FTMO and The5ers are two of the most established forex prop firms, but they suit opposite trader types. In short: FTMO is the "sprint" — a time-bound two-step evaluation, a fixed 10% drawdown, and an 80–90% split; The5ers is the "marathon" — no time limit, a trailing drawdown, news trading allowed, and a path to 100%. This FTMO vs The5ers comparison breaks down splits, drawdown, rules, scaling, and payouts so you can pick the right fit.
Key takeaways
- FTMO is the sprint: a time-bound two-step evaluation, a fixed 10% drawdown and an 80–90% split.
- The5ers is the marathon: no time limit, a trailing drawdown, news trading allowed and a path to a 100% split.
- The right pick follows your temperament — structured sprinters suit FTMO's clock, patient marathoners suit The5ers' open timeline.
- FTMO's fixed drawdown is measured from the starting balance and never moves up, so banked profit widens your margin for error. The5ers' trailing drawdown rises with your equity, so profit tightens the leash instead of loosening it.
- The5ers has the lower barrier to entry — some starter-tier Bootcamp accounts begin around $95 — while FTMO charges a premium fee that is refunded once you take a first withdrawal from a funded account.
- News trading is generally permitted at The5ers and restricted at FTMO, which prohibits opening, closing or modifying orders within a two-minute window around high-impact releases.
- The scaling cadence differs as much as the entry: FTMO adds 25% to the balance on a roughly four-month review cycle, while The5ers scales on performance milestones toward $4 million in managed capital.
Both firms sell the same underlying product — funded capital in exchange for a rule-bound evaluation — and they have made almost opposite decisions about how that capital is earned and how it is kept. The differences are not cosmetic. A time limit, the way a drawdown is measured, and whether you may hold a position through a news release each determine which strategies can survive the programme at all. For the wider field rather than a head-to-head, our data-driven prop firm comparison applies the same criteria across the market.
FTMO vs The5ers: the sprint model and the marathon model
| Criterion | FTMO | The5ers |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluation model | Two-step, time-bound objectives | Programmes with unlimited time horizons |
| Time pressure | Yes — a defined window to hit each target | None — no expiry on the evaluation |
| Drawdown type | Fixed and absolute, typically 10% of the initial balance | Relative and trailing, rising with account equity |
| Starting profit split | 80% | 50% to 60% on entry-level accounts |
| Ceiling profit split | 90% at FTMO Trader status | 100% on top-tier accounts |
| News trading | Restricted around high-impact releases | Generally permitted |
| Entry cost | Premium, refunded with your first funded withdrawal | From around $95 for starter-tier Bootcamp accounts |
| Scaling | 25% balance increase on a roughly four-month cycle | Milestone-driven through Bootcamp and Hyper Growth |
| Payout rails | Bank wire and crypto | Fintech transfers and a branded Visa card option |
FTMO's sprint model: structure, deadlines and a defined pass mark
FTMO is the most standardised operator in retail prop trading, and that standardisation is the product. The core route is a two-step evaluation with time-bound objectives: produce a defined return inside a defined window, twice, without breaching a fixed loss limit. Clear both and you trade a funded account under the same rulebook as everyone else, with few exceptions and little room for negotiation. That rigidity reads as inflexibility from the outside. From the inside it is closer to insurance: a firm processing evaluations at volume needs one interpretation of every rule, because ambiguity is where disputes are born.
The deadline is the defining feature of the model, and for a competent trader it does two genuinely useful things. It forces an honest answer to what your edge produces in a month rather than in a backtest, and it removes the option of waiting indefinitely for a perfect setup that never arrives. If you run a repeatable intraday or short-swing method that reliably generates a meaningful return inside a 30-day window, the structure costs you almost nothing and hands you a clean, binary result.
The same deadline is also why most accounts fail. Having sat on the firm side of these programmes, the failure data is unglamorous: it is rarely the strategy that breaks, it is position sizing after a loss. A trader sitting behind target with a week left almost never abandons the method — they keep the method and double the risk, and the fixed loss limit takes care of the rest. The clock does not create that behaviour; it compresses the window in which it can express itself, which is why time-bound evaluations produce a distinctive failure cluster in the final stretch and why passing a challenge is mostly a sizing discipline.
