Prop Firm Match affiliate redirect: which prop firms cut ties, and how to buy a challenge safely

On 29 October 2026 a trader posted a video on X showing that clicking a firm's profile or "Copy Code" on Prop Firm Match, the prop firm comparison site, sent the original browser tab through Prop Firm Match's affiliate link. Within a day several prop firms ended their partnerships with the site. By 7 November Finance Magnates counted about 21 brands gone and 38 still listed as partners.

Prop Firm Match has admitted the redirect and apologised, but disputes how it has been described. This is what's confirmed so far, with sources.

What was alleged

• The redirect. According to Finance Magnates, clicking certain buttons opened the firm's site in a new tab while the original tab passed through Prop Firm Match's affiliate link. That credited Prop Firm Match with the referral.
• How long it ran. An independent review of Internet Archive captures, which Finance Magnates reported but didn't verify, traced the code back to late November 2025.
• Commissions. Trade news site TradeInformer alleged that one firm's commissions to Prop Firm Match more than doubled after the code was added.

Which firms cut ties

From 30 October, according to Finance Magnates' reports of 30 October and 2 November:

• Apex Trader Funding ended the partnership effective immediately and disabled its tracking codes.
• Tradeify said the referrals broke its affiliate terms and also pulled its sponsorship of Prop Firm Match's trading league.
• Goat Funded Trader ended the partnership effective immediately.
• FundingPips' CEO said the firm had spotted the practice in August, would forfeit that month's commissions and would pursue claims.
• Topstep's CEO said Topstep paid Prop Firm Match a monthly fee for a listing rather than using an affiliate code.
• Alpha Capital ended its partnership and removed its codes, according to Affiverse.
• Blue Guardian and Lucid Trading were reported as leaving; we found no statements from them.

What Prop Firm Match says

• 30–31 October. It apologised on X, saying "We take full responsibility for it."
• 2 November. A preliminary review said the redirect was disabled on 29 October, only ran after a user clicked, and affected a "low single-digit percentage" of commissions. It invited partners to reconcile their records.
• 3 November. A public statement, reported by FX News Group, said the redirect didn't fire without a user's click, didn't use hidden iframes or invisible pixels, and didn't place cookies or scripts on partner websites.

Many reports call this "cookie stuffing". Prop Firm Match doesn't use that term, and its statement disputes the classic mechanics it usually describes. It hasn't said when the redirect started or which transactions were affected. We found no further statement after 3 November.

What it means if you're buying a challenge

As reported so far, the redirect changed who was credited with the commission, not the price traders paid. What it does show is that comparison sites, discount codes and "best prop firm" rankings are paid relationships. Treat them as adverts, not reviews.

Before you pay for a challenge:

• Read the rules on the firm's own site, not a comparison site's summary. Daily loss, trailing drawdown, consistency and news rules change often. See prop firm news trading rules for how much they differ between firms.
• Buy directly from the firm. Use a discount code only if you know whose it is.
• Test your strategy against the rules first. A cheaper challenge is no saving if your strategy fails it most of the time.

The prop firm challenge simulator in Strategy Lab replays your strategy from every week or month start through FTMO, The5ers, Topstep or custom rules, with limits checked inside every candle. It shows how often you'd pass before you buy. To compare firms on the rules that matter for your strategy, see the best strategy to pass a prop firm challenge.

This story is still developing. We'll update this post if Prop Firm Match or the firms publish more.