FTMO vs The5ers: Compared Rule by Rule for 2026
FTMO and The5ers are the two oldest forex prop firms still operating at scale. They share a similar founding philosophy (long evaluation, conservative drawdown) but have evolved differently. FTMO scaled its single-product line; The5ers built a multi-programme suite with very small starting accounts and an aggressive profit-split scaling roadmap.
Side-by-side comparison
| Rule | FTMO | The5ers |
|---|---|---|
| Markets | Forex, Indices, Commodities, Crypto, Stocks | Forex, Indices, Metals, Crypto, Futures |
| Audited variants | 2 | 5 |
| Evaluation | 1-Step or 2-Step | 1/2/3-Step |
| Account sizes | "0K to $200K | $5K to $250K |
| Fee (100K) | €540 | ~$74 to $595 |
| Profit split | 80 to 90% | 80 to 100% (scales) |
| Max drawdown | 10% | 4 to 6% |
| Drawdown type | Static | Static |
| Daily loss | 5% | 3% (pause) |
| Consistency rule | None | Min profitable days (no % cap) |
| Min trading days | 4 | None |
| Payout speed | ~8 hours to 1 day | 1 to 3 days |
| Payout frequency | Bi-weekly / Monthly | Bi-weekly |
| News trading | Restricted on funded accounts (2-min window) | Allowed |
| EAs / bots | Allowed with restrictions | Varies by programme |
| Weekend holding | Swing account only | Allowed |
| Scaling cap | $2M (no $400K tier) | $4M |
| US traders | Via FTMO US / OANDA only | Yes |
| Trustpilot | 4.8 (29,000+) | 4.7 (21,000+) |
| Value score | 92 | 80 |
Verdict
Pick FTMO if you want a single, well-understood product with the largest payout history. Pick The5ers if you want a smaller starting account (from $2.5K), the option of a 1, 2 or 3-step path, and a profit split that scales toward 100 percent through the funded programme.
FTMO strengths
Longest track record, $200M+ paid, static drawdown, no consistency rule
FTMO weaknesses
$400K scaling cap, no futures, news restrictions on funded accounts, US traders via FTMO US only
The5ers strengths
Scale to $4M, 100% split at top tier, 10 year track record, 4.8 Trustpilot
The5ers weaknesses
Low starting split (50% on Hyper Growth), tight 4 to 6% drawdown, MT5 only