backs traders who are ready. This trader-first approach has positioned the firm as a preferred option among prop traders. As one of the fastest-growing firms in the sector, OneFunded removes many of the restrictive rules commonly imposed by traditional prop firms. Instead, it provides a flexible trading environment designed to accommodate traders across different experience levels and trading styles.
Key features
OneFunded is a challenge-based prop trading firm and one of the fastest-growing players in the space that is available for traders from South Africa. The platform is built to support traders with clear rules, flexible conditions, and scalable account options. Key features include:
- One-step and two-step challenges that lead to a funded account once the objectives are completed
- Account sizes from $2,000 up to $200,000, with challenge fees adjusted to the chosen balance
- Challenge fees returned after the trader receives their first payout
- Full access across web, desktop, and mobile platforms
- Leverage of 1:100 on forex, 1:30 on indexes and commodities, and 1:2 on cryptocurrencies
- Flexible trading rules combined with a transparent funding structure
- OneFunded Rewards Center, a loyalty program that provides additional benefits based on trading activity
- Competitive leaderboard highlighting top-performing traders
- Weekly payout options available through add-ons
- 24/7 customer support through multiple communication channels
- Regular promotional codes
Here is a detailed list of features and account specifications:
| Feature | 1-Step Challenge | 2-Step Challenge | 1F Limited |
| Account sizes | $2K – $200K | $2K – $200K | $2K – $25K |
| Profit split | Up to 90% | Up to 90% | Up to 90% |
| Trading Period | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Min. Trading Days | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Refundable fee | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Fees (2K account) | $29 | $23 | $25 |
| Profit Target | 10% | Phase 1: 8%; Phase 2: 5% | Phase 1: 7%; Phase 2: 4% |
| Max Daily Loss | 4% | 5% | 5% |
| Max Overall Loss | 6% | 10% | 11% |
| Leverage | 1:100 (Forex) | 1:100 (Forex) | 1:40 |
| Consistency | 50% | 50% | 50% |
| Swing allowed | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trade through news | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Payouts and fees
OneFunded offers traders an 80% profit split by default, allowing them to keep the majority of the revenue generated from profitable trades. For those looking to increase their share, the optional 90/10 Profit Split Add-on raises this to 90%.
The challenge fee is fully refundable after the first successful payout, making the evaluation process more cost-efficient. Once funds become withdrawable, payouts can be requested on a standard 14-day cycle. Traders who prefer faster access to their profits can activate the Weekly Payout Add-on, which enables withdrawal requests every seven days.
Withdrawals are supported through both cryptocurrency and traditional bank transfer methods, giving traders flexibility in how they receive their funds.
Trading environment and platforms
OneFunded operates a fully simulated funding program, meaning traders work with virtual capital while trading in conditions that closely reflect live market behavior. Pricing, execution, and market movements are designed to mirror real-market dynamics, allowing traders to apply realistic strategies without risking personal funds. Market access is provided through cTrader and TradeLocker, both offering advanced charting, order management, and risk control tools. Support for MetaTrader 5 is planned and will be added soon, expanding platform options for traders who prefer that environment.
2. City Traders Imperium
City Traders Imperium (CTI) is a proprietary trading firm registered in the Comoros Union and operated by CTI FZCO, a company based in Dubai. Founded in 2018, the firm was created with a clear focus on trader-friendly funding, allowing traders to grow capital over time while continuing to use their own strategies.
CTI provides several paths to funding, including both one-step and two-step challenges, as well as two instant funding options. Its Instant Funding Pro program stands out by using a balance-based drawdown model and offering scaling potential of up to $4 million, making it suitable for traders aiming to manage larger capital over the long term.
