FundingPips vs FTMO: Which is better?

Quick verdict

Pick FTMO if you want proven infrastructure, a free trial that goes as high as $200k, and challenge fees from $79 to $200.

Pick FundingPips if you care about saving $4 per lot, need to run copy-trading setups, and want instant access to raw spreads.

The split comes down to cost structure and what you're allowed to trade. FTMO charges more to get in but hands you a free trial. FundingPips says yes to copy trading and EAs while keeping trade costs low.

Last verified: July 2024

At-a-glance comparison table

Methodology and data freshness

This comparison pulls from official pricing pages, published challenge rules, and platform specs that both firms post publicly. Pricing, challenge fees, per-lot commissions, reflects what FTMO lists and what FundingPips states as of July 2024. Payout rails, leverage caps, and which platforms you can trade on come straight from current offerings. Geographic bans trace to each firm's restricted-country list. Where a firm doesn't publish something, profit splits for every program, exact challenge prices, we mark it unclear rather than guess.

Pricing and account sizes

FTMO Challenge Costs

FTMO prices its challenges by difficulty tier and account size. A 1-Step Challenge on a $10k account costs €79 and asks for 10 % profit while capping daily drawdown at 3 % and total drawdown at 10 %. The 2-Step version runs €89 and adds a verification phase under identical drawdown rules. Swing challenges, built for overnight holds and weekend positions, loosen the daily cap to 8 % and tighten max drawdown to 10 %, with fees climbing to €155 for 1-step and €200 for 2-step on $10k. Every challenge fee is refundable once you pass and get capital. There's also a free trial on accounts up to $200k, so you can test-drive without risking a dime upfront.

Who it fits: Traders ready to put $79-$200 on the line and who value a zero-risk trial run.

Who should skip it: Anyone counting pennies or allergic to upfront fees; even the free trial eventually asks you to pay if you want funded capital.

FundingPips Challenge Costs

FundingPips doesn't publish a clean price sheet. Recent promos mention a "1 Step Flex" billed as "One Day Pass to Master" with a 12 % static-loss cap. Their "PRIME" program talks about "multiple 80 % daily rewards" and monthly payouts capped at $20k. Discount codes float around, "HELLO" for 20 % off, 10 % off "1-Step FLEX", but base prices stay hidden. You'll need to ping support to get exact numbers. What is clear: $1 per lot beats FTMO's $5, so frequent traders save real money on every round-turn.

Who it fits: High-volume traders and scalpers who bleed less on commissions.

Who should skip it: Anyone who wants transparent pricing before signing up; the missing base fees add friction and uncertainty.

Evaluation rules

FTMO Challenge Structure

FTMO lays out its challenges in plain terms. The 1-Step asks you to hit the profit target once without breaching drawdown. The 2-Step throws in a verification stage to prove consistency. EAs are fine, but FTMO warns that "hyperactivity" can trip the rules. Copy trading's banned outright. Swing challenges let you hold through news and weekends, a plus if intraday stops aren't your style.

Takeaway: FTMO's rules are strict but spelled out. The 2-Step adds an extra hoop, which cuts down on lucky one-offs reaching funded status.

FundingPips Evaluation Specifics

FundingPips posted a blog titled "Evaluations Explained," yet hard numbers, minimum profit, exact drawdown caps, don't appear. The "1 Step Flex" and "PRIME" programs get name-dropped, but terms stay vague. EAs and copy trading both get the green light, which is more permissive than FTMO. Still, the lack of concrete evaluation metrics means you're flying half-blind until you either start the challenge or badger support for details.

Takeaway: FundingPips offers flexibility on what you can trade and how. Less useful if you're new and need guardrails; experienced traders who can tolerate ambiguity may not mind.

Drawdown and risk rules

FTMO Drawdown Specifications

FTMO's drawdown caps shift by challenge type. Standard challenges lock you to 3 % daily loss and 10 % cumulative. Swing challenges tighten the overall cap to 8 % but drop the daily rule. The refundable-fee setup softens the sting, you get your money back if you pass. The $5 per-lot commission stacks up fast: a scalper firing 100 trades on a $10k account burns $500 in commissions alone, which can wreck a tight risk budget.

Risk profile: The 10 % max drawdown gives you room for one rough week but not much more. The 3 % daily limit hits hardest on day traders and scalpers. That $5 per lot hurts if you trade size.

