FTMO (Czech Republic, trading since 2015) is one of the oldest and largest prop firms in the CFD/forex space. The ftmo.com domain dates back to 2001 and the Trustpilot score is 4.8/5 across 53,597 reviews, on a profile claimed since 11/2019. The firm says it has over 4.5 million customers and has paid out more than USD 650 million in Rewards — those are FTMO's own figures, recorded here as stated, because K.A.I cannot verify them independently.
There are three ways in. 2-Step is the standard route: 10% in phase 1, 5% in phase 2, 5% max daily loss, a 10% max loss measured STATICALLY on the initial capital, at least 4 trading days per phase, no time limit, 80% split. 1-Step is leaner: one phase at 10%, a 90% split straight away, but the daily loss tightens to 3%, the 10% max loss TRAILS the highest closing balance, and your best day must stay at 50% of total profit or less — a rule FTMO changed on 12 Oct 2026 so that it now measures against total profit with losing days included, which makes it stricter than before. And since 12 Oct 2026 there is a third route: Instant, bought rather than earned.
The thing K.A.I rates highest is the STATIC max loss on 2-Step. Plenty of firms use a trailing drawdown, where the floor creeps up behind your profit, so handing some of it back costs you the account. FTMO's 2-Step keeps the floor still at 10% of the initial capital, which gives a trader room to breathe once they are in profit. The trade-off is two phases and a starting split of 80%, lower than some futures firms.
The evaluation fee is a ONE-OFF and is refunded in full with your first Reward. The Global site prices in EUR: 2-Step $10K €89 · $25K €250 · $50K €345 · $100K €439 (list €540) · $200K €1,080; 1-Step runs slightly cheaper at €79 · €199 · €319 · €399 (list €499) · €999. The US site prices in USD and costs a little more — the full table is in the pricing section above. Rewards can be requested from day 14 after your first trade and any time after that, with the money usually arriving 1–2 business days after approval. The Scaling Plan needs at least 4 months, net profit of 10% or more and at least two Rewards already processed; meet it and you get 25% more capital, a 90% split and growth up to USD 2 million.
THE INSTANT ACCOUNT — released 12 Oct 2026, FTMO's newest product and the one to read most carefully. You buy it, it is live, there is no evaluation, the split is 90% from the first trade and there is no time limit. Sizes run $5,000 to $100,000 at $189 · $379 · $849 · $1,699 · $3,399 on the US site, or €169 · €339 · €749 · €1,499 · €2,999 on Global. In return: 3% daily loss, a 10% max loss that trails intraday off your highest closed-trade balance, consistency tightened to 30%, a NON-REFUNDABLE fee, and no access to the Scaling Plan. For scale: the $100K 2-Step sells at €439 and is refunded in full with your first Reward — the $100K Instant is €2,999 and is gone for good.
What the Instant sales table does not say out loud, and what K.A.I thinks matters more than the price: THE MAX-LOSS FLOOR DOES NOT RESET WHEN YOU WITHDRAW. FTMO's own words: “once your balance exceeds 110% of the Initial Simulated Capital, a Reward withdrawal would breach the Limit.” In practice, on a $50,000 account: make $3,000 and the floor climbs to $48,000; withdraw that $3,000 and the balance is back at $50,000 while the floor stays at $48,000 — your cushion has gone from 10% to 4%. Let the profit reach $6,000 and withdraw it all, and the post-payout balance of $50,000 sits under a floor of $51,000: you breach at the moment of withdrawal. Put simply, no payout may exceed 10% of the initial capital, and every dollar taken out is a dollar of breathing room gone. On a funded 1-Step account that floor DOES reset — that, not speed, is the difference worth paying for.
THE POINT THAT MATTERS MOST FOR READERS IN VIETNAM: FTMO keeps TWO different restricted-country lists for its two products. The FUTURES product BARS residents of Vietnam. This CFD product does NOT — Vietnam does not appear in the 'Who can join FTMO' FAQ that K.A.I checked on 02/10/2026. If you are in Vietnam and want to take an FTMO evaluation, this is the door that is open. Customers in the US are served by a separate affiliated entity, so pick the right region on the site before you buy.
In short: FTMO suits forex/CFD traders who want a firm that has proven it lasts and pays, and who accept a higher-than-average fee in exchange for clear rules and solid infrastructure (MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView link-up). Newcomers should take 2-Step for the roomier daily loss and the non-trailing max loss. Consistent traders who want 90% at once can weigh 1-Step, provided they can live with a 3% daily loss and the best-day rule. Instant is worth buying only if you are already consistent, need to be in the market now because the opportunity will not wait, and treat the fee as spent — do not buy Instant merely to avoid an evaluation.
