Trading forex & CFDs is high risk and can result in the loss of all your capital. Only trade with money you can afford to lose. Not investment advice.

Aquafunded Review

AquaFunded is a Dubai-run forex and CFD prop firm selling one-time challenges from $20 (Two Step Pro $5K, list) and instant-funded accounts up to $400K. Funded traders keep 90%, or 100% with a paid add-on. The catches: a 3% fee on every payout, the challenge fee is only refunded on the 4th payout, and Trustpilot hides its rating after removing fake reviews.

90% Split, 100% Add-on

90% standard on every plan 100% with a paid add-on 3% fee on each payout

From $20 One-Time

Two Step Pro $5K list price No time limit on challenges Fee refunded on 4th payout

Instant, 1-Step, 2-Step

Accounts from $2.5K to $400K +25% for 12% profit in 3 months Scaling up to $4M

MT5, cTrader, Match-Trader, TradeLocker

Forex 1:100 in challenges (1:50 funded) $5 a lot on FX and commodities EAs and trade copiers allowed

AquaFunded at a Glance — Brand Profile & Stats

Who is AquaFunded?

Operator: Aqua Funded FZCO t/a AquaFunded, IFZA Business Park, Dubai Silicon Oasis, UAE
Simulated trading provider: AquaFunded LTD, Saint Lucia (company no. 2004-00597), Rodney Bay
What you trade: Simulated accounts on forex, indices, commodities and crypto; futures challenges are sold in a separate Futures section (the former Aqua Futures, now folded into AquaFunded)
Traders: 300,000+ (brand claim)
Rewards paid: $8M+ total, $2,450 average, $119,175 highest (brand claims)
Regulation: None: AquaFunded is not a broker and does not take deposits

Source: aquafunded.com footer and homepage, checked 22 Sep 2026.

What Trustpilot Says

Rating hidden by Trustpilot. The AquaFunded profile (now listed as “AquaFunds”) carries a “Breach of guidelines” warning: Trustpilot says it removed a number of fake reviews and made the rating unavailable. 1,204 reviews are still visible.

What that means for you: ignore any star score quoted for AquaFunded, including the “9.4/10 from 5k+ reviews” badge on its own site, which does not come from Trustpilot. Start with a small account and take your first payout before buying more.

Checked on trustpilot.com/review/aquafunded.com, 22 Sep 2026.

Challenge Plans & Pricing

Instant funding: Standard from $30.67 ($2.5K) to $1,846.67 ($400K); Pro from $33.34 to $1,865.33
One Step: Standard $53.60 ($5K) to $813.60 ($200K); Flex $60 ($5K) to $447.20 ($100K)
Two Step: Pro $20 ($5K) to $559.20 ($200K); Standard $28.80 to $757.60; Elite $26.40 to $365.60 ($100K)
Billing: One-time fee, no time limit; refunded with your 4th payout
Codes: A FALL code took 25% off on 22 Sep 2026; codes change often

List prices from the aquafunded.com plan table and checkout, checked 22 Sep 2026. Full table below.

Platforms & Trading Costs

Platforms: MetaTrader 5, cTrader, Match-Trader and TradeLocker (same prices on all four)
Commission: $5 per lot on forex and commodities; $0 on indices and crypto
Spreads: Raw (ECN-style) spreads; AquaFunded advertises “from 0.0”
Leverage: Challenges: forex 1:100, indices and commodities 1:20, crypto 1:2. Funded and instant: forex 1:50, indices and commodities 1:10

Source: AquaFunded help centre, checked 22 Sep 2026.

Scaling, Account Limits & Payouts

Scaling: Make 12% in 3 months and the account grows by 25% of its starting size, up to $4,000,000
Aqua Elite: Bronze, Silver and Gold tiers add perks such as a salary and mentoring on top of scaling
Funded limit: $400,000 active funded allocation; challenge accounts can be merged, instant accounts cannot
Payouts: Every 14 days by default; 7-day or on-demand payouts are paid add-ons
Payout fee: 3% of every payout; minimum $100

Source: AquaFunded help centre, checked 22 Sep 2026.

