5K and 10K Funded Accounts in 2026: Prices and Rules Compared

A $5K funded account costs $20 to $59 at the main prop firms in October 2026, and a $10K account $40 to $119. Velotrade's PRO 1-Step is $40 for $5,000 ($32 with the current 20% code) and $74 for $10,000, with a 10% target, a 3% static floor and an 80% split. You trade a simulated account and keep a share of the profit.

Small accounts are the most searched sizes for a reason: the fee is low enough to learn a firm's rules without risking much. This guide compares eight firms at the $5K and $10K sizes, using prices and rules read from each firm's own site in October 2026. It then shows what a small account can realistically pay you, and what to check before you buy.

5K and 10K funded accounts compared (October 2026)

List prices from each firm's official site, checked October 20 to 22, 2026. Targets show phase 1, then phase 2 where there is one. Many firms run promo codes, so the checkout price can be lower.

For the full price ranking across every size, including futures firms that start at $25K or $50K, see our guide to the cheapest prop firms. Velotrade's live code AITRADE20 takes 20% off, which brings the PRO 1-Step $5K to $32.

Who a small funded account suits

A $5K or $10K account is a low-cost way to learn how a firm works before you put more money on the line. It suits you if:

• You are new to evaluations. Daily loss limits, static versus trailing floors and minimum trading days are easier to learn when a failed attempt costs $40, not $500. Our list of the best prop firms for beginners covers the rules that trip new traders up most.
• You are testing a firm. Payout speed, support and platform quality only show up once you are inside. A small account lets you check them first.
• You want lower risk per attempt. The fee is the most you can lose on an evaluation. On a small account that loss is small, so one bad week is a cheap lesson.
• You trade small size anyway. If your normal position is a fraction of a lot, a bigger account adds little except a bigger fee.

It suits you less if you already pass evaluations consistently. Then the fee per $10,000 of account and the payout you can earn matter more, and a larger account (see our 100K funded account comparison) usually pays back faster.

What a $5K funded account realistically earns

A funded account pays a share of the simulated profit you make. The numbers below assume an 80% split and no fees on the payout. They are illustrations of the maths, not expected results: many traders do not pass, and many funded traders have losing months.

Two things stand out. First, a steady 2% to 5% a month is a good result for any trader, and on a $5K account it pays $80 to $200. That is a useful side income and a way to fund a larger evaluation, but not a salary. Second, your room for error is small in dollars. On Velotrade's PRO $5K, the 3% static floor is $150 below your starting balance, so one oversized losing trade can end the account.

The fee is quick to earn back if you pass. A $40 PRO fee is half of one month at 2%. Whether you pass is the real question, which is why it pays to test your target and floor in dollars first in the challenge pass calculator.

$5K vs $10K vs starting bigger

The $10K account usually costs a little less than two $5K accounts, and it doubles every payout. Here is how the step up looks at four firms:

Pick $5K if this is your first evaluation, if you are testing a firm, or if you trade very small size. Treat it as paid practice with a payout attached.

Pick $10K if you have passed an evaluation before, or if the payout minimum would stop you withdrawing from a $5K account (more on that below). The rules are the same in percentage terms, so a $10K account is no harder to pass. It just costs more to fail.

Start bigger once you pass more often than you fail. The percentage target and floor do not change with size, so a trader who can pass $5K can pass $50K. What changes is the fee you lose on a failed attempt. Velotrade's PRO 1-Step goes up to $200,000 ($1,114), and the 1-Step PRO vs 1-Step CLASSIC guide explains which floor fits how you trade.

How scaling works at the main firms

Scaling means the firm grows your funded account after you prove yourself, without a new fee. Only some firms publish a plan, and the terms differ:

• FTMO adds 25% to the account size every 4 months if you made at least 10% net in that period, took at least 2 rewards, and are in profit at the review. The cap is $2,000,000 across your FTMO accounts.
• The5ers raises the High Stakes balance each time you reach a 10% target. A $5,000 account moves to $7,500, and a $10,000 account to $12,500, with the split rising from 80% toward 100% at larger balances.
• HyroTrader starts the split at 80% and says it can raise it to 90% on One-Step and Two-Step accounts for traders who perform well over time.
• Velotrade does not publish a scaling plan. You can instead run several challenges and funded accounts at once, up to $200,000 of combined funded capital, so you grow by adding accounts.

If scaling matters to you, read the firm's own scaling page before you buy. Terms change, and some plans need several payouts before the first increase.