FundingPips Drawdown Terms

FundingPips hasn't published full drawdown specs. The "1 Step Flex" mentions a 12 % max loss, but daily limits and edge cases remain unspecified. Without this, you can't gauge whether your usual risk-per-trade will fit. The $1 commission is a win: 100 trades cost you $100, not FTMO's $500.

Risk profile: That 12 % cap sounds looser than FTMO's 10 %, but the absence of a daily rule makes direct comparison impossible without calling support.

Payouts and profit split

FTMO Payouts

FTMO hands you 90 % of profits and keeps 10 % after you pass. Payout methods cover bank wire, crypto, e-wallets, and card rails. The scaling plan takes you to $2M while holding the 90 % split. What's missing: exact timelines for when withdrawals hit your account. That gap matters if you're counting on monthly income. The $5 commission eats into net profit, scale a $10k account to $50k and you might rack up $2,500 in fees, which shaves your take-home before the split even applies.

Who wins: Swing traders and anyone making fewer than 50 trades a month.

Who loses: Active traders pushing 500+ monthly trades; the $5 fee bleeds you dry.

FundingPips Payouts

FundingPips doesn't clearly state profit-split percentages across all programs. The "PRIME" update mentions "80 % daily rewards," but whether that's a rebate, a bonus, or the actual split isn't spelled out. Recent promos cite monthly rewards up to $20,000 in PRIME, yet the structure stays murky. Payout methods match FTMO's roster. The $1 commission saves active traders a bundle. The vague split and unclear payout schedule are the downsides.

Who wins: High-frequency traders who benefit from lower commissions.

Who loses: Anyone who needs to forecast income accurately; the opacity around splits complicates planning.

Trading platforms and instruments

FTMO Platform Ecosystem

FTMO supports MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView. That's a strong lineup. MT4 suits Forex scalpers, MT5 and cTrader handle multi-asset books, and TradingView works for discretionary chart traders. FTMO lets you trade Forex, crypto, indices, commodities, stocks, and options. Leverage caps at 1:100. Minimum spreads aren't published, though the per-lot commission is.

Takeaway: FTMO's platform range is a differentiator. If you live in TradingView or need MT4, FTMO's your only option here.

FundingPips Platform Ecosystem

FundingPips offers MT5, cTrader, and a proprietary platform called Match-Trader. No TradingView, no MT4. That cuts out a segment of traders. Match-Trader details are scarce, so you're taking a leap on an unfamiliar tool. Instruments include Forex, metals, energies, and crypto, slightly narrower than FTMO. Leverage stays at 1:100. The raw spreads starting at 0 pips are a real advantage for cost-conscious traders.

Takeaway: FundingPips wins on cost per trade but loses on platform variety. TradingView users are out of luck.

Trust, transparency, and restrictions

FTMO Regulatory and Geographic Stance

FTMO blocks Belarus, Iran, Pakistan, North Korea, Russia, Syria, and Venezuela, standard sanctions compliance. Operating out of Czechia puts it in an EU jurisdiction, which suggests some regulatory oversight, though specifics on client-fund segregation or formal licenses aren't disclosed. The firm's transparent about challenge rules and scaling paths. The free trial and refundable fees add credibility. Missing: clear timelines for profit withdrawals.

Risk read: FTMO's track record and age reduce perceived risk, but the lack of explicit licensing or fund-protection details leaves questions.

FundingPips Regulatory and Geographic Stance

FundingPips bans Vietnam, the UAE (its home base), the U.S., and Canada. Shorter list than FTMO, but blocking the U.S. and Canada shuts out big markets. The UAE restriction is weird, blocking your own jurisdiction raises operational or regulatory flags. The firm's establishment date is listed as "2026," which is obviously wrong and needs fixing. Fewer published rules and reliance on blog posts make due diligence harder.

Risk read: The home-country ban and the botched founding date are red flags. The thin rule set and restricted geographies could exclude you; verify before you commit capital.

Winner by category

Affiliate disclosure: FundingPips and FTMO links in this comparison include referral codes (e.g., WHATPROP for FundingPips). Using these codes may qualify you for promo discounts; the editorial desk receives no direct compensation but may benefit from affiliate tracking. All findings reflect independent catalog research, not affiliate relationships.