FTMO
FTMO is the gold standard of prop firms. Founded in 2015 in Prague, it has paid out $300M+ to traders worldwide and offers the deepest Performance Analyzer in the market — surfacing mistake patterns, risk per trade, and time-of-day performance. Best for traders aiming at maximum VIP credit.
Does FTMO actually pay out? Yes — and here is the proof.
FTMO has operated for 11 years from Prague, Czech Republic, paying out $300M+ (lifetime) of profits to 180,000+ funded accounts — at a measured speed of < 48h · 99% of cases. Trustpilot rates the firm 4.8/5 across 8,210 verified reviews. The traders complaining "scam" online almost always failed the Challenge by breaching a Drawdown rule, not because the firm refused to pay.
FTMO is the gold standard of prop firms — Trustpilot 4.8/5, paid out $300M+ (lifetime), 180,000+ funded accounts. The safest pick of the bunch.
- 11 years in business — established
- Trustpilot 4.8/5 from 8,210 reviews
- Payout Reliability 9.8/10
- Already paid out $300M+ (lifetime)
- Reliable refund policy
This verdict is computed from licensing, company age, community reviews, and our own checks — it’s a guideline, not financial advice about FTMO
We recommend you cross-check every detail against official sources — click each license to query the regulator’s public register directly, and read real community reviews.
All links point to official regulator websites / independent review platforms. TradingEdge has no affiliation with these sites — they’re public data for you to verify independently.
Highlights
- Largest payout total in the prop industry ($300M+)
- Performance Analyzer dashboard (Mistakes Tracker, Stats)
- Free Trial available — no payment needed
- Supports MT4 / MT5 / cTrader / DXTrade
- Swing Account allows overnight hold + news
Pros and cons of FTMO
- Fast payouts — funds in your bank within 48h
- Premium Mentor App and Performance Analyzer
- EA and News Trading allowed (Swing Account)
- 11 years in business — top credibility
- No Consistency Rule on Standard accounts
- Challenge prices above market average
- Standard account cannot hold overnight (must upgrade to Swing)
- Two phases required (Challenge + Verification)
Challenge & Pricing
| Account Size | Fee | Phase 1 | Phase 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | $89 | 10% | 5% |
| $25,000 | $179 | 10% | 5% |
| $50,000 | $289 | 10% | 5% |
| $100,000 | $489 | 10% | 5% |
| $200,000 | $889 | 10% | 5% |
How much can you actually make at FTMO?
These are realistic monthly net payouts after the 90% profit split — assuming you actually pass the Challenge and trade within the Drawdown rules. They are not guaranteed: a real funded trader has losing months too.
| Account size | Conservative(3%/mo) | Realistic(5%/mo) | Strong month(8%/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | $675per month | $1,125per month | $1,800per month |
| $50,000 | $1,350per month | $2,250per month | $3,600per month |
| $200,000 | $5,400per month | $9,000per month | $14,400per month |
Realistic constraint: roughly 13-16% of buyers actually pass the Challenge, and funded traders typically have 2-3 red months per year inside normal variance. Treat these numbers as the upside of a serious, disciplined plan — not a forecast. Risk management (1% per trade, personal Daily Loss at half the firm rule) is what turns this from a maybe into a yes.
Save 10% on the FTMO Challenge fee
Buy the Challenge through the TradingEdge link/code — 10% off every tier. The cheapest tier is just $80 (normally $89), saving up to $89. Spreads and trading rules stay 100% identical.
Credibility & Real Payout
Credibility and real payout proof — cross-check across Trustpilot, PropFirmMatch, Reddit. (Prop firms have no ongoing rebate system like brokers — only Cashback 5% after the first payout.)
We recommend verifying reviews and payout proof across multiple sources before buying a Challenge.
Cashback 5% when buying a Challenge via TradingEdge — paid back after the first payout (not an ongoing rebate like brokers offer).
FTMO vs other top Forex prop firms
| Feature | FTMOthis firm | E8 Markets | The Funded Trader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest Challenge | $89 | $33 | $79 |
| Max funding | $400,000 | $400,000 | $600,000 |
| Profit split | 90 / 10 | 80/20 → 100% scaling | 90 / 10 |
| Daily DD | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| Total DD | 10% | 8% | 12% |
| DD type | static | static | trailing |
| Payout speed | 1 - 2 business days | 24 - 48 ชม. | 24 ชม. |
| Pass rate (community) | ~13% | ~16% | ~18% |
| Trustpilot | 4.8 / 5 · 8,210 | 4.4 / 5 · 1,820 | 4.6 / 5 · 4,280 |
| Years operating | 11 years | 5 years | 5 years |
Challenge signup steps via TradingEdge
- 11Buy Challenge through the TradingEdge link
Pick the right tier (from from $89) · use our discount code at checkout.
- 22Start Phase 1 (Challenge)
Trade to hit the profit target · keep DD inside 5% / 10%.
- 33Pass Phase 2 (Verification)
Half of Phase 1’s profit target · same rules.
- 4Receive Funded account · Live Trading
Start live trading · Payout 1 - 2 business days · keep 90 / 10 of profits.
Top reasons traders fail the FTMO Challenge — and how to avoid them
- 1.Breaching the Daily Loss limit (5%)
One bad day with oversized positions and the account closes. Fix: set a personal Daily Stop at half the firm rule (around 2-3%) and shut down for the day at that level — every time.
- 2.Breaching the Max Drawdown ceiling (10%, static)
Static DD measures from the starting balance, so steady losses across a streak can quietly add up to the ceiling. Fix: manage your real DD to 60-70% of the firm ceiling, never the full amount.
