Is FTMO Worth It? Our Honest FTMO Review
Founded in Prague in 2015, FTMO is the longest-running firm on this list and arguably the one that defined the modern prop trading challenge format. With 3.5 million+ clients and $500 million+ paid out, its scale is hard to match, and its Premium Programme, a free loyalty ladder that eventually removes the daily loss limit entirely, is genuinely unique in this space. Here’s the full breakdown.
Account Sizes
$10K-$200K
Monthly Cost
From €79
Platforms
MT4, MT5, cTrader
Pros
- The longest track record we cover (2015) with by far the largest scale: 3.5M+ clients, $500M+ paid out
- A free, unlimited-attempt trial lets you test the actual rule set with zero financial risk before paying for a real Challenge
- 1-Step pays 90% from day one, with no minimum trading days requirement
- 2-Step offers a 100% fee refund, returned with your first reward, plus a rollover option to leave rewards on the account to grow your buffer, which no other firm in our comparison offers
- The Premium Programme is a genuine standout: reach Supreme tier and FTMO removes the Maximum Daily Loss limit entirely, unmatched by any other firm we've reviewed
- 20 languages supported, 24/7 human support including live chat and WhatsApp
Cons
- 2-Step's Max Loss is static (fixed at Initial Capital minus 10%), while 1-Step uses an EOD trailing limit that only ever tightens as your balance grows; worth understanding before you pick a model
- News trading and weekend holding restrictions apply on the funded (Standard) account, a detail some third-party reviews get backwards by claiming it applies during the Challenge too
Account Models & Pricing
FTMO runs two Challenge formats side by side. The core trade-off: 1-Step pays more from day one and has no minimum trading days, but its Max Loss trails your balance upward (tightening as you profit); 2-Step has a fixed Max Loss that never moves, plus a full fee refund.
| Model | Phases | Profit Target | Daily Loss | Max Loss | Min Days | Reward | Fee Refund |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Step | 1 | 10% | 3% | 10% (EOD trailing) | — | 90% | None |
| 2-Step | 2 | 10% → 5% | 5% | 10% (static) | 4 / phase | 80%→90% | 100% |
Pricing (in EUR, official site):
| Size | 1-Step | 2-Step |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | €79 | €89 |
| $25,000 | €199 | €250 |
| $50,000 | €319 | €345 |
| $100,000 | €499 | €540 |
| $200,000 | €999 | €1,080 |
Trading Rules & Mechanics
Max Daily Loss recalculates every day at 00:00 CE(S)T, based on your balance at the start of that day minus 3% (1-Step) or 5% (2-Step) of your Initial Capital. It’s calculated from equity, not just closed trades: floating P/L counts against you.
Max Loss on 2-Step is static: Initial Capital minus 10%, fixed for the whole evaluation. Max Loss on 1-Step is an end-of-day trailing limit: it recalculates from your highest balance reached (or Initial Capital) minus 10%, and can only ever rise, not fall. It resets on a new FTMO Account after you withdraw a reward.
Best Day Rule (1-Step only): your single most profitable day can’t exceed 50% of the sum of all your profitable days. Going over isn’t a breach; it just means you need to keep trading profitably to dilute that day’s share before you can withdraw.
Minimum trading days: 4 days per phase on 2-Step (a trading day = at least one position opened). 1-Step has no minimum at all.
News trading / weekend holding: on the Standard account type, restrictions apply only on your funded FTMO Account, not during the Challenge or Verification phase, a detail some third-party reviews get wrong. The Swing account type (2-Step only) has no restrictions at any stage.
Reset fee: none. Failing and restarting a Challenge doesn’t cost extra.
Commissions: $5.00 per lot on Forex. Indices, oil, and agricultural commodities (cocoa, coffee, soybean, wheat) carry no separate commission, spread only. Metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium) run 0.0014%, and crypto runs 0.065%.
Scaling Plan
Available on 2-Step accounts: every 4 months, if you’ve been an FTMO Trader for at least 4 months, made 10%+ net profit, processed 2+ rewards, keep a positive balance, and have zero rule violations, your account grows by +25%, up to $2,000,000 cumulative across all your FTMO Accounts. Your split also climbs toward 90% (1-Step already starts there).