FTMO's structure therefore suits a specific profile: a trader with a tested, repeatable process who performs adequately under a known deadline and does not change position size when the scoreboard turns against them. If you are that trader, the deadline is a mild inconvenience rather than a threat. You can review the current account sizes and objectives on the FTMO firm page, and confirm anything you are about to pay for against FTMO's own site, which is the only authoritative source for its live terms.
The5ers' marathon model: an open timeline and a longer horizon
The5ers takes the clock away. Its programmes run on unlimited time horizons, which converts the evaluation from a test you can fail by running out of days into a standard you either meet or you do not. That single change alters the incentive structure more than any headline number in the marketing. With no expiry date, there is no mechanical reason to take a marginal setup, and no final-day scenario in which the only route to the target is to size up well beyond anything the strategy justifies.
For swing traders and trend-following systems, this is not a comfort feature — it is a structural requirement. A method that needs two or three weeks for a thesis to resolve is heavily penalised by a fixed evaluation window, because it may only get one or two independent attempts before time runs out. A positive-expectancy strategy judged on a sample of two trades is a coin flip. Remove the deadline and the same method gets the number of attempts its statistics actually need, which is the difference between being evaluated on your edge and being evaluated on your luck.
The trade-off is that the pressure does not vanish, it relocates. Once the deadline is gone, the binding constraint becomes the drawdown rule and your own consistency — and The5ers pairs the open timeline with a trailing drawdown that tightens as the account grows. No firm gives away a lever without pulling a different one; The5ers has simply chosen to control its risk through the loss mechanic rather than the calendar. Current programme structures are listed on the The5ers firm page, and the firm's live terms are published on The5ers' own site.
Matching the model to your temperament
The evaluation you are most likely to pass is the one whose pressure you already handle well in ordinary trading. This is worth being unsentimental about, because both models are perfectly viable and the wrong one for you is still the wrong one. The question is not which firm is stricter. It is which constraint — a deadline or a rising loss floor — you are better equipped to trade under for weeks at a time.
| Trader profile | The sprinter (FTMO) | The marathoner (The5ers) |
|---|---|---|
| Typical holding period | Intraday to short swing | Multi-day to multi-week swing |
| Reaction to a deadline | Sharpens focus and forces decisions | Provokes forced trades and over-sizing |
| Preferred rule set | Fixed, explicit, unchanging | Flexible, with room for the strategy to adapt |
| News exposure | Trades around releases, not through them | Fundamentals are part of the edge |
| Main failure mode to guard against | Revenge trading near the deadline | Drifting position size as the trailing floor rises |
Read that table honestly rather than aspirationally. If a countdown reliably makes you trade a size you would not otherwise take, FTMO's sprint is not a challenge to rise to — it is a structural mismatch you will pay for repeatedly. If open-ended timelines make you passive and you need a deadline to execute at all, The5ers' marathon will simply extend the period over which nothing happens. Choosing on temperament is the highest-leverage decision here, because everything downstream — split, scaling, payout speed — only matters if you reach a funded account.
Profit splits, drawdown mechanics and the true cost of entry
Profit splits: a higher floor at FTMO, a higher ceiling at The5ers
On first inspection FTMO looks the more generous of the two. Its base profit split starts at 80% and scales to 90% once a trader reaches FTMO Trader status — an 80/20 division at the outset moving to 90/10 after scaling. For a trader who is already producing consistent results, that is a strong short-term proposition: a higher proportion of every withdrawal lands in your account from the first payout onward, with no waiting period to earn the rate.
