Glow Node Review: Is Glow Node a Good Prop Firm? [2024]

Glow Node is a company established in 2022 in the United Kingdom. It offers one and two-phase challenges with 5 account sizes, ranging from $10,000 to $200,000. Maximum sum of funds is $300,000 per customer. The platform offers a growth opportunity where traders can increase their funds every quarter, up to $1,000,000.

It enables trading in the forex market, metals, commodities, indices, and cryptocurrencies. Glow Node uses Match-Trader as liquidity provider. Customers can use the Match-Trader platform. The company accepts payments by credit/debit card and cryptocurrencies.

Customer support is available all week through discord and live chat. Glow Node is active on social media as Facebook, X, Instagram, Discord, YouTube, Telegram and TikTok. Customer reviews are generally positive – 4.2 on Trustpilot.

Company Profile

Location of Operations:

86-90 Paul Street, London, England, United Kingdom

Company Info:

Date of Incorporation: April 2022

Type: Financial Services

Restricted countries: Pakistan

CEO of Glow Node:

Sam Bradbury: CEO and founder of Glow Node. Additionally, he manages Propriotec, a technology firm that provides modern solutions for other trading companies and various industries. He also runs a YouTube channel where he reviews prop firms and offers free education.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-bradbury-08b322246

Ryan Beasley: CEO and founder of Glow Node. Full stack developer, trader, and entrepreneur with a longstanding passion for technology, having worked on multiple global projects.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-beasley-3557b71b2

Key Information

2-Phase Challenge

Challenge name	2-Phase Beginner
Challenge fee 100 000$	$500
FX leverage	1:30
EA trading	No
News trading	No
Weekend holding	Yes

Glow Node In Detail

Challenge Type

2-Phase Challenge

The 2-Phase Challenge offers a path for traders to earn a funded proprietary trading account. The challenge has two stages, and accounts can only be bought in Dollars. There are five available account sizes, with the max allocation being $300,000. Participants can set their own risk limits, with overall risk ranging from 5% to 12% and daily risk from 3% to 6%. There are three levels of difficulty to choose from: Beginner, Standard, and Glow.

Beginner Preset:

• Phase 1: Requires an 8% profit target.
• Phase 2: Sets a 4% profit target.
• Both phases have a daily drawdown limit of up to 5% and an overall drawdown limit of up to 10%.
• There are no restrictions on the maximum or minimum number of trading days.

Standard Preset:

• Phase 1: Requires an 8% profit target.
• Phase 2: Sets a 4% profit target.
• Both phases have a daily drawdown limit of up to 4% and an overall drawdown limit of up to 8%.
• There are no restrictions on the maximum or minimum number of trading days.

Glow Preset:

• Phase 1: Requires an 8% profit target.
• Phase 2: Sets a 4% profit target.
• Both phases have a daily drawdown limit of up to 3% and an overall drawdown limit of up to 5%.
• There are no restrictions on the maximum or minimum number of trading days.

In the funded account phase, there are no specific profit targets but the same drawdown conditions as the qualifying phases apply. There are also no restrictions on the maximum or minimum number of trading days.

Upon successfully passing the challenge, traders are eligible for a 100% refund of their fee. Additionally, the first withdrawal can be made after 14 days, or after 7 days for an additional fee. The profit split is either 80/20 or can be improved to 90/10 for an additional fee.

Trading overnight	Yes
Trading during weekends	Yes
News Trading	Yes
EA Trading	No
Cryptocurrencies	Yes

1-Phase Challenge

The 1-Phase Challenge offers a path for traders to earn a funded proprietary trading account. The challenge has One stage, and accounts can only be bought in Dollars. There are five available account sizes, with the max allocation being $300,000. Participants can set their own risk limits, with overall risk ranging from 5% to 8% and daily risk from 3% to 5%. There are two levels of difficulty to choose from: Standard and Glow.

Standard Preset:

• Phase 1: Requires a 10% profit target.
• Both phases have a daily drawdown limit of up to 4% and an overall drawdown limit of up to 8%.
• There are no restrictions on the maximum or minimum number of trading days.

