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The5ers don't get talked about as much as some of the flashier prop firms. No viral marketing campaigns, no influencer hype trains. They've quietly funded traders since 2016 and let their track record do the talking.
Atlas Funded is the opposite story. Launched in 2024, made noise immediately, and built a model that challenges how prop firms have traditionally operated.
One has longevity. The other has momentum. But which one actually gives traders the better deal?
That's what this comparison is here to answer. But first, let’s understand the backstory behind these platforms.
Atlas Funded hit the scene in 2024 with a model designed to fix what traders hate about most prop firms. Pay for a challenge, fail, lose your money. Repeat until broke or discouraged.
Their answer was the Atlas Access program. Take the evaluation first, pay nothing upfront, and only hand over the fee if you actually pass. That got attention fast.
The firm operates out of Saint Lucia under Atlas Vanquish FZCO, with teams in the UAE and UK handling day-to-day operations.
Accounts go up to $300k, or $400k if you hold multiple. Profit splits hit 100% with an upgrade. Payouts are on-demand, processed within 24 hours. Late? They pay you $1,000 for the inconvenience. If evaluations aren't your thing, instant funding lets you skip straight to trading on TradeLocker, MT5, or Match Trader.
The5ers launched in 2016 out of Israel, founded by Gil Ben-Hur and a team of experienced traders who wanted to do things differently. While most prop firms at the time felt like faceless gatekeepers, The5ers built their brand around transparency and community.
Eight years later, they've onboarded over 262,000 traders and hold a 4.8 rating on Trustpilot with 20,000+ reviews. Numbers like that don't happen by accident.
Their model focuses on funding traders through tiered evaluation programs across forex, stocks, and crypto. Pass the challenge, manage risk properly, and you get access to the firm's capital. They've also invested heavily in education, running webinars, workshops, and events aimed at helping traders improve rather than just filtering them out.
Both firms offer multiple paths to funding, but the structures differ in ways that matter depending on how you like to trade.
Atlas Funded has built out five programs to cover different trading preferences.
You can hold up to $400k total across multiple accounts, with $300k being the max on any single account.
The5ers runs three main programs.
Account sizes range from $5,000 to $250,000, with scaling potential up to $4 million based on performance.
Verdict: Both firms offer a solid variety, but Atlas Funded's Access program is a true pay-after-you-pass model with minimal upfront cost. The5ers' Bootcamp comes close, but still requires an activation fee to start. If eliminating upfront risk matters to you, Atlas has the cleaner option.
This is where The5ers does something unusual. Most prop firms either give you a flat split or let you pay for an upgrade. The5ers ties your profit share directly to how well you perform over time.
Atlas starts everyone at 80%. If you want more, pay for the 100% upgrade, and you're done. No milestones, no waiting periods, no scaling requirements. Simple transaction, immediate result.
The5ers makes you earn your way to better splits. High Stakes starts at 80%, which is competitive. But HyperGrowth and Bootcamp both start at just 50%. That's half your profits going to the firm while you work toward scaling milestones.
The upside? The5ers is one of the few firms that actually lets you reach 100% through performance. Hit their scaling targets consistently, and you can eventually keep everything you make, plus qualify for a fixed monthly salary at the highest tiers.
The downside? Getting there takes time and consistent results. Most traders won't reach those levels quickly, if at all.
Verdict: Depends on your timeline. Atlas gets you to 100% right now if you're willing to pay. The5ers can get you there too, plus a salary on top, but you'll need months of consistent performance first. Impatient? Atlas. Playing the long game? The5ers has a unique ceiling worth considering.
Making money means nothing if getting it out feels like a bureaucratic nightmare. Here's how each firm handles the part that actually matters.
Atlas runs fully on-demand payouts. No waiting for a specific day or cycle. Request your money, and they process it within 24 hours. If they miss that window, $1,000 gets added to your withdrawal.
Default cycle is 30 days, with add-ons for bi-weekly or weekly if you want more frequent access. No minimum withdrawal on most accounts. Access Challenge has a $50 floor.
The5ers defaults to a bi-weekly schedule. Your first payout unlocks 14 days after your first funded trade, then every 14 days after that. One catch: every time you hit a scaling milestone and your account grows, the 14-day cycle resets.
High Stakes traders get more flexibility, though. After that initial 14-day cliff, you can request payouts at any point as long as you're in profit. Not quite on-demand, but better than waiting for the next cycle.
Processing takes 1-2 business days for approval. Crypto arrives within 24 hours after that. Bank transfers take 1-3 days, depending on your location.
Minimum withdrawal is $150. Payment methods include Rise (2% fee), crypto (2% fee), bank transfer (3% fee), or a Visa card. No late payout guarantee, but they've built a reputation for never denying payouts to traders who haven't breached rules.
