FTMO Review 2026
Is the world's most recognized prop firm still worth it? We break down every rule, fee, and payout.
What Is FTMO?
FTMO is a Czech Republic-based proprietary trading firm founded in 2015. It was one of the first companies to popularize the "funded trader" model — where traders pay a one-time evaluation fee, prove they can trade profitably under set rules, and then receive a funded account with a share of the profits.
Today FTMO manages one of the largest pools of funded retail traders in the world, with offices in Prague and a reputation built on actually paying out. Unlike many competitors that emerged during the 2021-2023 prop firm boom, FTMO has a decade-long track record of consistency.
The firm offers accounts from $10,000 to $200,000, with the ability to scale up to $400,000 through their scaling plan. Instruments include forex pairs, commodities, indices, and crypto CFDs — across MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and cTrader.
FTMO Challenge & Verification
FTMO uses a two-step evaluation before you trade their capital. Here's exactly how it works:
Step 1 — The FTMO Challenge
You must hit a 10% profit target on your chosen account size while keeping losses within the daily and overall limits. There's no time pressure — the minimum is 4 trading days, and there's no maximum time limit. You can take as long as you need.
Step 2 — The Verification
Once you pass the Challenge, you enter a second phase with a 5% profit target and the same loss rules. This phase exists to confirm your results weren't a fluke. Again, no time limit beyond the 4-day minimum.
The Funded Account
Pass both phases and you receive a funded account. Your first payout is available after 30 days, then every 2 weeks after that. The payout split starts at 80% and increases to 90% as you scale.
Account Sizes & Evaluation Fees
| Account Size | Challenge Fee | Profit Target (Phase 1) | Profit Target (Phase 2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | €155 | $1,000 (10%) | $500 (5%) |
| $25,000 | €250 | $2,500 (10%) | $1,250 (5%) |
| $50,000 | €345 | $5,000 (10%) | $2,500 (5%) |
| $100,000 | €540 | $10,000 (10%) | $5,000 (5%) |
| $200,000 | €1,080 | $20,000 (10%) | $10,000 (5%) |
FTMO Trading Rules — Full Breakdown
Understanding the rules before you start is critical. Most FTMO failures come from traders hitting the daily loss limit — not the overall limit.
| Rule | Limit | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum Daily Loss | 5% | Your account cannot lose more than 5% of the initial balance in a single trading day — including open positions at market close |
| Maximum Loss (Overall) | 10% | Total drawdown from your initial balance cannot exceed 10% at any point |
| Minimum Trading Days | 4 days | You must trade on at least 4 separate calendar days to complete a phase |
| Trading Period | Unlimited | No time limit — you can take months if needed |
| Weekend Holding | Allowed | You can hold positions over the weekend |
| News Trading | Allowed | You can trade during high-impact news events |
| EA / Algo Trading | Allowed | Automated trading systems are permitted |
| Copy Trading | Restricted | You cannot copy trades from another FTMO account |
FTMO Payouts — How Fast, How Much
This is where FTMO genuinely earns its reputation. Payouts are processed within 1-3 business days after your request is submitted. After your first payout (at the 30-day mark), you can request payouts every 14 days.
Payment methods: Bank transfer, crypto (Bitcoin, USDT), Skrill, and Deel (for US traders). FTMO has been steadily expanding payment options and has very few documented complaints about withheld payouts in their decade of operation.
The profit split starts at 80%. Once you scale your account (achieved by growing the balance by 10% over at least two consecutive months), the split increases to 90%. The scaling plan also grows your account size automatically — a $100K account can scale to $200K and beyond.
FTMO Pros & Cons
- Decade-long track record — 100K+ funded traders
- Challenge fee refunded with first payout
- No time limit on evaluations
- Payouts within 1-3 days — one of the fastest in the industry
- Scale to $400,000 in funding
- News trading and EAs both allowed
- MT4, MT5, and cTrader all supported
- Free trial available before paying for challenge
- 5% daily loss limit is strict — easy to breach on volatile days
- Evaluation fees are real costs if you fail
- Not available to US residents (regulatory restrictions)
- No futures trading — forex/CFD only
- Copy trading between accounts is banned
How We Rate FTMO
Who Should Use FTMO?
FTMO is ideal for: Experienced traders who have a proven, consistent strategy and need capital to scale. If you've been profitable on a personal account for 6+ months and feel limited by your account size, FTMO is the most credible path to trading larger capital.
FTMO is not ideal for: Complete beginners, traders still developing their strategy, or anyone who needs to trade without strict drawdown rules. The 5% daily loss limit will punish undisciplined traders quickly.
If you're serious about prop trading, FTMO should be your first stop. Their decade of operation, consistent payouts, and transparent rules make them the benchmark the entire industry is measured against.