FTMO Review 2026

Quick Facts

Score Breakdown

Total: 95/100 — Outstanding. FTMO scores highly for clearly documented risk rules, a mature payout framework, broad platform availability and long operating history. Deductions reflect 1-Step’s EOD trailing drawdown and Best Day Rule, funded Standard news/weekend restrictions, a relatively high cost on larger accounts and the need to distinguish the global service from separate regional entities.

Our Verdict in 60 Seconds

FTMO now has two core CFD evaluation routes. 1-Step removes the Verification phase but uses a 3% daily limit, 10% end-of-day trailing maximum loss and a 50% Best Day Rule that also applies when claiming Rewards. 2-Step keeps the traditional 10% then 5% targets, 5% daily loss, 10% static maximum loss and four minimum trading days in each evaluation phase.

For most traders who want predictable risk mathematics, 2-Step is the cleaner structure. A static $90,000 loss floor on a $100,000 account is easier to model than 1-Step’s EOD high-water-mark mechanism. The 2-Step route also supports the Swing account type, which removes the funded news and weekend restrictions that apply to Standard accounts. Its initial funded Reward Ratio is 80%, rising to 90% through Scaling or Premium conditions.

1-Step is more attractive when reducing the number of evaluation phases matters more than having a static drawdown. It starts with a 90% Reward Ratio and no minimum trading-day requirement, but the Best Day Rule can delay both evaluation completion and Reward eligibility without technically breaching the account. Traders wanting direct funding with no evaluation should compare another firm. FTMO vs FundedNext comparison.

Compare FTMO

If FTMO is already on your shortlist, use the programme-level comparison tool. We also have dedicated comparisons for FTMO vs FundedNext, FTMO vs Alpha Capital and FTMO vs The5ers.

Company Overview

FTMO was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Prague. Its current contact and imprint pages identify FTMO s.r.o., FTMO Evaluation Global s.r.o. and FTMO Trading Global s.r.o. in the Czech Republic. The main global FTMO service describes the FTMO Challenge and FTMO Account as simulated trading using fictitious capital.

Do not confuse company registration or separate group licences with regulation of the global evaluation service. FTMO’s global disclosure says its companies do not act as brokers and do not accept deposits. FTMO Australia is a separate regional service operated by VRGK Tech Pty Ltd under AFSL 525757, while FTMO US uses an FTMO/OANDA group structure and explicitly states that its simulated evaluation and Rewards Account service is not subject to financial-regulatory oversight.

This review covers FTMO’s global Forex/CFD 1-Step and 2-Step programmes. FTMO Futures is now a separate product family with subscriptions, futures-specific drawdown, Sim-Funded and invitation-only Live Funded stages, and different payout rules. Mixing those rules into the main CFD tables would make this review less useful, so Futures is treated separately below.

FTMO Pros and Cons

Who is FTMO For

FTMO suits traders who prefer well-defined loss limits and are willing to trade within a structured evaluation rather than looking for immediate funded access.

• Static-drawdown traders: 2-Step is the natural fit because the 10% maximum loss remains tied to the initial simulated balance.
• Swing traders: choose the 2-Step Swing account if you need to hold positions over weekends and through high-impact news. Compare alternatives on our swing-trading prop firms page.
• Traders who want fewer evaluation phases: 1-Step removes Verification, provided the EOD trailing drawdown and Best Day Rule fit the strategy.
• Algorithmic traders: EAs and algorithmic strategies are allowed when they remain legitimate, replicable and within server/forbidden-practice limits.
• Traders who want to practise first: both 1-Step and 2-Step have a 14-day Free Trial. Newer traders can also compare the best prop firms for beginners.

Who should avoid FTMO

FTMO is less suitable for traders who want funded access without an evaluation, need on-demand first-day payouts, or want to hold a Standard funded account over weekends while also keeping 1-Step. Traders who depend heavily on scheduled news entries need either the 2-Step Swing account or another firm. If direct funding is the priority, compare the instant funding prop firms instead.

Programme Comparison

The structured table below covers the two current global CFD programmes. The 2-Step Swing account type is a configuration of 2-Step rather than a separate evaluation programme.

