Snir Ahiel
Fact Checker
Vladimir Rybakov
Author
Pipcy Classic is a percentage-based challenge with a 12% absolute drawdown, 18% profit target, and multi-asset trading (forex, indices, commodities, crypto). Pips Mastery is a pip-based challenge with a 250-pip max loss, a 500-pip or 750-pip pip target, fixed lot sizes, and forex-only trading. Both share the same core terms: up to 95% profit split, 48-hour payouts, 3-day minimum trading period, and no daily drawdown limit. The difference comes down to how you measure your trading — in dollars (Classic) or in pips (Pips Mastery).
Choosing between Pipcy Classic and the Pips Mastery Challenge isn't a matter of "better" or "worse." Both challenges share the same core economics — same profit split, same payout speed, same drawdown philosophy. They're built for different trader profiles.
In 19 years of trading and teaching at Home Trader Club, I've watched students succeed and fail with both styles of evaluation. The pattern is consistent: traders who think in dollar P&L pick Classic and thrive; traders whose edge is technical execution measured in pips pick Pips Mastery and thrive. Picking the wrong one for your style is the most common mistake.
This guide breaks down both challenges, their differences and shared features, real-world pricing (regular, non-promotional), and a decision framework so you can pick the right one the first time.
At a glance: Pipcy Classic suits dollar-P&L thinkers and multi-asset traders. Pips Mastery suits forex specialists whose edge is precision execution measured in pips. Both share Pipcy's hallmark features — up to 95% profit split, 48-hour payouts, no daily drawdown, in-house tech.
| Feature | Pipcy Classic | Pips Mastery Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Measurement | Percentage-based ($) | Pip-based |
| Max Loss | 12% absolute drawdown | 250 pips |
| Profit Target | 18% | 500 pips (X2) / 750 pips (X3) |
| Daily Drawdown | None | None |
| Trailing Drawdown | None | None |
| Available Assets | Forex, indices, commodities, crypto | Forex only |
| Lot Sizing | Trader-chosen | Fixed lot tied to balance |
| News Trading | Not permitted | Permitted |
| Min Trading Days | 3 | 3 |
| Profit Split | Up to 95% | Up to 95% |
| Payout Processing | Within 48 hours | Within 48 hours |
| Funded Scaling | Up to $3M ceiling | Lot size scaling |
| Best For | Multi-asset percentage traders | Forex precision-execution traders |
Pipcy Classic is a percentage-based evaluation challenge with a 12% absolute drawdown limit, an 18% profit target, multi-asset trading across forex/indices/commodities/crypto, and trader-chosen lot sizing. It's the traditional prop firm model — measured in dollars, structured around percentage-of-account targets — but with Pipcy's trader-friendly rule set (no daily drawdown, no trailing drawdown, up to 95% profit split).
Pipcy Classic is built for traders who think in dollar P&L and want the flexibility to trade across multiple asset classes. The 12% absolute (static) drawdown is one of the most generous limits in the industry — most competitor firms set their max drawdown between 8% and 12%, but most also enforce a daily loss limit of 4–5% that Pipcy Classic doesn't. That single difference removes the daily-revenge-trading death zone that fails most accounts at other firms.
Account sizes and regular pricing:
| Account Size | Fee (regular) | Funded Account Ceiling |
|---|---|---|
| $2.5K | $33 | Up to $75K |
| $5K | $59 | Up to $150K |
| $10K | $99 | Up to $300K |
| $25K | $199 | Up to $750K |
| $50K | $329 | Up to $1.5M |
| $100K | $619 | Up to $3M |
Pricing may change over time, and Pipcy periodically runs limited-time promotional discounts. For the most up-to-date pricing and any active offers, visit the Pipcy Classic challenge page directly.
Evaluation structure: Classic offers both One-Step and Two-Step evaluation paths. One-Step gets you to a funded account faster; Two-Step is structured for stricter consistency verification.
Common terms shared with Pips Mastery: Up to 95% profit split, 48-hour payout processing, 3 minimum trading days, no daily drawdown limit, payout eligibility after 5 trading days.
The Pips Mastery Challenge is a pip-based evaluation challenge with a 250-pip max loss, a 500-pip or 750-pip profit target (X2 or X3 variants), fixed lot sizes tied to account balance, and forex-only trading with news trading permitted. It's Pipcy's industry-first pip-based model — designed for forex traders whose edge is technical execution rather than position sizing.
Pips Mastery measures performance in pips, not dollars. The 250-pip max loss is the same across all account sizes; the variable is the lot size you trade with. A $2.5K account uses a fixed 0.05 lot per trade; a $100K account uses a fixed 2 lots per trade. Same pip risk, different dollar exposure.