The5ers approaches the same question from the opposite end. Entry-level accounts commonly start at a more modest 50% to 60% split, which is the number most comparison posts stop at. The more important figure is the ceiling: the firm's Hyper Growth and Bootcamp models offer a legitimate route to a 100% profit split on top-tier accounts. You accept a smaller share early in exchange for the possibility of retaining all of it later, which reframes the relationship from a transaction into a multi-year arrangement.
| Profit split | FTMO | The5ers |
|---|---|---|
| Starting rate | 80% (an 80/20 division) | 50% to 60% on entry-level accounts |
| Scaled rate | 90% at FTMO Trader status (90/10) | Rises through the Bootcamp and Hyper Growth tiers |
| Ceiling | 90% | 100% on top-tier accounts |
| Your share of $10,000 in profit at the starting rate | $8,000 | $5,000 to $6,000 |
| Best suited to | Immediate, consistent cash flow | Long-horizon compounding and retention |
The arithmetic in the fourth row is the whole argument in miniature. On $10,000 of profit, FTMO's starting rate returns roughly $8,000 against $5,000 to $6,000 at The5ers' entry tiers — a meaningful gap if you intend to withdraw regularly over the next few months. It closes, then reverses, only if you stay long enough to climb The5ers' tiers. So the honest question is not which split is bigger, but how long you realistically expect to trade with the same firm. Most traders overestimate that number, which is why a high starting split is usually worth more than a high ceiling.
Drawdown: fixed absolute versus relative trailing
This is the most consequential technical difference between the two firms, and the one most often skimmed. Drawdown mechanics decide whether an ordinary run of volatility ends your account or merely dents it, and the two models behave in opposite directions as you become profitable.
FTMO uses a fixed, absolute drawdown limit — typically 10% of the initial account balance. It is a static line. Start with a $100,000 account and your floor is $90,000, permanently. Run the account up to $150,000 and the floor is still $90,000; your maximum loss measured from the initial balance remains $10,000. Every dollar of profit you bank therefore widens the distance between your equity and the stop-out level, which is why traders who compound aggressively tend to prefer this model.
The5ers commonly applies a relative, trailing drawdown across its programmes: as equity rises, the loss threshold rises with it. Take the same $100,000 account and push it to $120,000 — the stop-out level may have moved up to roughly $112,000. The distance to failure does not expand the way it does under a fixed model; it stays broadly constant, and your unrealised gains are only partly yours to risk. That is a deliberate design choice protecting the firm's capital, and it places a permanent discipline requirement on position sizing.
| Account state | FTMO — fixed 10% absolute | The5ers — relative trailing |
|---|---|---|
| Starting balance $100,000 | Floor at $90,000 | Floor set relative to the balance |
| Equity rises to $120,000 | Floor unchanged at $90,000 | Floor may trail up to around $112,000 |
| Equity rises to $150,000 | Floor unchanged; maximum loss from the initial balance stays $10,000 | Floor continues to follow equity upward |
| Effect of banked profit | Widens the margin for error | Keeps the margin for error roughly constant |
| Discipline demanded | Highest early, easing as the account grows | Constant throughout the life of the account |
Neither model is objectively better; they penalise different mistakes. A fixed drawdown is more forgiving to a trader who compounds into larger positions, because the cushion grows with the account. A trailing drawdown is manageable for a systematic trader who sizes off a fixed percentage of equity and never lets a winning run inflate risk. The trader who struggles with a trailing model is the one who mentally banks unrealised profit and then trades as though the floor were still where it started.
Calculating the True Cost of Entry: Beyond the Sticker Price
The cost of joining either firm is not the number on the checkout page. It is the fee divided by your realistic probability of reaching a payout, and that denominator does more work than most buyers admit.
FTMO's fees sit at the higher end and are positioned as a premium service, aimed at traders confident of clearing a structured two-step evaluation. The mitigating feature is the refund: the fee is returned once you pass and take your first withdrawal from a funded account. Read carefully, that is not a deposit you can call back — it is working capital you have advanced to the firm, repayable only on success. Priced that way, the fee is a bet on your own consistency, which is exactly how the firm intends it to read.