Glow Preset:

• Phase 1: Requires a 10% profit target.
• Both phases have a daily drawdown limit of up to 3% and an overall drawdown limit of up to 5%.
• There are no restrictions on the maximum or minimum number of trading days.

In the funded account phase, there are no specific profit targets but the same drawdown conditions as the qualifying phases apply. There are also no restrictions on the maximum or minimum number of trading days.

Upon successfully passing the challenge, traders are eligible for a 100% refund of their fee. Additionally, the first withdrawal can be made after 14 days, or after 7 days for an additional fee. The profit split is either 80/20 or can be improved to 90/10 for an additional fee.

Trading overnight	Yes
Trading during weekends	Yes
News Trading	Yes
EA Trading	No
Cryptocurrencies	Yes

Scaling Plan

Rate: 4.0

The program stipulates a minimum trading duration of three months. During this period, participants are eligible to receive 10% of any payouts. To qualify for payouts, the account balance must exceed the initial balance. Participants have the opportunity to increase their account by 30% of the initial balance. Upon successful scaling, the payout distribution adjusts to a 90:10 split, with 90% allocated to the participant and 10% to the platform. This scaling process can be repeated until the account balance reaches a maximum of $1,000,000.

Example of Scaling Plan

Elapsed Time	Capital Increase	Profit Split
0 months	$100 000	80/20
3 months	$130 000	90/10
6 months	$169 000	90/10
9 months	$219 700	90/10
12 months	$285 610	90/10

Challenge Fees

Rate: 3.9

Comparison of Direct Challenge Costs

We compare the direct costs of participating in the challenge offered by Glow Node 2-Phase Beginner Challenge with the average market costs. This analysis enables understanding of how Glow Node fares against its competitors in terms of pricing. The cost for the 2-Phase Beginner challenge at Glow Node aligns with the market average.

Challenge Size	Market Average Price	Challenge Price	Difference
$10 000	$108	$100	-$8
$25 000	$209	$200	-$9
$50 000	$310	$350	+$40
$100 000	$515	$500	-$15
$200 000	$969	$1000	+$31

Comparison of Costs Relative to Drawdown

It is important to note that the size of drawdown has a significant impact on what we actually receive for the money spent. The Evaluation Challenge has a drawdown at the level of 10%. Therefore, we additionally compare how much drawdown we receive in relation to the dollar spent.

Challenge Size	Market Average Price [Drawdown $/$]	Challenge Price [Drawdown $/$]	Difference [Drawdown $/$]
$10 000	8,6	10,0	+1,4
$25 000	11,4	12,5	+1,1
$50 000	15,4	14,3	-1,1
$100 000	18,5	20,0	+1,5
$200 000	20,4	20,0	-0,4

Evaluation of the Cost-Effectiveness of the Glow Node Account Challenge

Based on the above data, as well as algorithms we have developed, we assess the cost-effectiveness of purchasing the Glow Node Account Challenge as good compared to the market average. The expenditure efficiency in the context of drawdown indicates a similar cost-effectiveness than the market average.

Assets

Forex

AUDCAD	AUDCHF	AUDJPY	AUDNZD	AUDUSD
CADCHF	CADJPY	CHFJPY	EURAUD	EURCAD
EURCHF	EURGBP	EURJPY	EURNOK	EURNZD
EURPLN	EURSEK	EURTRY	EURUSD	GBPAUD
GBPCAD	GBPCHF	GBPJPY	GBPNZD	GBPUSD
NZDCAD	NZDCHF	NZDJPY	NZDUSD	SGDJPY
USDCAD	USDCHF	USDJPY	USDCNH	USDHKD
USDMXN	USDNOK	USDPLN	USDSEK	USDSGD
USDTRY	USDZAR

Metals

XAUUSD	XAGUSD	XPTUSD	COPPER	ALUMINIUM
XPDUSD	ZINC

Commodities

BRENTcash	COCOAcash	COFFEEcash	CORNcash	COTTONcash
NGAScash	SOYBEANcash	SUGARcash	WHEATcash	WTIcash

Indices

AUS200cash	CHNcash	EU50cash	FRA40cash	GER30cash
HKcash	ITA40cash	JAP225cash	SPA35cash	SUI20cash
UK100cash	US100cash	US2000cash	US30cash	US500cash
USDIDXcash

