Prop Firm News (April 16-22, 2026): The5ers Rewards Step 1, Topstep Kills Trailing Drawdown, ThinkCapital Cuts Prices 40%
Seven prop firms changed their rules this week — here's what actually matters
The5ers started rewarding Step 1 completions. Topstep switched daily drawdown to a static model. ThinkCapital dropped its Lightning plan prices 30–40%, pulling its $5K and $10K tiers under $60 — cheaper than Funding Pips and Maven Trading. We pulled every rule change and price drop logged between April 16 and April 22, verified each one against the firm's own site, and ranked them by how much they actually affect a trader's bottom line.
This week at a glance
| Firm | Change | Impact | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|
| The5ers | Rewarded from Step 1 (High Stakes) | Positive: $2–$40 on Step 1 | A+ |
| Topstep | Drawdown switched to static $1K/$2K/$3K | Positive: lock-in profits safer | A |
| Topstep | Daily payout after 30 winning days | Positive: up to $6K/day | A |
| ThinkCapital | Lightning prices cut 30–40% (now $59–$399) | Positive: $5K tier now under $60 | B+ |
| Trade The Pool | Profit split + drawdown rules updated | Positive: up to 80% funded | A |
| The5ers | Monthly payouts → bi-weekly + on-demand | Positive: ~2× faster payouts | A+ |
| BrightFunded | Bi-weekly payouts → weekly | Positive: 2× payout frequency | C |
| DNA Funded | 14-day first payout → bi-weekly | Mixed: faster cadence, removed 7-day add-on | B |
1. The5ers starts rewarding Step 1 — and moves to bi-weekly payouts
The5ers quietly rolled out what might be the most meaningful challenge-model change this month: Step 1 completion now pays a cash reward on the High Stakes program. The amount scales with account size — $2 on the $2.5K, $5 on the $5K, $10 on the $10K, up to $40 on the $100K. Traders can also take the reward as HUB credits instead of cash.
Why it matters: every other two-step evaluation pays zero until the trader clears both phases and hits a live-funded profit target. The5ers is the first A+ firm to pay for intermediate progress. It's a small amount on its own, but it reframes the $22 entry fee on the $2.5K High Stakes — you're buying a chance at a $2 instant payback and a path to funding, not just the path to funding.
Separately, the firm moved payout frequency from monthly to bi-weekly, with the first payout landing 14 days after funding and on-demand payouts allowed after that. Previous monthly cadence with a 16-hour average transfer time is gone. Traders who maxed out the $100K plan will see roughly 2× faster cash-flow — meaningful if you're stacking multiple accounts.
2. Topstep killed its trailing drawdown — two major upgrades in one day
This is the biggest single-firm rule change this week. Topstep's Trading Combine and Express Funded rules previously used a trailing max loss ($2K / $3K / $4.5K by account size) — meaning the drawdown line followed your balance upward until it locked at initial-balance-plus-target. Good when you're winning, brutal when you give back profits.
As of April 21, Topstep switched to static daily loss limits: $1K on the $50K, $2K on the $100K, $3K on the $150K. No more trailing mechanic on the daily side. Your floor is your floor — if you close the day up $400 you don't have to worry about your floor climbing by the same amount.
Same day, Topstep also moved payout frequency from weekly to daily after 30 winning days. The daily payout cap is $6K. For a trader consistently taking $500–$2K per day, this is the difference between waiting 4–5 days for Friday's wire and getting paid tomorrow.
3. ThinkCapital dropped Lightning prices 30–40% — $5K tier now $59
ThinkCapital's Lightning (one-step) plan just got aggressively cheaper across every size. The new prices make it one of the cheapest A/B-tier one-step challenges on the market:
| Account | Before | Now | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5K Lightning | $79 | $59 | –25% |
| $10K Lightning | $89 | $59 | –34% |
| $25K Lightning | $199 | $149 | –25% |
| $50K Lightning | $349 | $249 | –29% |
| $100K Lightning | $599 | $399 | –33% |
With the TRUSTED code layering another 25% off, the $5K Lightning effectively drops to about $44. Stack that against Funding Pips' $29 entry (Zero plan, $5K) or Maven Trading's $13 minimum (Instant, $2.5K) and ThinkCapital just became competitive on the entry-size tier where it previously wasn't.