The5ers attacks the same problem from the other direction. Entry fees start as low as $95 for some of the smaller starter-tier Bootcamp accounts, which meaningfully lowers the cost of a first attempt for a newer trader or anyone testing whether the prop model suits them at all. The lower upfront cost is paid for elsewhere, in the reduced 50% to 60% starting split. You are trading short-term cash flow for a smaller amount of capital at risk — a sensible trade if your objective is long-term growth, and a poor one if you need income from the account this quarter.
| Cost factor | FTMO | The5ers |
|---|---|---|
| Headline fee | Premium-positioned, higher up front | From around $95 on starter-tier Bootcamp accounts |
| Refund mechanism | Fee returned with the first withdrawal from a funded account | Lower entry cost rather than a refund |
| What the price buys | A standardised, heavily documented evaluation | A low-cost route into a scaling programme |
| What you give up | More capital committed before you are funded | A lower starting split of 50% to 60% |
Whichever you choose, price the attempt honestly and check what is actually being charged today rather than what a blog said last quarter — evaluation pricing and promotions move, and our page of current firm offers tracks the live figures. The comparison that matters is not FTMO's fee against The5ers' fee. It is each fee against the probability that you, trading the way you actually trade, reach a funded account under that specific rule set.
Strategy alignment: matching your trading style to the rule set
News trading: permitted at The5ers, restricted at FTMO
If your edge depends on fundamental catalysts and the volatility around high-impact releases, this section decides the comparison on its own. Everything else is a preference; this is a compatibility check.
FTMO enforces a strict news policy: no opening, closing or modifying orders within a two-minute window around high-impact releases. The restriction is not arbitrary. It exists because slippage, unpredictable price behaviour and liquidity gaps around events such as FOMC decisions and Non-Farm Payroll reports create fills that neither the firm nor the trader can model, and a firm carrying the execution risk on thousands of accounts will always price that out of the rulebook. The practical consequence is straightforward: a macro-focused trader whose strategy is built on capturing those exact moves will not merely underperform at FTMO, they will breach the rules while executing their plan correctly.
The5ers generally permits news trading. Its position is that high-impact events are a standard feature of market dynamics rather than an exception to be legislated away, so traders who build fundamental catalysts into their process can hold through releases without watching a clock to avoid disqualification. For scalpers working the post-release expansion and for swing traders whose entries are triggered by data, that freedom is the single strongest argument for the firm, and it is worth more than a few percentage points of profit split.
One caveat applies to both: rules on news, holding times and permitted instruments are the parameters firms revise most often, and the 2026 rule changes show they revise them without much ceremony. Confirm the current wording on the firm's own site before you pay, not after a trade has gone against you. The same principle applies to any comparison you read here — including this one, which is why we publish how we verify firm data alongside the conclusions.
Matching holding period to risk architecture
Once the news question is settled, the next filter is holding period, because each firm's architecture quietly favours one. High-frequency day traders depend on repetition: many small-edge trades within a session, executed on tight spreads with dependable fills. FTMO's infrastructure and rule set are built around exactly that pattern — consistent execution conditions, an unambiguous rule set, and objectives that a high-frequency method can meet inside a 30-day window without distorting its own risk parameters.
Patient swing traders face the opposite arithmetic. Holding positions for days or weeks means fewer independent outcomes per month, so a fixed evaluation window forces a choice between trading more often than the strategy warrants and accepting a small, high-variance sample. The5ers' programmes remove that pressure through unlimited timelines and, in many cases, no minimum trading day requirement — the trader is measured on results rather than activity. That is a structural fit for trend-following and position-style methods, not a lifestyle preference.
The failure mode to watch is subtle and common: a swing trader who signs up for a 30- or 60-day window and then quietly becomes a day trader in order to accumulate enough trades to hit the target. That is not adaptation, it is trading a strategy you have never tested under a deadline you have never traded. If you recognise the pattern, the open timeline is not a luxury for you — it is the difference between being assessed on your method and being assessed on an improvisation.
The psychological impact of rule rigidity
FTMO's rigidity functions as a guardrail as often as it functions as a constraint. For a disciplined trader, a hard loss limit and a fixed rulebook remove the option of the catastrophic decision — the one that comes after a bad morning, when the plan has already been abandoned and the account is being traded on feeling. Firms have been enforcing that guardrail for years precisely because it protects the trader's account as reliably as it protects the firm's capital.
