Independent prop firm review · verified 21 September 2026
Alpha Capital Group Review 2026
Our verdict: Alpha Capital Group is best suited to traders who want a UK-based simulated evaluation provider with a choice between one-step, static-drawdown two-step, swing and instant-qualified routes. Alpha Pro is the clearest fit for static drawdown, while Alpha Swing keeps weekend holding on Qualified accounts. The trade-off is funded-stage complexity: on-demand payouts use best-day limits, Alpha Direct adds a 1% max-risk-per-asset rule and 3% profit buffer, and Trustpilot currently withholds the firm’s rating after a guidelines breach.
Best forTraders choosing between static Pro, weekend-friendly Swing, one-step Alpha One or instant-qualified Alpha Direct.
Avoid ifYou rely on fully automated EAs, HFT, simple firm-wide payout rules or need to risk more than the Qualified max-risk limits.
Drawdown strictnessVaries — 4–8% trailing on Alpha One, 6–10% static on Pro, 10% static on Swing and 5% trailing on Direct.
Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission if you purchase through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. This does not affect our score or verdict. Alpha Capital’s rules, configurations and prices can change, so confirm the exact account before paying.
Christian Preciado
Founder & Lead Researcher at PropFirmsCompare
Christian leads PropFirmsCompare’s research into prop-firm rules, pricing, payout policies and programme comparisons, with a focus on verifying material trading conditions before publication.
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Quick Facts
| Brand | Alpha Capital |
|---|---|
| Legal entity | Alpha Capital Group Limited |
| Established | 2021 |
| Jurisdiction | England and Wales, United Kingdom |
| Active programmes | Alpha One 6%, Alpha One 10%, Alpha One 12%, Alpha Pro 6%, Alpha Pro 8%, Alpha Pro 10%, Alpha Swing, Alpha Direct |
| Markets | Forex, Indices, Commodities, Metals |
| Platforms | MT5, cTrader, Dxtrade, TradeLocker |
| Account sizes | $2.5K, $5K, $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K |
| Profit split | 80%; 90% |
| Reward timing | On demand |
| Trustpilot snapshot | Numerical score not displayed because the database snapshot is older than 7 days (last checked 8 September 2026). |
| Last database verification | 8 September 2026 |
Score Breakdown
Our Verdict in 60 Seconds
Alpha Capital Group now offers four clearly different routes rather than the old generic one-step/two-step/three-step menu. Alpha One is a one-step evaluation with 6%, 10% or 12% targets and trailing drawdown. Alpha Pro is a two-step evaluation with 6%, 8% or 10% variants and static drawdown. Alpha Swing is a two-step model that keeps weekend holding on Qualified accounts. Alpha Direct skips evaluation entirely but adds a tighter funded-stage rule set.
For most traders who want predictable account risk, Alpha Pro is the clearest starting point. Its static maximum loss stays tied to the initial balance, and the 8% and 10% variants use straightforward balance-based daily limits. Traders can choose on-demand or bi-weekly payouts at purchase. The trade-off is that Qualified Pro accounts cannot hold over the weekend and purchases made after 21 July 2026 are subject to a max-risk-per-asset rule.
Alpha Swing is better for genuine swing traders because weekend holding remains allowed after qualification. Alpha Direct is useful if skipping an evaluation matters more than flexibility, but its 1% max-risk-per-asset rule, 15% best-day requirement, 3% permanent profit buffer and no-EA/no-weekend rules make it materially stricter than the headline ‘instant’ label suggests.
Why trust this review?
This review was rechecked against Alpha Capital Group’s current Help Centre, terms, programme rules, payout policies, platform guidance, country restrictions and current Trustpilot profile on 21 September 2026. We also cross-checked the structured Prop Firms Compare database. We have not independently purchased a new Alpha Capital account for this update, benchmarked execution, or completed a payout specifically for this review, so those areas are not presented as first-hand testing.