Cryptocurrencies

BTCUSD	ETHUSD	ADAUSD	AVEUSD	BCHUSD
BSVUSD	BTCEUR	BNBUSD	DOGUSD	DOTUSD
DSHUSD	EOSUSD	ETHBTC	LNKUSD	LTCUSD
SOLUSD	THTUSD	TRXUSD	UNIUSD	XEMUSD
XLMUSD	XMRUSD	XRPEUR	XRPUSD	XTZUSD

UX Rating

Rate: 3.2

Glow Node website stands out for its exceptional UX design, offering clear, accessible information, a streamlined registration process, and robust technological and trading infrastructure. It effectively guides users through understanding the company’s services, registering an account, and purchasing a trading challenge. The user-friendly design and consistent branding significantly enhance the user experience. Moreover, the site’s intuitive layout and informative content structure contribute to an effortless navigation experience. 

Trading Conditions

Server Provider

Glow Node uses Match-Traderas liquidity provider.

Match-Trader offers an ecosystem developed to optimize the performance of various trading tools. Key components include the Match-Trader trading platform, which is a standalone, modern trading platform designed with traders in mind and a mobile-first approach. It utilizes progressive web application technology to adapt to modern investment needs, helping Forex brokers and Prop firms enter or expand in the Forex market.

The system includes comprehensive solutions such as the Client Office app for traders, CRM for Forex brokers, and the newly developed Turnkey Prop Trading solution. This solution offers challenge-based trading and a management system for handling funded accounts. An internally developed blockchain-based payment platform facilitates settlements between brokers and traders. The system also provides ultra-fast data transmission and multi-asset liquidity through its strategic partner, Match-Prime Liquidity, which is regulated by CySEC.

The proprietary trading server is offered either as a full license or White Label, allowing for branding flexibility, adherence to the highest security standards, and demonstrated high processing efficiency. Match-Trader has few reviews on Trustpilot, and their average rating is only 2.2.

Platforms

Glow Node offers trading on the Match-Traderplatform.

Leverage

Leverage on accounts:

• 1:30 – Forex
• 1:20 – Metals
• 1:10 – Commodities
• 1:10 – Indices
• 1:2 – Crypto

Deposits and Withdrawals

Deposits

Supported Payment Methods:

• Credit/Deposit Card (available globally)
• Cryptocurrencies

Withdrawals

The following guidelines pertain to the payout procedure for live accounts:

• Participants are eligible to request their first payout after maintaining a live account for 14 calendar days. There is no minimum amount required for the payout.
• Subsequent payout requests can only be made at intervals of 14 days following a previous request.
• Violations of account rules within the initial 14 days render participants ineligible for a payout. Violations after 14 days will result in receiving 50% of the remaining profits.
• Participants are required to close all open trades prior to submitting a payout request and must abstain from trading until the payout request has been confirmed.
• Payout requests can be submitted at any time through the participant’s dashboard, with confirmations typically completed within 7 days.
• Payments are facilitated through RiseWorks.io. Participants must create and verify an account on RiseWorks.io. Following a payout request, participants will be invited to join the payment transfer team. Withdrawals can be made using various methods available on RiseWorks.io.

Support

Glow Node offers customer support services seven days a week through various channels including a Discord ticket system, live chat, and a help center. Below are the details of the available support options:

• Live Chat – Directly available from the site
• Discord server – https://discord.com/invite/glownode
• Help Center – https://www.glow-node.com/#faqs

Live Chat support

This service is accessible directly from the official website. It provides the quickest response and resolution times for customer issues. The average waiting time to initiate a conversation is between 2 to 3 minutes, varying with the time of day and website traffic. However, there have been instances where the chat went unanswered for 3 or more hours.

Discord

Customers can also reach out via the official Discord channel. The Discord ticket system facilitates communication, providing short but informative responses with an average response time of about 10 minutes.

Help Center

Customers can find FAQs and support resources at Glow Node Help Center.

Social Media and Communication

Glow Node actively maintains a social media presence on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X, and Telegram, Discord as well as on TikTok and YouTube.