Why pip-based: The fixed lot eliminates the over-leveraging trap that kills most prop firm accounts. You can't size up after a winning streak. You can't double down after a loss. The discipline is built into the structure — and that suits traders whose strategy is precision-execution-driven (price action, supply-and-demand, structural reversals like the Quasimodo pattern, or RSI divergence setups).
Account sizes and regular pricing:
| Account Size | Fee (regular) | Funded Lot Size | Fixed Lot Per Trade |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2.5K | $20 | Up to 0.40 | 0.05 |
| $5K | $30 | Up to 0.80 | 0.10 |
| $10K | $59 | Up to 1.60 | 0.20 |
| $25K | $109 | Up to 4 | 0.50 |
| $50K | $229 | Up to 8 | 1 |
| $100K | $419 | Up to 16 | 2 |
Pricing may change over time, and Pipcy periodically runs limited-time promotional discounts. For the most up-to-date pricing and any active offers, visit the Pips Mastery Challenge page directly.
Two variants: Mastery X2 (500-pip profit target) and Mastery X3 (750-pip profit target). X3 is harder to pass but unlocks larger lot scaling faster on the funded account.
News Trading: Permitted. This is uncommon in the industry — most prop firms restrict trading through high-impact news events. Pipcy's pip-based structure plus fixed lot sizes makes news trading manageable from a risk standpoint, so the firm allows it.
The seven key differences are: measurement system, asset class scope, lot sizing rules, news trading allowance, evaluation structure, profit target framing, and funded-account scaling mechanics. Understanding each helps you pick the challenge that fits your strategy.
Classic: Tracks performance in percentage of account balance — 18% target, 12% max loss in dollar terms.
Pips Mastery: Tracks performance in pips — 500 or 750 pip target, 250-pip max loss regardless of account size.
This is the foundational difference. If your trade journal says "+25 pips on that EUR/USD short" or "I aim for 1:2 in pips" — you naturally think in pips, and Pips Mastery's measurement matches. If your journal says "I was up 1.8% this morning" or "I risk 0.5% per trade" — you think in dollars, and Classic matches.
Classic: Forex, indices (S&P 500, NASDAQ, DAX), commodities (gold, silver, oil), crypto (BTC, ETH, popular altcoins). Multi-asset.
Pips Mastery: Forex only. All major and minor currency pairs.
If you trade gold, indices, or crypto alongside forex, Classic is required — Pips Mastery doesn't support multi-asset. If you're a forex specialist who never trades anything else, Pips Mastery's focused structure is built for you.
Classic: Trader chooses lot size on every trade. Standard position-sizing discipline applies — risk per trade, R-multiples, leverage management.
Pips Mastery: Fixed lot size tied to account balance. A $10K account always trades 0.20 lots per trade. No choice. No over-leveraging possible.
For disciplined traders, this difference doesn't matter much — they'd risk the same amount either way. For traders who struggle with position-sizing discipline, the Pips Mastery fixed lot is structural protection from themselves.
Classic: Not permitted.
Pips Mastery: Permitted.
This is a meaningful difference. If your strategy involves trading reactions to economic releases (NFP, FOMC, CPI, ECB rate decisions), Pips Mastery is the only Pipcy challenge that allows it. Classic restricts news trading because the percentage-based + multi-asset structure makes news risk harder to manage.
Classic: One-Step or Two-Step path. One-Step gets you funded faster with a single phase; Two-Step adds a verification phase with lower fees.
Pips Mastery: Single-phase evaluation. Mastery X2 (500-pip target) or Mastery X3 (750-pip target).
Classic's optional Two-Step model offers cheaper entry for traders who want verification phases; Pips Mastery's structure is simpler — pick a pip target, pass it, get funded.
Classic: 18% profit target. Hit it however you want — one big day, gradual accumulation, news-driven moves (where allowed). Dollar-flexible.
Pips Mastery: 500-pip (X2) or 750-pip (X3) target. Pure execution — pips earned through your trade decisions, not through position sizing.
A trader who can earn 18% in 8 trading days with aggressive position sizing might pass Classic quickly. The same trader, if their pip-precision is weaker, might struggle with Pips Mastery's target.
Classic: Account size scales up to $3M ceiling through Pipcy's Growth Plan progression on the funded account.
Pips Mastery: Funded lot size scales as you progress through funded levels (e.g., $10K account starts at 0.20 fixed lot, scales upward).
Both scaling models reward consistency. Classic scales the account balance; Mastery scales the trade size within a fixed account balance. Different paths to the same end — managing larger positions with proven discipline.