Jump to
- Company Overview
- Pros and Cons
- Who It Is For
- Programme Comparison
- Drawdown & Risk Rules
- Trading Rules & Restrictions
- Payout System & Reliability
- Challenge Fairness
- Pricing, Add-ons & Value
- Platforms & Technology
- Support, Transparency & Reputation
- Country Availability
- Payout Rules
- Strategy Compatibility Matrix
- Final Verdict
Compare Alpha Capital
If Alpha Pro is on your shortlist, read our FTMO vs Alpha Capital comparison for a side-by-side look at evaluation rules, drawdown, fees, payouts and platforms. You can also use the prop firm comparison tool to compare individual programmes rather than firm-level averages.
Company Overview
Alpha Capital Group launched in 2021 and operates a simulated trading evaluation business through Alpha Capital Group Limited, an England and Wales company. Its current terms make an important distinction: the evaluation and Qualified Analyst accounts are simulated or virtual, and Alpha Capital Group says it is not carrying out regulated investment business requiring FCA authorisation. We therefore do not describe the prop-firm service itself as FCA-regulated.
The current purchase catalogue consists of Alpha One, Alpha Pro, Alpha Swing and Alpha Direct. Alpha Three remains documented in the Help Centre but is no longer a current live-checkout product and should be treated as historical rather than placed alongside active programmes.
Alpha Capital Group Pros and Cons
✅ Pros
- Current catalogue covers one-step, two-step, swing and instant-qualified routes.
- Alpha Pro and Alpha Swing use static maximum drawdown, which is easier to model than a trailing high-water mark.
- Alpha One and Alpha Swing allow weekend holding on Qualified accounts.
- No maximum completion time on evaluations; the practical time constraint is the 30-day inactivity rule.
- On-demand payouts are available on current Alpha One, Pro, Swing and Direct products when eligibility rules are met.
- Alpha Pro can instead use a bi-weekly payout route selected at purchase.
- MT5, cTrader, DXTrade and TradeLocker are supported, subject to residency and product restrictions.
- Eligible Alpha Pro and Swing accounts can participate in the scaling plan up to a cumulative $2 million.
❌ Cons
- On-demand payouts on Alpha One, Pro and Swing require a 40% best-day rule and at least 2% gross profit.
- Alpha Direct is stricter than its instant-qualified headline suggests: 1% max risk per asset, 15% best day and a 3% permanent profit buffer.
- Qualified Alpha Pro accounts cannot hold positions over the weekend.
- Qualified Alpha Pro, Alpha One and Alpha Direct restrict opening or closing the affected instrument within ±5 minutes of listed high-impact news.
- Fully automated EAs are prohibited; only approved risk-management/trade-assistance EAs are allowed on MT5.
- Qualified accounts purchased after 21 July 2026 face a max-risk-per-asset rule of 2–3%, while Alpha Direct uses 1%.
- Evaluation fees are not generally refundable, and optional 90% split/swap-free upgrades increase the purchase price.
- Trustpilot currently withholds the firm’s aggregate rating following a guidelines breach.
Who is Alpha Capital Group For
Alpha Capital is best suited to traders who can choose a programme around their actual holding period and risk model rather than simply buying the cheapest account. The biggest practical distinction is between static drawdown on Pro/Swing and trailing drawdown on One/Direct.
- Static-drawdown traders: Alpha Pro 6%, 8% or 10% gives a fixed maximum-loss floor during normal trading.
- Swing traders: Alpha Swing keeps overnight and weekend holding after qualification; compare it with other prop firms for swing traders.
- Traders wanting one evaluation phase: Alpha One offers 6%, 10% and 12% target variants with different trailing drawdown allowances.
- Traders who want to skip evaluation: Alpha Direct starts Qualified immediately, but compare it with other instant funding prop firms because its funded-stage risk rules are restrictive.
- Traders focused on scaling: Alpha Pro and Swing are eligible for the current scaling plan; Alpha One and Direct are not.
Who should avoid it
Alpha Capital is not a good fit for fully automated EA traders, HFT strategies, group-copying services or traders who routinely concentrate open risk in one asset. It can also be unnecessarily complex for a first-time prop trader because payout route, weekend permissions and Qualified-stage restrictions differ by programme. Newer traders can compare the best prop firms for beginners before choosing.