Verdict: Atlas Funded wins on speed and flexibility. On-demand access, no fees, and a financial guarantee backing their 24-hour promise. The5ers is reliable but slower, and those 2-3% fees add up over time. If you want your money fast and free, Atlas is the obvious choice.
Rules reveal what a prop firm actually expects from you. Some firms trust traders to manage their own risk. Others want to control every detail. Here's where Atlas Funded and The5ers land.
Daily drawdown ranges from 4-5% depending on account type. Maximum drawdown sits between 6-10%. Calculated from the balance, nothing unusual.
No minimum trading days. No time limits on challenges. No consistency rules dictating how your profits need to be distributed.
News trading is permitted during evaluations. On funded accounts, profits from trades within 5 minutes of high-impact news may be adjusted, but it won't breach your account.
Weekend holding is allowed. You just can't open new positions on Saturday or Sunday. Stop losses aren't mandatory. Primary strategies built on trades under 3 minutes are prohibited.
Drawdowns vary by program. High Stakes has 5% daily and 10% max. HyperGrowth runs a 3% daily pause (account freezes for the day, not terminated) with 6% max. Bootcamp has no daily limit but a tight 4-5% max drawdown.
A minimum of 3 profitable days is required to pass or scale. A profitable day means closing at least 0.5% of your initial balance in profit. No time limit on challenges, but accounts go dormant after 30 days of inactivity.
News trading depends on your program. High Stakes blocks trading 2 minutes before and after high-impact releases. HyperGrowth and Bootcamp allow it, except for bracket strategies.
Weekend holding is fine across all programs. Stop losses are mandatory on High Stakes but optional elsewhere. There's also a 2% max risk per trade rule on High Stakes, and hitting it five times terminates your account.
One more thing: The5ers flags "gambling behavior." If 50% or more of your profit comes from a single trade, they may count the profit but deny your scale-up.
Verdict: Atlas Funded is the less complicated option. The5ers has more structure, which some traders appreciate, but if you want to trade without checking a rulebook every session, Atlas keeps it cleaner.
Platform choice matters more than people give it credit for. Trade on something clunky and every session feels like a chore. The right platform fits how you think, how you execute, and how you analyze. Here's what you're working with at each firm.
Atlas Funded offers three platforms. TradeLocker, MetaTrader 5, and Match Trader. All three run across desktop, web, and mobile, so you're not locked to one device.
TradeLocker has been gaining popularity for its clean interface and TradingView integration. MT5 is the industry workhorse that most traders already know. Match Trader rounds things out as a solid alternative for those who want something different.
No MT4 available. No cTrader either. If you've built your entire workflow around one of those, Atlas might require some adjustment.
The5ers runs primarily on MetaTrader 5, which handles their full range of instruments and supports automated trading. They recently added cTrader for traders who prefer its charting tools, faster execution, and modern interface.
That's it though. Two platforms. No TradeLocker, no Match Trader, no MT4. Fewer options than Atlas, but cTrader is a meaningful addition that Atlas doesn't offer.
One thing to note: if you plan to use EAs or automated strategies on The5ers, you'll need written approval beforehand. They allow it, but they want to know about it first.
Both firms cover similar ground here.
Atlas Funded gives you access to forex pairs across majors, minors, and exotics. Commodities include metals, energy, and agricultural products. Indices cover US, European, and Asian markets. Crypto trading is available with popular coins.
The5ers offers forex (majors, minors, some exotics), commodities (gold, silver), energy (crude oil), major global indices (NASDAQ, S&P 500, DAX, FTSE), and crypto (Bitcoin, Ethereum, and others).
Neither firm offers stocks. If equities are part of your strategy, you'll need to look elsewhere or trade indices as a proxy.
Verdict: Comes down to preference. The5ers brings cTrader to the table, which is a favorite among traders who value its depth of market features and execution speed. Atlas counters with three platforms instead of two, giving you more flexibility overall.
Overall Winner: Atlas Funded wins for traders who want fewer barriers between themselves and their money. Faster payouts, simpler rules, and immediate access to top-tier profit splits. The5ers isn't far behind and offers a unique long-term proposition with their scaling plan and salary structure, but you'll need patience and consistent performance to unlock those benefits. If speed and simplicity matter more than a multi-year growth path, Atlas is the better fit.
The5ers has built something respectable over the past eight years. Solid reputation, scaling up to $4 million, monthly salaries at the top tiers. For traders willing to grind through milestones and wait for bi-weekly payouts, it works.
But not everyone wants to wait. Not everyone wants to pay 2-3% fees on withdrawals or hit profitable day requirements just to scale.
Atlas Funded strips away the friction. On-demand payouts in 24 hours. No mandatory stop losses. No single-trade profit flags. Pay for your 100% split and move on.
The5ers rewards patience. Atlas Funded rewards performance.
Trade without the wait. Get started with Atlas Funded today.