[Latest 2026] Top 12 Prop Firms Ranked - A Complete Comparison for Japanese Traders
π Added September 9, 2026: We've published the September 2026 "buy now" ranking, split by EA users and manual traders, reflecting FundedNext's EA ban above $50K, the arrival of Moneta Funded, and The5ers' yellow card (lifted September 25, 2026). This article remains as our evaluation of 12 firms as of April 2026 (some parts, such as the EA column, have been updated).
π’ Advertising/affiliate disclosure: This article contains prop-memo.com affiliate links (Fintokei / Funded7, marked with π). If you purchase a challenge through these links, we'll give you unlimited access to Hosono P's semi-discretionary EA "ELDRA" as a gift. See Hosono P's note article for details.
* Prop firm rules are updated frequently. Always check each firm's official site for the latest, accurate rules. (Last updated: April 20, 2026)
Why This Ranking Is Different
There are countless "recommended prop firm ranking" articles online, but most of them just rearrange the specs listed on each firm's official site. Being told about an 80% profit split, 10% max drawdown, no time limit, and so on doesn't actually tell you which single firm a Japanese trader should choose.
prop-memo.com holds real data across 18 firms and all of their plans, plus a proprietary real-user database (registered challenge counts, payout track records, pass history). In this article we combine the difficulty/value scores from /compare with the payout data from /stats to show, with numbers, which firms actually let people earn.
Conclusion: 2026 Overall Top 12
| Rank | Firm | Overall | Difficulty | Value | Japanese | EA | Payout Track Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| π₯ | Fintokei π | β β β β β | Fairly easy | Excellent value | β Full support | βͺοΈ OK | Data available |
| π₯ | Fundora | β β β β β | Average | Good value | β Japanese entity | β³ Self-built only | β Domestic bank |
| π₯ | Funded7 π | β β β β β | Fairly easy | Good value | β Supported | βͺοΈ OK | Data available |
| 4 | The5ers | β β β β β | Average | Good value | β³ Machine-translated | βͺοΈ OK (source required) | Long track record |
| 5 | FTMO | β β β β β | Hard | Average | β³ Machine-translated | βͺοΈ OK | Longest-running in the industry |
| 6 | FundingPips | β β β β β | Average | Excellent value | β English only | βͺοΈ OK | Trustpilot 4.7 |
| 7 | ThinkCapital | β β β ββ | Average | Good value | β Supported | βͺοΈ OK | - |
| 8 | FundedNext | β β β ββ | Average | Good value | β English only | β³ Under $25K only (as of Sept. 2026) | - |
| 9 | Alpha Capital | β β βββ | Average | Average | β English only | β Fully automated trading banned | - |
| 10 | E8 Markets | β β β ββ | Average | Average | β English only | βͺοΈ OK | - |
| 11 | TradingCult | β β βββ | Average | Average | β Supported | βͺοΈ OK | - |
| 12 | ATFunded | β β βββ | Fairly hard | Average | β English only | β³ Restrictions apply | β οΈ Service suspended as of June 2026 |
* Difficulty and value scores are averaged across each firm's plans. For details, you can filter and search all plans on the plan comparison page.
The 6 Criteria Behind This Ranking
This ranking is scored across the following 6 criteria (100 points total).
| Criterion | Weight | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Payout transparency | 25 | The single most important indicator for avoiding scams. Trustpilot rating, years in operation, track record from the prop-memo.com DB |
| Challenge difficulty | 20 | Profit target, drawdown strictness, time limits |
| Value (price vs. account size) | 15 | Even for the same $100K, prices can differ by a factor of 2 |
| Profit split / scaling | 15 | Base split rate + growth program |
| Japanese-language support | 15 | Peace of mind for Japanese traders |
| Rule flexibility (EA, news, weekends) | 10 | Fit with your trading style |
Top 3 in Detail
π₯ #1: Fintokei π
A Japan-focused prop firm headquartered in the Czech Republic, with a Japanese entity, offering plans named after gemstones. Full Japanese-language support and LINE-equivalent, hands-on customer service are its main draw.
- Account sizes: $5K-$400K (USD) / Β₯1M-Β₯50M (JPY)
- Plan lineup: Beginner plan (3-phase), Challenge plan (2-phase), Speed Pro plan (1-phase)
- Biggest weapon: Dynamic Performance Reward (DPR), introduced in January 2026. The profit split can rise as high as 100% depending on trading days and performance metrics
- Leniency: No news-trading restrictions, weekend holds allowed, EA (self-built or modified off-the-shelf) allowed
- Real data: Has the highest number of registrations in the prop-memo.com DB, along with a solid payout track record
If you're not sure which plan to pick, the go-to for intermediate-and-above traders is to start with the Challenge plan's Sapphire ($100K). Beginners should start with the Beginner plan's Beginner tier ($5K) to get a feel for things before stepping up.
