METHODOLOGY

How prop-firm ratings are calculated

This page describes two ratings: the prop-firm rating and the user reputation. The firm rating is computed from 5 objective factors — we publish the full formula so you can see exactly what drives the score and why one firm ranks above another. No paid spots in the top. The user reputation is broken down further below, in a separate block.

What the rating is built from

Final score

Prop-firm rating (1–5 stars)

C1

Average user score

Range: from 0.20 to 1.00, step 0.04

What this is

Each user leaves a score made up of 5 sub-scores, 1–5 stars each. One star equals 0.04 rating units. A maximum of 1.00 means 5 stars across all 5 sub-scores.

1Trading conditions
2Payout reliability
3Rules transparency
4Support & communication
5Overall expectations
Objectivity

If the user didn't purchase a challenge from this firm through our platform, their score is automatically capped at 0.20 (the minimum). This protects the rating from astroturfing and outside votes.

Time decay

0–7 days1.00
8–25 days0.96
26–43 days0.92
44–61 days0.88
62–79 days0.84
370+ days0.20

For the first 0–7 days the score holds at full strength, then loses 0.04 every 18 days. After 20 steps it locks at 0.20 — the user can refresh their review to restore weight.

C2

Review ratio

Range: from 0.10 to 1.00, step 0.10

We count all published reviews. 1–2 stars are negative, 3–5 stars are positive. Only positive reviews with confirmed objectivity (i.e. authored by users with a tracked purchase on the platform) enter the formula.

Negative

1–2 stars

Positive

3–5 stars

Formula

K = P / (P + N)
P — number of positive reviewsN — number of negative reviews

Example

P = 8, N = 2 → K = 8 / 10 = 0.8
C3

Years in market

Range: from 0.10 to 1.00, step 0.10

We measure the time from the firm's registration date (or first verified mention) to the present. The longer a firm operates without scandals, the higher the trust — and the higher the coefficient.

Years in market

0–30.1
3–50.5
5–70.8
7–10+1.0
C4

Payout factor

Range: from 0.10 to 1.00

We count confirmed payouts over the last 5 months. Each month gets its own score by the number of payouts, then the scores are weighted: recent months matter more than older ones.

Score by payouts per month

00
1–190.2
20–490.5
50+1.0

Month weights

M1 (current)1.0
M20.9
M30.8
M40.7
M50.6

Final formula

C4 = (K1·1.0 + K2·0.9 + K3·0.8 + K4·0.7 + K5·0.6) / 4.0
C5

Activity factor

Range: from 0.10 to 1.00

We track 4 action types: reviews and ratings, payouts, purchases, and review appeals. The most recent action of any type is taken — the firm counts as 'alive' as long as something is happening.

Reviews & ratings
Payouts
Purchases
Review appeals

Days since last action

within 1 day1.0
within 3 days0.8
within 7 days0.5
within 30 days0.2
31+ days0.1

How the final rating adds up

The final rating is the sum of the five coefficients C1+C2+C3+C4+C5, clamped to [0, 5]. On firm cards it shows up as stars. The rating is recomputed automatically once a day.

Formula

Rating = clamp(C1 + C2 + C3 + C4 + C5, 0, 5)

Worked example

0.9 + 0.8 + 0.8 + 0.7 + 0.5 = 3.7
3.7 / 5
USER REPUTATION

User rating

This is a separate score from 0 to 5 that reflects each user’s reputation — it is shown in the personal cabinet and next to reviews. The score is the sum of 5 metrics with an equal weight of 0.2: each metric is normalised to [0..1], their weighted sum is multiplied by 5, giving the final value on a 0–5 scale. The formula parameters are configured by an administrator.

Formula

Rating = 5 × (0.2·age + 0.2·purchases + 0.2·payouts + 0.2·activity + 0.2·verification)
Account age
By the number of days since registration.
up to 30 days0.00
31–90 days0.10
91–180 days0.50
181–365 days0.80
over 365 days1.00
Purchases
Recency of the last confirmed purchase.
up to 14 days1.00
15–30 days0.50
31–60 days0.30
over 60 days or none0.00
Payouts
Recency of the last confirmed payout — same scale as purchases.
up to 14 days1.00
15–30 days0.50
31–60 days0.30
over 60 days or none0.00
Activity
Recency of the last action. Reset to zero on too many actions within 24 hours (threshold set by an administrator).
up to 1 day1.00
2–3 days0.50
4–7 days0.20
over 7 days0.00
Verification
Email address confirmation.
Email confirmed1.00
Not confirmed0.00

By default all five metrics carry an equal weight of 0.2; an administrator can change the weights and thresholds in the formula settings.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

The most common things traders ask before picking a prop firm.

Ready to choose a prop firm?

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