Key features
- Traders can choose between evaluation and instant funding
- Up to $4 million scaling plan
- Balance-based drawdown in the VIP program
- No time limits on challenges
- It allows trades during news events
- It supports MT5 and Match-Trader for traders from South Africa
- Step-by-step courses, webinars, and training via CTI Academy
See the table below for a comparison of the firm’s programs:
| 2-Step Challenge | 1-Step Challenge | Instant Funding | Instant Funding (Pro) | |
| Phases | 2 | 1 | N/A | N/A |
| Profit share | Up to 100% | Up to 100% | Up to 100% | Up to 100% |
| Profit target | Phase 1: 10%; Phase 2: 5% | 8% | 10% to Scale Up | 10% to Scale Up |
| Max daily loss | 5% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Max overall loss | 10% | 5% | 6% | 6% |
| Overall drawdown style | Static | Relative | Static | Static |
| Time limit | No Time Limit | No Time Limit | No Time Limit | No Time Limit |
| Minimum trading days | 3 | 3 | N/A | N/A |
| Use of EAs | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Commission | $5 per lot | $5 per lot | $5 per lot | $5 per lot |
| Fee refund | Yes | Yes | 50% profit share | 70% profit share |
| Retry discount | 15% | 15% | 15% | 10% |
Payout and fees
CTI allows funded traders to request their first payout on demand once they meet minimum conditions, typically around seven profitable trading days and at least 2% net profit or $100 (whichever is higher). Subsequent rewards are available on a monthly or bi-weekly basis. You can request payouts from the wallet area and once a request is submitted, funds move into a locked state while CTI reviews it. The firm supports withdrawals via credit and debit card, bank wire transfer, and crypto; there is a 5% transaction fee on crypto to cover conversion and network costs. CTI charges a $5 per‑lot commission on forex and commodities and $0.5 per lot on indices.
Trading environment and platforms
At CTI, you can trade instruments across forex, commodities, indices, and crypto markets. And you can use leverage up to 1:30 on forex and indices (lower on some Instant accounts), trade during news, and hold positions overnight and over weekends. The firm supports MetaTrader 5 and Match‑Trader, both available on desktop, web, and mobile.
3. BrightFunded
One of the first points highlighted on BrightFunded’s website is its promise to fund traders with accounts of up to $400,000, provided they successfully complete the two-phase evaluation. In Phase 1, traders are required to achieve an 8% profit target, followed by a 5% target in Phase 2, while staying within a 5% daily drawdown and a 10% maximum drawdown.
Once funded, traders can receive up to 100% of their profits, paid out in real cash. Payouts can be requested as early as seven days after the first trade, with processing typically completed within 24 hours.
Key features
- 2-step evaluation for different account sizes
- Unlimited trading period at evaluation, indefinite at funded stage
- Fixed daily loss and max drawdown
- Trade2Earn loyalty program that rewards every trade (winning or losing) with BrightFunded Tokens.
- 24/7 live fast support with responses under 12 hours
- Regular promotional codes
Below are the account specifications:
| Size | Step | Trading Period | Min. Trading Days | Max Daily Loss | Max Overall Loss | Profit Target | Tokens | Fee |
| 5K | 1 | Unlimited | 5 | $250 | $500 | $400 | Yes | €55 |
| 2 | Unlimited | 5 | $250 | $500 | $250 | Yes | Free | |
| Funded | Indefinite | – | $250 | $500 | – | Yes | Free | |
| 10K | 1 | Unlimited | 5 | $500 | $1k | $800 | Yes | €95 |
| 2 | Unlimited | 5 | $500 | $1k | $500 | Yes | Free | |
| Funded | Indefinite | – | $500 | $1k | – | Yes | Free | |
| 25K | 1 | Unlimited | 5 | $1,250 | $2,500 | $2,000 | Yes | €195 |
| 2 | Unlimited | 5 | $1,250 | $2,500 | $1,250 | Yes | Free | |
| Funded | Indefinite | – | $1,250 | $2,500 | – | Yes | Free | |
| 50K | 1 | Unlimited | 5 | $2,500 | $5,000 | $4,000 | Yes | €295 |
| 2 | Unlimited | 5 | $2,500 | $5,000 | $2,500 | Yes | Free | |
| Funded | Indefinite | – | $2,500 | $5,000 | – | Yes | Free | |
| 100K | 1 | Unlimited | 5 | $5,000 | $10,000 | $8,000 | Yes | €495 |
| 2 | Unlimited | 5 | $5,000 | $10,000 | $5,000 | Yes | Free | |
| Funded | Indefinite | – | $5,000 | $10,000 | – | Yes | Free | |
| 200K | 1 | Unlimited | 5 | $10,000 | $20,000 | $16,000 | Yes | €975 |
| 2 | Unlimited | 5 | $10,000 | $20,000 | $10,000 | Yes | Free | |
| Funded | Indefinite | – | $10,000 | $20,000 | – | Yes | Free |
Payout and fees
Traders can get up to 100% share of revenue from trades at the funded stage. The firm also promises a 15% share of the profits generated during the evaluation phases. And traders can request payouts as soon as seven days after the first trade on a funded account. The payouts have a weekly schedule and the firm commits to process requests within 24 hours via bank transfer or USDC. Also, traders do not pay performance fees, but they do pay upfront evaluation fees that vary by account size, and the fees are refundable.
