FTMO
Trust: HighSpecifications
| Profit split | 80% (up to 90% with conditions) |
|---|---|
| Max funding | Up to $400,000 ($2,000,000 with scaling) |
| Challenge fee | $89 – $1,080 (depends on account size) |
| Payout track record | Among the longest verifiable track records in the industry (2015–) |
| Payout cycle | 14-day cycle (first payout on-demand) |
| Platforms | MT4 · MT5 · cTrader · DXtrade |
| Evaluation | 2-step |
| Drawdown model | Static |
| Daily loss limit | 5% |
| Max drawdown | 10% |
| Sources | [1][2][3][4][5] |
| Website | https://ftmo.com/ |
Strengths
- Longest-running prop firm in its class (since 2015)
- Extensive, third-party-corroborated payout proofs
- Multilingual support including Japanese
- Refund of evaluation fee on first payout (with conditions)
Watch-outs
- Higher evaluation fees than budget competitors
- Detailed rule set (max lot, consistency, etc.) takes time to internalize
- Consistency rule can disqualify accounts that look profitable on paper
What FTMO is
FTMO is a Prague-based proprietary trading firm operating continuously since 2015. In an industry where most current names date from 2020 or later, that operating record is the single most important fact about the firm. It is, by a clear margin, the longest-running mainstream prop firm in its class.
The business model is the one most other firms now copy. Traders pay an evaluation fee, complete a two-phase challenge (Challenge then Verification), and on passing they receive a simulated funded account. A share of the profit — the “profit split” — is paid out to the trader, with FTMO retaining the rest.
What sets FTMO apart in practice is the public payout-proof flow. The firm publishes cumulative payout figures, and the wider trader community has been able to verify those numbers over multiple market cycles. That kind of third-party-corroborated transparency is uncommon in the segment.
Evaluation steps
- Challenge: 30 days to hit +10% profit. Max 10% total loss, max 5% daily loss.
- Verification: 60 days to hit +5% profit. Same loss limits as the Challenge.
- FTMO Trader account: on passing both phases, the trader moves to a simulated funded account with an 80% profit split, scaling up to 90% with performance milestones.
Always confirm current numbers on the official site — published thresholds can shift.
Who FTMO fits
FTMO is a strong fit for:
- Traders who prioritise operating-record trust over absolute lowest cost.
- Anyone who wants payout proofs they can verify against a long historical record.
- International traders who need multilingual support, including Japanese.
In practice, FTMO is the reference point everyone else in the segment is measured against. If you do not have a specific reason to pick a smaller firm, the default rational choice is FTMO.
Who FTMO does not fit
FTMO is not the cheapest option in the market. Newer entrants like FundingPips advertise entry fees well below FTMO’s $89 floor, and the entire UAE-2022 generation generally undercuts FTMO on price. If you are optimising purely on evaluation cost, FTMO is not the answer.
The detailed rule set also takes time to internalise. Max lot sizing, the consistency rule, news-trading restrictions, and EA (expert advisor) restrictions all interact in ways that catch out first-time users. Budget for a careful read of the terms before the first challenge.
What to watch
- Consistency rule: profits skewed too heavily to a single trade above a defined threshold can fall outside the payout-eligible range. This catches many otherwise-profitable accounts.
- EA and news-trading restrictions: some automated strategies and trades placed around scheduled news releases are restricted. Confirm before deploying anything algorithmic.
- Legal positioning: FTMO publicly states that trading is conducted in a simulated environment, with no real orders sent to the underlying market. Tax treatment in your jurisdiction varies — consult a local tax professional. For Japan-resident traders, see our Japan tax guide for context.
How FTMO compares
Against The5%ers, FTMO has a similar operating-record advantage but more standardised programs. Against FundingPips and the broader 2022-generation entrants, FTMO is more expensive but materially more proven. Against Topstep, the comparison is structural — FTMO is the FX/CFD reference point, Topstep is the futures reference point. They are not really competing for the same trader.
Our take
For long operating record, payout transparency, and overall trust signals, FTMO sits at the top of the industry. Evaluation fees are not cheap, however, so we recommend starting with a smaller account size to learn the rule set end-to-end before scaling up. If you can clear an FTMO Challenge once, the long-term economics generally beat what you will get at a budget alternative.