Upcomers Review 2026

Last Updated: April 2026 MyPropGenius Rating: 4.0/5 Status: Active — Operating since Late 2024

Quick Facts

What Is Upcomers?

Upcomers is a UAE-based proprietary trading firm that launched in late 2024 under the legal entity Royal Flow FZCO. The firm has built its identity around offering more evaluation choices than almost any competitor — five distinct paths to a funded account once the ASH (Half-Step) Challenge was added in 2026, plus a tiered scaling plan that stretches up to $2.5 million in capital. Each evaluation route has a thematic name (Thunderbolt, Ascended, Astral, Vanguard, ASH) that maps to a different difficulty and structure.

The firm positions itself as a "next generation" prop firm, emphasising modern UI/UX, in-house technology, and fast payout cycles. It runs primarily on the TradeLocker platform with MetaTrader 5 available on most account types. The headline marketing claim of a 99% profit split is technically achievable but requires reaching the top VIP tier — for most traders, the realistic profit split is 80% on evaluation accounts and 60% on instant funding.

What makes Upcomers genuinely interesting is the choice it gives you up front. Most prop firms offer a single evaluation model and force every trader through the same hoops. Upcomers lets you pick the structure that fits how you actually trade — including a rare 3-step option (Astral) for cautious risk profiles, an instant funding path (Vanguard) for traders who want to skip evaluation, and the new ASH Half-Step with a 2% target and Dynamic Risk Shield drawdown for rapid progression.

The Five Evaluation Paths

Upcomers offers five evaluation paths, each with a thematic name that corresponds to meaningfully different mechanics. Choosing the right one matters more than at most prop firms because the drawdown model, time pressure, and economics differ significantly.

Thunderbolt (1-Step)

The single-phase evaluation. Profit target sits in the 8–10% range depending on account size, with a 5% daily drawdown and 10% maximum overall drawdown. Designed for traders who want to demonstrate skill quickly without the back-and-forth of multi-phase evaluations. Generally the most expensive per dollar of funded capital but the fastest path to a funded account.

Ascended (2-Step)

The most conventional path and structurally similar to FTMO and ATFunded. Phase 1 requires hitting a profit target while respecting daily and overall drawdown limits. Phase 2 reduces the target but maintains the same risk rules. This is the model most traders will recognise and the one most directly comparable across the industry. Uses balance-based static drawdown — the more forgiving model.

Astral (3-Step)

A three-phase evaluation, which is unusual in the current market. Each phase has progressively lower profit targets but the same drawdown rules. The structure rewards traders who can demonstrate sustained consistency over a longer period before accessing funded capital. The trade-off is obvious — three phases mean three opportunities to breach a rule and lose your evaluation fee.

Vanguard (Instant Funding)

The skip-the-evaluation route. Pay a higher fee, get a funded account immediately. Profit split drops to 60% (vs 80% on evaluation paths) and the rules are typically tighter — Vanguard uses trailing drawdowns to compensate for the lack of evaluation. Best suited to traders who already know their strategy works and value time over fees.

ASH (Half-Step Challenge) — Added 2026

Introduced in 2026 as a rapid-progression model. The profit target is just 2% — among the lowest in the industry — but the challenge uses a "Dynamic Risk Shield" trailing drawdown that tightens as profits grow. Traders earn a 15% profit share from the challenge phase once they reach 20% growth on the funded account, after which scaling milestones unlock additional bonuses. Designed for confident, consistent traders who can clear the modest target without being caught by the tightening drawdown.

Profit Splits, Payouts & The Doubling Scaling Plan

Profit split structure. Default split on evaluation-based funded accounts is 80%, which is competitive but not industry-leading. Vanguard (instant funding) starts at 60%. The headline 95–99% figures the firm advertises require reaching the VIP tier, which has stringent qualification criteria — clean violation history, multiple successful payouts, and sustained profitability over a defined period. Most traders should plan around the 80% rate as the working assumption.

15% challenge profit bonus. Available on certain programmes after funded scaling milestones — pays out a percentage of your evaluation-phase profit once you've demonstrated sustained performance on the funded account. Unlike a challenge-fee refund (which simply returns your evaluation cost), this bonus actually grows with your performance.

Payout schedule. First payout is eligible after 7–14 days on the funded account, depending on the programme selected. Subsequent payouts are typically bi-weekly, with the option of on-demand withdrawals for VIP-tier traders.

Withdrawal methods. Wise (recommended for cost) and cryptocurrency (USDT primarily). One source cites crypto withdrawal fees up to 10% — Wise is meaningfully cheaper for most withdrawal sizes.

