Verified, not Vibes
Every claim has a receipt
Public payout counts come from authorized event records. Official product facts, third-party context and my own observations remain separate; research-only reviews are labeled accordingly.
Founder · Funded Trader · Reviewer-in-Chief
I review prop firms from inside the game, not from a spreadsheet.
I'm Paul Konrad. I've traded prop firms since 2022 and built Proptradingvibes to separate tested experience from research-only coverage. Every firm hub states which evidence the review uses.
Public payout records
7 firms
dated counts, no dollar totals
Firms tested
50+
personally tested with own money
Years prop trading
4+
since 2022
Evidence boundary
Claim-level
tested or research-only
Per-Firm Payout Record
Below is the documented payout record that backs everything I write: which firms paid me, over what period, and how. I publish payouts as dated, receipt-backed events rather than dollar figures; the full withdrawal history is available on request. Click into the firm hub for the per-firm log.
| Firm | Documented record | Review |
|---|---|---|
| Lucid Trading | 30 payout cycles | Open → |
| Top One Futures | 18+ payout cycles | Open → |
| FundingPips | 5 payout cycles | Open → |
| FundedNext | 10+ payouts | Open → |
| Funded Futures Family | 12 payouts | Open → |
| YRM Prop | 4 payout cycles via Rise | Open → |
| FundedSeat | 2 payout cycles | Open → |
This table contains only the firm-level payout counts currently authorized for public use. Other tested firms are not assigned a count by implication. Scope and supporting records are documented on the relevant firm hub and proof page where available.
How I got here
My background spans engineering, digital marketing and online business. I later moved into prop trading and began testing firms with my own money in 2022.
Risk discipline, position sizing and price-action execution became the center of my work. The site records firm experience at the claim level rather than turning a general biography into account, evaluation or payout claims.
Proptradingvibes launched in 2023. The editorial focus is the part marketing pages often blur: drawdown mechanics, payout eligibility, product boundaries, country restrictions and the difference between an advertised term and an observed result.
The database tracks 80+ firms across published reviews and research records. I have personally tested 50+ firms with my own money; the rest are labeled research-only. The flagship review is Lucid Trading where I've cycled the most capital, followed by MyFundedFutures, TakeProfitTrader, Apex, and FTMO. The latter is the one I started on as a European trader years before PTV existed.
What makes this site different
No Affiliate Theater
Rankings ignore the deal
I do work with affiliate links, same as every honest review site does. But the firm rankings and "best for X" lists are built off mechanic + payout-speed + restricted-country data, never the affiliate %. A few of my favorite firms pay me zero commission and they're still on the front page.
Tools You'll Actually Use
Built for the trader, not the SEO
The drawdown explainer covers every mechanic (EOD-lock, EOD-trail, intraday, static) and what each means for your buffer. The firm finder filters by what matters (asset, region, mechanic) instead of revenue tier.
Industry Coverage
Census + tracking
I publish a quarterly State of Prop Trading report covering firm count, shutdown rate, regulatory shifts, and platform consolidation. Q2 2026 is live; Q1 archive is preserved for citation.
Who this site is for
- → You've failed multiple prop firm evaluations and want to know what to actually change. Start with easiest firms to pass.
- → You want a firm with fast payouts. Filter via fast-payouts ranking or open Lucid's payout log (~15 min processing).
- → You're overwhelmed by firm count. Use the guided finder to narrow by asset + region + experience level in under 90 seconds.
- → You're a scalper, swing trader, or news trader and need firm-rule compatibility. See the scalping, swing, and news-trading lists.
- → You're outside the US. Regional lists cover 30+ countries. Restricted-country logic is baked into every ranking.
- →
You want to compare two firms head-to-head. Check the firm review pages and the blog comparison posts; every firm I have tested has a dedicated review at
/prop-firms/[firm-slug]with a named-competitor section.
Featured on
Get in touch
Editorial questions, firm-owner outreach, partnership inquiries, or just a hello: hi@proptradingvibes.com.
Firm owners can also submit for listing. Public posts + analysis go to LinkedIn.