Affiliate link — K.A.I earns a commission if you sign up through it. Your price is the same either way, and our scores do not depend on commission.
Affiliate link — K.A.I earns a commission if you sign up through it. Your price is the same either way, and our scores do not depend on commission.
Vietnam is NOT on the restricted list for FTMO’s CFD product. Keep the two apart, though: FTMO runs TWO separate products, and the FUTURES one DOES bar Vietnamese residents. Both share one affiliate link, so check which product page you are on before buying.
| CAPITAL | $10K | $25K | $50K | $100K | $200K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTMO Challenge 1-Step — Global (EUR) | €79 | €199 | €319 | €399 | €999 |
| FTMO Challenge 2-Step — Global (EUR) | €89 | €250 | €345 | €439 | €1.080 |
| FTMO Challenge 1-Step — US site (USD) | $89 | $229 | $359 | $463 | $1,149 |
| FTMO Challenge 2-Step — US site (USD) | $99 | $289 | $399 | $499 | $1,249 |
| RULE | $5K | $10K | $25K | $50K | $100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-time fee — US site (ftmo.oanda.com) | $189 | $379 | $849 | $1,699 | $3,399 |
| One-time fee — Global site (ftmo.com) | €169 | €339 | €749 | €1,499 | €2,999 |
| Max daily loss (3% of capital) | $150 | $300 | $750 | $1,500 | $3,000 |
| Max loss (10% of capital) | $500 | $1,000 | $2,500 | $5,000 | $10,000 |
| $450 | $900 | $2,250 | $4,500 | $9,000 | |
K.A.I derived this from FTMO's own formula, not from FTMO's marketing: take out more than 10% of the initial capital in one go and your balance drops under the max-loss floor — you breach at the moment of withdrawal. The row shows 90% of that 10%, i.e. what actually reaches you. And even at exactly that ceiling, your cushion is zero once the money leaves. To keep any breathing room you must withdraw LESS. | |||||
| 3,8% | 3,8% | 3,4% | 3,4% | 3,4% | |
For comparison: the $100K 2-Step Challenge currently sells at €439 — about 0.44% of the capital, and it is refunded in full with your first Reward. The $100K Instant is €2,999 and refunds nothing. Nearly 7× the cost: that is the price of skipping the evaluation. | |||||
| RULE | HOW IT IS MEASURED |
|---|---|
| The day's floor = your balance at 00:00 Central European time minus 3% of the INITIAL capital. Equity touching that floor is a breach — equity includes floating P/L on open trades, swaps and commissions. | |
Example on a $50,000 account: day 1 floor is $50,000 − $1,500 = $48,500. If the balance is $51,000 at midnight, day 2's floor is $51,000 − $1,500 = $49,500. The floor follows the balance at the start of each day, not the original capital. | |
| The floor = your HIGHEST EVER CLOSED-TRADE BALANCE (or the initial capital, whichever is higher) minus 10% of the initial capital. It steps up the instant a trade closes at a new balance high. It only ever rises. | |
Floating profit on an open trade does NOT lift the floor — only closed trades do. Yet breaches are tested on equity, so floating profit never helps you while floating loss can finish you. On 2-Step the floor sits still at 90% of the original capital. On Instant it creeps up behind every new high — give the profit back and the account is gone. | |
| Best day ≤ 30% of TOTAL profit. Total profit sums closed wins and losses across every day. | |
Going over 30% is NOT a breach and does NOT burn the account — it only blocks the withdrawal until you have traded the ratio back down. But a losing day shrinks total profit, so a loss makes the ratio worse rather than leaving it alone. FTMO's own example: day 1 +$6,000, day 2 −$2,000, day 3 +$4,000, day 4 +$2,000 → total profit $10,000 and the best day is 60% of it. To withdraw, total profit has to reach at least $20,000. Stack that against the 10% withdrawal ceiling: on a $50,000 account a full payout cycle means about $5,000 of total profit, so your best single day must stay at or below $1,500. Traders who take one big swing and sit out do not fit this product. After each Reward withdrawal, total profit restarts from zero — the next cycle is judged from scratch. | |
| RULE | EXPLAINED |
|---|---|
| What FTMO writes | Verbatim from the Trading Objectives page: “Your Maximum Loss Limit does not reset when you withdraw a Reward… once your balance exceeds 110% of the Initial Simulated Capital, a Reward withdrawal would breach the Limit. It is your responsibility to ensure the Reward withdrawal does not result in a breach.” |
| You make $3,000 → balance $53,000, new peak $53,000, the max-loss floor steps up to $48,000. You withdraw that $3,000, receive $2,700, balance returns to $50,000 — but THE FLOOR STAYS AT $48,000. Your cushion is now $2,000, i.e. 4% of the capital, not the 10% you started with. | |