Trading environment and platforms
BrightFunded supports cTrader, MetaTrader 5, and DXtrade. These platforms allow access to forex, indices, commodities, and crypto. The firm advertises spreads starting from 0.0 pips and leverage up to 1:100 for forex, gold and commodities (1:40), indices (1:20), and crypto (1:5). Also, scaling is unlimited for consistent performers.
4. ThinkCapital
ThinkCapital is a broker‑backed prop trading. It is backed by ThinkMarkets, a multi‑regulated global broker. The firm’s objective is to build traders’ personal wealth by democratizing prop trading for individuals of all backgrounds. Traders can join the firm in three different ways: One phase evaluation (Lightning), two phase evaluation (Dual Step), and three phase evaluation (Nexus). The firm offers direct TradingView integration and advanced ThinkTrader tools for market replay and automation.
Key features
- Broker backed structure
- Multiple evaluation tracks with scalable funding
- You can withdraw profits directly to a ThinkMarkets brokerage account
- Trading directly from TradingView
- Proprietary ThinkTrader platform with market replay
The table below compares the account types:
| Account type | Account size | Profit target | Daily loss limit | Max loss limit | Min trading days | Leverage | Fee |
| Lightning | $5K | 10% | 3% | 6% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:30 | $59 |
| $10K | 10% | 3% | 6% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:30 | $99 | |
| $25K | 10% | 3% | 6% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:30 | $199 | |
| $50,000 | 10% | 3% | 6% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:30 | $299 | |
| $100,000 | 10% | 3% | 6% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:30 | $499 | |
| $200,000 | 10% | 3% | 6% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:30 | $1099 | |
| Dual Step | $5K | P1: 8%; P2: 5% | 4% | 8% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:100 | Intraday: $59 Swing: $82 |
| $10,000 | P1: 8%; P2: 5% | 4% | 8% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:100 | Intraday: $99 Swing: $138 | |
| $25,000 | P1: 8%; P2: 5% | 4% | 8% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:100 | Intraday: $199 Swing: $278 | |
| $50,000 | P1: 8%; P2: 5% | 4% | 8% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:100 | Intraday: $299 Swing: $418 | |
| $100,000 | P1: 8%; P2: 5% | 4% | 8% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:100 | Intraday: $499 Swing: $698 | |
| $200,000 | P1: 8%; P2: 5% | 4% | 8% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:100 | Intraday: $1099 Swing: $1498 | |
| Nexus | $5K | P1: 7%; P2: 6%; P3: 5% | 4% | 8% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:100 | $39 |
| $10,000 | P1: 7%; P2: 6%; P3: 5% | 4% | 8% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:100 | $79 | |
| $25,000 | P1: 7%; P2: 6%; P3: 5% | 4% | 8% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:100 | $139 | |
| $50,000 | P1: 7%; P2: 6%; P3: 5% | 4% | 8% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:100 | $199 | |
| $100,000 | P1: 7%; P2: 6%; P3: 5% | 4% | 8% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:100 | $349 | |
| $200,000 | P1: 7%; P2: 6%; P3: 5% | 4% | 8% | 3 | Dynamic up to 1:100 | $749 |
Payout and fees
ThinkCapital processes payouts from funded accounts via crypto, Rise, and transfers to a ThinkMarkets Personal Live Account. It processes requests within 3 business days and funds should arrive in your bank within 48 hours, although this is contingent on the channel you select. The firm offers payouts on a bi‑weekly cycle by default starting 14 days from the first trade, with an optional weekly payout add‑on (especially for Dual Step and Nexus). There is no formal minimum payout beyond needing at least about $100 to cover transaction costs, and a flat $50 fee is charged once per month on Rise payouts.
Trading environment and platforms
ThinkCapital’s trading environment is built around ThinkTrader and Platform-5. The firm’s trading strategy guidelines allow most discretionary and automated approaches but prohibit abusive practices, such as latency arbitrage or platform manipulation. ThinkCapital also offers a free 14‑day demo on ThinkTrader with loosened targets i.e., a 5% profit target, 4% daily and 8% max loss limits, etc.
