Editorial Policy
PropFlagger exists to give retail traders honest, data-driven information about prop trading firms. Our editorial policy governs how we research, write, score, and maintain every piece of content on this site. Understanding these standards helps you trust what you read here.
Our Core Principles
Independence Above All
No prop firm, advertiser, or affiliate partner has any influence over our review scores, risk assessments, or editorial content. Commercial relationships are disclosed but never affect editorial judgement. We review firms we have no commercial relationship with, and we review firms we do have affiliate links for — using exactly the same methodology for both.
Data-First Methodology
Every PropFlagger score starts with verifiable data: published challenge rules, Trustpilot ratings, documented payout histories. We publish our full scoring methodology so anyone can audit our work. Scores can only be changed by changing the underlying data — not by editorial discretion alone.
Consistency & Fairness
The same scoring rules apply to every firm, every time. A rule that penalises trailing drawdown for one firm penalises it for all firms. We do not apply more lenient standards to partners, popular firms, or firms with large social media followings.
Accuracy & Corrections
Prop firm rules change frequently. We commit to updating data when changes are verified and publishing corrections promptly. If a firm believes their data on PropFlagger is inaccurate, they can contact us with documentation. Verified corrections are implemented within 5 business days, and we note significant changes in the review history.
Trader Perspective First
Every analysis is written from the trader's perspective — not the firm's marketing perspective. We highlight risks that firms downplay, flag ambiguous rules that could cause account bans, and explain complex rules in plain language. Our goal is to help traders make informed decisions, not to help firms acquire customers.
Affiliate Relationships & Revenue
PropFlagger earns revenue through affiliate partnerships, Google AdSense advertising, and potentially premium features. Here is exactly how these affect our content:
- Affiliate links: When you click a "Start Challenge" button, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. This does not affect our scores or reviews. We link to firms with low scores, high risk assessments, and critical flags — because honest information serves traders better than selective coverage.
- Google AdSense: We display Google ads. Advertisers cannot request placement alongside specific reviews or request that we adjust content. Google's ad auction determines ad placement, not PropFlagger editorial staff.
- No sponsored reviews: Firms cannot pay for a review, a featured placement, or a score adjustment. Any content produced in commercial arrangement with a firm is clearly labelled "Sponsored" or "Partnered" — though we currently have no such arrangements.
- No "pay to rank": Our Best Prop Firms rankings and leaderboard are determined exclusively by PropFlagger scores. Firms cannot purchase higher placement in any ranking.
How We Research Prop Firms
Our research process for each firm follows these steps:
- Data collection: We read the firm's full challenge terms, FAQ, and legal documents from their official website.
- Rules extraction: Challenge parameters (drawdown rules, profit targets, consistency rules, payout terms) are recorded verbatim, then entered into our scoring engine.
- Trustpilot analysis: We check the firm's Trustpilot profile, recording average rating, total review count, and star distribution. We assess reviewer confidence to detect potential manipulation.
- Community research: We monitor trader communities (Reddit, Discord, Twitter/X) for payout complaints, account ban patterns, and rule enforcement behaviour.
- Editorial assessment: Our analysts independently assess operational history, payment processor relationships, regulatory proximity, and team transparency.
- Score calculation: All data is processed by our published scoring engine. Results are checked for obvious errors before publication.
- Review writing: Review content is written to accurately reflect the scored data. We do not write aspirationally about a firm's potential — we write about documented reality.
AI-Assisted Content
PropFlagger uses AI writing tools (Claude by Anthropic) to assist in drafting review content. When AI tools are used, the following standards apply:
- AI-generated drafts are always reviewed and edited by a human before publication.
- All factual claims in AI-assisted content are verified against the firm's official documentation.
- AI content is generated from our proprietary scored data — the AI does not independently research or score firms.
- Posts created with AI assistance are tagged internally and may be disclosed on the post.
User-Generated Content
PropFlagger does not currently publish user reviews or comments on firm review pages. All review content is produced or approved by PropFlagger editorial staff. If we introduce user reviews in future, we will publish a separate policy governing their moderation standards.
Conflicts of Interest
Members of the PropFlagger team may hold funded accounts with prop firms we review. Where this creates a potential conflict, the relevant team member is recused from editorial decisions regarding that firm. No PropFlagger team member receives payment, free services, or any other benefit from a prop firm in exchange for favourable coverage.
Contact Our Editorial Team
For factual corrections, data disputes, or editorial queries, please use our contact form. We aim to respond to editorial enquiries within 2 business days.