Comparison desk / source-linked data
Filter 103 plans across 19 firms by cost, drawdown, payout and platform, then pin up to five and inspect every binding rule side by side.
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| Dimension | FTMO 1-stepSponsored partnerAutomation-friendly | Upcomers 1-stepSponsored partnerConditional | Topstep Futures evaluationIndependent reviewConditional | The5ers 3-stepSponsored partnerConditional |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit target | phase1 10% of initial simulated capital (challenge only; none on funded account) | 2%best | $6,000 | Steps 1–3 each 6%; Funded Trader level 5% |
| Max daily loss | 3% of initial simulated capital (basis: initial capital; recalculated at 00:00 CE(S)T) | 5% (challenge) | none required (optional DLL can be added at purchase) | Funded Trader level has a 3% daily pause trigger; Steps 1–3 not separately stated |
| Max overall loss | 10% of initial simulated capital — END-OF-DAY TRAILING (limit only increases, never decreases; resets to 90% when a reward is withdrawn and a new account is provided) (end-of-day trailing) | 6% "Dynamic" (trailing) (trailing) | $3,000 (trailing, EOD-updated / real-time monitored; locks at starting balance) (trailing) | Steps 1–3 5% overall loss limit; Funded Trader 4% (type: static) (static) |
| Min trading days | None | Not requiredverify | as few as 2 to pass | None specified; unlimited time per step |
| Consistency rule | Best Day Rule — best single day must not exceed 50% of total Positive Days' Profit; applies in BOTH challenge and funded phases | Funded Best Day Rule — no single day may exceed 15% or 20% of total withdrawal depending on account (soft, delays payout) | best single day ≤ 50% of Profit Target (Combine) | Scaling on every 5% target; 30-day inactivity closes the account |
| Leverage | Up to 1:100 (Standard)best | 1:100best | — | 1:30 across all levels |
| Profit split | 90% on the funded FTMO Account | 99% (funded) | 90/10 up to payout cap (Express Funded) | Funded Trader level up to 100% profit share; Steps 1–3 no profit sharebest |
| Payout | First reward on/after day 14 from first trade; min $20 (bank) / $50 (crypto) | Funded — generate ≥1% profit from initial balance before each withdrawal; payout cap lifts after 7th approval | same policy as $50K — winning-days requirement, $125 min, CME-hours processing, multiple methods | Minimum withdrawal $150 (after profit split); first withdrawal 14 days after activation, then every 2 weeks. Methods: Rise (3.5%), Crypto USDT/USDC/ETH/LTC ($1,500/withdrawal cap, 3.5%), Bank Transfer (3.5% + bank fees), Hub Credits (no fee, for buying accounts only) |
| Prohibited | Forbidden: error exploitation, opposite-position manipulation, non-replicable risk, excessive sizing, EA >2,000 server requests/day, artificial profit distribution/hedging | Prohibited: Martingale, one-sided bets, single-trade pass, tick scalping (<2 min avg hold), grid trading, gambling-style all-in | see firm prohibited-practices list | Prohibited: arbitrage, account selling, pass-my-challenge services, cross-operator coordinated trading, bracketing around news, copy/coordinated trading. News trading otherwise allowed except bracket strategies |
| Trading platforms | MT5, MT4, cTrader | MT5, TradeLocker, Match-Trader, Bybit, cTrader | TopstepX (proprietary, default & required for new Combine sign-ups; integrates TradingView charts), NinjaTrader (NT8 desktop, legacy/existing accounts), Tradovate (web, legacy/existing accounts), Quantower (legacy only, no longer offered to new accounts) | MT5, Match-Trader, cTrader |
| Funded consistency rule | No standing consistency rule on the funded FTMO Account beyond the Best Day Rule. The Best Day Rule (best single day ≤ 50% of total Positive Days' Profit) is payout-gated, not account-gated — exceeding it holds the payout request until additional positive days dilute the ratio; it does NOT breach. (On the 1-Step product the Best Day Rule applies in both challenge and funded phases; 2-Step shows no Best Day Rule.) | Best Day Rule on funded/instant accounts — no single trading day may exceed 15–20% of total cycle profit (exact cap depends on account/program). SOFT: violating it only delays the payout (account stays active); not applied during evaluation phases. | Express Funded Account (XFA) payout uses a consistency rule — largest single day must not exceed 40% of total net profit (Consistency payout path). The Combine eval uses a 50% best-day-vs-profit-target rule. | None — The5ers' High Stakes program has no fixed profit-consistency cap on funded accounts (the gating mechanisms are minimum profitable days, the 30-day inactivity rule, and prohibited-practice rules). Bootcamp scales on every 5% target rather than a consistency cap. |
| Profit-split scaling | Yes. 1-Step funded = 90% from the start. 2-Step funded = starts 80%, scales to 90% via the Scaling Plan. Scaling Plan: +25% balance every qualifying 4-month cycle (≥4 months active, ≥10% total net profit in window, ≥2 rewards processed, positive balance), cap $2,000,000; split rises 80%→90%. | Flat 99% split across all sizes/programs — does NOT scale up; it is already the firm's top split. | 90% trader / 10% Topstep up to the payout cap (XFA). Traders who joined before Jan 12, 2026 keep 100% of first $10,000 lifetime profit, then 90/10. Live Funded Account (after 30 winning days) payouts uncapped. | Yes — split scales as the account grows. High Stakes: ~80% at $2.5K–$150K → ~85% at $175K–$200K → ~90% at $250K–$300K → 100% (to trader) plus fixed cash payouts ($4,000–$10,000) at $350K+, scaling to $500,000. Hyper Growth: 75% up to $300K → 80% at $350K+ → up to 80–100% at $400K+ (growth to $4,000,000). Bootcamp Funded Trader: up to 100%. |