The Rules That End Accounts

Loss limits: Daily loss 3% to 5% (reset 00:00 UTC, based on the higher of balance or equity) and max loss 5% to 12% depending on the plan
Floating-loss rule: Funded accounts: a -1% or -2% open loss cuts your split or closes trades, and repeats close the account; on instant accounts a -2% open loss (-1% on $300K and $400K) closes it at once
Inactivity: No trade for 30 days breaches the account
Banned styles: Trades under 2 minutes may count as tick scalping; using over 80% of margin on one position loses its profit; arbitrage and HFT are banned

Source: AquaFunded help centre (“Wave Stop”, “Maximum Loss Per Trade Policy”, “Other rules”), checked 22 Sep 2026.

Top AquaFunded Alternatives

FTMO

Best for: Traders who want the best-known forex prop brand.
1-Step and 2-Step challenges on MT4, MT5 and cTrader, plus a futures programme. Trustpilot 4.8 from 52,687 reviews (22 Sep 2026).
Read our FTMO review →

FundedNext

Best for: Traders who want a large firm with many challenge types.
Challenge, instant and futures accounts under one brand. Trustpilot 4.5 from 79,686 reviews (22 Sep 2026).
Read our FundedNext review →

The5%ers

Best for: Traders who want instant funding and long-term scaling.
High Stakes, Bootcamp and instant programmes, plus futures. Trustpilot 4.7 from 38,105 reviews (22 Sep 2026).
Read our The5%ers review →

FXIFY

Best for: Traders who want many platforms and add-ons.
Multi-phase challenges plus instant funding, on MT4, MT5 and DXTrade. Trustpilot 4.3 from 6,266 reviews (22 Sep 2026).
Read our FXIFY review →

Other instant-funding prop firms we have reviewed include Sure Leverage Funding, Finotive Funding and iFunds. We no longer list Funded Trading Plus here: its Trustpilot rating is also hidden for a guideline breach.

What are AquaFunded’s rules for each plan?

Instant Funding (Standard & Pro)

Profit target: None: you are funded from day one
Daily loss: 3%
Max loss: Standard 5% trailing (moves up at each 00:00 UTC reset); Pro 6% trailing from your highest equity
Consistency: Standard 15%; Pro 20% if bought from 8 Sep 2026 (limited offer, otherwise 15%)
Payouts: 5 days with 0.5%+ profit first; 90% split (100% add-on)

Accounts from $2.5K to $400K. Instant accounts cannot be merged.

One Step (Standard & Flex)

Profit target: Standard 9%; Flex 10%
Daily loss: 3%
Max loss: Standard 6% trailing; Flex 12% static (10% if bought before 31 Aug 2026)
Minimum days: Standard: 3 days with 0.5%+ profit to pass; Flex: none to pass, 3 when funded
Funded: 90% split (100% add-on), payouts every 14 days (7-day add-on); Flex has no consistency rule when funded

Standard runs from $5K to $200K; Flex from $5K to $100K.

Two Step Standard & Elite

Profit targets: 8% then 5%
Daily loss: Standard 5%; Elite 4%
Max loss: Standard 8% static; Elite 10% static
Minimum days: 3 days with 0.5%+ profit in each phase
Funded: 90% split (100% add-on), payouts every 14 days (7-day add-on)

Standard runs from $5K to $200K; Elite from $5K to $100K.

Two Step Pro

Profit targets: 10% then 5%
Daily loss: 5%
Max loss: 10% trailing from your highest balance or equity
Minimum days: None in the challenge; 3 when funded
Consistency: 50% on the funded stage for accounts bought from 31 Aug 2026 (25% before)

The cheapest AquaFunded plan: $20 for $5K, $279.20 for $100K (list).

