FTMO Review.
The most established proprietary trading firm globally. Founded 2015 in Prague, with documented $200M+ in trader payouts. Two-step evaluation, profit splits up to 90%, and proven multi-year track record through the 2023-2024 industry disruption.
What we like
- 9-year operating history (founded 2015) — longest in industry
- $200M+ in documented trader payouts publicly verifiable
- Survived 2023-2024 industry disruption intact
- Multiple account sizes from $10k to $200k
- Scaling plan allows growth to $400k funded capital
- MT4, MT5, cTrader, and DXtrade platforms supported
- Established reputation provides lowest counterparty risk
What needs improvement
- Two-step evaluation more stringent than newer competitors
- Profit split (80% standard) lower than FundedNext (85-90%)
- Strict consistency rule limits aggressive strategies
- Maximum daily loss can trigger from single bad day
- 10-15% evaluation pass rate — most evaluators fail
- Higher evaluation fees than smaller competitors
Overview
FTMO was founded in 2015 in Prague, Czech Republic. It pioneered the modern retail prop firm model — paid evaluation followed by funded demo account with profit splits — and has remained the industry standard for 9 years.
The prop firm industry experienced major disruption in 2023-2024 when MyForexFunds, True Forex Funds, and dozens of smaller firms collapsed. FTMO survived intact, continued processing payouts on schedule, and emerged as the safest choice in the post-disruption landscape.
The 8.0 score reflects this established position. Newer competitors (FundedNext, others) offer better profit splits and more flexible rules — but FTMO’s 9-year payout history provides the lowest counterparty risk in the industry. For traders prioritizing safety over optimization, FTMO is the defensible choice.
Founded: 2015 · Headquarters: Prague, Czech Republic · Documented payouts: $200M+ · Funded traders: 180+ countries
Business model & structure
FTMO is not a broker — it’s a prop trading firm. You don’t trade your own money; you pass an evaluation, receive a funded demo account, and split profits with the firm. “Funded accounts” are demo accounts labeled funded — FTMO covers profits and losses from its own capital.
The two-step process
- Challenge phase: Hit 10% profit target while staying within 5% daily / 10% max drawdown.
- Verification phase: Hit 5% profit target with same drawdown rules.
- FTMO Account (funded): Trade with firm capital. Same drawdown rules. 80-90% profit split.
Why two steps?
FTMO’s two-step process filters more aggressively than single-step competitors. This reduces the percentage of traders who pass but later blow funded accounts. The result: fewer payouts to traders but higher firm sustainability. The 9-year history confirms this model works.
Account sizes & fees
| Account size | Challenge fee | Profit target | Daily DD | Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | €89 | 10% / 5% | 5% | 10% |
| $25,000 | €155 | 10% / 5% | 5% | 10% |
| $50,000 | €250 | 10% / 5% | 5% | 10% |
| $100,000 | €490 | 10% / 5% | 5% | 10% |
| $200,000 | €990 | 10% / 5% | 5% | 10% |
Fees are refunded with first FTMO Account payout. Free retry available if you maintain positive balance but miss the profit target. Failed evaluations forfeit the fee.
Scaling plan
Successful FTMO traders can scale to $400,000 funded capital over time. Account size grows by 25% every 4 months if specific profit and consistency requirements are met. Few traders reach the maximum, but the path exists.
Trading rules
FTMO’s rules are stricter than newer prop firms but consistently applied:
- Maximum daily loss: 5% of starting balance. Triggers account closure for the day.
- Maximum total loss: 10% from initial balance. Triggers account termination.
- Profit target: 10% in Challenge, 5% in Verification, no target on FTMO Account.
- Minimum trading days: 10 (was 4 — increased in 2023).
- Consistency rule (FTMO Account): No single day’s profit should exceed 50% of total profits.
- Position holding: Overnight and weekend holding allowed.
- News trading: Allowed but discouraged due to slippage risk.
- Hedging: Not allowed across multiple FTMO accounts.
