Alpha Capital vs SFX Funded - Prop Firm Comparison (August 2026)

Head-to-head comparison of Alpha Capital and SFX Funded. Check max funding, profit splits, daily and overall drawdown rules, leverage, tradable assets, payout frequency, payment and payout methods, trading permissions and KYC restrictions before you buy a challenge. Data refreshed August 2026.

Alpha Capital vs SFX Funded - Prop Firm Comparison (August 2026)

	Alpha Capital Alpha Capital Group (Alpha Capital) is a UK-based CFD prop firm (founded 2021) that provides simulated-funded "Qualified Analyst" accounts via ACG Markets and lets traders choose between a 1-step (Alpha One), multiple 2-step options (Alpha Pro 6% / 8% /... Visit Alpha Capital	SFX Funded SFX Funded is a Dubai-based prop firm (SFX International FZCO) trading since 2023, with six routes to capital — Rapid 1-Step, 1-Step Pro, Ascend 2-Step, Ignite, Instant Funding and a $7 Pass First, Pay Later model — on Match-Trader and... Visit SFX Funded
Overview
Trustpilot Rating	0	0
Trustpilot Reviews	0	0
Headquarters	United Kingdom	United Arab Emirates
Age (Years)	5	3
Max Funding	$400,000	$500,000
Profit Split Start	80%	80%
Profit Split Max	80%	100%
Platforms	MT5 cTrader DXtrade TradeLocker	Match-Trader Platform5
Assets	FX Metals Indices Oil (Energy)	Forex Indices Commodities Metals Crypto
Leverage
FX Leverage	100	30
Metals Leverage	30	10
Crypto Leverage	0	2
Risk & Drawdown Rules
Max Daily Loss	Maximum Daily LossAlpha Capital Group enforces a plan-specific daily drawdown limit that is measured from defined daily reference points (based on balance or equity, depending on the plan). The daily loss limit is evaluated against the current equity value, and breaches are treated as a hard breach (trades are closed automatically).Alpha Pro 10%: 5% balance-based daily drawdown.Alpha Pro 8%: 4% balance-based daily drawdown.Alpha Pro 6%: 3% daily drawdown calculated over the higher of end-of-day balance or equity.Alpha Swing: 5% balance-based...	Maximum Daily Loss The daily loss limit varies by program: 3% on Rapid, Instant Funding and Pass First Pay Later, 4% on Ascend 2-Step, and none at all during the 1-Step Pro evaluation phase. How it is calculated: at the daily reset SFX takes the higher of your account balance or your account equity and subtracts the percentage to set that day's floor. Because the higher of the two is used, an account sitting in floating profit gets a higher...
Max Total Loss	Maximum Overall LossMaximum total loss is defined by the plan’s maximum drawdown model and is set as a percentage of the initial starting balance. If balance or equity drops below the maximum drawdown threshold, the account is breached and trades are closed automatically.Alpha Pro: static max drawdown of 10% (Pro10) / 8% (Pro8) / 6% (Pro6).Alpha Swing: 10% static max drawdown.Alpha Three: 6% static max drawdown.Alpha One: 6% trailing max drawdown based on the high-water mark (maximum balance achieved).	Maximum Overall Loss SFX Funded's overall loss limit tops out at 8% on the Ascend 2-Step and tightens to as little as 4% on Rapid. The headline percentage is the less important half of the answer, because only one SFX program uses a static limit: Ascend 2-Step: 8% static, measured from the initial account balance Pass First, Pay Later: 7% trailing in evaluation, 6% trailing once funded 1-Step Pro: 6% trailing Instant Funding: 6% trailing Rapid 1-Step: 4% trailing Why...
Drawdown Type	Drawdown ModelAlpha Capital Group uses both static and trailing drawdown models depending on the plan:Static max drawdown: Used on Alpha Pro (6% / 8% / 10%), Alpha Swing (10%) and Alpha Three (6%). The maximum-loss line is fixed from the initial starting balance and does not move up as the account grows.Trailing max drawdown (high-water mark): Used on Alpha One (6%). As new balance highs are made, the trailing drawdown line moves up; once the account reaches a high-water mark...	Drawdown Model Mixed — and this is the most consequential difference between SFX programs. Trailing (most programs): Rapid (4%), 1-Step Pro (6%), Instant Funding (6%) and Pass First Pay Later (7% eval / 6% funded) all use a trailing maximum drawdown anchored to your highest-ever account value. In SFX's own words the level "moves up whenever your account reaches a new high" and "never moves down, even if your account value decreases later." Static (one program): Ascend 2-Step uses an...
Payouts
Payout Frequency	Payout FrequencyAlpha Capital offers two payout schedules for qualified accounts, depending on the payout type selected at checkout:Bi-Weekly: performance-fee requests are available every 14 days (starting 14 days after the initial trade on the qualified account). The first request requires a minimum of 5 trading days using the same trading strategy, and the minimum withdrawal is $100 gross profits.On-Demand: traders can request a payout at any time once they have at least 2% gross profit in the account and meet...	Payout Frequency SFX Funded runs a Payout on Demand model on its Ignite, Ascend and Rapid funded accounts. The first request can be made 3 trading days after your first trade, provided you have made at least 3% profit on the account size and your SFX Stability Index is inside your program's threshold. That first withdrawal is processed at a reduced 40% split; the standard 80%+ split applies from the second payout onward. After the first payout, requests are accepted...
Days to First Payout	14	3
Payout Processing Time	Payout ProcessingPerformance-fee requests are submitted via the Alpha Capital dashboard and are processed and paid within about 2 business days once approved. Traders must close all trades before requesting, and the account remains locked while the balance is reset.Scaling requests (where applicable) are handled separately and are typically completed within 24–48 business hours.	Payout Processing SFX Funded states that withdrawal requests submitted through the dashboard are processed within 2 business days, and markets an average payout time of under 8 hours. It backs this with a Payout Guarantee: paid within 48 hours of risk-team approval, or SFX pays you $1,000. The 48-hour clock runs on business days only (Mon–Fri, Dubai time, 09:00–17:00, excluding UAE public holidays) and pauses over weekends, and it starts at approval rather than at submission — so the risk...