- 3.Violating the Consistency Rule
None (Standard) — Swing Account: 50% Best Day Rule. Fix: spread your profit across at least 5-7 trading days — a single hero day above the cap can disqualify the payout even if total profit is well above target.
- 4.Not hitting the Minimum Trading Days (4 days)
Reach the profit target on day 3 and you still cannot pass — the firm needs to see 4 trading days of activity. Fix: plan the Challenge as a 10-day journey, not a sprint, and trade tiny size on the remaining days to clock activity safely.
- 5.News trading without a plan
FTMO allows news trading, but spreads widen 5-10x during NFP / FOMC / CPI and slippage breaks the stop. Fix: close or reduce size 5 minutes before any high-impact print unless news trading is part of your tested edge.
- 6.Revenge trading after a loss
Two losses in a row → the third trade is usually emotional, not in the system. Fix: a hard rule of "two losses = close the laptop for the day." Boring, and the single biggest savior of funded accounts.
- 7.Position sizing scaled to the dollar number, not the % rule
On a $200k account, even 1% risk feels "big" so people instinctively bump up — the % rule has not changed, only the dollar number. Fix: lock risk at a fixed % (e.g. 0.5-0.75%) and forget the dollar figure entirely.
In-depth Prop Firm information
Full data — Company, Challenge Conditions, Trading Rules, Payout Track Record.
- EA / Algorithmic Trading
- All scalping styles
- Hedging
- Copy Trade between your own accounts
- Manual Trading
- No account sharing
- No HFT (latency arbitrage)
- No tick scalping using data leaks
- No copy trading across multiple FTMO accounts
- Trustpilot Top 1% Forex Educator 2024
- Forex Industry Awards — Best Prop Firm 2023
- Brokers Choice — Most Trusted Prop Firm 2022-2024
People also ask
Is FTMO legit or a scam?
FTMO is a legitimate prop firm — founded in 2015 (11 years operating) in Prague, Czech Republic, with 180,000+ funded accounts and $300M+ (lifetime) paid out, plus a Trustpilot score of 4.8/5 across 8,210 reviews. The "scam" claims you see online are almost always traders who failed the Challenge by breaching the Drawdown rules — not the firm refusing to pay.
How long does FTMO actually take to pay?
Official payout speed: 1 - 2 business days · minimum payout: None · independent measured latency: < 48h · 99% of cases. This is one of the faster speeds in the industry.
What happens if I break a Drawdown rule on FTMO?
The account is closed immediately — no warning, no second chance. The Daily DD limit is 5%, total DD limit 10%, drawdown type static. To stay safe, set a personal stop at roughly half the firm rule (e.g. with a 5% firm Daily limit, stop yourself at 2-3%).
What is the realistic pass rate for FTMO Challenge?
Community estimates put the pass rate at roughly 13-16% — meaning 84-87% of buyers never get funded. That is normal across the whole industry; the Challenge is designed to be hard. Traders who pass usually arrive with a backtested system, not just confidence.
Can I trade FTMO from Thailand?
Yes — FTMO accepts traders from Thailand with no country restriction. Payouts to a Thai bank work via international wire / crypto / payment processors depending on the firm. A note: a prop firm payout counts as foreign-source income in Thailand — consult a Thai accountant about reporting it correctly.
Is FTMO regulated?
FTMO (like nearly every prop firm) is not regulated as a financial broker — because the capital you trade is the firm's simulated capital, not customer deposits. Trust is established through 11+ years of operation, $300M+ (lifetime) of paid-out profits, and 8,210 verified reviews — not through a financial regulator.
Frequently asked questions about FTMO
FTMO was founded in 2015 in Prague, Czech Republic · paid out $300M+ (lifetime) across 180,000+ funded accounts · payout speed 1 - 2 business days
Profit Split 90 / 10 · Daily Drawdown 5% · Total Drawdown 10% · Max funding $400,000
MT4 · MT5 · cTrader · DXTrade · EA supported · Weekend holding allowed · News trading allowed
100% Challenge Fee refund on first payout
None (Standard) — Swing Account: 50% Best Day Rule
Trigger: 4 consecutive months at 10%+ profit · Increment: +25% per cycle · Maximum scale: $2,000,000.
Allowed: EA / Algorithmic Trading · All scalping styles · Hedging · Copy Trade between your own accounts · Manual Trading. Restricted: No account sharing · No HFT (latency arbitrage) · No tick scalping using data leaks · No copy trading across multiple FTMO accounts.
When you buy a FTMO Challenge through the TradingEdge link, you get a "Challenge fee discount" — enter the code at checkout (the code is shown on this page for our partners). Prop firms have no rebate system — only "discounts" at purchase.
Our verdict on FTMO
FTMO is a 11-year-old Forex prop firm based in Prague, Czech Republic, with $300M+ (lifetime) paid out across 180,000+ funded accounts. Strengths: fast payouts — funds in your bank within 48h; premium mentor app and performance analyzer. Watch out for: challenge prices above market average. Profit split 90 / 10, drawdown 5%/10%. Apply for the Challenge only with a system that has already cleared backtesting and a small-live phase — not on confidence alone.
Trading Forex / CFDs / Futures involves high risk and may not be suitable for every investor. You may lose all your invested capital — 74-89% of retail traders lose money trading CFDs (per FCA / ESMA reports). Study each broker / prop firm’s rules and your own risk tolerance before deciding.
TradingEdge is an Affiliate / Introducing Broker only and does not provide investment advice. Information on this page is gathered from public sources and may change.
Ready to buy a FTMO Challenge?
Buy through the TradingEdge link to get a Challenge fee discount — use the code at checkout · no extra fees.