The complete side-by-side, including the features that are identical between both challenges:
| Feature | Pipcy Classic | Pips Mastery Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Measurement | Percentage of account | Pips earned |
| Max Loss | 12% (absolute drawdown) | 250 pips |
| Profit Target | 18% | 500 pips (X2) / 750 pips (X3) |
| Daily Drawdown | None | None |
| Trailing Drawdown | None | None |
| Available Assets | Forex, indices, commodities, crypto | Forex only |
| Lot Sizing | Trader-chosen | Fixed lot tied to balance |
| News Trading | Not permitted | Permitted |
| Evaluation Phases | One-Step or Two-Step | Single-phase (X2 or X3) |
| Min Trading Days | 3 | 3 |
| Profit Split | Up to 95% | Up to 95% |
| Payout Processing | Within 48 hours | Within 48 hours |
| Payout Eligibility | After 5 trading days | After 5 trading days |
| Funded Account Ceiling | Up to $3M (via Growth Plan) | Lot size scaling |
| Platform | MT5 | MT5 |
| Account Sizes | $2.5K, $5K, $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K | $2.5K, $5K, $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K |
| Smallest Fee | $33 | $20 |
| Largest Fee | $619 | $419 |
Pips Mastery is consistently cheaper than Classic across every account size. The pricing reflects the structural difference — Pips Mastery's fixed lot size and forex-only scope reduce the firm's risk exposure, so the evaluation fee is lower.
Regular pricing (non-promotional):
| Account Size | Pipcy Classic Fee | Pips Mastery Fee | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2.5K | $33 | $20 | $13 cheaper |
| $5K | $59 | $30 | $29 cheaper |
| $10K | $99 | $59 | $40 cheaper |
| $25K | $199 | $109 | $90 cheaper |
| $50K | $329 | $229 | $100 cheaper |
| $100K | $619 | $419 | $200 cheaper |
A practical note on pricing: Pricing may change over time, and Pipcy periodically runs limited-time promotional discounts. The fees above are regular non-promotional prices as a reference point — for the most current pricing and any active offers, always check the live Pipcy Classic and Pips Mastery pages directly before purchasing.
Pick Pipcy Classic if you trade multiple asset classes, think in dollar P&L or percentage terms, and want flexibility in lot sizing. Pick Pips Mastery if you trade only forex, think in pips per trade, and want the structural protection of fixed lot sizes. The wrong choice doesn't disqualify you from passing — it just makes the work harder.
If you trade both forex AND other asset classes, but your forex strategy is pip-precision-based while your gold/indices strategy is dollar-P&L-based — you might benefit from running both challenges in parallel at smaller account sizes. Pipcy permits multiple active challenges. This is uncommon but a legitimate path for traders with split strategy profiles.
Both challenges share the same core Pipcy economics: up to 95% profit split, 48-hour payout processing, 3-day minimum trading period, no daily drawdown limit, no trailing drawdown, in-house MT5 platform, payout eligibility after 5 trading days, and Pipcy's full team support.
These shared features are what makes Pipcy distinct from most prop firms regardless of which challenge you pick:
Use this 5-question framework to pick the right challenge: (1) Do you trade multi-asset or forex only? (2) Do you measure trades in dollars or pips? (3) Is news trading part of your strategy? (4) Do you want trader-chosen lot sizing or fixed lots? (5) What's your budget? Each answer narrows your choice.
Question 1 — What do you trade?
Question 2 — How do you measure your trading?
Question 3 — Is news trading part of your strategy?
Question 4 — Lot sizing preference?
Question 5 — Budget?
Total your answers. If most point to Classic, pick Classic. If most point to Pips Mastery, pick Pips Mastery. If they're evenly split, default to the cheaper option for the first attempt and use the experience to inform a larger challenge later.
Pipcy Classic uses a 12% absolute (static) drawdown limit. This means the threshold is fixed at 12% below your starting account balance and does not move as the account grows. There is no daily drawdown limit and no trailing drawdown — only the overall 12% max loss matters.
The profit target on Pipcy Classic is 18% of the account balance. Once you reach this target while staying inside the 12% drawdown rule and meeting the 3-day minimum trading requirement, you pass the evaluation and receive a funded account.
No. News trading is not permitted on Pipcy Classic. If you trade news-driven setups (NFP, FOMC, CPI reactions), the Pips Mastery Challenge is the Pipcy challenge that permits this.
Pipcy Classic supports multi-asset trading: forex (all major and minor currency pairs), indices (S&P 500, NASDAQ, DAX, and other global indices), commodities (gold, silver, oil), and cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH, and other popular crypto). All from a single funded account.
