The5ers
The5ers launched in 2016 and has been around long enough to have a real track record — which is more than most firms on this list can say. No major payout scandals, clean community sentiment, and a $4M max allocation that sounds impressive until you realise getting there requires passing multiple scaling phases that most traders never complete. Solid firm. Just don't get too excited about the headline numbers.
(14% of complaints)
Who Is This Firm For?
About The5ers
The product lineup covers forex, indices, commodities, crypto, futures, and metals — one of the broader asset coverages in the industry. Maximum allocation of $4M sounds like a headline number, and it is, but the scaling path to get there is structured and documented rather than vague. The evaluation is a 1-step structure with a 6% profit target and a 30% consistency rule — demanding but not designed to trip you up.
US clients accepted. Low hidden rules score. No major structural changes applied retroactively to existing accounts. For a firm in an industry where "still operating after five years" is a meaningful differentiator, The5ers has earned the right to be taken seriously.
- Founded
- 2016
- Max Allocation
- $4,000,000
- Leverage
- 1:30
- Commissions
- $3/lot
Pros
- - $4M scaling path — real ceiling reached by real traders, 25% increase every 4 months
- - 4.8/5 on Trustpilot across 25,335 reviews — 10 years of consistent operations
- - Hidden Rules Meter 1.8/10 — transparent ruleset across all three models
- - Three distinct models covering different trading styles and risk tolerances
- - Weekend holding allowed on all models
- - Copy trading from verified external accounts allowed with 1 month trading history
Cons
- - Mandatory video interview — 5-day deadline, missing it cancels all payouts and closes accounts
- - High Stakes restricts news trading within 2 minutes before/after high-impact events
- - Bootcamp: 5 risk violations trigger automatic termination — strict enforcement
- - EAs must be custom and owned — no marketplace EAs, no shared strategies
- - Above $500K under management: same trades across accounts no longer permitted
- - US residents cannot use MetaQuotes platforms — alternative required
Rarely had disconnects
Discord community is active and helpful. Staff hop in occasionally to answer questions which is a nice touch.— Verified Trader (AlphaTrader) See all reviews
Choose your model before you pay — Hyper Growth, High Stakes and Bootcamp have meaningfully different rules on news trading, drawdown and minimum requirements. If you use an EA, confirm you own the source code. Watch for the video interview request — you have 5 business days to respond and missing it ends everything.
Trading Conditions
Drawdown System
- Hyper Growth: 4% daily, 8% max — Static
- High Stakes: 3% daily, 6% max — Static
- Bootcamp: 3% daily pause (funded stage)
- Bootcamp: SL mandatory within 3 minutes of opening every position
- Bootcamp: SL must not risk more than 2% per position
- Bootcamp: 5 risk violations = automatic account termination
High-Frequency & Fast Trading
- Not Allowed:
- HFT — majority of trades lasting seconds or less
- Tick scalping
- Latency arbitrage
- Reverse and hedge arbitrage
- Bracket strategies around high-impact news — all models
- Third-party EAs or EAs shared with other traders
- EAs without owned source code
Low Liquidity & Timing
- Hyper Growth: news trading allowed — bracket strategies prohibited
- High Stakes: no trading 2 minutes before/after high-impact news and speeches
- Bootcamp: news trading allowed — bracket strategies prohibited
- Weekend holding: allowed on all models
- High Stakes: profitable day defined as 0.5% of initial balance from closed positions
- High Stakes: 3 profitable days required before payout request
Loss-Chasing & Gambling
- Not Allowed:
- One-sided bets
- Trade coordination with other traders or accounts
- Account sharing or reselling
- Trading on behalf of others including signal services
- Using The5ers account as part of a business arrangement
- Copy trading between two Bootcamp accounts
- Same trades across accounts above $500K under management
Risk Management
- Copy from external accounts: minimum 1 month verified trading history in HTML format required
- Mandatory video interview: 5-day scheduling deadline — failure cancels payouts and closes accounts
- EA must be custom, owned by trader, with SL on every position
- Third-party EAs and shared strategies: strictly prohibited
- US residents: MetaQuotes platforms not available — alternative platforms required
- Above $500K managed capital: same-trade replication across accounts prohibited
The 5%ers - Forbidden Trading Practices
- Arbitrage trading — exploiting price discrepancies across markets
- High-frequency trading — majority of trades lasting seconds or less
- Bracket strategies around high-impact news
- Tick scalping
- Hedge & reverse arbitrage
- Account sharing or reselling
- One-sided bets
- Trade coordination with other traders or accounts
- Using software that gives an unfair advantage
- Trading on behalf of others — including sharing incentives as part of a business arrangement
That last point is worth noticing. If you're running a signal service or teaching others how to trade using your The5ers account, that's a termination reason. The account is personal, not a business tool.
News Trading
The difference between models matters here — & it's large enough to affect your model choice if news trading is part of your strategy.