π Buy a challenge on the Fintokei official site π (Get the semi-discretionary EA "ELDRA" as a gift when you go through prop-memo.com)
π₯ #2: Fundora
A Japan-based prop firm founded in November 2024. It's run by a properly registered domestic entity, Quantum Fund Traders Inc., and has a strength no other firm offers: JPY payouts straight to a domestic Japanese bank account.
- Account sizes: Β₯2.5M-Β₯60M (JPY-denominated only)
- Plan lineup: 2-phase only (Entry / Lite / Growth / Standard / Professional / Master)
- Platform: cTrader only (no MT4/MT5)
- Features: Swap-free on XAUUSD, no time limit on challenges, 33% consistency rule
- Weaknesses: Short track record (data still accumulating), limited to cTrader users
The combination of "domestic entity + JPY-denominated + Japanese language" makes this the best fit for anyone worried about international transfers or who wants to handle their FX tax filings entirely domestically. For more detail, see our Fundora vs. Fintokei comparison article.
π₯ #3: Funded7
A Dubai-based, fast-growing newer major firm that entered the market in 2024, with full Japanese UI support. It supports MT5 and both JPY/USD accounts, striking a good balance between value and support.
- Account sizes: $5K-$500K (USD) / Β₯500K-Β₯60M (JPY)
- Plan lineup: Instant, One Phase (speed), Two Phase (standard), NEO (higher-split version)
- Features: News trading allowed, weekend holds allowed, self-built EA allowed
- Weaknesses: QC consistency rule + martingale ban
If you're going speed-run (1-phase) and want a Japanese UI, Funded7 is the clear pick. If you're going 2-phase, Fintokei beats it on difficulty and value, but Funded7's NEO version (90% profit split) is popular with some veteran traders.
π Buy a challenge on the Funded7 official site π
Which Firm Fits Which Type of Trader
If you're looking for "easy to pass"
β Fintokei's Speed Pro plan or The5ers High Stakes. Both are 1-phase or 2-phase with lower profit targets, no time limit, and lenient failure conditions. For more, see our article on real pass rates.
If you want the best possible value
β FundingPips is the cheapest in the industry. For the same $100K, it's 20-30% cheaper than Fintokei. That said, it's English-UI only, and news trading is restricted (fully banned on Zero accounts).
If you want to withdraw in Japanese yen
β Fundora is the only option. Domestic bank transfer support is something only a Japan-based firm can offer.
If you want to run automated EA trading
β Fintokei or Funded7. Aside from tick-scalping restrictions, both are lenient. For details, see our EA rules comparison article.
If you want news trading and weekend holds allowed
β Fintokei / Funded7 / Fundora. FTMO (Standard account) bans weekend holds and applies a hard breach for trading within 2 minutes of news, so it's not a good fit here.
The "Real" Ranking, Based on Real Data
prop-memo.com anonymously aggregates real users' registered challenges and payout track records and publishes them on /stats.
Below is the "average payout amount per user" for the major firms, calculated from our DB as of April 2026 (higher means more real-world earnings):
| Firm | Average Payout (JPY-converted) | Registered Challenges |
|---|---|---|
| Fintokei | High | Most |
| Funded7 | Medium | Many |
| The5ers | Medium | Medium |
| FTMO | Medium | Medium |
| Others | Low-insufficient data | - |
How much real users actually withdrew matters more than an official "5% pass rate" figure. For updated numbers, see /stats, which is kept current.
Mistakes Beginners Should Absolutely Avoid
- Buying the largest account size first β even if you fail, you'll only get around a 50% refund at best, so practice on a $10K-$25K account first
- Firing off market orders at 1:500 leverage β most firms cap leverage at 1:25-1:100. Misjudging leverage can breach your drawdown instantly
- Holding a position right before an NFP release β firms with hard-breach rules like FTMO will disqualify you on the spot
- Buying without reading the rules β violating the consistency rule, time limits, or scalping time restrictions without knowing them
- Running an under-tested EA β if many people use the same EA, you can run into capital-allocation rules (e.g. FTMO's $400K cap)
Avoiding just these will roughly double your felt pass rate. See the individual articles on each topic for more detail.
Related prop-memo.com Tools
- π Plan comparison/search β filter 18 firms by difficulty and value
- π Stats / payout track record β per-firm performance calculated from our real-user DB
- π€ EA Tracker (MT4/MT5) β automatically log your results to the dashboard
- π° PnL dashboard β check daily/monthly PnL across accounts
Whatever firm you choose, always compare competing plans of the same account size side by side on /compare before buying a challenge. Price gaps of 2x and difficulty gaps of 1.5x are not unusual.
Written by
Hosono P | the prop firm strategist
I buy challenges with my own money and record everything through to the payout. Recorded payouts: Β₯6.1M in total from Fintokei, Fundora and Funded7, plus $4,776 from The5ers (as of September 2026). Author of the semi-discretionary EA "ELDRA".