For a trader whose method genuinely evolves with market conditions, the same rigidity is friction. The5ers' flexibility allows a strategy to shift as conditions change without the constant background calculation of whether an adjustment will trip a rule. That freedom carries its own cost: with fewer external constraints, the discipline has to come from you, and the trailing drawdown is unforgiving of the trader who supplies none.
Keep your trading style, rather than the rulebook, as the primary driver of your results. If you are spending mental bandwidth on rule compliance instead of on the market, you have picked the wrong environment — no matter how attractive its profit split looked on the pricing page.
Beyond the challenge: how each firm grows your capital
FTMO's step-ladder: 25% more capital on a four-month cycle
Passing the evaluation is the beginning of the commercial relationship, not the end of it. What determines whether a funded account becomes a meaningful income stream is the scaling plan, and here the two firms diverge as sharply as they do on drawdown.
FTMO's scaling plan is scheduled rather than reactive. It is assessed on a roughly four-month cycle: a trader who has produced a specified profit target over that period — typically a net profit of 10% on the account balance — receives an automatic 25% increase to the account balance. The profit split continues on the same terms, an 80/20 division rising to 90/10 for those who have reached FTMO Trader status, so growth is close to linear and entirely predictable.
Predictability is the real product here. Because you know in advance when capital will increase and by how much, position sizing can be planned across quarters instead of improvised. There is no benchmark to chase that might be moved, and no incentive to force an exceptional month; the requirement is to maintain a professional standard over a defined period.
The5ers' Bootcamp and Hyper Growth: scaling on milestones, not the calendar
The5ers uses a tiered model that responds to performance instead of the calendar, most visibly in its Bootcamp and Hyper Growth programmes. Rather than waiting for a fixed review date, traders scale as soon as predetermined profit milestones are met. In the Bootcamp structure, scaling is built into the programme itself: clearing each level moves you to a larger account immediately, so the growth path is a sequence of smaller thresholds rather than a quarterly appraisal.
For a genuinely high-performing trader, that is materially faster. Where FTMO rewards steady, repeatable performance on a schedule, The5ers provides the infrastructure for a trader who wants to reach $4 million in managed capital as quickly as their results allow. Combined with permitted news trading and greater flexibility in position management, the scaling path is less about surviving a fixed timeframe and more about demonstrating measurable performance. Hit the targets early and the larger account follows immediately — there is no enforced waiting period.
The obvious risk is equally structural. A model that rewards immediate performance also rewards the behaviour that produces immediate performance, and the fastest route to a milestone is almost always more risk rather than more skill. Combine milestone-based scaling with a trailing drawdown and the trader who chases the next tier is the trader most likely to lose the account they already have. The programme is a good fit for an operator with a proven, high-frequency edge; it is a poor fit for anyone who needs external structure to hold their risk steady.
Strategic considerations for capital growth
Choosing between the two scaling paths comes down to your risk appetite and the nature of your edge. Three factors decide it.
- Time-based versus performance-based triggers. FTMO's scaling is tied to a duration, which acts as a governor on ambition. You cannot accelerate the schedule by taking more risk, so the model quietly enforces consistency over urgency.
- The value of immediate scaling. If your strategy produces high-yield, repeatable results, waiting roughly four months for a 25% increase is a genuine constraint on compounding. The5ers removes that ceiling and lets capital grow at the pace of your performance.
- Where the split lands as you grow. FTMO starts higher, at 80% moving to 90%, but The5ers' top-tier accounts reach 100% of profits. The longer you intend to stay, the more the ceiling outweighs the floor.
| Scaling factor | FTMO scaling plan | The5ers Bootcamp and Hyper Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | A net profit of about 10% over the review period | Predetermined profit milestones |
| Cadence | Assessed on a roughly four-month cycle | Immediately on reaching a milestone |
| Capital increase | 25% added to the account balance | Promotion to the next account tier |
| Split as you scale | 80/20 rising to 90/10 | Rising toward 100% at the top tier |
| Stated capital horizon | Incremental, schedule-driven growth | Up to $4 million in managed capital |
| Best suited to | Traders who want predictability and a planned size ladder | Traders whose edge compounds faster than a quarterly schedule |
Put plainly, FTMO offers a corporate career path in which capital is earned through measured, repeatable success over defined periods, while The5ers offers something closer to a performance contract in which capital follows demonstrable milestones. For a trader targeting $4 million or more in capacity, the decision turns on whether you want the psychological buffer of a time-based plan or the faster, performance-driven ascent of a tiered architecture.