- Hyper Growth & Bootcamp → allowed, except bracket strategies — opening buy & sell stops close to the price before high-impact news is prohibited
- High Stakes → prohibited within 2 minutes before and after high-impact news & speeches
Side note: bracket strategies are prohibited across all models — "we've seen this trick before" is essentially what that rule says, politely.
Expert Advisors
Allowed — but the conditions are stricter than the headline suggests.
- Must be custom — owned or developed by you specifically
- Stop Loss mandatory on every EA position
- Cannot perform: tick scalping, latency arbitrage, reverse arbitrage, hedge arbitrage
- Cannot use: emulators or copy external signals
- Third-party EAs → prohibited, including EAs where other traders have the same trades open
- EAs where you don't own the source code → prohibited
If your EA strategy involves anything bought off a marketplace or shared with other traders — it doesn't qualify. The5ers want your bot, not someone else's.
Copy Trading
- Between your own The5ers accounts → allowed
- From external accounts into The5ers → allowed, but requires at least 1 month of trading history in HTML format showing your name
- Above $500K under management → taking the same trades across accounts is no longer permitted
- From third parties → strictly prohibited
- Between two Bootcamp accounts → not allowed
You can copy yourself. You can copy your own verified track record. You cannot copy your friends. Once you're managing over $500K, the rules tighten further — at which point you probably have other things to think about anyway.
The Three Models
| Hyper Growth | High Stakes | Bootcamp | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profit Target | 10% | 8% | 10% |
| Daily Loss | 4% | 3% | 3% daily pause |
| Max Loss | 8% | 6% | — |
| Min Trading Days | None | 3 profitable days | None |
| News Trading | Allowed (no bracket strategies) | Restricted 2 min before/after | Allowed (no bracket strategies) |
| Weekend Holding | Allowed | Allowed | Allowed |
| Max Allocation | $4M | $4M | $4M |
Hyper Growth
The most flexible model — no minimum trading days, news trading allowed & a 10% profit target with an 8% max drawdown. Designed for traders who want to get funded quickly & scale aggressively.
Scaling goes up to $4M — not a marketing number, an actual ceiling traders have reached. Every 4 months, if you generate 10% net profit with at least 2 profitable months, The5ers increases your account size by 25% of the original balance.
High Stakes
The more structured model — 3 profitable days required, tighter drawdown at 6% & news trading restricted within 2 minutes before and after high-impact events.
A profitable day is defined as a day where closed positions generate at least 0.5% of the initial balance. Three of those required before you can request a payout. Specific enough to matter if you're having an inconsistent month.
Bootcamp
The most rules-intensive model & the one worth reading most carefully before you buy:
- Stop loss mandatory on every position — must be set within 3 minutes of opening
- SL must not risk more than 2% of account balance per position
- 3% daily pause applies during funded stage
- 5 risk violations → automatic account termination
- Copy trading not allowed between two Bootcamp accounts
Bootcamp is designed to build discipline — & it will, whether you planned for it or not.
Mandatory Video Interview
This one catches traders off guard.
If The5ers requests a video interview as part of the User Verification Process — you have 5 business days to schedule it. Miss the deadline & all pending payouts are denied, all associated accounts are cancelled & the collaboration ends immediately.
Not a rule most traders read before they pass the challenge.
Final Take
The5ers has spent 10 years building something worth trusting — 4.8/5 on Trustpilot across 25,335 reviews, a Hidden Rules Meter of 1.8/10 & a $4M scaling path that's been reached by real traders.
The model variety means there's something for most trading styles — Hyper Growth for speed & flexibility, High Stakes for structured consistency, Bootcamp for discipline that's enforced rather than suggested.
Read which model you're buying before you pay. The rules are different enough between them that choosing wrong is a trading condition problem, not a bad luck problem.
Hidden Rules Meter: 1.8/10 — Trust Score: 4.4/5 — Trustpilot: 4.8/5.
Restricted Territories
🇦🇫 Afghanistan 🇧🇾 Belarus 🇧🇮 Burundi 🇨🇫 Central African Republic 🇨🇺 Cuba 🇨🇬 Congo Republic 🇺🇦 Crimea 🇨🇩 DR Congo 🇪🇷 Eritrea 🇬🇳 Guinea 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau 🇮🇶 Iraq 🇮🇷 Iran 🇮🇱 Israel 🇱🇦 Laos 🇱🇧 Lebanon 🇱🇷 Liberia 🇱🇾 Libya 🇲🇲 Myanmar 🇰🇵 North Korea 🇵🇸 Palestinian Territory 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇸 South Sudan 🇸🇩 Sudan 🇸🇴 Somalia 🇸🇾 Syria 🇻🇺 Vanuatu 🇻🇪 Venezuela 🇾🇪 Yemen
US residents cannot use MetaQuotes Trading Platforms — alternative platforms available.
