Head to head
The Funded Trader vs FTMO
A firm that survived its own crisis against one that never had one.
| Metric | The Funded Trader | FTMO |
|---|---|---|
| Trust score | 58/100 | 94/100 |
| Profit split | 90% | 90% |
| Entry price | $59 | $345 |
| Evaluation | 2-step | 2-step |
| Drawdown | Static | Static |
| First payout | 14 days | 14 days |
| Max allocation | $400k | $400k |
| Founded | 2021 | 2015 |
Our verdict
The Funded Trader rebuilt after its 2024 payout crisis and is paying again, and its challenge range is broader than FTMO's. But the recovery is recent, and counterparty risk is the one variable you cannot hedge as a funded trader. FTMO remains the default for anyone whose priority is getting paid.
Drawdown mechanics: the rule that decides the account
The Funded Trader runs static drawdown — measured from the starting balance and never trailing your equity — once you are in profit the whole buffer stays yours. FTMO runs static drawdown — measured from the starting balance and never trailing your equity — once you are in profit the whole buffer stays yours. This single difference decides more accounts than the profit split does, because it changes how much of an open winner you are allowed to give back before the account closes.
Because both firms use the same model, the deciding factor moves to the daily and consistency layer: The Funded Trader applies applies on selected challenge types, FTMO applies none on the evaluation. Where the drawdown mechanics match, the consistency rule is what usually gates the first withdrawal.
12-month cost of ownership
Sticker price is the wrong comparison unit, because almost nobody passes on the first attempt. Modelled over a realistic first year — The Funded Trader at $59 entry: $59 for one pass, $118 at two attempts, $177 at three; FTMO at $345 entry: $345 for one pass, $690 at two attempts, $1,035 at three — The Funded Trader is roughly 5.8x cheaper per attempt than FTMO. Over three attempts that gap compounds to $858.
Two adjustments matter on top of that. Futures-style firms typically bill the funded account monthly or charge an activation fee, so a year of ownership adds cost after you pass, while most forex-style evaluation firms charge once and several refund the fee with the first payout. And allocation is not equal: The Funded Trader scales to $400k against $400k at FTMO, so cost per dollar of eventual buying power can invert the ranking above.
Net of all that, the practical read is simple. If you are still proving a strategy, the cheaper per-attempt firm is the rational place to burn attempts. If you are already consistent, pay up for the firm whose payout record and allocation ceiling you actually intend to use.
Payout speed and payout evidence
The Funded Trader allows a first withdrawal around day 14 and pays bi-weekly; FTMO allows it around day 14 and pays bi-weekly on demand. Timing is effectively identical, so the deciding factor is evidence quality rather than speed.
Speed without evidence is worthless, so weigh it against how well each firm's payouts are documented: The Funded Trader scores 62/100 on our payout-evidence metric and FTMO scores 96/100, feeding trust scores of 58 and 94 respectively. The gap between a fast-paying firm with thin public evidence and a slower one with years of verifiable payout history is the single largest risk you carry in this category.
Also check the withdrawal gate, not just the calendar. The Funded Trader applies applies on selected challenge types and FTMO applies none on the evaluation — a consistency cap can hold back a large winning week regardless of how often the firm says it pays.
Rulebooks side by side
The Funded Trader
- Static drawdown on the standard challenge. Maximum loss is measured from the starting balance and does not trail your equity high, so accumulated profit stays as buffer. This is the trader-friendly model and it has survived the restructure intact.
- Two-phase evaluation with variants. The standard route is two phases with a 8%/5% target structure. Rapid and one-step variants exist at different price points with different consistency requirements — the rules genuinely differ between them, so the plan you buy matters more here than at most firms.
- Consistency applies on selected plans. Some challenge types apply a consistency cap at payout, others do not. Because the product line has changed repeatedly since 2021, third-party reviews older than a year routinely describe rules that no longer apply.
FTMO
- Static maximum loss. Your drawdown is measured from the initial balance and does not trail your equity high. Once you are up 8% on a 10% buffer, that entire cushion stays yours — the opposite of the trailing models used across futures.
- 5% daily loss limit. Calculated on the higher of balance or equity at the daily reset, and it includes floating losses on open positions. Most FTMO failures are daily-limit breaches from holding a loser through a news print, not blown maximum drawdown.
- News and weekend rules. The standard FTMO Challenge allows news trading and weekend holding; the Swing account exists specifically to remove restrictions on both. Check which product you bought before an NFP release.
Choose The Funded Trader if
You want a wider challenge range and are pricing in the history.