Our Review Process
How MonkeyTrade Reviews Work
Every review published on MonkeyTrade follows a structured process with defined standards, consistent scoring criteria, and a clear separation between editorial and commercial decisions. This page explains that process from start to finish.
We cover two distinct categories of financial services: forex brokers and prop trading firms. Each category has its own dedicated rating methodology built around the factors that matter most to traders in that specific context. The review process described here applies to both, with the differences between them set out in the individual methodology documents linked at the end of this page.
What We Review and How We Select It
MonkeyTrade reviews forex brokers and prop trading firms. Inclusion in our database is not conditional on any commercial relationship. We aim to cover the full landscape of available options, including firms that have never contacted us and have no partnership arrangement with the site.
When selecting which platforms to review, we consider factors including market presence, trader interest, geographic availability, and the volume of enquiries we receive from our audience. We also actively seek out newer entrants where there is genuine trader interest but limited independent coverage available.
Coverage does not imply endorsement
The presence of a forex broker or prop firm in our database means we have reviewed it. It does not mean we recommend it. Every listing carries a rating that reflects our honest assessment. Firms with poor scores appear alongside firms with strong scores. Traders are expected to read the full review and make their own informed decisions.
Our Two Review Tiers
Not every firm in our database receives the same depth of investigation. The resources required to open a live funded account, complete a prop firm challenge, or execute real trades mean that full hands-on testing cannot be applied to every listing at launch. We address this transparently through two clearly labelled review tiers.
Research Review
A Research Review is based on publicly available information combined with limited direct interaction. For a forex broker this includes regulatory register checks, published fee schedules, terms and conditions, account opening, and a live chat or email exchange with the support team. For a prop firm it includes published challenge rules, payout policies, company registration details, community reputation research, and direct contact with the support function.
Research Reviews are scored using the same criteria and the same 1 to 5 scale as Hands-On Reviews. The difference is the evidence base. Where a factor cannot be directly verified through testing, the score is based on disclosed information and is noted as such in the review text.
Every Research Review carries a visible label on its page so readers always know the basis of the assessment they are reading.
Hands-On Review
A Hands-On Review involves full direct participation. For a forex broker this means opening and funding a real account, placing live trades across multiple instruments and market conditions, testing every available order type, processing a withdrawal, and contacting support through all available channels including scenarios designed to test agent knowledge under pressure.
For a prop firm, a Hands-On Review means purchasing and completing a funded challenge under real trading conditions, activating a funded account, trading it over a defined evaluation period, requesting a profit withdrawal, and testing support at each stage of the journey.
Hands-On Reviews are updated on a minimum annual cycle, with interim updates triggered by any material change to the firm’s offering. Every Hands-On Review page carries a changelog so readers can track what has changed and when.
Research Review | Hands-On Review | |
Account opened | Yes | Yes, with real funding |
Live trading tested | No | Yes |
Withdrawal tested | No | Yes |
Support tested | Pre-sales contact | All stages and channels |
Scoring scale | 1 to 5 | 1 to 5 |
Update cycle | Every 6 months minimum | Every 12 months minimum |
Page label | “Research Review” | “Hands-On Review” |
How We Score
Both forex brokers and prop trading firms are scored on a 1 to 5 scale across five weighted categories. The categories and their weightings differ between the two review types because the factors that matter most to traders differ by context. Each category is made up of sub-factors that are scored individually and combined to produce the category score. The category scores are then combined using their respective weights to produce the overall rating.
Score | Rating | What It Means |
4.5 – 5.0 | Outstanding | Exceptional across all categories |
4.0 – 4.4 | Excellent | High performance with minor shortcomings |
3.0 – 3.9 | Good | Reliable overall with some limitations |
2.0 – 2.9 | Adequate | Meaningful weaknesses; consider alternatives |
1.0 – 1.9 | Poor | Significant concerns; not recommended |
Scores are reviewed and updated whenever a material change occurs at the firm being rated. A full methodology changelog is maintained for both review categories.
Editorial Independence
MonkeyTrade earns revenue through commercial partnerships with firms listed on the site. Firms pay for directory placement, promotional visibility, and content packages. This section explains exactly what that means for the reviews you read.
What commercial partnerships affect
Partner firms can purchase a fixed position in relevant directory listings, earn a verified partner badge, and access promotional placements across the site. These are visibility benefits. Every paid placement is clearly labelled so readers can identify it.
What commercial partnerships do not affect
No firm can pay for a higher score, a more favourable review, or inclusion in a recommendation that it did not earn on merit. Our scoring methodology is applied identically to every firm regardless of commercial relationship status. A firm that pays for a partnership package and receives a poor score in our testing will be published with that poor score. A firm with no commercial relationship that scores well will appear in relevant recommendations.
Non-partner firms
Firms that have no commercial relationship with MonkeyTrade are included in our database, comparison tools, and category rankings based solely on their scores. Being a paying partner does not unlock inclusion. Not being a paying partner does not result in exclusion.
Affiliate relationships
Some reviews contain affiliate links. When a reader clicks one of these links and signs up with a firm, MonkeyTrade may receive a commission. Affiliate relationships are disclosed on the relevant pages. The existence of an affiliate arrangement has no bearing on the review score or written content.
Our position
The long-term value of MonkeyTrade depends entirely on readers trusting that what they read reflects an honest assessment. A site that inflates scores for paying partners eventually becomes useless to the traders it is supposed to serve. We treat editorial independence as a non-negotiable operating principle, not a marketing claim.
Detailed Methodology Documents
The specific scoring categories, sub-factor weightings, and testing procedures for each review type are documented in full in the individual methodology pages below. If you want to understand exactly how a broker score or a prop firm score was arrived at, these documents are the place to start.
>> | How We Rate Forex Brokers Full methodology covering the five scoring categories, sub-factor weights, our two review tiers in detail, and the step-by-step hands-on testing process applied to broker reviews. |
>> | How We Rate Prop Trading Firms Full methodology covering the five scoring categories specific to prop firms, sub-factor weights, our two review tiers in detail, and the step-by-step hands-on testing process including challenge completion and payout verification. |
Questions about our review process?
If you have a question about how a specific review was conducted, want to report information that may affect a rating, or would like to flag a factual error, contact our editorial team at editorial@monkeytrade.com