Pipcy Classic scales up to a $3M funded account ceiling through the Growth Plan progression. The $100K Classic challenge funds up to $3M; smaller account sizes have proportional ceilings ($75K, $150K, $300K, $750K, $1.5M).
The max loss on the Pips Mastery Challenge is 250 pips. This is the same across all account sizes — $2.5K through $100K. There is no daily drawdown limit and no trailing drawdown.
Pips Mastery offers two variants: Mastery X2 with a 500-pip profit target, and Mastery X3 with a 750-pip profit target. X3 is harder to pass but unlocks faster lot size scaling on the funded account.
Yes. News trading is permitted on the Pips Mastery Challenge. The fixed lot size and pip-based measurement structure makes news risk manageable from the firm's perspective, so Pipcy permits it. This is uncommon in the prop firm industry.
Pips Mastery is focused exclusively on the forex market. You can trade all major and minor currency pairs. Indices, commodities, and crypto are not available on Pips Mastery — for multi-asset trading, choose Pipcy Classic.
The fixed lot size eliminates the over-leveraging trap that fails most prop firm accounts. You can't size up after a winning streak. You can't double down after a loss. The structural discipline forces consistent pip-based risk, which suits traders whose edge is technical execution rather than aggressive position sizing.
Pips Mastery is cheaper across every account size. Regular pricing comparison: $2.5K account ($20 Mastery vs $33 Classic), $10K account ($59 Mastery vs $99 Classic), $100K account ($419 Mastery vs $619 Classic). The pricing reflects Pips Mastery's structural risk reduction — fixed lots and forex-only scope.
Yes. Pipcy permits multiple active challenges. A trader with split strategies — for example, multi-asset percentage trading AND forex pip-precision trading — can run both at smaller account sizes to test both approaches in parallel.
Both Pipcy Classic and Pips Mastery offer up to 95% profit split. This is among the highest in the prop firm industry. Profit splits scale based on funded level — your share increases as you progress through funded scaling tiers.
Both challenges process payouts within 48 hours of request. Payout eligibility kicks in after 5 trading days of meeting the minimum requirements. Pipcy's 48-hour processing is at the fast end of industry standards — most competitor firms process payouts in 7–14 days.
Both Pipcy Classic and Pips Mastery use MetaTrader 5 (MT5). Pipcy runs MT5 through its in-house tech infrastructure — own CRM, own dashboard, own risk engine. No third-party platform dependencies.
Yes — each challenge has its own evaluation. Passing Pipcy Classic does not automatically grant you a Pips Mastery funded account, and vice versa. They are separate products with separate evaluations and separate funded accounts.
If you fail an evaluation (by breaching the max loss limit or other rule), the account is closed and you can purchase a new challenge to try again. There is no waiting period. The evaluation fee is non-refundable. Most successful traders pass on attempt 2 or 3 — first attempts often function as learning experiences for the firm's specific rule structure.
Yes — anyone can purchase a challenge. But succeeding requires a tested strategy, journaling discipline, and realistic risk management. For traders still building their edge, the free Pipcy Academy covers the preparation work before paying for any challenge. For the broader context on prop firm preparation, see our guide on why 90% of traders fail prop challenges.
Pipcy Classic and Pips Mastery use simulated capital in an MT5 demo environment. Profits are paid from Pipcy's revenue pool, not from market gains. This is the standard structure across most retail prop firms and allows Pipcy to operate as a registered legal entity (Pipcy Ltd., Saint Lucia) without requiring broker-dealer registration.
You can't transfer fees between challenges. But you can purchase a new challenge at any time. If you've started Classic and realize Pips Mastery suits your strategy better, your best path is to continue Classic until completion or breach, then start Pips Mastery on your next attempt.
The decision is simpler than most traders make it. Match the challenge to how you actually trade, not to the marketing.
If you trade multiple asset classes and think in dollar P&L → Pipcy Classic. 12% Absolute Drawdown, no daily limit, multi-asset, up to 95% profit split, 48-hour payouts.
If you trade forex with pip-precision execution → Pips Mastery Challenge. 250-pip max loss, fixed lot sizing, news trading permitted, up to 95% profit split, 48-hour payouts.
If you're still building your edge → start with the free Pipcy Academy. Learn the foundations, build the journal discipline, prove your edge on a personal account first — then come back and pick the challenge.
Either way, picking the wrong challenge doesn't disqualify you from passing. It just makes the work harder. Pick the one that fits your trading, and the structure does the work with you.
Trade well, follow the rules, protect the capital.
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