Payout reliability. Trustpilot reviews consistently report payouts processed quickly — multiple traders mention receiving funds within hours of requesting withdrawal. There are no recurring patterns of denied payouts on technicalities, which separates Upcomers from firms where Trustpilot complaints cluster around payout disputes. Where complaints do appear, they tend to focus on dashboard delays during peak periods or interpretation disputes around specific rules — not refusal to pay.

Fee refund policy. Evaluation fees are non-refundable once the challenge is purchased. However, the challenge fee is fully refundable after the third payout — meaning if you reach the third successful payout, the original evaluation cost is returned.

Scaling plan — the aggressive part. Standard scaling allows your funded account to double every four months, capped at $2.5 million, provided you achieve 15% profit across the period with no drawdown breaches and at least two successful payouts in the window. This is significantly faster scaling than firms like FTMO ($2M cap) and matches FundedNext's $4M-tier ambition with a more aggressive doubling cadence. For exceptional traders, Upcomers offers personalised plans extending beyond the standard structure.

Drawdown Rules — Static, Trailing, and Dynamic Risk Shield

Upcomers uses different drawdown models across its five evaluation paths, and the choice matters more than the price difference between them.

Ascended (2-Step) and most Thunderbolt configurations use balance-based static drawdown — your maximum loss limit doesn't move regardless of profit. On a $100K account with 10% maximum drawdown, the stop-out is locked at $90K and stays there. This is the FTMO-style model and the more forgiving option.

ASH (Half-Step) and Vanguard (Instant Funding) use trailing drawdowns. ASH specifically uses the Dynamic Risk Shield — a trailing model designed to tighten as profits grow, which is structurally harder than a simple equity-trail. The trade-off for ASH's 2% profit target is that the drawdown shield doesn't give you much room to manage volatile sessions.

Daily drawdown: 5% across most programmes, calculated on day-start balance and including unrealised losses. Standard industry rule.

Maximum drawdown: 10% across most programmes. The static-vs-trailing distinction is the difference that actually matters.

Leverage cap. 1:30 on forex, significantly lower on crypto pairs — in line with industry standards. The conservative leverage means you cannot scale into oversized positions, which is generally good for risk management but limits aggressive scalping strategies.

Reading the rules for your specific programme is essential. The difference between balance-based and trailing dramatically affects how aggressively you can trade as profits accumulate. A strategy that works comfortably on Ascended may breach drawdown on ASH or Vanguard.

Trading Rules & The Automation Question

News trading. Upcomers is among the more permissive firms on news trading. Trading during high-impact news events is allowed during the challenge phase — though restricted on funded accounts in some configurations. Verify the specific rules for your chosen programme before relying on news strategies.

Weekend holding. Permitted, which makes the firm friendlier to swing traders than firms forcing flat-by-Friday close.

The automation question — read carefully. This is the area where Upcomers' rules generate the most confusion. Some sources and the firm's own marketing indicate that EAs and automated trading are permitted. Other sources (including TheTrustedProp) state that automation is completely banned — including EAs, bots, copy trading, and HFT.

The most likely explanation is that the rules have changed at least once over the past year, and different sources captured the policy at different points in time. The firm's current TradeLocker policy clarification states that copy trading is allowed only between accounts owned by the same individual. EAs appear to be permitted in some account types and not others. If automation is central to your strategy, contact Upcomers' support directly for confirmation before purchasing — do not rely on third-party reviews to settle this.

Trading day requirements. Most Upcomers programmes require a minimum number of trading days during evaluation, typically in the 3–5 day range. Funded accounts also have minimum activity requirements to remain in good standing.

Prohibited strategies. Standard prohibitions apply: latency arbitrage, demo-environment exploitation, HFT tactics designed for execution timing rather than market direction.

Hedging. Permitted within the same account.

Owner-account-only restriction. All accounts must be operated by the registered owner. Sharing access or third-party trade management is grounds for forfeiture (industry standard).

Trustpilot Sentiment: The Honest Picture

Upcomers' Trustpilot footprint is modest — several hundred reviews accumulated over its 18-month operating history. The skew is positive, with most traders praising payout speed, rule clarity, and the responsiveness of named customer support staff (Ann and Jakub appear repeatedly in reviews, suggesting a small but engaged operations team rather than outsourced ticket support).

