Evaluation Fee vs Max Loss: How to Compare Prop Firm Prices

Two evaluations can have the same fee and very different value. A fee on its own tells you what you pay, not what you are buying. Here is a simple way to compare, with real numbers from OnePass simulated accounts.

The four numbers that matter

1. Fee: what you pay to start. Check for activation, reset or monthly charges on top.
2. Profit target: how much you must make to pass.
3. Max loss: how much you can lose before the account ends, and whether it is static or trailing.
4. Payout: what you are paid when you pass, and what must happen before you are paid.

Ratio 1: target to max loss

Divide the target by the max loss. On First Pass it is $150 to $50, a ratio of 3 to 1. A higher ratio means you must win more before you lose a little, which lowers the share of attempts that pass. A trader with no edge reaches the target first about 25% of the time at that ratio.

Ratio 2: fee to max loss

Compare the fee with the max loss. On First Pass the fee is $49 and the max loss is $50, so the fee is at or under the max loss. That matters because the fee is the most you can lose in total. At some firms the fee is several times the max loss, and the account you "risk" is not the money you really risk.

Ratio 3: payout to fee

On the Standard plan the payout is 90% of the target. On First Pass that is $135 against a fee of $49. Passing is the payout at OnePass: there is no funded stage and no activation fee.

Add the hidden costs

For any evaluation you look at, add: reset fees if you fail, activation fees after you pass, monthly fees while you trade, and data or platform fees. Then compare totals, not sticker prices. See the guide on activation fees for what to add up.

All OnePass accounts side by side

Use this as a template to line up any firm against another. Try the rules free on the practice platform and see every account. Most traders do not reach the target, so judge the price as the cost of a skill test, not as income.

OnePass accounts are simulated trading evaluations: you trade a simulated account on live market prices, and you're paid a reward if you pass under the rules. Past results of other traders don't predict yours, and most evaluations are not passed.