5. FTMO
FTMO was founded in 2015 in Prague, the Czech Republic. The goal was to make it easy for retail traders to put their skill to use with larger positions in the market. Its success has earned the firm the gold standard of prop trading tag. FTMO, like many other prop firms in the industry, uses an evaluation process to onboard new traders. There is also a Premium tier that targets the most skilled and professional traders. The firm has more than 3.5 million customers in over 140 countries, and claims to have paid out over $500 million in rewards.
Key features
- Two-phase evaluation process consisting of the FTMO Challenge (Step 1) and Verification (Step 2).
- Demo FTMO Accounts with dummy capital up to $200,000
- You can scale the account to $1,000,000 in the Premium Program
- Rewards of up to 90% of simulated profits
- Unlimited Free Trials that mimic the FTMO Challenge rules for practice and strategy testing.
- Institutional-style trading conditions with low spreads and commissions
Here are the details on account types and specifications
| Step 1 (FTMO Challenge) | Step 2 (Verification) | Step 3 (FTMO Account) | |
| Profit Target | 10% | 5% | Unlimited |
| Max. Daily Loss | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| Max. Loss | 10% | 10% | 10% |
| Min. trading days | 4 days | 4 days | Unlimited |
| Trading Period | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Refund (challenge fee) | – | – | Yes, 100% |
| Rewards (profit split) | – | – | Up to 90% of the profit |
Payout and fees
You are not eligible for payouts until you earn the FTMO Account. And to get here, you must first clear the FTMO challenge and Verification steps. The default payout is 80% but you can scale up to a 90% profit split, and you can request a payout after 14 days of first trading. However, those with Prime Status can request immediate payout. Withdrawals are processed within 48 hours and you can receive the funds via crypto, Skrill, instant transfer via Visa Direct/Mastercard Send, and regular bank wire transfer.
To start the challenge, one must pay a one-time fee, which depends on the account size. For instance, a $10k account will require €89 and €1,080 for a $200k account. This fee is fully refundable once the trader passes the Evaluation and receives the first payout.
Trading environment and platforms
All of FTMO’s accounts are simulated, which means even the funded account uses fictitious funds. However, these accounts are connected to real-time market quotes from liquidity providers, which means traders can see real-market trading conditions, including spreads, swaps, commissions, trading hours, and execution parameters. The firm supports MT4, MT5, cTrader, and DXtrade.
Conclusion
The truth is that traders in South Africa have lots of options to choose from when considering funded trading. But, as you have seen, each firm has unique features that favor a specific type of trader. And of the 5 names in this article, OneFunded appears to be the most appropriate choice for traders at different experience levels. This is mainly because of the trader-friendly policies and fast payouts. Also, the firm does well at balancing flexibility, fair terms, and reliable execution.
Ultimately, there is no single “perfect” prop firm for every trader. The right choice depends on how well a firm’s rules, costs, and trading environment align with your strategy, risk tolerance, and long-term objectives. Taking the time to understand these details before committing is a step you must never forget to take.
FAQs
1. How do prop trading firms make money?
Prop firms earn from evaluation and program fees. And then they reward profitable traders through profit-sharing arrangements and bonuses.
2. Are prop trading firms legitimate or a scam?
Legitimate prop firms exist and have paid out millions to successful traders. That is not to say that the industry doesn’t have bad actors. Just know that legitimate prop firms operate transparently, publish clear trading rules, pay traders consistently, and have a verifiable operating history. And, traders should always review rules, payout terms, and feedback from current and former clients before joining.
3. What should I look for when choosing a prop trading firm?
The best prop firm is one that fits your trading style. Key considerations should include transparent and achievable targets, reliable and timely payouts with verifiable proof, favorable profit splits, supported trading platforms and instruments you prefer, quality customer support, and positive reviews from actual funded traders.
4. What are the most common reasons traders fail prop firm challenges? The primary reason is not finding an appropriate firm. Other factors include over-risking, violating drawdown rules, lack of discipline, and trying to hit profit targets too quickly instead of following a consistent trading plan.
For many traders worldwide, partnering with a prop trading firm is the most efficient way to access capital large enough to place meaningful trades. Rather than relying solely on personal funds, traders can operate with significantly higher balances under structured risk conditions. In South Africa, prop trading has gained strong traction, which has naturally led