Programme Comparison
The dynamic table below covers the eight active Alpha Capital programme variants. Alpha Three is excluded because it is no longer available for new purchases.
| Rule | Alpha One 6% | Alpha One 10% | Alpha One 12% | Alpha Pro 6% | Alpha Pro 8% | Alpha Pro 10% | Alpha Swing | Alpha Direct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evaluation steps | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | None |
| Account sizes | $5K, $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K | $5K, $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K | $5K, $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K | $5K, $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K | $5K, $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K | $5K, $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K | $5K, $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K | $2.5K, $5K, $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K |
| Starting fee | From $37 | From $47 | From $57 | From $27 | From $37 | From $33 | From $70 | From $20 |
| Profit target | 6% | 10% | 12% | 6% | 8% → 5% | 10% → 5% | 10% → 5% | None |
| Daily loss | 3% / 4% | 4% | 5% | 3% | 4% | 5% | 5% | 3% |
| Maximum loss | 4% trailing | 6% trailing | 8% trailing | 6% static | 8% static | 10% static | 10% static | 5% trailing |
| Min. trading/profitable days | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | None |
| Time limit | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Consistency rule | Funded: ≤ 40% | Funded: ≤ 40% | Funded: ≤ 40% | Funded: ≤ 40% | Funded: ≤ 40% | Funded: ≤ 40% | Funded: ≤ 40% | Funded: ≤ 15% |
| Profit split | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 90% |
| Reward timing | On demand | On demand | On demand | On demand | On demand | On demand | On demand | On demand |
Live structured snapshot from Supabase. Last database verification: 8 September 2026.
Alpha One 6%, 10% and 12%
Evaluation stage: all three are one-step evaluations with a one-day minimum and no maximum completion deadline. One 6 uses a 6% target and 4% trailing maximum drawdown; One 10 uses a 10% target and 6% trailing drawdown; One 12 uses a 12% target and 8% trailing drawdown. Daily loss is 3% during the One 6 evaluation, 4% on One 10 and 5% on One 12. Qualified stage: One 6’s daily limit becomes 4%; weekend holding remains allowed, but the ±5-minute high-impact news restriction applies. On-demand payouts use a 40% best-day rule and 2% minimum gross profit.
Alpha Pro 6%, 8% and 10%
Evaluation stage: Pro 6 targets 6% then 6% with 3% daily loss and 6% static maximum loss. Pro 8 targets 8% then 5% with 4% daily and 8% static maximum loss. Pro 10 targets 10% then 5% with 5% daily and 10% static maximum loss. Each phase has a three-trading-day minimum and no maximum completion deadline. Qualified stage: traders choose on-demand or bi-weekly payouts at purchase. Weekend holding is not allowed, and the ±5-minute high-impact news restriction applies.
Alpha Swing
Evaluation stage: two phases with 10% then 5% targets, 5% daily loss, 10% static maximum loss and three minimum trading days per phase. Qualified stage: weekend holding remains allowed, making Swing materially different from Alpha Pro. News trading is also handled differently: a trade initiated within two minutes before or after a relevant news release must remain open for more than two minutes. Alpha Swing uses on-demand payouts only.
Alpha Direct
Qualified from purchase: there is no evaluation. Alpha Direct uses a 3% daily loss limit and 5% trailing high-water-mark maximum drawdown that locks at the starting balance after 5% growth. It also has a 1% maximum-risk-per-asset rule from the first trade. The standard split is 90%. Before the first on-demand payout, the account must build and retain a 3% profit buffer, generate at least 1% additional gross profit and satisfy a 15% best-day rule. Weekend holding and EAs are not allowed.
What happened to Alpha Three?
Alpha Three remains documented in Alpha Capital’s Help Centre for existing account holders, but Alpha’s more recent product material says it is no longer available in live checkout. It is therefore treated as a historical programme in this review rather than a current purchase option.
Before choosing an Alpha Capital programme
Choose the drawdown method and Qualified-stage rules before the profit target. Alpha Pro is easier to model if you want a fixed loss floor; Alpha Swing is the better fit for weekend holds; Alpha Direct removes the evaluation but adds the tightest funded-stage risk controls.