! If you let profit reach $6,000 and then withdraw it all: the floor has crept to $51,000 and the balance after the payout is $50,000 — BELOW THE FLOOR. The account breaches at the moment of withdrawal, and FTMO states plainly that this is your responsibility, not theirs. | |
| The rule of thumb | Cushion left = balance − (all-time peak − 10% of capital). Every dollar you take out costs a dollar of cushion, and it only comes back when you push the balance to a NEW peak. Withdraw half your cushion and you trade the next stretch with half the room. |
| How the Challenge route compares | On a funded 1-Step account the max-loss floor IS RESET to 90% of the initial capital after a withdrawal. On Instant it is not. That, not speed, is the difference between the two routes that actually costs money. |
| RULE | K.A.I'S CALL |
|---|---|
| Suits | Traders who are already consistent, run tight risk, need to be in the market now because the setup will not wait, and can write the fee off. It also suits someone holding positions on another account who needs a clean one for a new idea — exactly the group FTMO names in its launch post. |
| Does not suit | Beginners. News traders and anyone whose edge is one big day (the 30% rule). Anyone planning large, regular withdrawals (the 10% ceiling plus the non-resetting floor). Anyone who wants to scale towards $2M — Instant has no Scaling Plan, so growth still means going back and taking an evaluation. |
| The cheaper route | If you are not in a hurry: the $100K 2-Step at €439 refunds the fee in full once you pass, keeps the max-loss floor static, has no consistency rule and opens the Scaling Plan. It costs time, and it costs far less in money and in rule risk. |
| RULE | 1-STEP | 2-STEP | INSTANT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evaluation phases | One phase | Two phases (Challenge → Verification) | NO EVALUATION — the account is live the moment you pay |
| Profit target | 10% | Phase 1: 10% · Phase 2: 5% | None |
| Max daily loss | 3% | 5% — the roomiest | 3% |
| Max loss | 10% — trails at END OF DAY, following the highest closing balance | 10% — STATIC, measured on the initial capital | 10% — trails INTRADAY off the highest closed-trade balance, and does NOT reset when you withdraw |
| Minimum trading days | None | At least 4 days per phase | None |
| Consistency rule | Best Day ≤ 50% of TOTAL profit (new rule, for orders placed from 12 Oct 2026) | None | Best Day ≤ 30% of total profit — the tightest of the three |
| Reward split | 90% | 80% — rises to 90% via Scaling Plan or Premium | 90% from the very first trade |
| Fee refund | 100% refunded with your first Reward | 100% refunded with your first Reward | NOT REFUNDED — FTMO labels it “one-time fee (non-refundable)” |
| Scaling Plan | Yes | Yes | DOES NOT APPLY — stated outright on FTMO's Scaling Plan page |
| Max capital | $200,000 | $200,000 | $100,000 |
| Trading period | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| RULE | DETAIL |
|---|---|
| 2-Step is the most survivable for a newcomer: 5% daily loss instead of 3%, a STATIC max loss so the floor never creeps up as you profit, and no consistency rule. The price is two phases and an 80% split. 1-Step is quicker and pays 90% at once, but the max loss trails the end-of-day peak and your Best Day must stay at 50% of total profit or less. Instant is the MOST EXPENSIVE PER DOLLAR OF CAPITAL and the STRICTEST — you are paying to skip the evaluation, not to get an easier account. | |
The 2-Step max loss is fixed at 10% of the initial capital — still FTMO's kindest feature next to firms that trail the drawdown. From 12 Oct 2026 the 1-Step consistency rule is measured against TOTAL profit (losing days included) rather than the sum of profitable days only. Losing days shrink the denominator, so the new rule bites harder. Accounts from orders placed before 12 Oct 2026 keep the legacy rule. All three test breaches on EQUITY — floating P/L on open positions counts, not just the closed balance. | |
| RULE | $10K | $25K | $50K | $100K | $200K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cách tính lỗ | Theo equity: số dư + lãi/lỗ lệnh đang mở ± swap − phí | ||||
| Giờ chốt lỗ ngày | 00:00 giờ Trung Âu (CE(S)T) — tính lại theo số dư đầu ngày | ||||
| Evaluation time limit | Unlimited | ||||
| Hoàn phí | 100% phí thi, trả cùng đợt nhận thưởng đầu tiên | ||||
| Trading venue | MT4 · MT5 · cTrader · kết nối TradingView | ||||
| Product | Forex, chỉ số, kim loại, crypto và các CFD khác | ||||
| Age | 18 and over |
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