Facebook	https://www.facebook.com/glownode
X	https://twitter.com/GlowNodefx
Instagram	https://www.instagram.com/glow_node
Discord	https://discord.com/invite/glownode
Youtube	https://www.youtube.com/@GlowNode
Telegram	t.me/glow_node_Fx
TikTok	https://www.tiktok.com/@glownodefx

Facebook: The Facebook group serves as a space for official announcements and a community hub where traders can share their accomplishments and trading results.

X: Hosts a variety of content including news, promotional materials, announcements, and occasionally, prop trading-related memes.

Instagram: Features a blend of news, Trustpilot reviews, educational content, promotional material, and updates on new features.

Discord: Serves as a comprehensive platform for sharing announcements, marketing and trading updates, economic news, and security advice. It fosters a vibrant community atmosphere with channels dedicated to discussions, trading ideas, and success stories sharing.

YouTube: Channel contains promotional videos, announcements, interviews, and educational content.

Telegram: Mainly shares news, promotional content, and announcements, with the occasional inclusion of motivational quotes.

TikTok: TikTok page includes promotional materials, announcements and educational content.

Client Reviews Summary

Rate: 4.2

Evaluations of the Glow Node platform:

Review platform	Rating	Number of reviews
Trustpilot	4,2	320

With an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, Glow Node demonstrates a predominantly positive reception among its user base, reflecting well on various aspects of its operations, including customer support. This high rating suggests that the positive experiences significantly outweigh the negative ones for the majority of users. However, it is important to consider this in the context of the detailed aspects of customer support:

Positive Contributions to High Rating:

• Supportive Customer Service: Several users noted that Glow Node offers excellent customer support, responding quickly and helpfully.
• Immediate Account Setup: Upon passing challenges or buying accounts, users receive their credentials promptly and can begin trading almost immediately.
• Favorable Payout Conditions: Glow Node offers high payout percentages and efficient payout processes, as noted by some traders.
• Educational Support: The CEO’s involvement in providing free forex education and general readiness to assist traders was highlighted as a significant positive.

Negative Aspects Impacting the Rating:

• Hidden Rules and Conditions: Many reviewers complained about undisclosed rules and abrupt changes in trading conditions, which significantly impacted their ability to trade effectively or to receive promised funds.
• Refusal to Issue Refunds: Several customers expressed frustration that Glow Node refused to refund payments even when changes in terms or service failures occurred before any trading had taken place.
• Spread and Fee Increases: Users noted that spreads and fees increased after completing challenges, which affected their trading profitability, especially for those focused on scalping and day trading.
• Lack of Transparency: General feedback indicated a lack of transparency in how rules and operational conditions were applied and communicated, leading to distrust and dissatisfaction among users.

Additional Features

Dashboard

Dashboard offers traders a comprehensive set of tools to monitor and evaluate their trading performance. Key components include:

• Detailed Stats: This section provides a textual display of important statistics like current equity, account balance, profitability, win/loss rates, number of trades, total lots, Risk-Reward Ratio (RRR), profit factor, and records of best/worst trades, successful long/short trades, and gross profit/loss.
• Trading History: Allows traders to review trade activities during the current cycle.

Economic Calendar

The website features a calendar with events. It provides the ability to filter by days, the significance level of events, and currencies. This allows for quick filtering, enabling users to select the events they are interested in. It is a main tool for proprietary trading.

Summary

Glow Node is a company founded in 2022 in the United Kingdom. It offers one and two-phase challenges with account sizes ranging from $10,000 to $200,000. The account sizes are suitable for both novice and advanced traders. The most cost-effective accounts in terms of average market price are those valued at $10,000 and $100,000. The advantages of Glow Node’s challenges include the possibility of customizable daily and overall drawdowns and the option to trade crypto over the weekend.

Customer service is rated as good, with live chat and discord recommended for contact. Customer reviews are generally positive, with a 4.2 rating on Trustpilot. It is advisable to follow the company’s updates on Discord, X, and Instagram.

The drawbacks of Glow Node’s challenges are the prohibition of using Expert Advisors (EAs), the availability of low leverage, and an average maximum allocation per user.

Glow Node may be an interesting alternative for users looking to diversify their investments in the world of proprietary trading.