The operational layer: payouts, support and reputation
Payout infrastructure: bank wire and crypto versus fintech rails
Evaluation rules and profit splits attract the attention, but the durability of a prop relationship is decided by the back end: whether you get paid, how quickly, and how much friction sits between a profitable month and money in your account. Both are established operators, and their payout infrastructures reflect different priorities.
FTMO runs a professionalised, near-institutional payout process, primarily via direct bank wire transfer alongside crypto payment rails. Its reliability is rarely questioned; the firm has been disbursing profits at scale for long enough that consistent, timely payment is the baseline expectation rather than a selling point. For traders who value predictability over speed, that is the point — a payout process that behaves the same way every month is worth more than one that is occasionally faster.
The5ers takes a more fintech-oriented approach, frequently using services such as Wise to reduce fees and shorten international transfer times, and offering branded Visa card options that give traders quicker access to capital once a profit split request is processed. If you are trading from a country where conventional bank wires are slow or expensive, that difference compounds across every withdrawal you make.
One habit is worth carrying into either relationship: judge payout claims on evidence rather than marketing. Withdrawal speed is the easiest thing for a firm to advertise and the hardest for a trader to verify before committing money, which is why we publish on-chain verified payout data where it can be independently confirmed. A firm's payout history is the only part of its pitch that cannot be rewritten in a marketing refresh.
Support and education: a compliance desk versus a trading academy
Support is where the two firms feel most different in daily use. FTMO's support function operates as an extension of its compliance and operations departments: technical, precise and fast on the questions that matter to a funded trader — rule interpretation, platform behaviour, account status, and whether a specific action constitutes a breach. It is not warm, and it is not trying to be. For an experienced trader who needs an accurate answer rather than a conversation, that is the correct design.
The5ers positions itself closer to a hybrid of prop firm and trading academy. Its support model is more human-centred and collaborative, with an active community, access to mentors, and educational sessions built into the offering. Traders who benefit from feedback loops, peer discussion and structured learning tend to find that environment more productive than a ticketing system, particularly in the first year of trading funded capital.
Choose on what you actually need. An experienced trader with a working process is buying execution reliability and clear answers, and educational content is largely irrelevant to them. A developing trader is buying a feedback loop, and getting a fast, correct answer about a rule breach is small comfort if nothing in the environment helps them stop breaching it.
Reputation and Community Sentiment: The Old Guard vs. The Innovator
In community sentiment, FTMO occupies the position of the established institution. It is credited with stability, transparency and consistent payouts, and the prevailing view is that a trader who understands and respects the rulebook is about as secure as this industry allows. Longevity is not proof of virtue, but in a sector that has seen well-marketed firms fail without warning, an operator that has traded through multiple industry shocks has demonstrated something the newer entrants simply cannot yet.
The5ers carries the reputation of the innovator: flexible, willing to permit news trading, and quicker to revise its programmes as market conditions and trader expectations change. Where FTMO is trusted for consistency, The5ers is trusted for adaptability — a genuine advantage, provided you accept that a firm which changes its programmes frequently requires you to re-read the terms more often than one that does not.
Either way, treat reputation as a starting filter rather than a conclusion. Sentiment on forums moves faster than facts do, in both directions, and a firm's rules and payout record are the parts you can actually verify. If you want to see how FTMO's rule set holds up against a very different challenger, our FTMO vs FundingPips comparison applies the same criteria to a much newer operator.
