Anyone else hitting a wall with prop firm payout structures and real spreads?

Been with a few prop firms over the past year, and while the idea of leveraged capital is appealing, the reality of getting paid out consistently and fairly is often a different story. Beyond the initial challenge phase, which is its own beast, I'm finding the spreads on $EURUSD and $XAUUSD with their 'preferred' brokers are consistently wider than retail accounts, effectively eating into a good chunk of profit potential. Then there's the whole payout process itself – some firms have these convoluted withdrawal schedules or 'minimum profit' thresholds that make it feel like they're actively trying to retain your capital. Is anyone else experiencing this, or have you found a firm that truly offers competitive execution and reliable, no-nonsense payouts once you're funded?