| Refundable fee | 2-Step — entry fee IS refunded, paid with the first Reward withdrawal via the original payment method (one fee covers both stages). 1-Step — entry fee is NOT refunded. | No fee refund. Instead, a bonus of 200% of the original Challenge fee is added to the payout balance AFTER the 3rd successful payout (must be requested manually; not automatic). Applies to Challenge programs only (Ash, Thunderbolt, Phoenix, Astral, Obsidian, Eon), NOT Instant. (Some sources also cite a 5% bonus on first funded payout.) | Standard path has a one-time activation fee on funding; 'No Activation Fee' path available (higher monthly, no activation cost). Monthly Combine fee is non-refundable. | Yes — 70% of the refundable fee is returned with the first payout, provided ≥$150 profit generated and the account active ≥14 days. The 70% applies only to the portion paid with external funds (not Hub Credit). |
| Payment methods (to buy) | Credit/debit card, bank wire transfer, crypto (BTC, ETH, LTC, USDC ERC20, USDT TRC20), plus Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Skrill, and processors Checkout.com / Confirmo / LetKnow Pay / Nuvei. Bank transfer unavailable in some regions (e.g. Venezuela, Cuba, Sudan, Ukraine). | Card (Visa/Mastercard) and crypto are the standard checkout options; crypto-funded accounts get a reduced payout fee (2.49% vs 30%), indicating crypto is a first-class purchase method. Full method list not enumerated on official help pages.verify | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. PayPal not supported; gift cards and pre-paid cards not accepted. | Credit/debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, bank transfer, and crypto (USDT via TRON/Solana/BNB/Arbitrum; USDC via Ethereum/Solana/Arbitrum; TRX; USDG; ETH). The5ers hub credit can also be applied at checkout. |
| Time limit | Unlimited time for both evaluation phases (trade at your own pace). 2-Step requires a minimum of 4 trading days per phase; 1-Step has no minimum-days requirement. | No evaluation time limit (min trading days not required on most programs). Exceptions are the time-boxed Instant variants: Supernova = 24h session, Hypernova = 4h session. | No time limit to pass the Combine (can pass in as few as 2 trading days; subscription runs until passed or cancelled). | Unlimited time to complete all programs (High Stakes, Hyper Growth, Bootcamp) — the only timing gate is the 30-day inactivity expiry. Min trading days: High Stakes 3 profitable days (≥+0.5% each). |
| Payout frequency | On-demand after the first reward — the FTMO Account runs on a flexible profit-split schedule; you choose your own payout day from the dashboard once eligible (no forced fixed cycle after the first). | On-demand once eligible — must generate ≥1% profit from initial balance before each withdrawal request (threshold resets per payout). Instant programs gate withdrawal eligibility on N profitable days (≥0.5% each). | On-demand once eligible (Express Funded Account) — no fixed cycle; requests processed during CME trading hours. | Every 14 days — withdrawals available from the dashboard on a 14-day cycle on funded High Stakes accounts. |
| First payout | First reward claimable on or after the 14th day from your first funded trade (you may also shift the payout day to align future cycles). | No fixed day-count on the payout-structure page; gated by the ≥1% profit threshold (Instant programs require N profitable days first). Exact first-payout timing not stated as a day count.verify | First payout requires winning days in the Express Funded Account — Standard path: 5 winning days of $150+ net P&L; Consistency path: 3 trading days with ≥1 trade. | First withdrawal 14 days after account activation (then every 14 days). Refund/withdrawal eligibility also requires ≥$150 profit and account active ≥14 days. |
| Minimum payout | Minimum closed profit to withdraw: $20 (bank) / $50 (crypto). | —verify | Minimum $125 per request; max per request = 50% of account balance up to the cap. | Minimum withdrawal $150 (after split). Crypto withdrawals capped at $1,500 per withdrawal. |
| Payout methods | Bank wire, Visa Direct / Mastercard Send (≤ $20k), Skrill (≤ $3k), and crypto. | Bank/IBAN transfer (19.9 USD + 2.49% processing) or Crypto (19.9 USD + 30%, reduced to 2.49% if the account was funded with crypto). | Prop Payout to Brokerage (same-day, US), Aeropay, Wise, ACH ($30 fee), Wire/SWIFT ($30 fee). | Crypto, Rise, or Bank Transfer. |
| Payout speed | Reward requests are typically processed quickly (within ~1–2 business days); arrival time then depends on the chosen method.verify | KYC verification ~2–4 min; exact post-request processing time not stated on official pages.verify | Processed during CME trading hours (Prop Payout to Brokerage is same-day for US traders). | Processing time once requested not stated as a fixed window on the pages reviewed.verify |
| Entry price (from) | $155 | Not stated | $99 | $22lowest |
| Go to firm | Visit FTMO | Visit Upcomers | Official siteDirect link · official site | Visit The5ers |
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