Verdict: avoid Next Step Funded. As of August 7, 2026, independent reviews list the prop firm as closed, and its official website is reportedly inaccessible. That means a new customer cannot verify a live checkout, account dashboard, support route, refund policy, trading rules, or payout process before paying.
This does not establish a criminal scam finding by itself. It does establish a more practical consumer-finance conclusion: Next Step Funded is not currently a functioning prop-firm option that can be responsibly recommended. Sending it money would expose you to a substantial risk of receiving neither the advertised service nor a payout.
Is Next Step Funded still operating?
The available evidence points to no. The Trusted Prop’s July 2026 review marks Next Step Funded as “CLOSED” and says the firm is no longer operating. Traders Union’s review, updated August 21, 2025, reported that the official website was inaccessible, payouts were allegedly no longer being processed, support channels had been shut down, and the company had been placed on its blacklist.
A May 2025 review from TradingFinder recorded a Cloudflare 522 Connection timed out error for nextstepfunded.com. That error means the host server was not responding at the time of testing. The domain could not be opened for this review either, so there is no current company page from which to confirm prices, rules, refund terms, platform access, or payout conditions.
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That distinction matters. A website being down for a short period is not proof that a business is fraudulent. But a reportedly closed firm with no accessible official infrastructure is not a sensible place to send an evaluation fee.
Why a live Trustpilot page does not change the verdict
Next Step Funded’s Trustpilot profile remains online and shows reviews, including reviews dated in 2026. That can create the impression that the firm is still accepting customers. It does not prove that.
Trustpilot explains that reviews remain visible while an account is active and that users can post opinions about their experiences. A review profile can therefore outlive a company’s website, payment system, trading servers, and support team.
The currently indexed profile shows 883 reviews, a 1.5/5 TrustScore, and 69% one-star reviews. Those figures are not a legal judgment, and reviews can contain mistakes or one-sided accounts. They are nevertheless a serious warning when combined with reports that the firm is closed and its site is unavailable.
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The public complaint record contains recurring allegations involving:
- payout requests left unanswered for weeks or months;
- support emails that went unanswered or bounced back;
- MT5 credentials not being delivered or failing to work;
- traders losing account access after payment;
- accounts being closed after payout requests;
- rule changes or inconsistent rule enforcement; and
- Discord and other communication channels becoming unavailable.
These are customer allegations, not independently adjudicated findings. They should not be presented as proven fraud. But they are not limited to one isolated complaint.
Examples visible in the Trustpilot record include a trader who said a payout requested on February 3, 2025, was still unanswered by April 5, 2025; a customer who said MT5 access failed after buying a $100,000 challenge; and a reviewer who said support emails bounced back as undeliverable in April 2025. A May 2025 review reportedly said the website no longer worked and that an account had been closed after a payout attempt.
Some company replies attributed closures to trading-rule breaches, including alleged HFT, copy-trading, or weekend-holding violations. Those replies show that the company responded to some reviews, but they do not independently prove that each alleged breach occurred. The reverse is also true: a customer review alone does not prove that every closure or unpaid payout was wrongful.
What Next Step Funded reportedly offered in the past
Older reviews describe Next Step Funded as a paid, simulated-trading evaluation business rather than a conventional broker giving traders direct control of live company capital. Historical products reportedly included one-step and two-step challenges, HFT products, and flash-funded accounts.
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Reported historical terms included:
- MetaTrader 4, followed later by a transition to MetaTrader 5;
- account sizes ranging from approximately $7,500 to $300,000 in some product descriptions;
- 10% profit targets for each challenge phase;
- 5% maximum daily loss and 5% maximum overall loss;
- no minimum trading-day requirement in the reviewed descriptions;
- weekend holding and news trading described as permitted in some older materials; and
- profit-split claims of up to 100%.
None of those should be treated as current terms. The official site is inaccessible, and there is no current rules page to confirm that the products, limits, or payout promises still exist.
Historical prices, not available 2026 prices
A third-party comparison published in 2024 listed these one-time prices:
| Product | Historical price |
|---|---|
| Standard 1-Step, $15,000 | $125 |
| Standard 2-Step, $15,000 | $98 |
| Standard 1-Step, $25,000 | $179 |
| Standard 2-Step, $25,000 | $152 |
| Standard 1-Step, $50,000 | $359 |
| Standard 2-Step, $50,000 | $302 |
| Standard 1-Step, $100,000 | $602 |
| Standard 2-Step, $100,000 | $503 |
| Standard 1-Step, $200,000 | $1,205 |
| Standard 2-Step, $200,000 | $998 |
| HFT accounts | $75 to $2,150 |
| Flash accounts | $14 to $150 |
These figures came from older review material and are included only to explain the firm’s historical structure. They are not an active price list. Do not assume that any of these challenges can still be purchased or that a historical fee would result in an accessible account.