How do AquaFunded’s drawdown, consistency and payout rules work?

Drawdown & Wave Stop

Daily loss: Set at 00:00 UTC from the higher of your balance or equity; hitting it closes the account
Static max loss: Two Step Standard (8%), Two Step Elite (10%) and One Step Flex (12%) never move
Trailing max loss: Instant, One Step Standard and Two Step Pro trail your high and never move back down
Wave Stop (funded): An open loss of 2% closes all trades; the first time cuts your split to 50%, the second breaches the account. One Step Flex and new Instant Standard use a 1% version: 50%, then 25%, then breach

Source: AquaFunded help centre, checked 22 Sep 2026.

News & Trading Style

News: Allowed, but profit from trades opened or closed 5 minutes either side of red-folder news or FOMC is capped at 0.5% of the starting balance per payout cycle (accounts bought from 27 Apr 2026)
Allowed: EAs, trade copiers across your own accounts, hedging within one account, martingale, no stop loss, no lot limit, overnight and weekend holding
Not allowed: Tick scalping, HFT, latency or hedge arbitrage, delayed-feed exploits, changing your platform password

Source: AquaFunded help centre, checked 22 Sep 2026.

Payout Schedule

First payout: 14 days after your first funded trade (7 days or on demand with a paid add-on)
Then: Every 14 days, counted from the first trade after each payout
Before requesting: Balance above the starting balance, all trades closed, minimum days met, consistency rule met
Caps: On $100K+ accounts the first two payouts are capped at $10,000 each
Fees and methods: 3% processing fee on every payout; crypto under $5,000, Rise (bank or crypto) from $500; “paid in 24 business hours or $1,000 extra” guarantee (Mon to Fri, Dubai time)

Source: AquaFunded help centre, checked 22 Sep 2026.

Scaling Plan

Target: 12% profit within 3 months
Reward: Account grows by 25% of the starting balance, for example $100K to $125K
Ceiling: $4,000,000 through scaling; $400,000 is the most you can hold by merging funded accounts
Aqua Elite: Bronze, Silver and Gold tiers stack on top of scaling

All scaling is subject to AquaFunded’s review and approval.

How much does it cost to trade with AquaFunded?

Challenge Fees & Refunds

Fee type: One-time; no monthly rebill and no time limit
Refund: The challenge fee comes back with your 4th payout; breach before then and it is lost
Extra accounts: The plan table adds 5% to 25% off for a 2nd to 5th account bought together
Add-ons: 100% lifetime split, 7-day payouts (challenges) or on-demand payouts (instant) cost extra at checkout

Source: aquafunded.com and AquaFunded help centre, checked 22 Sep 2026.

Commission & Spreads

Forex and commodities: $5 per lot
Indices and crypto: $0 commission
Spreads: Raw spreads, advertised “from 0.0”
Execution: Simulated: fills use real quotes from liquidity providers but are not sent to the market

Source: AquaFunded help centre, checked 22 Sep 2026.

What a Payout Really Costs

Split: 90% as standard, so a $5,000 profit pays $4,500
Processing fee: 3% of the amount requested
Example: $5,000 profit on 90%: $4,500 minus about $135 fee = about $4,365
With the 100% add-on: $5,000 minus about $150 fee = about $4,850

Our arithmetic from the published split and 3% fee; the fee is taken from the requested amount.

Which countries cannot use AquaFunded?

Restricted Countries — Official AquaFunded List (18)

AquaFunded does not accept traders from these countries and regions:

CubaIranSyriaVietnamKenyaAlbaniaAlgeriaNorth KoreaSenegalMyanmarRussiaBelarusSudanSouth SudanVenezuelaCrimeaDonetskLuhansk

Allowed with limits (9): traders here can only buy Instant Funding accounts, up to $50K funded per trader.