Features & Support
3-Step Bootcamp
Step 1 6.0%
Step 2 6.0%
High Stakes - Classic
Step 1 8.0%
Step 2 5.0%
3-Step Bootcamp
Step 1 6.0%
Step 2 6.0%
High Stakes - Classic
Step 1 8.0%
Step 2 5.0%
Futures Day Trade
Step 1 6.0%
Step 2 N/A
Futures Swing
Step 1 6.0%
Step 2 N/A
High Stakes - Classic
Step 1 8.0%
Step 2 5.0%
Futures Swing
Step 1 6.0%
Step 2 N/A
Futures Day Trade
Step 1 6.0%
Step 2 N/A
Hyper Growth
Step 1 10.0%
Step 2 N/A
3-Step Bootcamp
Step 1 6.0%
Step 2 6.0%
High Stakes - Classic
Step 1 8.0%
Step 2 5.0%
Hyper Growth
Step 1 10.0%
Step 2 N/A
High Stakes - Classic
Step 1 8.0%
Step 2 5.0%
Hyper Growth
Step 1 10.0%
Step 2 N/A
High Stakes - Classic
Step 1 8.0%
Step 2 5.0%
quietly impressed
Wanted lower targets and a calmer ruleset so this one caught my eye. i hit up support on a saturday night fully expecting silence and someone replied in maybe ten minutes. i like that they show your stats in real time instead of a delayed dashboard. drawdown is end of day based not intraday so a quick wick against me doesnt kill the account. the withdrawal request i submitted on a tuesday was sitting in my bank by thursday morning. passed first try, paid first request, recommending without a second thought.
beginner friendly enough
Picked this one up after a buddy kept raving about it. the news trading rules are clearly listed so theres no nasty surprise after you pass. i tested the live account against the demo with the same setups and it matched. been with them six months and the payout reliability is the main reason im still here. the scaling lets you double your account size every time you clear a payout milestone. easily the most drama free firm i have traded with.
real firm, real money
long time retail trader … first time messing with a prop firm. idk but they sent me a little congrats email with my payout confirmation which was a nice touch. teh profit split bumped up to 90 after i hit a couple targets and it felt earned. suport remembered my previous ticket and didnt make me re-explain the whole thing. they passed the only test that matters, they paid me.
not bad at all
Needed a firm that allowed my EA so this is where i ended up. my market orders fill basically where i click … slippage has been almost nothing so far. the profit target on phase one is ambitious but not insane. kyc was painless … uploaded my id and got verified the same afternoon. the daily loss limit gives you enough room to actually trade your plan instead of choking you out. the onboarding walkthrough actually explained the rules instead of dumping a pdf on me. got paid … that is the whole review really, everything else is noise.
Support Came Through
was super skeptical going in because of all the horror stories online. i compared them against three others and they had the best balance of price and rules. you can request a payout any day once youre funded, no waiting for some fixed cycle. their dashboard is genuinely useful, learned stuff about my own trading just looking at it. the mobile app stays synced with desktop so i can check positions on the go without lag. good enough that i stopped shopping around for alternatives.
would sign up again
took teh plunge after lurking thier subreddit for a couple weeks. they paused my consistency tracker when i asked for a couple weeks off, super flexible. support gave me a straight answer about overnight holds instead of dodging the question. no hidden gotchas on the payout page, what they say is what you actually get. support speaks actual english and not copy pasted template answers. man slippage outside of high impact news is basically a non issue for me. recommend with the usual caveat that you have to actually read the rules.
cheap eval real payouts
Ok so i ran their evaluation start to finish and took notes the whole way. the challenge rules are strict but at least they are written in plain english for once. the consistency rule is generous compared to the firms that cap you hard. no surprise inactivity fees which i half expected to get hit with. their spreads on gold are tighter than the broker i was using before i found them. the demo and funded feeds matched closely enough that i trusted my backtests. would i recommend? yeah … as long as you can follow rules.
Solid All Rounder
Finally pulled the trigger after comparing like six firms on a spreadsheet. their mobile app is basic but it does let me check my account on the go. their economic calendar integration is a small thing but i use it daily. execution during london open is tight enough to scalp if you are into that. support answered a dumb question of mine with an actual example instead of a canned reply. solid firm … not perfect … but it does what it says on the tin.
rules are strict but fair
only tried them because a friend got a referral bonus. they honoured a payout even though i fat fingered a lot size, very fair. the consistency rule is generous enough that one good day doesnt disqualify your whole payout. honestly the rules made my retail trading better too, forced discipline and all that. i went in skeptical and walked out a believer. I don't see the point of some of the rules, man.
rules are fair tbh
Needed a new firm after my last one shut down. i was funded the same day i passed, no waiting around for a manual review for a week. they let me run my algo as long as it is not some latency arbitrage exploit. execution during london open has been clean even when spreads widen everywhere else. i renewed my challenge this month which is basically my whole review right there. would i do it again? yeah, probably with a bigger account next time.
No payout data available for The5ers yet.