Payout Methods	Bank Transfer (WIRE/ACH/SWIFT) Wise Rise (Riseworks)	Bank Transfer Cryptocurrency (USDT TRC20)
Payments
Payment Methods	Credit/Debit Card Crypto PayPal	Credit/Debit Card Cryptocurrency Bank Transfer Mobile Money
Trading Permissions
News Trading	News trading is permitted, but Alpha Capital applies plan-specific rules around certain high-impact announcements on Qualified Analyst accounts.Alpha Pro 8%/10% Qualified: no executing trades (opening or closing, including pending orders, stop-loss or take-profit fills) on targeted instruments within 2 minutes before and 2 minutes after the specified news releases.Alpha Pro 6% / Alpha One / Alpha Three Qualified: the same restriction applies within 5 minutes before and 5 minutes after the specified releases.Alpha Swing: trading during major news is allowed;...	Evaluation phases: news trading is allowed, on every program. SFX only warns about the volatility risk. Funded accounts: news trading is restricted. A 4-minute blackout window applies around every red-folder event on the Forex Factory calendar — from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after the release. Inside that window SFX blocks market-order execution, pending limit-order activation, and stop-loss/take-profit triggers. Red-folder events marked "All Day" are exempt because they have no fixed release time. Penalties escalate and differ by program:...
Weekend Trades	Weekend holding rules depend on the plan and stage.Alpha Pro: holding trades over the weekend is allowed during the Evaluation phase, but is not allowed on the Qualified Analyst account stage (treated as a soft breach with profits removed).Alpha Swing / Alpha One / Alpha Three: weekend holding is allowed during both the Evaluation phase and on the Qualified Analyst account stage.Swap/rollover charges still apply when positions are held over weekends.	Weekend crypto trading is allowed on all account types. SFX Funded is unambiguous on this: "you can trade crypto during the weekend with SFX Funded. This applies to all account types." Positions may be held open over the weekend and new positions may be opened. This is a genuine advantage over firms such as FTMO, which require Normal-account positions to be closed before the weekend break. Note two practical caveats: crypto leverage at SFX is only 1:2, and there are no swap-free accounts, so weekend and overnight financing costs apply and count against your loss limits.
Copy Trading	Copy trading is allowed but tightly controlled. Alpha Capital permits copy trading only where the trader can provide proof of ownership of the master account (e.g., account number/investor password/server) when requested. Copy trading between two Alpha Capital accounts can also be permitted with both account numbers disclosed.Copy trading is currently supported on MT5 only; copying trades on or from cTrader, DXTrade or TradeLocker is not possible. Only one master account can be connected at a time, and copying other traders or group trading arrangements is prohibited.	Copy trading is not allowed at SFX Funded, in any form. The rule is one of the strictest in the industry: "the use of Copy Trading Software is not permitted." The ban covers automatic or manual copying of trades or strategies from other traders or signal providers, and applies to every account combination — evaluation to evaluation, funded to funded, funded to evaluation. Running identical trades simultaneously across your own multiple accounts is also caught by the rule, as is...
EA Allowed	Expert Advisors (EAs) are permitted on MT5 accounts, provided they comply with Alpha Capital’s rules. Traders must enable the EA feature at checkout and contact support for approval; Alpha Capital may request the EA's EX5 file and MQ5 market link for review.EAs are not supported on TradeLocker, DXTrade or cTrader accounts. Automated strategies that attempt to exploit unrealistic fills or use high-frequency/latency-style execution are prohibited.	EAs are allowed only under unusually restrictive conditions — this is one of the strictest EA policies among mainstream prop firms. Permitted: EAs you developed yourself and own the source code to Trade managers and risk managers Calculators and utility tools Prohibited: Any third-party EA. "Using any other third-party Expert Advisor is not allowed." Any EA where you do not own the source code — and SFX requires you to hand over a copy of the source code for verification...
KYC & Restrictions
KYC Required	No	No
KYC Stage	Alpha Capital requires identity verification (KYC) after passing an assessment and before issuing Qualified Analyst account credentials. Traders complete KYC via a third-party provider (Veriff) and must also provide the necessary withdrawal/payment details; qualified credentials are typically issued within a maximum of 2 working days after completing KYC.Payment details may be cross-checked against the verified identity, and third-party payments are not accepted.	KYC is mandatory and is handled by Veriff, a third-party verification provider. SFX states that "all traders must submit and pass to gain full access to their funded account or become eligible to receive payouts." When it is triggered: On passing an evaluation — Rapid, 1-Step Pro, Ascend and Ignite traders complete KYC after the risk-team review and before the funded account is released. Before the first payout — Instant Funding traders, who skip the evaluation, verify before their first...
Restricted Countries	Afghanistan Belarus Burundi Central African Republic Chad Cuba Democratic Republic of the Congo Eritrea Iran Iraq Libya Myanmar (Burma) North Korea Regions of Ukraine: Crimea Donetsk and Luhansk Republic of the Congo (Congo Brazzaville) Russia Somalia South Sudan Sudan Syria Venezuela Vietnam Yemen	Cuba Iran North Korea Syria