Standards
Methodology
How the PFS Score is calculated. Last reviewed by Kevin Nerway on May 17, 2026.
The PFS Score
Every prop firm on PropFirmScan is scored on a 10-point scale across six weighted categories. The score is recomputed when the underlying data changes — a rule update, a payout dispute, a regulatory filing.
| Category | Weight |
|---|---|
|
Trust & Operational History Years in operation, ownership transparency, regulatory posture, public payout record, history of rule changes. |
25% |
|
Payouts Verified payout cadence, processing times, method availability (USDT, bank), payout disputes on record. |
20% |
|
Trading Conditions Spreads, slippage, execution model, leverage, instrument coverage, weekend/news holding rules. |
20% |
|
Challenge Economics Price-to-funded ratio, refund policy, scaling, profit split. |
15% |
|
Rule Clarity Plain-language T&Cs, drawdown definition consistency, consistency rule design. |
10% |
|
Trader Experience Dashboard quality, support responsiveness, community sentiment cross-checked against verified accounts. |
10% |
Data sources
- Firm Terms & Conditions, retrieved and date-stamped.
- Public payout records, verified screenshots, on-chain USDT transactions where available.
- Regulator filings (where the firm is regulated as a broker).
- Court documents and public legal disputes.
- Trader reports cross-checked against verified accounts.
What we do not do
- We do not accept payment to alter a score.
- We do not award badges for advertising spend.
- We do not score a firm based on a single bad review or a single great one.
- We do not publish a score we cannot defend with a source.
Limitations
The industry is fast-moving. A firm's score reflects the data available at the time of last review. Where a firm refuses to publish key information (ownership, liquidity provider, segregation of trader funds), we say so explicitly rather than score the gap as neutral.
Questions on methodology, or evidence of a scoring error? Contact us via the contact page.