Drawdown & Risk Rules
Alpha Capital uses both static and trailing drawdown. Alpha Pro and Alpha Swing use static maximum loss tied to the initial balance. Alpha One and Alpha Direct use a high-water-mark trailing loss floor that rises with the highest balance until it reaches the programme’s locking point. This difference matters more than the headline account size.
Worked example — $100,000 Alpha Pro 10: the 10% static maximum loss fixes the overall breach floor at $90,000. Even if the balance rises to $110,000, the maximum-loss floor remains $90,000. The separate daily loss is 5%, calculated from the relevant day-start balance reference at 00:00 GMT+3.
Worked example — $100,000 Alpha One 10: the 6% trailing maximum loss initially places the floor at $94,000. If the highest balance reaches $102,000, the floor becomes $96,000. Once the account grows by the full 6%, the loss floor locks at the original $100,000 balance.
Use the drawdown calculator to model the loss floor and the position size calculator to check whether your stop-loss leaves sufficient room inside the daily and Qualified-stage max-risk limits.
Trading Rules & Restrictions
Alpha Capital’s evaluation stages are generally more permissive than its Qualified accounts. Traders need to distinguish rules that affect challenge completion from rules that can invalidate Qualified-stage profits or close an account.
- News trading: freely allowed during current evaluations. On Qualified Alpha Pro, One and Direct accounts, opening or closing the affected instrument is restricted from five minutes before until five minutes after listed high-impact events. Alpha Swing uses a separate two-minute-duration rule. Check upcoming events with our economic calendar.
- Weekend holding: allowed at all stages on Alpha One and Swing. Pro evaluation accounts can hold over weekends, but Qualified Pro cannot. Alpha Direct cannot hold over weekends.
- Overnight holding: generally permitted on the current Forex programmes, subject to swaps and programme-specific rules.
- EAs: MT5 risk-management and trade-assistance EAs can be approved. Fully automated EAs are prohibited. EAs are unavailable on cTrader, DXTrade, TradeLocker, Swap-Free and Alpha Direct accounts.
- Copy trading: permitted between the trader’s own authorised accounts after providing the required account information; copying unrelated traders or group services is prohibited.
- HFT/arbitrage/group trading: prohibited under the current trading policies.
- Lot exposure: Qualified accounts have account-size-based maximum lot exposure; Alpha Swing uses lower lot limits than the other plans.
- Inactivity: all stages have a 30-consecutive-day inactivity limit. Genuine trading activity, not just a login, is required.
- VPN/VPS/shared IP: Alpha requires prior notification for VPN/VPS use and shared household IP situations.
Payout System & Reliability
Alpha Capital currently offers two payout structures, but not every programme gets both. Alpha One and Alpha Swing are on-demand only. Alpha Pro can be purchased with either on-demand or bi-weekly payouts, and the route is selected at signup. Alpha Direct uses its own on-demand rules.
For on-demand Alpha Pro, Swing and One accounts, the trader needs at least 2% gross profit and a 40% best-day ratio. Alpha Direct first requires a 3% profit buffer that must remain in the account, then at least 1% additional gross profit and a 15% best-day ratio. Bi-weekly Alpha Pro accounts can request every 14 days, with at least $100 gross profit and five trading days required for the first request.
Alpha states that valid performance-fee requests are processed and paid within two business days. Current payout methods include Rise, Wise and bank transfer (WIRE/ACH/SWIFT); crypto withdrawals can be routed through Rise. These are published conditions, not first-hand payout testing by Prop Firms Compare.
Challenge Fairness
The evaluation routes have no maximum completion deadline, which removes the need to force trades simply because a calendar is expiring. Alpha One requires only one trading day; Pro and Swing require three days per phase. The range of static, trailing and swing-specific structures also gives traders a meaningful choice rather than forcing one risk model on everyone.
The deduction comes after qualification. Payout consistency, max-risk-per-asset limits, lot exposure, news restrictions and weekend rules can materially change once the evaluation is passed. Traders preparing for an evaluation can use our guide to passing a prop firm challenge and challenge probability calculator.
