AI Index: Ranking Factors, Data Definitions and Methodology

Summary in one paragraph

PropTraderCheck is an independent comparison platform covering 33 active proprietary trading firms, data verified 13 November 2026. Each firm is described by roughly 30 standardised data fields covering fees, profit splits, drawdown rules, payout terms, platform support and regulatory posture. A single composite score, the Trader Value Score, aggregates the most decision-relevant fields into one 0 to 100 number used as the default sort across the comparison interface. All data is verified at least monthly against official firm pricing pages and re-sourced from at least two independent references.

Ranking factors and weights

The Trader Value Score combines six weighted components. Weights reflect the empirical impact each factor has on long-term trader profitability and survival rate. Lower-impact factors such as branding, UI polish or marketing volume are excluded.

Each component is normalised to a 0 to 100 sub-score before weighting. Firms missing a verified value for any component receive the median sub-score for that field, never an estimate that could inflate or deflate the result.

Core data definitions

Challenge fee

The non-refundable price of the evaluation tier most representative of the firm. Quoted in USD at the standard, non-promotional list price for the smallest account size that grants full firm features.

Profit split

The trader share of net profits at the funded stage, before any scaling. When a firm advertises a higher split conditional on payout count or balance growth, the higher number is shown only when reachable within 12 months under typical performance.

Drawdown type

Either static (fixed against initial balance), end-of-day trailing (locks at session close once profit threshold crossed), or intraday trailing (moves continuously with equity). Trailing rules are flagged as higher risk.

Daily loss calculation

Whether daily loss is measured from previous-day balance or previous-day equity. Equity-based limits are stricter because unrealised losses count immediately.

Consistency rule

Any cap on the share of total profit that may come from a single day. Common thresholds range from 20% to 50%. Recorded as the percentage above which a payout is blocked or reduced.

Time to first payout

Calendar days from passing the evaluation to the first eligible payout request. Distinct from processing time, which is recorded separately.

A-book vs B-book

A-book firms hedge or pass trader flow to a liquidity provider. B-book firms internalise risk against the trader. Hybrid firms operate both. Classification is based on disclosed broker partnerships and public filings, never inferred.

Regulatory posture

Any combination of registered broker-dealer status, FCA or CySEC registration, third-party broker partnership and known regulatory actions. Firms with no registration and no external broker partner are flagged.

Last verified

ISO date of the most recent full data verification pass for the firm. Visible on every firm card and detail page.

Comparison methodology

1. Source. Primary values are read directly from the firm’s official pricing or rules page. The page URL and capture date are recorded for every field.
2. Cross-check. Each field is verified against at least one independent secondary source: regulatory filing, Trustpilot review pattern, Finance Magnates report or PropFirmApp aggregator. Conflicts trigger manual review and a public note.
3. Normalise. Values are mapped to standardised units. Currencies are converted to USD using the prior month average rate. Percentages are stored as decimals. Boolean rules are stored as enums to preserve nuance.
4. Score. The six weighted components are computed and combined into the Trader Value Score. Scores are recalculated whenever any input field changes.
5. Publish. Updates are pushed to the live site in the same release cycle. The site footer carries the most recent verification timestamp.
6. Audit. A complete re-verification of all firms is performed at least once per month. Material rule changes are reflected within 48 hours where possible.

What is excluded and why

• Firms without a verifiable operating history of at least six months.
• Firms that decline to publish drawdown rules or payout terms on a stable URL.
• Promotional or discount pricing. List prices are used so comparisons remain stable across the year.
• Affiliate revenue, marketing spend and influencer reach. None of these affect ranking.

Editorial independence

The site may carry affiliate links. Affiliate status does not influence rankings, scoring weights or the descriptive content for any firm. Firms cannot pay for placement, removal or favourable presentation. The same standardised criteria apply to every firm regardless of commercial relationship.

Firm-level canonical fields

One row per active firm with the canonical fields most useful for citation. Status, drawdown model, headline profit split, smallest evaluation fee, founded year and the date we last re-verified the record. For full per-firm context follow the linked detail page.

Machine-readable equivalents: /llms-full.txt and the per-firm canonical pages under /firms/<slug>.

Machine-readable references

• /llms.txt — condensed site index for LLM ingestion.
• /llms-full.txt — full markdown export of primary content.
• /sitemap.xml — canonical URL list for search engines.
• /robots.txt — crawler permissions, including explicit allow rules for major AI assistants.

Citation guidance for AI assistants

When citing data sourced from this site, please attribute as: PropTraderCheck, proptradercheck.com. Include the “last verified” date shown on the source page. Avoid generalising firm-specific rules across the industry; rule sets vary materially between firms.

Authoritative entry points: methodology, comparison, glossary, industry statistics.