How USA Trade Deals Review & Ranks Prop Firms: Full Methodology & Transparency
At USA Trade Deals, we believe traders deserve honest, unbiased, and transparent prop firm reviews. This page explains exactly how we create our rankings and evaluations—so partners, readers, and affiliated firms understand our process.
Our two review systems
General review & ranking
Our General Review Process compares each prop firm against its competitors using publicly available information. We analyze:
- Pricing & Fees (challenge cost, resets, subscriptions)
- Risk Rules (daily/overall drawdown, news restrictions)
- Payout Structure (profit split percentages, withdrawal options)
- Scaling Plans & Funding Options
- Customer Support & Reputation
How It Works:
- Gather official data from firm websites and published terms.
- Normalize and compare across firms.
- Apply weighted scoring:
- Pricing & Fees (25%)
- Risk Rules (20%)
- Payouts (20%)
- Scaling (15%)
- Support & Reputation (20%)
In-house deep dive
Our in-house review process goes beyond surface-level comparisons:
- Two independent reviewers purchase accounts at different times (minimum one week apart).
- Each reviewer trades live and keeps a private journal of setup, platform performance, support interactions, and payout experience.
- Journals are compared for similarities and differences.
- If issues arise, we verify with external sources and interview traders.
- Final review is drafted and published with transparency measures (reviewer anonymity, privacy safeguards).
Affiliate transparency policy
Some links on our site are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through them—at no extra cost to you. This helps us maintain the site and continue providing free, unbiased reviews.
Examples of Disclosure Language:
- “This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.”
- Inline: “(we earn a commission if you purchase via this link)”
Legal disclaimer
Our reviews represent opinions only, not statements of fact. They are for informational and entertainment purposes—not financial advice. Readers should conduct their own research before making decisions. While we strive for accuracy, mistakes or assumptions may occur. We continuously improve our process to maintain integrity.