Pricing, Add-ons & Value
Alpha Capital’s checkout is dynamic and the firm regularly changes promotions, so temporary coupon pricing is not used as the baseline in this review. The table below uses regular/list-price data stored in the Prop Firms Compare database. The final live checkout price immediately before publication because Alpha’s own pricing resources warn that checkout and promotions can change the amount paid.
| Programme | $2.5K | $5K | $10K | $25K | $50K | $100K | $200K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha One 6% | — | $37 | $67 | $157 | $237 | $397 | $647 |
| Alpha One 10% | — | $47 | $87 | $187 | $277 | $477 | $947 |
| Alpha One 12% | — | $57 | $107 | $217 | $347 | $587 | — |
| Alpha Pro 6% | — | $27 | $47 | $117 | $217 | $397 | $797 |
| Alpha Pro 8% | — | $37 | $57 | $177 | $297 | $527 | $997 |
| Alpha Pro 10% | — | $33 | $77 | $177 | $267 | $447 | $897 |
| Alpha Swing | — | $70 | $147 | $247 | $357 | $577 | $1,097 |
| Alpha Direct | $20 | $67 | $97 | $197 | $257 | $457 | $897 |
Current active/list pricing stored in Supabase. Temporary promotions should remain outside the database unless deliberately recorded as time-limited offers. Last database verification: 8 September 2026.
Default terms vs optional add-ons
The headline 90% split should not be presented as a universal default. Alpha One and eligible on-demand Alpha Pro accounts use an 80% standard split, with an optional 90% profit-split upgrade priced at roughly 10% of the base plan. Alpha Direct is different: 90% is standard. Alpha Swing currently uses its standard on-demand split without the 90% add-on.
Swap-Free is another optional upgrade, available on MT5 for Alpha One and Alpha Pro. Alpha prices it at roughly 10% above the base plan. It replaces swap charges with a $5-per-lot charge in each direction, uses Standard spreads and disables EA use. Add-ons must be selected at purchase and cannot be added later.
Check our prop firm discount codes page separately for current offers rather than relying on a promotion embedded in an evergreen review.
Platforms & Technology
Alpha Capital currently supports MetaTrader 5, cTrader, DXTrade and TradeLocker. Platform availability depends on location: US residents cannot use MT5, and cTrader is not accepting new US customers, while existing US cTrader users can continue and purchase new evaluations. DXTrade and TradeLocker remain available to US customers under the current guidance.
Leverage also varies by programme. Alpha Pro offers up to 1:100 on FX, while Alpha One, Swing and Direct use up to 1:30 on FX. We have not independently benchmarked Alpha’s execution speed, spreads, slippage or platform uptime for this update, so those are not presented as tested advantages.
Support, Transparency & Reputation
Alpha Capital publishes detailed Help Centre material covering programme rules, drawdown calculations, payouts, country restrictions, KYC, copy trading, EAs, IP rules and prohibited strategies. Technical support is published as available by email on weekdays from 08:00 to 20:00 GMT, with Discord and live chat also offered; Alpha says weekend response times may be delayed.
The legal wording is also relatively clear. Alpha Capital Group’s terms state that its evaluation and Qualified Analyst accounts are simulated and that the business is not carrying out regulated investment business requiring FCA authorisation. This is why the review does not call the prop-firm service FCA-regulated.
The main current reputation caveat is Trustpilot. Its aggregate rating is unavailable because of a guidelines breach, and Trustpilot says it removed fake reviews. The profile displayed 21,673 reviews when checked. We treat individual third-party reviews as contextual feedback only and do not infer payout reliability from them.
Country Availability
Alpha Capital says it is available in more than 150 countries. Its current restricted nationality/residency list includes Afghanistan, Belarus, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Crimea and other listed sanctioned Ukrainian regions, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Cuba, North Korea, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, Russia, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Venezuela, Vietnam and Republic of Congo.
US residents are currently accepted but have platform restrictions: no MT5, no new cTrader customers, with DXTrade and TradeLocker available. UK traders can compare Alpha with the best prop firms for UK traders; US residents can use the US prop firms guide. KYC is required before Qualified credentials after an evaluation, while Alpha Direct KYC occurs when the trader first becomes eligible to request a payout.
