What FTMO Swing is
FTMO Swing is an account type that removes every time-based restriction on the funded account — news trading, overnight holding, weekend holding — in exchange for one thing: maximum leverage of 1:30 instead of the Normal account’s 1:100. The price is the same, and the evaluation rules (targets, loss limits, minimum days) are identical.
The overview of Normal vs Swing and how account types combine with 1-Step/2-Step is in FTMO account types. This review goes deeper: what the leverage cut actually costs in margin terms, and who genuinely benefits.
Spec comparison
| Item | Normal | Swing |
|---|---|---|
| Leverage | up to 1:100 | up to 1:30 |
| News trading (funded) | no open/close within 2 min around selected releases | unrestricted |
| Overnight holding (funded) | restricted | unrestricted |
| Weekend holding (funded) | restricted | unrestricted |
| Fee | same | same |
| Targets and loss limits | same | same |
An important premise: these restrictions apply to the funded account, not the evaluation. During the Challenge and Verification you can hold and trade news even on Normal. The choice is really about how you intend to trade after passing.
The margin math of 1:30
Using FTMO’s official example for 1 lot (100,000 units) of EURUSD:
| Normal (1:100) | Swing (1:30) | |
|---|---|---|
| Margin for 1 lot EURUSD | €1,000 | ~€3,333 |
| Rough margin ceiling, $100K account | ~90 lots | ~27 lots |
A two-thirds cut in maximum size sounds severe — until you size positions the way the loss rules force you to anyway.
Risking 1% ($1,000) per trade with a 30-pip stop implies about 3.3 lots. On Swing that consumes roughly €11,000 of margin — a comfortable fraction of a $100,000 account. Any strategy that respects the 5% daily and 10% maximum loss limits will almost never collide with the 1:30 cap.
Where the cap does bite: high-lot scalping with stops of a few pips, or stacking large positions across several pairs simultaneously. But those styles close intraday and gain nothing from Swing’s freedoms — they belong on Normal in the first place.
Who the freedoms are worth something to
Swing traders
If your holding period is days to weeks, the funded account’s overnight and weekend restrictions on Normal are disqualifying, full stop. Swing removes them entirely, and at daily/weekly timeframes 1:30 leverage is never the binding constraint. For a broader market view, see best prop firms for swing trading.
News traders
On a Normal funded account you cannot open or close positions within 2 minutes around selected high-impact releases — which is precisely where NFP, CPI, and rate-decision strategies live. Swing has no such rule. For funded news trading at FTMO, it is the only option. Firm-by-firm news rules are compared in news trading restrictions explained.
Day traders and scalpers
If you are flat by the end of every session, Swing’s advantages are features you will never use, and the leverage cut is a pure cost. Choose Normal.
Review verdict
What works:
- the restrictions are lifted at zero extra cost — same price as Normal is genuinely fair
- evaluation difficulty is unchanged; choosing Swing does not make passing harder
- funded-stage programs such as the Scaling Plan apply equally
What to watch:
- 1:30 is a real constraint for high-lot intraday styles
- no type switch on a running account — you must self-assess before ordering
- details around holding rules and swaps can be revised; check the current official FAQ before buying
Overall: for anyone who holds positions or trades releases, FTMO Swing is a low-downside choice — you give up leverage you should not be using anyway and gain freedoms your strategy actually needs. For everyone else it is simply unnecessary.
Decide from your history, not your self-image
Pull your last 100 trades and count two things:
- the share of trades held past the daily close
- trades opened or closed within 2 minutes of a major release
If (1) exceeds about 10%, or (2) is non-zero, order Swing. If both are near zero, order Normal. The account type mistake traders regret is almost always made from an imagined style rather than a recorded one.
Conclusion
FTMO Swing trades leverage for time: 1:30 instead of 1:100, in exchange for unrestricted news, overnight, and weekend positioning on the funded account. For properly sized swing and news strategies the cost is close to zero and the benefit is structural. Specifications can change — confirm the latest terms on the official site before ordering.
Recommended prop firms
Two industry leaders, by use case:
The5%ers — skip the evaluation
Established 2016. Instant Funding starts without an evaluation phase, and the profit split climbs in steps up to 100%.
→ The5%ers official (coupon code “HZZS4”)
FTMO — the industry benchmark
Operating since 2015 with the industry’s largest published payout track record. The classic challenge-then-funded model.