Platforms & instruments
- Platforms: MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, DXtrade
- Forex: All major and most minor/exotic pairs
- Indices: Major indices (S&P 500, NASDAQ, DAX, FTSE, etc.)
- Commodities: Gold, silver, oil, natural gas
- Cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum + major altcoins
- Stocks: CFDs on major US, EU stocks
Execution is provided by FTMO’s underlying broker partners. Spread and execution quality are reasonable but not best-in-class — this is acceptable for evaluation purposes where consistency matters more than absolute cost.
Payouts & profit split
Standard profit split: 80% trader / 20% FTMO. After meeting specific milestones, this can increase to 90% trader / 10% FTMO.
Payout process
- First payout: Available after 14 days from FTMO Account funding
- Subsequent payouts: Bi-weekly or monthly per trader preference
- Payout methods: Bank wire, Skrill, Cryptocurrency
- Processing time: 1-2 business days from request
- Refund: Challenge fee refunded with first payout
FTMO’s payout reliability is industry-best. Public payout reports show $200M+ distributed since 2015 across 180+ countries. No documented patterns of refused payouts when rules were followed.
Customer service & support
- Live chat: Business hours, weekdays
- Email support: Within 24 hours
- Account manager: Assigned for FTMO Account holders
- Free trading psychology resources: Performance coaches available
- Languages: 10+ including English, German, Spanish, Czech, French
User feedback patterns
Trustpilot: 4.8/5 stars from 7,500+ reviews. Among the highest ratings in the prop firm industry.
Common positive themes
- Payouts processed reliably and on schedule
- Clear rules with no surprise interpretations
- Customer service responsive and professional
- Strong reputation = peace of mind during evaluation
- Performance coaching genuinely valuable for serious traders
Common negative themes
- Two-step evaluation harder than competitors’ single-step
- Daily drawdown rule strict — single bad day can end accounts
- Lower profit split than newer competitors offering 85-90%
- Consistency rule frustrates traders with concentrated profit days
Score breakdown
| Factor | Weight | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Regulation/track record | 20% | 9.0 |
| Platform & execution | 18% | 7.8 |
| Trading conditions | 17% | 7.2 |
| Payout reliability | 18% | 9.5 |
| Customer service | 12% | 8.0 |
| User feedback | 15% | 9.0 |
| OVERALL | 100% | 8.0 |
Standouts: payout reliability (9.5) and track record (9.0). Lower trading conditions (7.2) reflects strict rules vs newer competitors.
Who FTMO is best for
✅ Strong fit for
- Risk-averse traders wanting lowest counterparty risk
- Disciplined traders who naturally respect drawdown rules
- Career-focused funded traders wanting longest-term firm relationship
- Beginners to prop firms wanting most established option
- Traders who value performance coaching alongside funding
⚠️ May not be best for
- Aggressive strategies that produce concentrated profit days (consistency rule)
- News traders wanting maximum flexibility
- Profit-split maximizers (FundedNext offers higher splits)
- Single-step preference traders
Alternatives
- FundedNext (7.5) — Higher profit splits (85-90%) and flexible rules
Direct comparison: FTMO vs FundedNext
For pure forex trading (not prop firm): consider Exness (8.6) or IC Markets (8.4).
Final verdict
FTMO is our #5 ranked broker overall and #1 prop firm with 8.0/10. After the 2023-2024 industry disruption that wiped out many competitors, FTMO’s 9-year track record and proven payout reliability make it the safest prop firm choice available.
Newer competitors offer better profit splits and more flexible rules. For traders willing to trade slightly worse economics for significantly lower counterparty risk, FTMO remains the defensible choice. For traders maximizing economics in a single funded relationship, FundedNext’s terms may serve better.
8.0/10 reflects industry-best track record balanced by stricter rules than newer competitors. If you’re going to pay for an evaluation, FTMO is the firm most likely to still exist when you pass and pay you reliably when you withdraw.
Pursue FTMO funded trading?
Evaluation fees from €89. Free retry available if you maintain positive balance. Read the rules thoroughly before purchasing — most evaluators fail.
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