What positive reviews praise:

• Payout speed — frequently mentioned as processed within hours of request
• Customer support quality — named individual responders rather than ticket-template responses
• Rule clarity in core programmes (excluding the automation question)
• Modern UI/UX on TradeLocker
• Tight spreads, particularly on gold and major forex pairs
• The 5-programme variety letting traders pick the structure that fits their style
• Aggressive scaling plan with the doubling cadence

What negative reviews complain about:

• Account breaches due to time-limit interpretations on the 2-step Ascended Challenge
• Dashboard sync delays during high-volume periods
• Inconsistent automation rules creating confusion at evaluation purchase
• Crypto withdrawal fees being significantly higher than the Wise alternative
• Modest review volume creating uncertainty for traders comparing against FTMO or FundedNext footprints

Independent rating. Third-party tracker start-business-online.com places Upcomers at 3/5 in their ranking of 23+ firms — a middle-of-the-pack score reflecting both strengths (flexibility, scaling, modern infrastructure) and limitations (newness, non-refundable evaluation fees, contested automation rules).

The honest read: The negative reviews don't follow the pattern that defines genuinely problematic firms (mass payout denials, contested rule interpretations after the fact, support that goes silent). Complaints are operational rather than systemic. The realistic concern is age — Upcomers hasn't been tested through a major industry crisis, and the modest review volume means individual outlier experiences carry more weight in reputation calculus than they would at FTMO or The5ers.

How Upcomers Stacks Up Against Competitors

Where Upcomers wins: Most evaluation variety in the industry (5 paths), aggressive 4-month doubling scaling cadence to $2.5M, modern TradeLocker platform, named-staff customer support, and the unique ASH Half-Step format added in 2026.

Where Upcomers loses: Short operating history, modest Trustpilot footprint compared to FTMO or FundedNext, inconsistent automation rules creating purchase-time confusion, evaluation fees non-refundable until the third payout, and the 80% standard split is below FundedNext's 95% add-on tier.

Pros

• Five distinct evaluation paths — Thunderbolt, Ascended, Astral, Vanguard, and ASH — most variety in the industry
• $2.5M scaling cap with aggressive 4-month doubling cadence — faster than FTMO and matching higher-tier competitors
• 15% challenge profit bonus on certain programmes after funded milestones
• Modern TradeLocker platform with cleaner UI than MT5 and integrated risk management
• Tight spreads, particularly on gold and major forex pairs
• News trading allowed during challenge across most programmes
• Weekend holding permitted — friendlier to swing traders than firms forcing flat-by-Friday
• 3-Step Astral path uniquely suits cautious risk profiles wanting maximum demonstration of consistency
• Instant funding via Vanguard for traders who want to skip evaluation
• Named customer support staff (Ann, Jakub repeatedly mentioned) suggests engaged operations team
• Challenge fee fully refundable after 3rd payout
• In-house technology stack reduces shared-platform failure risk

Cons

• Inconsistent automation rules across sources — must contact support directly to confirm before purchase
• Evaluation fees non-refundable until reaching the third payout
• Crypto withdrawal fees up to 10% per one source — Wise is the meaningfully cheaper route
• 80% standard split is below FundedNext's 95% add-on tier and not industry-leading
• VIP-tier 99% split has stringent qualification criteria — most traders won't realistically reach it
• Modest Trustpilot review volume creates limited reputation signal vs FTMO's 41K+
• Less than 18 months of operating history as of April 2026 — has not been tested through a major industry crisis
• ASH and Vanguard use trailing drawdowns — harder than balance-based competitors
• Vanguard 60% instant split is well below FTMO Standard's 80% on funded stage
• Dashboard sync delays during peak periods reported in some Trustpilot reviews

Who Should Use Upcomers?

Upcomers is the right pick for traders who want maximum evaluation variety and an aggressive scaling cadence. Specifically:

• Traders who want to choose the evaluation structure that fits their style — the 5-path matrix matches every common trader profile
• Long-term traders aiming for $1M+ funded capital — the 4-month doubling cadence to $2.5M is one of the fastest scaling paths available
• Cautious traders who specifically want a 3-Step (Astral) evaluation — almost no other firm offers this
• Confident, consistent traders who can clear the ASH Half-Step's 2% target without breaching the Dynamic Risk Shield
• Manual traders — the automation rule confusion isn't a problem if you don't run automation
• Swing traders who need weekend holding and news flexibility
• Traders who prefer modern web-based platforms over the legacy MT4/MT5 experience — TradeLocker is genuinely cleaner
• Traders comfortable with a younger firm in exchange for the variety and scaling features

Who Should Avoid Upcomers?

