A free funded account challenge:what is real and what it costs.

A prop firm's evaluation fee is how the firm is paid. The fee covers the evaluation, and the simulated profit share paid to traders who pass comes out of that revenue - see how prop firms make money. A firm that charged nothing at all would need another way to pay for the traders who pass.

That is why offers described as free usually turn out to be one of a few things:

• A trading contest. Many entrants trade a demo account and a small number of winners receive a paid evaluation or funded account.
• A free trial. A demo of the dashboard and rules that is not an evaluation and cannot lead to a payout.
• A giveaway. A paid account awarded at random, usually for following or sharing.
• A free retake. Not free entry, but a second attempt after a paid one fails. This is what GFN offers.

A published code, FIRST40, currently gives 40% off your first purchase. Check the total at checkout - see the current discount code.

If you fail the 2 Step by breaching a hard rule, you get one retake at no cost. The retake is not an identical copy of the first attempt: it runs tighter.

• The drawdown in dollars, not percent. It is the only number that ends an account. The drawdown calculator converts it.
• Whether the drawdown trails. A trailing limit follows your highest balance up. See trailing vs non-trailing drawdown.
• What stops a payout. Caps, buffers and consistency rules all apply after you pass. See payouts.
• That the account is simulated. Funded accounts at GFN are simulated; payouts are a share of simulated profit, paid in real money to eligible traders.