FTMO Challenge: 1-Step

Evaluation: one phase with a 10% target, 3% Max Daily Loss, 10% end-of-day trailing Max Loss, unlimited trading period and 50% Best Day Rule. There is no minimum trading-day requirement. FTMO Account: 90% Reward Ratio from the beginning, the 3% daily and 10% EOD-trailing loss structure continues, and the 50% Best Day Rule must be satisfied before a Reward can be claimed. Swing is not available for 1-Step.

FTMO Challenge: 2-Step

Evaluation: Phase 1 target 10%, Verification target 5%, 5% Max Daily Loss, 10% static Max Loss, four minimum trading days in each evaluation phase and unlimited overall time. FTMO Account: no profit target or minimum trading days; 5% daily and 10% static maximum loss remain. The standard Reward Ratio is 80% and can increase to 90% through Scaling or Premium conditions.

Standard vs Swing account type

The funded trading restrictions depend on account type. During either evaluation, news trading and weekend holding are generally allowed. On the subsequent Standard FTMO Account, selected high-impact news instruments cannot be opened or closed within ±2 minutes of the release and positions generally must be closed before the weekend or market breaks longer than two hours. Swing removes those restrictions but is available only through 2-Step.

Drawdown & Risk Rules

The biggest decision between the two FTMO Challenges is not the number of phases — it is the maximum-loss calculation. The 2-Step maximum loss is static. The 1-Step maximum loss is an end-of-day trailing limit that can move higher after profitable days.

Worked example — $100,000 2-Step: the 10% static Max Loss fixes the overall breach floor at $90,000. If the account closes a day at $106,000, the overall floor remains $90,000. The separate 5% daily-loss calculation uses FTMO’s daily reference methodology and includes floating P&L, commissions and swaps.

Worked example — $100,000 1-Step: the first-day Max Loss floor is $90,000. If the highest balance recorded at 00:00 CE(S)T reaches $104,000, the EOD trailing floor becomes $94,000. It cannot later move down if the balance falls. After a Reward and provision of a new FTMO Account, the trailing Max Loss limit resets to the initial first-day level.

1-Step Max Daily Loss: the daily threshold is recalculated at 00:00 CE(S)T as the current balance at the reset minus 3% of initial simulated capital. That means profitable closed balance can raise the next day’s daily-loss floor.

Use the drawdown calculator to model the actual loss floor and the position size calculator before setting risk per trade.

Trading Rules & Restrictions

FTMO allows a wide range of trading styles, including discretionary trading, algorithms and EAs, as long as the activity is legitimate, replicable under real-market conditions and does not breach its forbidden-practice rules. The material restrictions for most normal traders are news/weekend rules on Standard funded accounts and strategy duplication or server-hyperactivity risks with automated systems.

• News — evaluation: the funded news restriction does not apply during the Evaluation Process.
• News — Standard FTMO Account: selected instruments cannot be opened or closed within two minutes before or after specified high-impact events. Existing positions can be held.
• News — Swing: no FTMO news restriction, but Swing is 2-Step only. Use our economic calendar to plan around events.
• Overnight/weekend — evaluation: allowed.
• Overnight/weekend — Standard FTMO Account: positions generally must be closed before the weekend or a market break longer than two hours.
• Overnight/weekend — Swing: allowed without the Standard closing restriction.
• EAs / algorithmic trading: allowed with conditions; the trader remains responsible for rule compliance and server usage.
• Third-party EA risk: identical strategies used by many traders can create maximum-allocation or duplication concerns.
• Stop loss: FTMO does not require every strategy to use a stop loss, although proper risk management still applies.
• Multiple accounts: allowed subject to the $400,000 combined pre-scaling allocation limit per trader or strategy.

Payout System & Reliability

For the global CFD service, FTMO allows a Reward claim on the 14th day or later after the first trade on the specific FTMO Account. The account must be in profit and all open positions and pending orders must be closed. FTMO says it reviews the request within 1–2 business days, and the Reward is typically sent within another 1–2 business days after the invoice is approved.

Current Reward methods include bank wire, Visa Direct / Mastercard Send up to $20,000, Skrill up to $3,000 and cryptocurrencies. FTMO says it does not charge an additional Reward-withdrawal commission. The minimum closed-profit threshold is $20 for bank wire and $50 for crypto because of transaction costs.