The Premium Programme: Prime → Supreme → Quantlane
This is FTMO’s standout feature and the reason it’s worth a longer look than a typical challenge comparison. It’s a free loyalty ladder, separate from and stackable with the Scaling Plan, with three tiers:
Prime: unlocked automatically once you have an active FTMO Account, no failed accounts in the last 4 months, and 4+ successful withdrawals (each 4%+ profit). You get a 90% split, a free Challenge (paid in FTMO Points), a personal account manager, 10% off future Challenges, 15% off the FTMO Shop, and access to a $400K Challenge, up to $600,000 max allocation.
Supreme: reached after holding an active $400K Prime account for 3+ months and getting 3 more 4%+ withdrawals on it. This is the tier worth knowing about: Supreme traders get no Maximum Daily Loss limit at all, the daily loss rule is simply removed. Combined with instant payouts and up to $1,000,000 max allocation, this is a real, structural advantage we haven’t seen matched by any other firm we’ve reviewed.
Quantlane: for Supreme traders who pass an assessment. Worth being clear-eyed about: this isn’t really a “perk” you keep while trading independently. It’s a 2-year employment contract: fixed salary, performance coach, bonus system, a seat on a professional trading team, and a workplace in Prague. It converts you from a funded trader into an employee.
Payouts
You can request a payout on day 14 (or later) after your first trade on that account, with all positions and pending orders closed. FTMO reviews the request within 1–2 business days, then pays out within another 1–2 business days after invoice approval.
Withdrawal methods: bank transfer, instant transfer via Visa Direct/Mastercard Send (up to $20,000), Skrill (up to $3,000), or crypto. Minimum closed profit to withdraw is $20 (bank) or $50 (crypto), to cover transaction costs; FTMO itself doesn’t charge withdrawal fees.
On 1-Step, your reward (90%) must be withdrawn; you can’t leave it on the account to grow your balance. On 2-Step, you can choose rollover: leave your reward on the account to increase your balance and drawdown buffer instead of withdrawing it (minimum €20/$20 equivalent). We haven’t seen this option at any other firm in our comparison.
Support & Reputation
FTMO has been running since 2015 out of Prague, Czech Republic, with 300+ employees (60+ in customer support alone), 24/7 coverage in 20 languages including live chat and WhatsApp. Trustpilot rating sits at 4.8/5.
Worth knowing: FTMO acquired OANDA, a deal that closed December 15, 2025, with FTMO’s founders (Otakar Šufner and Marek Vašíček) becoming co-directors of OANDA as part of the transaction. It’s a sign of how much this industry has consolidated: FTMO isn’t just a challenge provider anymore, it’s building into a broader trading business.
Verdict
FTMO earns its position as the industry benchmark mostly on scale and track record: a decade of operation, the largest payout total of any firm we cover, and a rule set (Max Daily Loss, Max Loss, Best Day Rule) that’s been copied, in some form, by half the industry. For an SMC/ICT trader who trades a handful of session-based setups rather than high-frequency scalping, the free unlimited trial is genuinely useful for stress-testing your process against FTMO’s specific rule mechanics before risking a Challenge fee.
The real differentiator, though, is the Premium Programme. Most traders will never reach Supreme, but knowing that tier exists, and that it removes the Daily Loss Limit entirely, says something about how FTMO treats its most consistent traders compared to firms that cap out at a single scaling bump. If you’re choosing your first prop firm and want the safest, most tested option with the deepest long-term upside, FTMO is a reasonable default. If you specifically want the cheapest entry price or the most aggressive profit split from day one, other firms on this list beat it on price alone.
FAQ
Is FTMO legit?
Yes, FTMO has been operating since 2015, making it the longest-running firm we cover, with 3.5M+ clients and $500M+ paid out, and a 4.8/5 Trustpilot rating.
What's the difference between FTMO 1-Step and 2-Step?
1-Step is a single phase paying 90% from day one with no minimum trading days, but its Max Loss trails upward as your balance grows. 2-Step has two phases, a fixed Max Loss that never changes, and a full fee refund with your first reward.
What is the FTMO Premium Programme?
A free, three-tier loyalty ladder (Prime → Supreme → Quantlane) for consistent FTMO traders. Supreme is the standout tier: it removes the Maximum Daily Loss limit entirely, something no other firm we’ve reviewed offers.
Does FTMO have a free trial?
Yes, an unlimited-attempt free trial that mirrors the real Challenge rules, letting you test your strategy against FTMO’s specific rule mechanics before paying.
Does FTMO have a discount code?
Check FTMO’s own site for the current active promotion.
FTMO Discount Code
Check FTMO’s own site for current promotions, or click “Buy” below for our tracked link.