One caveat: ThinkCapital's TrustPilot rating took a hit on April 19, dropping into "needs improvement" territory per our scraper. If cheapest-at-any-cost is your lens, our new /best/prop-firms-under-100-dollars lander ranks firms by safety grade first, then price — ThinkCapital shows up, but behind firms with better review records.
4. Trade The Pool bumped funded profit split to 80%
Trade The Pool is one of the few prop firms genuinely focused on stock traders rather than futures or forex. This week they pushed the funded-account profit split from a flat 70% up to 80% (evaluation stays at 70%). At the same time they standardized drawdown across Day Trade and Swing accounts to fixed values — 2% daily / 4% static max on Day Trade, 3% / 7% on Swing.
The 10-point split bump is worth real money on a funded stock account. On a $10K monthly payout, the old 70% paid $7K; the new 80% pays $8K. Over a year of consistent performance, that's $12K in recovered P/L.
5. Faster-payout roundup: BrightFunded and DNA Funded
Two other firms quietly improved payout cadence this week:
Payouts moved from bi-weekly after a 30-day wait to weekly. C-grade safety, but the firm's TrustPilot did just recover from suspension with a 4.2★ rating (up from previous low). Stacked with NEW15 (15% off) or BF10 (10% off).
Changed from "first payout after 14 days (7 days with add-on)" to a flat bi-weekly schedule. Loses the 7-day fast-track option, but simpler terms. PROPFIRMS25 code gives 25% off. B-grade safety.
Looking for cheap + safe? We built a lander for exactly that
With ThinkCapital's $59 Lightning, Maven's $13 Instant, and OneFunded's $16 starter all now under $100, we shipped a fresh ranking this week: 42+ prop firms with challenges under $100, scored by safety grade × TrustPilot × PFM Score — not just cheapest-first.
See the Under-$100 ranking →Active promo codes worth knowing about
Codes we verified are live across the firms covered above, plus a handful of the biggest deals running elsewhere this week:
| Firm | Code | Discount | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ThinkCapital | TRUSTED | 25% | Stacks with new Lightning prices |
| Topstep | TONES | $20 off | Expires 2026-04-24 — last call |
| Funding Pips | FP | 25% | Zero plan $5K drops to ~$22 |
| Maven Trading | MATCH | 30% | Stacks across all 5 programs |
| FXIFY | NEW40 | 40% | Expires 2026-04-30 |
| BrightFunded | NEW15 | 15% | New payout speed + discount |
| FundedNext | FNF30 | 30% | A+ safety, stacks site-wide |
| Hola Prime | EASTER40 | 40% | Expires 2026-04-30 |
FAQ
Why did Topstep switch away from trailing drawdown?
Static drawdown is widely considered more trader-friendly — your floor doesn't climb with your balance, so you can take a rest day or book profits without the drawdown line chasing you. The move matches what newer firms (Tradeify, Funding Pips Zero) have been offering to differentiate themselves.
Is The5ers Step 1 reward an affiliate trick?
No. It's paid by The5ers directly on their High Stakes 2-step evaluation — $2 on the $2.5K up to $40 on the $100K. You can take it as cash or HUB credits. Verified from their High Stakes product page.
Are ThinkCapital's new Lightning prices permanent or a promo?
Permanent price cuts, not a promo. The firm re-listed all Lightning tiers at the new prices on their own site on April 20. The TRUSTED code is a separate 25%-off layer on top.
Why does Trade The Pool matter if I only trade futures?
It doesn't, directly — but the 80% funded split signals competitive pressure in the A-safety tier, which usually pushes other firms (Funding Pips, FTMO, MFF) to raise their own splits. Watch for echo-changes over the next 30 days.
Where do you track all this in real time?
Our Industry Pulse page logs every price, rule, and payout change as we detect it. Everything in this post was pulled from our firm_events table between April 16 and April 22. Subscribe at the bottom of the homepage for weekly roundups.
Related reading
firm_events table and cross-referenced against each firm's own site on 2026-04-22.