The verdict: which firm fits which trader
There is no overall winner here, and any comparison that declares one is selling something. FTMO and The5ers are built for different traders, and the version of this question that has a real answer is narrower: which model does your method survive?
| If this describes you | The better structural fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Intraday trader with a tested, repeatable process | FTMO | Time-bound targets cost you little, and the 80% starting split pays immediately |
| Swing or position trader needing weeks per thesis | The5ers | Unlimited timelines give the strategy enough attempts to express its edge |
| Macro or news-driven trader | The5ers | News trading is generally permitted rather than restricted |
| Trader who compounds into larger positions | FTMO | The fixed 10% drawdown widens your margin for error as profits accumulate |
| Trader who wants income from the account this quarter | FTMO | An 80–90% split beats a 50% to 60% starting rate over a short horizon |
| Trader planning a multi-year relationship | The5ers | The tiered path leads to a 100% split and larger managed capital |
| Trader testing whether prop trading suits them at all | The5ers | Starter-tier Bootcamp entry from around $95 keeps the cost of the experiment low |
If more than one row describes you — and for most traders it will — weight the drawdown row and the news row above the rest. Those two rules decide whether your strategy can be executed as written. Splits, fees and scaling determine what a successful account is worth; the loss mechanic and the news policy determine whether you get a successful account in the first place. Rank them in that order and the choice usually makes itself.
A note on risk: evaluation fees are real money spent on an uncertain outcome, and most participants do not reach a funded payout at either firm. Trading leveraged forex and futures carries a high risk of loss, and passing an evaluation is no guarantee of funded profits or future results. Only ever risk capital you can genuinely afford to lose, and treat the fee as a cost you may not recover rather than an investment with an expected return.
Before committing to either firm, check the current rules and pricing against each firm's own site, and compare both against the wider market on our prop firm comparison table. The rules described here are the ones that were in force when this was written; in this industry, the version on the firm's own terms page is always the one that counts.
Frequently asked questions
Are there FTMO or The5ers discount codes?
Yes — use code CRITIC for 10% off FTMO and 5% off The5ers evaluations. A discount lowers your cost of entry, but it doesn't change the odds — trade the same disciplined plan whichever firm you choose.
What's the main difference between FTMO and The5ers?
FTMO runs a "sprint" model: a structured two-step evaluation with time-bound targets, a fixed absolute drawdown, and a high 80–90% base profit split. The5ers runs a "marathon" model: unlimited-time programmes, a relative trailing drawdown, permitted news trading, and a lower starting split that scales all the way to 100%. FTMO rewards intensity; The5ers rewards patience.
Does FTMO or The5ers have the better profit split?
It depends on your horizon. FTMO starts at 80% and scales to 90% once you reach FTMO Trader status, giving stronger short-term cash flow. The5ers often starts lower at 50–60% but its top-tier accounts reach a full 100% split. If you want immediate payouts, FTMO wins; if you're playing a multi-year game, The5ers' ceiling is hard to beat.
Can you trade the news at FTMO and The5ers?
The5ers generally permits news trading, making it the natural home for fundamental and macro traders who target high-impact releases. FTMO restricts it — you can't open, close, or modify orders within a two-minute window around high-impact news. If your edge relies on trading FOMC or NFP volatility, that restriction can trigger an account violation at FTMO.
What are the drawdown rules at FTMO vs The5ers?
FTMO typically uses a fixed, absolute drawdown — usually 10% of your initial balance — that never moves up, so profits you bank stay protected. The5ers often uses a relative trailing drawdown that rises with your equity, protecting the firm's capital but demanding tighter position sizing from the trader as the account grows.
Which firm is cheaper to start with?
The5ers has the lower barrier to entry, with some Bootcamp starter accounts from around $95. FTMO's fees are higher and positioned as a premium service, but they're refunded once you pass the challenge and take your first withdrawal from a funded account — so the effective cost depends heavily on whether you actually get funded.
Should I choose FTMO or The5ers?
Choose FTMO if you're a disciplined day trader who thrives under structure, clear deadlines, and fast, high-percentage payouts. Choose The5ers if you're a patient swing or news trader who wants freedom from time pressure, the flexibility to trade fundamentals, and a long-term path toward a 100% split and larger managed capital.