Profit split: 1-Step pays 90% from the beginning. 2-Step starts at 80% and can rise to 90% through Scaling or Premium conditions. 2-Step supports Reward rollover to build the account balance and drawdown buffer; 1-Step does not.

The 20/20 category score reflects the published payout structure and the site’s existing methodology, not a guarantee that every future withdrawal will be approved. We have not independently completed a new FTMO Reward request for this update.

Challenge Fairness

Both current CFD challenges have unlimited overall time. 2-Step requires four trading days in each evaluation phase, while 1-Step has no minimum-day requirement. FTMO also offers repeatable Free Trials, which allows traders to practise the structure before paying.

The main fairness deduction is 1-Step’s 50% Best Day Rule. It is not a hard account breach: if the best day exceeds half of total Positive Days’ Profit, the trader must keep trading until the ratio falls to 50% or below. However, because the same requirement affects funded Reward eligibility, it can materially change how a trader distributes profits.

Use our guide to passing a prop firm challenge and prop firm probability calculator to model whether the targets and loss limits match your actual trading statistics.

Pricing, Promotions & Value

FTMO charges one-time challenge fees rather than recurring CFD challenge subscriptions. The dynamic table below uses the current Prop Firms Compare database snapshot, but FTMO is actively promoting selected 100K configurations, so the promotional status must be read separately from the permanent programme terms.

Default terms vs optional configurations

1-Step: the fee is non-refundable. The 90% Reward Ratio is a default programme term rather than a paid add-on.

2-Step: the challenge fee is refundable with the first qualifying Reward. The standard funded Reward Ratio is 80%; 90% is earned through Scaling/Premium conditions rather than bought as a normal checkout add-on.

Swing: this is a 2-Step account-type choice, not a separate 1-Step add-on. It removes FTMO’s Standard funded restrictions on news and long market closures/weekends.

Regional pricing: FTMO US and FTMO Australia have their own pricing and legal terms. Do not reuse global euro prices for US or Australian readers without checking the local checkout.

For current offers, use our prop firm discount codes page rather than embedding a temporary promotion as an evergreen headline.

Platforms & Technology

The current global FTMO CFD platform page lists MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader and TradingView. The old review’s DXTrade reference has been removed because it is not part of the current global platform list.

FTMO also provides Account MetriX and trading-analysis tools, but this review does not claim faster execution, tighter spreads, lower slippage or better platform uptime than competitors because we did not independently benchmark those metrics for this update. FTMO publishes its own technical-infrastructure information, but official marketing claims are kept separate from first-hand testing.

Platform availability differs by region. US traders use the dedicated FTMO US/OANDA structure rather than the global platform setup, while FTMO Australia offers its own local platform set and legal terms.

Support, Transparency & Reputation

FTMO publishes detailed programme rules, trading-objective calculations, payout methods, scaling requirements, platform information, company details and country restrictions. That documentation makes it possible to distinguish precisely between 1-Step and 2-Step rather than relying on generic firm-level claims.

Customer Support

FTMO currently publishes 24/7 in-house support through live chat, WhatsApp and email, with phone support Monday–Friday 09:00–17:00 CET and support in 21 languages. These are published availability details; we have not independently measured reply speed or support quality for this update.

Trustpilot and reputation

Trustpilot showed FTMO at 4.8/5 from 51,945 reviews when checked on 21 September 2026. That is a substantial third-party feedback sample, but individual reviews remain user-generated evidence and do not replace official rules or prove future payout reliability.

The current global disclosure is equally important for transparency: FTMO states that its client accounts are demo accounts with fictitious funds and that the global FTMO companies do not act as brokers or accept deposits.

Country Availability

FTMO’s global eligibility page accepts clients in many countries, requires clients to be at least 18 and publishes a long restricted-country list that can change. Current restrictions include categories covering Iran, Syria, Myanmar and North Korea, sanctioned persons and numerous additional jurisdictions such as Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Iraq, Russia, Venezuela and selected regions of Ukraine. Traders should check the full official list immediately before purchase rather than relying on an abbreviated review list.

UK and Canada: available under the current global eligibility framework, subject to normal KYC and local-law requirements. UK traders can compare the best prop firms for UK traders.

United States: use the separate FTMO x OANDA offering. FTMO US states that both its Evaluation Process and Rewards Account are simulated and not subject to financial-regulatory oversight. See our US prop firms guide before comparing US pricing or platforms.

