FTMO has operated since 2015 (Czech Republic) — the oldest large prop on the market. ~4.8/5 on Trustpilot with 13k+ reviews and regular audited payouts. Strongest brand in the industry.

How much does an FTMO $100k challenge cost?

$100k account costs ~€540 (~$590) as of June 2026. 10k → €89, 25k → €189, 200k → €1,080. The fee is refunded with your first payout after going live.

What is FTMO's profit split?

Standard 80% for the trader, 90% after 3 consecutive successful payouts. Among the highest splits in the industry.

When is the first payout?

14 days after your first trade on the funded account. Subsequent payouts every 14 days (default) or on-demand. Methods: bank wire, crypto, Skrill — in EUR/USD.

Does FTMO have trailing drawdown?

Since 2023, NO — Max Loss 10% is measured from initial balance, not trailing from peak. Trailing only applies to old models. Daily Loss 5% IS however measured from the day's highest equity (CET midnight).

How many people pass FTMO Challenge?

FTMO publishes the numbers: ~10% of accounts pass the full Challenge + Verification. Top failure causes are breaching daily loss and overtrading the 10% Phase 1 target.

FTMO 2026 review — rules, pros, cons, who it's for

Intro — what FTMO is and why everyone talks about it

FTMO is a Czech prop firm founded in 2015 in Prague. The most recognized brand in the industry — they basically turned "prop trading" into a mass-market product. The mechanism is simple: you pay a challenge fee, if you pass two stages without breaking the rules, you get a "funded account" (up to 200k$ to start, scaling to 2M$) and keep 80-90% of profits.

Sounds great — so where's the catch? In the rules. You need to know them by heart, because breaking any of them = game over.

FTMO rules in a nutshell

Challenge stages

Challenge — +10% profit target, max 30 days
Verification — +5% profit target, max 60 days
FTMO Account — real account, no daily targets, payouts every 14-30 days

Risk limits (same on every stage)

Maximum Daily Loss: 5% — measured from the highest equity of the day at server midnight (CE(S)T), not from opening balance
Maximum Loss: 10% — measured from initial balance, not from peak (since 2023 there's no trailing DD on new models)
Minimum 4 trading days — you must log in and enter at least one trade on 4 different days
No time limit since 2023 (as long as you stay active)
Holding through weekends and through news — allowed (changed recently, used to be forbidden)

Fees (as of June 2026)

10k$ → ~€89
25k$ → ~€189
100k$ → ~€540
200k$ → ~€1,080

Fee is refunded with your first payout after going live.

Payouts

First: 14 days after your first trade on live account
Subsequent: every 14 days (default) or on-demand
Split: 80% for trader by default, 90% after 3 consecutive successful payouts
Methods: bank wire, crypto, Skrill — in EUR/USD

Pros

Credibility — company is 10+ years old, regular audited payouts, ~4.8/5 on Trustpilot (~13k reviews)
No time limit on challenge — you can take it slow (rare in the industry)
Weekend and news holding allowed (most competitors forbid it)
Scaling plan — every 4 months at +10% profit your account grows by 25%, up to 2M$
80-90% split — top of the market
Free trial — test the platform before paying
Solid customer support — multiple languages, fast replies

Cons

Daily loss 5% from equity peak, not balance — this kills the most accounts. You're +3% in the morning, -3% in the afternoon, you're -6% from peak → bust
High price vs newer props (FundingPips, MyFundedFX are ~30-40% cheaper for similar rules)
Hard 10% target in phase 1 — averages ~1% per day at constant risk, easy to fall into overtrading
Spreads on FTMO's broker (cTrader/MT5) can be wider than retail accounts, especially during news
Consistency rule on payout — no single day can produce more than 50% of total profit in the period, or payout gets cut
No instant funding — you must pass two stages (some props offer "1-step" or instant)

Who FTMO makes sense for

Experienced traders with documented stats (winrate 45-55%, R:R 1.5+, max DD <8% in backtests)
Swing/intraday style with limited trades per day (1-3, not 20)
People with diversified capital — treat the challenge fee like any other business risk
Those who want the brand name on their CV/portfolio — FTMO is the "Rolex" of props

Who it does NOT make sense for

Beginners without a tested strategy — you'll burn 10 challenges before learning
High-frequency scalpers — spreads will eat you
HFT/grid/martingale systems — they'll detect and block payout
No budget for 3-4 attempts — statistically that's the average

CTA — how to not blow your challenge

The #1 reason people fail FTMO is not watching daily loss and max DD in real time. FTMO's platform shows balance and equity, but doesn't show "how many $ separate me from a bust right now, after this last trade".

Prop Firm Tracker in TradeLogic does this for you — shows buffer to each FTMO rule separately, alerts at 80%, blocks new trade entry if it would bust the account.

Sign up for a free TradeLogic account, add your FTMO challenge in 2 minutes, and stop losing challenges to mental math.