I will show you guys trading for a funded account is a worse option as compared with trading with your challenge fee.
Assume traders A and B have the same trading skill level.
A pays $429 to earn a funded account.
B trades on $429 at a small forex broker account, which allows him to trade smaller unit.
Here is such a broker.It offers 500 times leverage and low trading cost that is roughly comparable to trading futures.
https://coinexx.com/
And also if you want to trade ES,NQ and YM, it offers US indices products.
Since A need to make 10% and can not exceed 10% drawdown, or he will lose $429.
B can increase his leverage 10 times as A and if he lose 100% he lose $429.
So both have the same risk.
Assume A manages to make 10% and earn a funded account at the end of two months.
Assume there are 42 trading days in two months. So A make average daily profit of 0.0023(1.0023^42=10%).
While B uses 10 times leverage and make average daily profit of 0.023.
So B make 266% profit at the end of two months.( 1.023 ^42=266%)
At the end of two months: A earns a funded account; B makes $429X266%=$1141.
At the end of 4 months: A make $2000(25000X10%X80%); B makes $1141X266%=$3035
At the end of 6 months: A makes $2000; B makes 3035X266%=$8073.
At the end of 8 months: A makes $2000; B makes 8073X266%=$21474.
A simple truth is: making 10% in two months while not breaking 10% drawdown is as tough as making 266% in two months without 10% drawdown limit, which is equal to making 354 times annually. If you can do this, you can trade a much smaller account of your own to get much better result.
In the case when A fail test, B is also better off:
If A makes 5% in two months, A has 0 in his account while B has $450;
If A lose 5% in two months, A has 0 in his account while B has $407.
B is always better off unless he lose 100% in two months, in that case A and B both lose 100%.