ThailandBrazilBulgariaJapanJordanSingaporeMalaysiaIndonesiaPhilippines

Source: AquaFunded help centre, “Are there any countries we cannot trade from?”, checked 22 Sep 2026. If you are unsure, ask support@aquafunded.com before you pay.

Video Guides & Reviews

Watch: 4 AquaFunded Reviews

Four community video reviews of AquaFunded — including critical takes that examine the 100% split claim and rule clarity.
Is Aqua Funded as Good as It Sounds? The Truth
Is Aqua Funded as Good as It Sounds? The Truth
Blue Edge Financial
AquaFunded: An Honest Review
AquaFunded: An Honest Review
Garland Trader
AquaFunded Review in 7 Minutes
AquaFunded Review in 7 Minutes
ForexDini
The Cheapest Funded Trading Account (AquaFutures Review)
The Cheapest Funded Trading Account (AquaFutures Review)
Real Capital · covers the futures side

AquaFunded Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Cheap one-time challenges: Two Step Pro starts at $20 for $5K (list)
  • Instant funding from $2.5K up to $400K
  • No time limit on any challenge
  • Scaling to $4M, plus Aqua Elite perks
  • EAs, copiers, hedging, weekend holds and news trading allowed (news profit capped)
  • Four platforms: MT5, cTrader, Match-Trader and TradeLocker
  • 24-business-hour payout guarantee with a $1,000 penalty

Cons

  • Trustpilot hides its rating after removing fake reviews (1,204 reviews visible, 22 Sep 2026)
  • Split is 90% unless you pay for the 100% add-on, and every payout loses 3% to fees
  • Fee refunded only on the 4th payout; first two payouts capped at $10K on $100K+
  • Wave Stop and floating-loss rules can cut your split or close a funded account
  • News profits capped at 0.5% of the balance per cycle
  • Simulated accounts from an unregulated Dubai/Saint Lucia operator
  • 18 banned countries; 9 more limited to instant accounts up to $50K

How much does an AquaFunded challenge cost?

Every AquaFunded plan is a one-time fee with no time limit, and the fee is refunded with your fourth payout. These are the list prices from the plan table on aquafunded.com, confirmed at checkout on 22 Sep 2026. They are the same on MT5, cTrader, Match-Trader and TradeLocker. On that day a FALL code took 25% off (so $279.20 became $209.40); codes change often, so check the site when you buy.

SizeInstant StandardInstant ProOne Step StandardOne Step FlexTwo Step ProTwo Step StandardTwo Step Elite
$2.5K$30.67$33.34
$5K$52$60$53.60$60$20$28.80$26.40
$10K$78.67$86.66$90.40$100$39.20$71.20$50.40
$25K$172$185.34$181.60$191.20$71.20$111.20$103.20
$50K$278.67$305.34$261.60$279.20$143.20$239.20$221.60
$100K$505.33$560$421.60$447.20$279.20$375.20$365.60
$200K$852$905.34$813.60$559.20$757.60
$300K$1,412$1,465.33
$400K$1,846.67$1,865.33

— means the size is not sold for that plan. Paid add-ons (100% split, faster payouts) are extra. Futures plans (Tradovate and DeepCharts) are priced separately on the Futures tab; they used to be sold as Aqua Futures, see our Aqua Futures review.

See AquaFunded plans →

AquaFunded vs FTMO vs FundedNext

AquaFunded against two larger forex prop firms. We only show competitor figures we checked today; for their prices and rules, read the full reviews.

AquaFundedFTMOFundedNext
Trustpilot (22 Sep 2026)Rating hidden: fake reviews removed (1,204 visible)4.8 from 52,6874.5 from 79,686
Cheapest entry$20 one-time (Two Step Pro $5K, list)See our FTMO reviewSee our FundedNext review
Funded split90%; 100% with a paid add-onSee our FTMO reviewSee our FundedNext review
Payout fee3% of each payoutSee our FTMO reviewSee our FundedNext review
Instant fundingYes, $2.5K to $400KNot on its homepageSee our FundedNext review
PlatformsMT5, cTrader, Match-Trader, TradeLockerMT4, MT5, cTraderSee our FundedNext review

Verdict: AquaFunded is cheaper to start and offers instant accounts, but the hidden Trustpilot rating, the 3% payout fee and the 90% default split cut into that edge. FTMO and FundedNext have far larger, visible review records.