Payout Rules
Evaluation targets and Qualified-stage payout eligibility are different. The key current payout rules are:
| Programme | Payout route | Standard split | Key Qualified-stage conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha One 6/10/12 | On-demand only | 80%; optional 90% add-on | At least 2% gross profit; 40% best-day rule; trailing drawdown may require a profit buffer after it locks to starting balance. |
| Alpha Pro 6/8/10 — on-demand | On-demand | 80%; optional 90% add-on | At least 2% gross profit; 40% best-day rule; Qualified max-risk-per-asset rule applies to post-21 July 2026 purchases. |
| Alpha Pro 6/8/10 — bi-weekly | Every 14 days | 80% | $100 gross minimum; first request requires five trading days using the same strategy; cannot switch to on-demand later. |
| Alpha Swing | On-demand only | 80% | At least 2% gross profit; 40% best-day rule; weekend holding remains allowed. |
| Alpha Direct | On-demand | 90% | 3% permanent profit buffer + at least 1% additional gross profit; 15% best-day rule; 1% max risk per asset. |
Maximum Allocation and Scaling
Evaluation purchases are not capped, but Qualified allocation is. Alpha currently publishes a $400,000 maximum Qualified allocation per household and a $300,000 maximum per strategy/asset. Scaling is available on Alpha Pro and Alpha Swing: after 10% virtual capital growth, an eligible trader at the withdrawal stage can request a 10% increase based on the initial balance, up to a cumulative $2 million across scaled accounts. Alpha One and Alpha Direct do not scale.
Strategy Compatibility Matrix
| Trader type / rule | Status | Important conditions |
|---|---|---|
| News trading | Conditional | Qualified Account: Qualified: No Opening Or Closing Targeted Instrument 5 Minutes Before Or After Listed High Impact News Evaluation / Qualified Account / Phase 1 / Phase 2: Qualified: No Opening Or Closing Targeted Instrument 5 Minutes Before Or After Listed High Impact News; Evaluation: Allowed Phase 1 / Phase 2 / Qualified Account: Qualified: If Initiated Within 2 Minutes Before Or After News, Trade Duration Must Exceed 2 Minutes; Evaluation: Allowed |
| Overnight holding | Allowed | Overnight holding is allowed. |
| Weekend holding | Conditional | Qualified Account: Weekend holding is prohibited. Evaluation / Qualified Account / Phase 1 / Phase 2: Qualified: 1; Evaluation: 1 Phase 1 / Phase 2 / Qualified Account: Qualified: ; Evaluation: 1; Qualified Breach: Soft; Profits From Weekend Held Trades Removed If Account Remains Above Max Drawdown |
| EA / algo trading | Conditional | Qualified Account: EA / algo trading is prohibited. Evaluation / Qualified Account / Phase 1 / Phase 2: Mt5: Risk Management And Trade Assistance EAs Only; Pre Approval Required; Alpha Direct: ; Fully Automated Eas: ; Ctrader Dxtrade Tradelocker: |
| Copy trading | Conditional | Copying Other Traders: Prohibited; Between Own Alpha Accounts: Allowed With Prior Notification; Own External Account As Master: Allowed With Proof Of Ownership And Prior Authorisation |
| Inactivity | Restricted | Inactivity limit: 30 days. |
| US traders | Available | United States is not listed as generally restricted in the current structured country rules. |
This matrix only publishes rules present in the structured Supabase data; it does not infer missing strategy permissions. Last database verification: 8 September 2026.
Best Alpha Capital Alternatives
The alternatives below address specific Alpha Capital weaknesses rather than simply listing other high-scoring firms:
- FTMO — compare it if you want a more standardised evaluation and funded-stage structure rather than Alpha’s multiple payout routes and programme-specific restrictions. See the full FTMO vs Alpha Capital comparison.
- The5ers — worth comparing if long-term scaling and swing-style trading matter more than Alpha’s on-demand best-day framework.
- E8 Markets — compare E8 Pro if you want a one-phase static-drawdown route with a different funded-stage payout model rather than Alpha Pro’s two-step structure.
- Instant Funding — relevant if direct funding is your priority but Alpha Direct’s 1% max-risk-per-asset rule, 15% best-day rule and permanent 3% buffer are too restrictive.