What to check before paying for a small account

The headline price is only part of the cost. On a $5K or $10K account, these terms can matter more:

Refund. FTMO refunds its 2-Step fee in full, HyroTrader returns the deposit with your first payout, FundedNext refunds Stellar Lite at the third reward, and The5ers shows the High Stakes fee as refunded. Breakout, FundingPips and Velotrade fees are not refundable. A refund only helps if you pass and get paid.

Resets and retries. FundedNext offers resets on Stellar Lite. Breakout has no reset, and a failed Velotrade challenge means buying a new one. If you expect two or three attempts, multiply the fee.

Payout minimums. This is the term that hurts small accounts most. Velotrade's minimum payout is $100 and HyroTrader's is $100 after the split, while Breakout's is $50. At 2% a month on a $5K account at 80%, your share is $80, below a $100 minimum, so you would wait for a second month. HyroTrader also caps a single payout on its 10,000 USDT account at $400, and you can request the next one when you reach it again.

Payout timing. Velotrade's first payout comes after 14 days, then weekly, paid in USDC or USDT. FundedNext Stellar Lite pays every 10 days, and Breakout pays on demand.

The floor in dollars. A 3% floor on $5K is $150. A 10% floor is $500. Read the static drawdown guide if you are not sure how a fixed floor differs from a trailing one.

The best 5K and 10K funded accounts, ranked

1) Velotrade, best for one small account across crypto, forex and stocks

HQ: Hong Kong
Platform: DXtrade (plus REST and WebSocket API)
Max funding: Up to $200,000
$5K price: $40 (PRO 1-Step, $32 with the current 20% code), $54 (CLASSIC 2-Step), $67 (CLASSIC 1-Step)
$10K price: $74 (PRO 1-Step), $100 (CLASSIC 2-Step), $127 (CLASSIC 1-Step)
Drawdown: Static on every plan: 3% (PRO), 7% (CLASSIC 1-Step), 10% (CLASSIC 2-Step)
Refund: No

Velotrade's small accounts cover 24/7 crypto, forex, US stocks, index ETFs and commodities on one simulated account. There is no consistency rule, no max risk per trade, a 5 trading day minimum and no time limit, and news and weekend trading are allowed. The split is 80%, or up to 90% with a paid add-on.

Strengths:

• static floor on every plan, so it never trails up behind you
• one account for five asset classes
• 5K and 10K challenges from $40 and $74

Trade-offs:

• PRO's 3% floor is tight, and fees are not refundable
• no CME futures or MetaTrader, and payouts are stablecoins, not bank transfer

For a full breakdown, see the Velotrade review.

2) Breakout Prop, best for the lowest crypto price

HQ: USA (owned by Kraken)
Platform: Breakout's own web platform
Max funding: Up to $200,000
$5K price: $20 (Turbo), $33 (Pro), $45 (Classic)
$10K price: $40 (Turbo), $65 (Pro), $85 (Classic)
Drawdown: 3% static (Turbo), 5% (Pro), 6% (Classic)
Refund: No

Breakout is the lowest price at both sizes. Turbo asks for 9% inside a 3% static floor, which is a tight ratio for crypto. Pro (12% target, 5% floor) and Classic (10% target, 6% floor) buy more room. There are no minimum trading days and payouts are on demand.

Strengths:

• lowest $5K and $10K prices in this comparison
• $50 payout minimum, the lowest here

Trade-offs:

• crypto only
• the 90% split is a paid upgrade, and there is no reset

For a full breakdown, see Breakout Prop review and Breakout Prop vs Velotrade.

3) FundingPips, best for a low-cost forex 2-step

HQ: Dubai, UAE
Platform: MT5, cTrader, TradeLocker
$5K price: $29
$10K price: $55
Drawdown: 6% max loss, 3% daily
Refund: No

The 2 Step Pro has 6% targets in both phases and no minimum trading days. You choose weekly payouts at 80% or monthly at 100%, which helps a small account reach a minimum.

Strengths:

• low price at both sizes
• 100% split option on monthly payouts

Trade-offs:

• 6% max loss and 3% daily are tight for a 2-step
• funded accounts restrict news trading and need an add-on to hold over the weekend

For a full breakdown, see FundingPips review and FundingPips vs Velotrade.

4) FundedNext, best for a refund on a small forex account

HQ: UAE
Platform: MT4, MT5, cTrader, Match-Trader
$5K price: $29.99 (list $32.99)
$10K price: $59.99
Drawdown: 8% static, 4% daily
Refund: Yes, at the third reward

Stellar Lite is a 2-step with 8% and 4% targets, 2 minimum trading days and an 8% static floor. Funded accounts pay every 10 days at 80%. Resets are available.