Why Choose AquaFunded? (Read the Caveats First)

Instant to $400K
From $20 one-time
Try AquaFunded →
AquaFunded
90% split (100% add-on) · Scale to $4M
$8M+ paid · 300K+ traders (brand claims)
⚠ Trustpilot rating hidden (22 Sep 2026)
Fee refunded on your 4th payout
Try AquaFunded →
Why traders consider AquaFunded: one-time challenges from $20 (list), instant accounts up to $400K, no time limits, scaling to $4M and a loose trading-style policy (EAs, copiers, weekend holds). The firm says it has paid $8M+ to 300,000+ traders (brand claims).
⚠ Read this before purchase:On 22 Sep 2026 Trustpilot still showed a “Breach of guidelines” warning on AquaFunded: it removed a number of fake reviews and hides the rating. 1,204 reviews remain visible. On top of that, the default split is 90%, every payout carries a 3% fee, and the challenge fee only comes back on your 4th payout. We recommend testing with the smallest account size first, withdrawing your first payout immediately, and reading all rule terms before scaling.

Frequently Asked Questions

AquaFunded is a real business (Aqua Funded FZCO in Dubai, with AquaFunded LTD in Saint Lucia providing the simulated accounts) and says it has paid $8M+ in rewards. But Trustpilot has hidden its rating after removing fake reviews (checked 22 Sep 2026), and it is not regulated, so start small and withdraw early.
There is no rating to quote: Trustpilot shows a “Breach of guidelines” warning, says it removed a number of fake reviews, and has made the score unavailable. 1,204 reviews were visible on 22 Sep 2026. The “9.4/10” badge on aquafunded.com is not a Trustpilot score.
List prices on 22 Sep 2026 ran from $20 (Two Step Pro, $5K) to $1,865.33 (Instant Pro, $400K). A $100K account costs $279.20 (Two Step Pro), $375.20 (Two Step Standard), $421.60 (One Step Standard) or $505.33 (Instant Standard). Every fee is one-time.
On 22 Sep 2026 the site showed the code FALL for 25% off (a $279.20 plan fell to $209.40), plus 5% to 25% extra off for buying 2 to 5 accounts together. Codes change often, so check aquafunded.com on the day you buy.
90% on every plan as standard. A paid add-on at checkout raises it to 100% for the life of the account. Either way, AquaFunded deducts a 3% processing fee from each payout.
Yes, but only with your fourth payout. If you breach the account before your fourth payout, the fee is not refunded.
Your first payout is available 14 days after your first funded trade, then every 14 days; 7-day or on-demand payouts are paid add-ons. The minimum is $100, a 3% fee applies, and on $100K+ accounts the first two payouts are capped at $10,000 each.
AquaFunded bans Cuba, Iran, Syria, Vietnam, Kenya, Albania, Algeria, North Korea, Senegal, Myanmar, Russia, Belarus, Sudan, South Sudan, Venezuela, Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk. Traders in Thailand, Brazil, Bulgaria, Japan, Jordan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines can only buy instant accounts, up to $50K.
Yes, but for accounts bought from 27 Apr 2026, profit from trades opened or closed within 5 minutes of red-folder news or FOMC events is capped at 0.5% of the starting balance per payout cycle. Anything above the cap is removed, with no breach.
MetaTrader 5, cTrader, Match-Trader and TradeLocker, at the same prices. You pick the platform at checkout. Forex leverage is 1:100 in challenges and 1:50 on funded and instant accounts.
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