Upcomers prop firm review

Upcomers is a proprietary trading firm that sells paid simulated trading evaluations across eleven currently purchasable programs, with step-based challenge entry fees from $159 and instant-funding and time-limited formats alongside them. It suits traders who want to choose their evaluation length and platform; the main caution is that loss limits are tight, drawdown behaves differently per program, and headline payout figures are advertised averages rather than guarantees. All facts below were checked on official pages on 2026-09-14.

What is actually being sold?

You buy a one-off evaluation on a simulated account. Upcomers states that all trading is simulated and that you never deposit or risk trading capital. The account size is a nominal figure used to calculate targets and limits — it is not money you receive. If you meet the objectives, you reach a funded phase where you can request payouts of your share of simulated profit, subject to that program's conditions.

Is the Upcomers prop firm legit?

Upcomers operates openly: published terms and conditions, a documented affiliate programme, a help centre with program-by-program rule articles, and a customer dashboard at app.upcomers.com. That is a real trading-evaluation business, not an anonymous landing page.

What legitimacy does not mean: a guaranteed payout. We hold no hands-on account test and no confirmed withdrawal evidence, and advertised figures such as “up to 100% profit split” and roughly 12-hour payouts are marketing averages, not contractual promises. Forum threads and Reddit review posts about any prop firm blend genuine experience, affiliate promotion and failed-challenge frustration, so we do not repeat them as evidence. Treat Upcomers as a paid product with strict pass conditions, and verify each number on the official page we link before you pay.

How we selected what to cover

We read the official program comparison article, the public pricing tables and the affiliate and general terms, then recorded every number with its source and the date we checked it. Where a figure could not be confirmed on an official page, we left it out rather than estimating. We have not been supplied with evidence of hands-on account testing or completed withdrawals, so this review makes no claim to either.

• Official program comparison
• Official pricing tables
• Terms & conditions

Strengths

• Program breadth: half-step, one-step, two-step, instant funding and 1–24 hour formats, so the evaluation structure can match your trading style rather than the reverse.
• No time limit on the step-based Classic evaluations, which removes deadline-driven risk.
• News trading and weekend holding allowed on the step-based Classic programs — a restriction that trips traders up elsewhere.
• Rule parameters are published openly in the help centre, program by program.
• Platform choice at checkout: MetaTrader 5, TradeLocker, Match-Trader, cTrader, dxTrade.

Limitations

• Tight risk envelopes. Thunderbolt runs a 3% daily loss and a 6% trailing maximum loss in the challenge phase, and keeps the 3% daily limit in the funded phase — the tightest of the step-based set.
• Trailing drawdown on Ash and Thunderbolt means the failure level moves up with your equity. The Nova programs use a version that never locks at all.
• Payout eligibility is not uniform: Ignite and Surge need five valid trading days before the first payout; instant funding programs need five or six qualifying days of 0.5%+ profit.
• Breakout (Control and Rebirth) is unavailable for new purchases and never leads to funding.
• A funded-phase maximum single-trade loss of 3% and a 20% best-day rule apply across the challenge programs — worth planning around before you size positions.

Fees

Entry list prices start at $159 for the smallest Thunderbolt, Ignite, Vanguard and Ember accounts and scale with nominal size — a $1.5M Thunderbolt is listed at $11,799. The Nova time-limited formats start at $390 for a $5K account and cap payouts at up to $3,000. Prices are USD list prices and change with promotions, so always confirm the total at checkout.

Questions to resolve before you buy

1. Is the drawdown on my chosen program static or trailing, and what does it follow?
2. What time does the daily loss limit reset, and against balance or equity?
3. How many valid trading days stand between a profitable account and a first payout?
4. Is my country eligible, and what identity documents will payouts require?
5. What are the refund conditions in the terms if I change my mind after purchase?
6. Does my program and platform combination allow the tools I actually use?

Continue with the rules by program or the payout conditions.