Strengths:

• static floor and a fee refund
• payouts every 10 days

Trade-offs:

• the refund only comes at the third reward
• funded traders keep 40% of profit from news trades, and a 3% max risk rule applies

For a full breakdown, see FundedNext review and FundedNext vs Velotrade.

5) The5ers, best for growing a small account

HQ: Israel
Platform: MT5
$5K price: $35 ($19 for a $2,500 account)
$10K price: $69
Drawdown: 10% max loss, 5% daily
Refund: Yes

High Stakes is a 2-step with 10% and 5% targets and 3 minimum profitable days per phase. Its scaling plan is the clearest of the small-account options: each 10% target raises the balance, and the split moves from 80% toward 100% at larger sizes.

Strengths:

• smallest entry in the market at $2,500
• published scaling on every 10% target

Trade-offs:

• MT5 only
• no new orders 2 minutes either side of high-impact news

For a full breakdown, see The5ers review and The5ers vs Velotrade.

6) Alpha Capital, best value step from $5K to $10K

HQ: UK
Platform: MT5
$5K price: $37
$10K price: $57
Drawdown: 8% static, 4% daily
Refund: Not stated on the plan page

Alpha Pro 8% is a static 2-step with 8% and 5% targets. Its $10K account costs only $20 more than the $5K, which makes $10K the better buy. The split is 80%, or 90% as an add-on.

Strengths:

• static floor with 6%, 8% or 10% variants
• small price gap between $5K and $10K

Trade-offs:

• a max risk per asset rule on funded accounts
• not available to US residents

7) HyroTrader, best for crypto traders who expect to pass

HQ: Prague, Czechia
Platform: Bybit or BloFin demo accounts, or its own Hyro platform
Max funding: Up to $200,000
$5K price: $59 (Two-Step)
$10K price: $119 (Two-Step)
Drawdown: 10% max loss, 5% daily
Refund: Yes, returned with the first payout

HyroTrader has the highest small-account prices here, but the Two-Step fee is a refundable deposit. If you pass and get paid, your net cost is zero. Payouts are in USDT or USDC within 24 hours.

Strengths:

• refundable deposit on One-Step and Two-Step
• 10% floor gives room on a small crypto account

Trade-offs:

• highest $5K and $10K prices in this list
• $100 minimum and a $400 cap per payout on the 10,000 USDT account

For a full breakdown, see HyroTrader review and HyroTrader vs Velotrade.

8) FTMO, best $10K account from an established firm

HQ: Prague
Platform: MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView
Max funding: Up to $200,000
$5K price: No $5K account
$10K price: €89 (2-Step)
Drawdown: 10% static, 5% daily
Refund: Yes, 100%

FTMO does not sell a $5K account, so its $10K 2-Step is the entry. It has 10% and 5% targets, 4 minimum trading days, a 10% static floor and a fully refundable fee. FTMO has operated since 2015.

Strengths:

• refundable fee and a wide static floor
• published scaling plan

Trade-offs:

• prices are in euros and there is no $5K size
• funded Standard accounts restrict news and weekend holding

For a full breakdown, see FTMO review and FTMO vs Velotrade.

Which small account should you pick?

Lowest price: Breakout Turbo ($20 at $5K, $40 at $10K) in crypto, FundingPips ($29 and $55) in forex.

Lowest net cost if you expect to pass: a refundable fee at FTMO, HyroTrader, The5ers or FundedNext.

Most room on a small account: a 10% floor, such as Velotrade CLASSIC 2-Step, FTMO 2-Step, The5ers or HyroTrader.

One account for several markets: Velotrade PRO 1-Step at $40 for $5K ($32 with the current code), covering crypto, forex, US stocks, index ETFs and commodities. Choose CLASSIC if 3% is too tight for you.

Before you buy, put the account size, target and floor into the challenge pass calculator to see what you need to make and how much you can lose, in dollars.

Sources

All pages checked October 20 to 22, 2026.

• Breakout Prop, pricing
• FundingPips, 2 Step Pro
• FundedNext, CFD challenges
• Alpha Capital, evaluations
• The5ers, High Stakes program
• HyroTrader, checkout and account sizes
• FTMO, pricing and scaling plan
• Velotrade challenges, payouts and rules

Last updated: October 22, 2026. Prices and rules change often. Always check the firm's own site before you buy. This guide is educational and is not financial advice. All funded accounts in this guide are simulated.

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