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Was Next Step Funded regulated?
There is no evidence in the supplied record that Next Step Funded itself held a current financial-services license. Older material said the firm was “backed by” Eightcap, while later customer-service material referred to a move from MT4 to MT5.
That does not make Next Step Funded regulated. A broker’s regulatory status does not automatically transfer to a separate prop-firm evaluation company. If Eightcap was regulated in a relevant jurisdiction, that would govern Eightcap’s own regulated activities—not necessarily the separate company’s challenge fees, simulated accounts, contractual payouts, or customer-support obligations.
Similarly, a simulated account and a promised profit split are not the same as receiving real investment capital. A claim of a 100% profit split does not prove that a trader is managing live funds or that the company is supervised like a broker or investment manager.
Claims about Next Step Funded that are outdated or misleading
| Claim | What the evidence supports |
|---|---|
| “The Trustpilot page is live, so the firm is available.” | A live review profile does not prove that the website, checkout, servers, or support channels work. |
| “The current drawdown is 5% and the target is 10%.” | Those figures appear in historical reviews. No accessible official page confirms current rules. |
| “Eightcap’s regulation means Next Step Funded is regulated.” | Regulation of a broker does not regulate an unaffiliated evaluation company. |
| “A 100% split means the trader receives live funded capital.” | Historical descriptions referred to simulated trading, not proof of live capital allocation. |
| “Every negative review came from someone who broke the rules.” | The company made that argument in some replies, but the alleged breaches are not independently verified in every case. |
Can you sign up or request a payout now?
There are no current, verifiable instructions. In particular, it would be irresponsible to tell readers to use paths such as Dashboard → Payouts or to click a current Buy Challenge button when the official website cannot be checked.
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The historical FAQ referenced in old company replies is also not presently available for verification. As a result, a customer cannot confirm basic questions before paying:
- Who is the legal contracting entity?
- What exactly is being purchased?
- What rules trigger account termination?
- How are disputes handled?
- What is the refund policy?
- Which payment processor receives the money?
- What conditions must be met before a payout is owed?
If a website or social-media account claiming to represent Next Step Funded asks for money now, treat it as potentially impersonating the former business. Do not assume that a reused domain, old logo, or live review page proves authenticity.
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If you already paid
Gather the receipt, transaction ID, emails, platform credentials, screenshots, payout request, and any rule notices. Contact the payment provider promptly and ask whether a card chargeback, payment dispute, or other recovery process is available. Explain accurately that the purchased service was unavailable or that a promised payout was not processed; do not exaggerate the facts.
Also change any password reused on the firm’s dashboard or trading platform. Do not send additional “release,” “verification,” or “tax” payments to unlock a payout unless the obligation can be independently verified. A request for more money before releasing an overdue payout is a common escalation pattern in online financial scams.
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Is Next Step Funded a proven scam?
The available evidence does not establish a criminal scam finding. However, independent sources list the firm as closed, its website is inaccessible, and customers have reported missing payouts and nonresponsive support. That is sufficient reason to avoid sending it money.
Does Next Step Funded still accept new challenges?
There is no verifiable current checkout or official operating site. Historical prices and rules should not be treated as available offers in 2026.
Was Next Step Funded regulated because it used Eightcap?
No. A broker’s regulation does not automatically apply to a separate prop-firm evaluation business. The available evidence does not establish a current Next Step Funded financial-services authorization.
Were Next Step Funded accounts real funded trading accounts?
Older reviews described simulated trading evaluations. A profit split, even one advertised as 100%, is not proof that a trader is managing live capital.
What should I do if Next Step Funded owes me a payout?
Preserve all records, contact the payment provider promptly about dispute or chargeback options, and avoid paying additional fees to release the payout unless independently verified.
The Bottom Line
Next Step Funded is not a prop firm to buy from now. It may have operated as a real paid simulated-trading evaluation business in the past, but the current evidence is decisive for a consumer recommendation: the firm is reported closed, its website and support infrastructure are unavailable, its review profile is overwhelmingly negative, and historical rules and prices cannot be verified.
Do not purchase a challenge, send funds, or rely on old reviews claiming that Next Step Funded is currently accepting traders.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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