Final Verdict
Alpha Capital Group’s strongest feature is that its current programmes solve genuinely different trading needs. Alpha Pro gives static drawdown and high FX leverage; Alpha Swing preserves weekend holding on Qualified accounts; Alpha One shortens the evaluation to one phase; and Alpha Direct removes evaluation entirely.
The main weakness is the number of Qualified-stage rules that sit behind those choices. On-demand payouts use best-day limits, post-July Qualified accounts have max-risk-per-asset limits, weekend/news permissions change by programme, and Alpha Direct requires a permanent 3% buffer. The current Trustpilot guidelines warning also means the firm’s old numerical Trustpilot score should not be used as shorthand for reputation.
For traders who want a conventional risk structure, Alpha Pro 8 or 10 is the clearest place to start because the static maximum loss is easier to model than Alpha One or Direct’s trailing drawdown. Swing traders should look closely at Alpha Swing. Traders deciding between Alpha Pro and a more standardised competitor should read our FTMO vs Alpha Capital comparison before buying.
Alpha Capital Group Review FAQs
Alpha Capital Group is an identifiable UK-registered simulated-trading business with published programme rules, payout policies, KYC requirements and support channels. Its current Trustpilot aggregate rating is unavailable following a guidelines breach, so we do not use the old numerical Trustpilot score as a current trust signal.
Alpha Capital Group’s own terms say its evaluation and Qualified Analyst services use simulated trading and that it is not carrying out regulated investment business requiring FCA authorisation. Company registration should not be confused with financial regulation. A separate group-related broker may have its own regulatory status, but that does not make the Alpha Capital Group prop-firm evaluation service FCA-regulated.
Alpha One is a one-step evaluation using trailing maximum drawdown, with 6%, 10% and 12% target variants. Alpha Pro is a two-step evaluation using static maximum drawdown, with 6%, 8% and 10% variants. Alpha Pro can use on-demand or bi-weekly payouts; Alpha One is on-demand only.
Yes. Alpha Direct is the current instant-qualified route. There is no evaluation phase. It uses a 3% daily loss limit, 5% trailing maximum drawdown, a 1% maximum-risk-per-asset rule, 15% best-day rule, a 3% profit buffer before the first payout and a 90% standard profit split.
On-demand payouts are available on Alpha One, Alpha Pro, Alpha Swing and Alpha Direct once programme-specific eligibility rules are met. Alpha Pro can instead be purchased with a bi-weekly payout route, where requests start 14 days after the first Qualified trade. Alpha says valid performance-fee requests are processed and paid within two business days.
It depends on the programme and stage. Alpha One and Alpha Swing allow weekend holding during evaluation and on Qualified accounts. Alpha Pro allows it during evaluation but not on Qualified accounts. Alpha Direct does not allow weekend holding.
News trading is allowed during evaluation programmes. On Qualified Alpha Pro, Alpha One and Alpha Direct accounts, opening or closing the affected instrument is restricted from five minutes before until five minutes after listed high-impact news. Alpha Swing uses a different rule: trades initiated within two minutes before or after news must remain open for more than two minutes.
Only limited EA use is allowed. On MT5, risk-management and trade-assistance EAs can be approved. Fully automated EAs are prohibited. EA functionality is not available on cTrader, DXTrade, TradeLocker, Swap-Free accounts or Alpha Direct.
US residents can currently use Alpha Capital Group, but platform access is restricted. MT5 is unavailable in the US, and cTrader is not accepting new US customers. DXTrade and TradeLocker are available under the current platform guidance.
Sources Checked for This Review
- Alpha One 6% / 10% / 12% — official programme rules
- Alpha Pro 6% — official programme rules
- Alpha Pro 8% / 10% — official programme rules
- Alpha Swing — official programme rules
- Alpha Direct — official programme rules
- On-Demand performance fee rules
- Bi-Weekly performance fee rules
- Qualified Max Risk Rule
- News trading rules
- Weekend holding rules
- EA rules
- Platform availability
- Country restrictions
- Alpha Capital Group terms and simulated-trading/legal disclosure
- Trustpilot — current Alpha Capital Group profile