Upcomers is the wrong pick for traders prioritising operating history, certainty around automation rules, or maximum split economics. Specifically:

• Aggressive algorithmic traders — the inconsistency around EA permissions creates real risk; FTMO's clear allow-with-conditions stance is safer
• Traders who require a multi-year operating track record as a hard prerequisite
• Traders who want the highest day-one split — FundedNext's 95% add-on or FXIFY's 90% beat Upcomers' 80% standard
• Traders who plan instant funding as their primary mode — Vanguard's 60% split is below most competitors
• Traders running high-volatility strategies on ASH or Vanguard — the Dynamic Risk Shield and trailing drawdowns will catch volatile sessions
• US-based traders relying on MT5 — TradeLocker is the primary platform; verify availability for your region
• Traders who want crypto-only withdrawals at low cost — the up-to-10% crypto fee is a meaningful cost; use Wise instead

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Upcomers legit? Yes. Upcomers operates under Royal Flow FZCO in the UAE with documented Trustpilot reviews from real traders confirming payouts. Independent third-party tracker start-business-online.com rates the firm at 3/5 (mid-pack of 23+ firms). The honest caveat is age — Upcomers launched late 2024 and hasn't been tested through a major industry crisis.

Which evaluation should I choose? Most traders should start with Ascended (2-Step) for its balance-based static drawdown and conventional structure. Thunderbolt (1-Step) is faster but more expensive per dollar of funded capital. Astral (3-Step) suits the most cautious risk profiles. Vanguard suits traders confident enough to accept a 60% split for instant funding. ASH suits traders who can clear a 2% target with very tight discipline.

Is automation allowed on Upcomers? The honest answer: it depends on the source you read. Marketing materials and some reviews say yes; other sources say no. The firm's TradeLocker policy clarification states that copy trading is allowed only between accounts owned by the same individual. EAs appear to be permitted on some account types and not others. If automation is central to your strategy, contact support directly for confirmation before paying for an evaluation.

How does the scaling plan work? Standard scaling allows your funded account to double every four months, capped at $2.5 million, provided you achieve 15% profit across that period with no drawdown breaches and at least two successful payouts. This is faster than FTMO's $2M cap and matches FundedNext's $4M ambition with an aggressive cadence.

What is the ASH Challenge? Added in 2026, ASH is a Half-Step challenge with a 2% profit target — among the lowest in the industry — paired with a Dynamic Risk Shield trailing drawdown that tightens as profits grow. Traders earn a 15% profit share from the challenge phase once they reach 20% growth on the funded account. Designed for confident, consistent traders who can clear a small target without being caught by the tightening drawdown.

How fast are Upcomers payouts? Trustpilot reviews consistently report payouts processed within hours of request. The first payout is eligible after 7–14 days on the funded account; subsequent payouts are bi-weekly with on-demand available for VIP-tier traders. Wise is the recommended withdrawal method for cost; crypto fees can run up to 10%.

Is the challenge fee refundable? Not initially. Evaluation fees are non-refundable once the challenge is purchased. However, the challenge fee is fully refunded after your third successful payout — meaning consistent funded-stage performance recovers the original cost.

How does Upcomers compare to FTMO? FTMO offers a longer track record (a decade vs Upcomers' 18 months), much higher Trustpilot review volume, and clearer rule consistency. Upcomers offers more evaluation variety (5 paths vs FTMO's 2), faster scaling (4-month doubling vs FTMO's longer windows), and a higher cap ($2.5M vs $2M). Choose FTMO for proven longevity; choose Upcomers for evaluation variety and aggressive scaling.

Final Verdict

Upcomers is the prop firm for traders who want maximum choice. The five-path evaluation matrix, the aggressive 4-month doubling scaling cadence, the unique ASH Half-Step format, and the modern TradeLocker platform create a product that competitors with single-evaluation models can't match on flexibility. The 15% challenge profit bonus on funded milestones is a genuine economic differentiator — payable on top of the standard 80% split rather than instead of it.

The honest concessions are age and rule clarity. Less than 18 months of operating history means Upcomers hasn't yet been tested through a major industry crisis or a high-volume payout year. The automation rule inconsistency across sources creates real friction at purchase time — verify directly with support before paying if your strategy includes EAs or copy trading. The 80% standard split is below FundedNext's 95% add-on tier, and the Vanguard instant 60% split is well below most competitors.

Bottom line: Upcomers is the right pick for traders who want to choose the evaluation structure that fits their style and value an aggressive scaling cadence over operating-history depth. The 4.0/5 MyPropGenius score reflects the genuine product flexibility balanced against the short track record and the rule-consistency questions. If you trade manually, want a 3-Step option few other firms offer, and plan to scale through the doubling cadence, Upcomers is one of the more interesting picks in the 2024–2025 generation of prop firms.

Want to find the prop firm that matches YOUR trading style? Our 60-second quiz compares Upcomers against 180+ firms in our database. Take the quiz →