Australia: Australian residents use FTMO Australia, operated by VRGK Tech Pty Ltd under AFSL 525757. That is a separate regional legal/regulatory setup from the global FTMO review. Australian prices, leverage and product documents should be checked locally.

FTMO Identity/KYC becomes available after all applicable evaluation Trading Objectives have been passed and the results reviewed: after the single 1-Step phase or after both 2-Step phases.

Payout Rules

The evaluation targets and funded Reward conditions are different. The main current global CFD Reward terms are:

FTMO reviews a submitted Reward request within 1–2 business days and says payment is typically sent within 1–2 business days after invoice approval. Current methods include bank wire, Visa Direct / Mastercard Send, Skrill and crypto, with method-specific limits and minimum closed-profit thresholds.

Scaling & Maximum Allocation

Before scaling, the global CFD maximum combined capital allocation is currently $400,000 per trader or strategy across 1-Step and 2-Step accounts. Equivalent currency limits apply. Multiple registrations are not permitted.

FTMO’s Scaling Plan can increase an eligible FTMO Account by 25% every qualifying four-month period, up to $2 million across FTMO Accounts. The published requirements are at least four months since start/last scale-up, at least 10% net simulated profit in the prior four months, at least two processed Rewards in that period and a positive account balance at the scale-up point.

The 2-Step Reward Ratio rises from 80% to 90% through the Scaling Plan. 1-Step already starts at 90%. FTMO’s Premium Programme is separate: Prime status can raise maximum capital allocation to $600,000 and provides additional benefits, subject to qualification.

FTMO Futures — Separate Product Line

FTMO now also offers Futures products with a materially different journey: monthly-subscription Evaluations, futures-specific platforms and contract limits, Sim-Funded Accounts and a possible invitation-only Live Funded stage. Because these rules differ substantially from the CFD 1-Step/2-Step model, they are not included in the dynamic tables or the 95/100 CFD review score on this page.

Strategy Compatibility Matrix

Best FTMO Alternatives

These alternatives address specific FTMO limitations rather than acting as an overall ranking:

• The5ers — compare it if weekend holding and long-term scaling flexibility matter more than FTMO Standard restrictions. See FTMO vs The5ers.
• FundedNext — compare it if you want a wider menu of evaluation/account models rather than FTMO’s two core CFD challenge structures. See FTMO vs FundedNext.
• Alpha Capital — relevant if you want additional programme structures, including a direct/instant-qualified route that FTMO does not offer. See FTMO vs Alpha Capital.
• E8 Markets — compare E8 Pro if you want a one-phase static-drawdown alternative rather than FTMO 1-Step’s EOD trailing drawdown and Best Day Rule.

Final Verdict

FTMO’s current strength is clarity of structure rather than the sheer number of programmes. 2-Step gives traders a conventional static-drawdown evaluation with a Swing configuration for those who need news and weekend flexibility. 1-Step removes Verification and starts at a 90% Reward Ratio, but its EOD trailing maximum loss and 50% Best Day Rule make it materially different from simply ‘FTMO in one phase’.

The main limitations are equally clear: no conventional instant funding, a 14-day first Reward window, Standard funded news/weekend restrictions and regional differences for US and Australian traders. The 1-Step fee is also non-refundable, while the 2-Step fee is refunded only after a qualifying first Reward.

For traders who prefer a static risk floor and can accept two evaluation phases, 2-Step is the clearest FTMO route to analyse first. Traders who prioritise one evaluation phase may prefer 1-Step if they can operate comfortably under the Best Day and EOD-trailing rules. Use the programme-level comparison tool before purchasing.

FTMO Review FAQs

Sources Checked for This Review

• FTMO 1-Step vs 2-Step comparison table
• FTMO Trading Objectives and drawdown calculations
• FTMO Challenge: 1-Step
• FTMO Challenge: 2-Step
• FTMO Reward withdrawal rules
• FTMO Swing account type
• Allowed strategies, instruments and EAs
• FTMO Scaling Plan
• Maximum account allocation
• FTMO trading platforms
• FTMO country eligibility
• FTMO support and company information
• FTMO global simulated-trading disclosure
• FTMO Australia terms and AFSL disclosure
• Trustpilot — current FTMO profile