Rules as published by each firm
CFD vs FUTURES
Static Equity-Based vs Trailing Intraday (HWM)
☪ Islamic / Swap-Free Ready
FTMO vs Apex Trader Funding
Which of these two is likelier to end your account, and why — compared rule by rule from what each firm publishes.
Short answer
- The drawdown works differently, and that is the difference that matters. FTMO's loss limit is fixed to your starting balance and never moves; Apex Trader Funding's follows your equity tick by tick, unrealised profit included. Apex Trader Funding: Open profit you give back raises that floor permanently, so it can breach you at a level that did not exist an hour earlier.
- Apex Trader Funding sets no daily loss limit; FTMO caps a single day at 5%.
- Minimum trading days: FTMO 4 days, Apex Trader Funding 1 day — this sets the earliest you can finish, however fast you hit the target.
- Overnight and weekend: FTMO lets you hold; Apex Trader Funding requires you flat before the session closes, so a swing plan does not fit it.
- Entry cost: Apex Trader Funding from $33, FTMO from $155.
Figures below are what each firm publishes. Confirm them on the firm's own site before paying for an evaluation — these rules change without notice.
FTMO
CFD • Max $2,000,000
Drawdown Model
Static Equity-Based
Profit Split
80% - 90%
Starting Price
$155
Min Trading Days
4 Days
Apex Trader Funding
FUTURES • Max $6,000,000
Drawdown Model
Trailing Intraday (HWM)
Profit Split
90% - 100%
Starting Price
$33
Min Trading Days
1 Days
Side-by-Side Specifications Matrix
Every figure below is taken from the firm's own published rules. Check the source and date under the table before you size a position on it — prop firm rules change without notice.
| Evaluation Parameter | FTMO | Apex Trader Funding |
|---|---|---|
| Asset Class / Market | CFD | FUTURES |
| Drawdown Calculation Type | Static Equity-Based Measured on equity — balance plus open trade P/L, swaps and commissions — so an open losing position can breach the limit before you ever close it. On the 2-Step the loss limit is fixed for the life of the account and never moves; FTMO's other programme uses a limit that trails your end-of-day balance upward at 00:00 CE(S)T and never moves back down. |
Trailing Intraday (HWM) |
| Max Daily Loss | 5.0% 5% of your starting capital on the 2-Step, measured on equity, with the limit reset at 00:00 CE(S)T; FTMO's other programme uses a different percentage that we could not independently confirm. |
None (No Daily Limit) |
| Max Overall Loss | 10.0% 10% of your starting capital, measured on equity, and the same figure on both of FTMO's programmes. |
5.0% |
| Profit Split | 80% - 90% | 90% - 100% |
| Minimum Trading Days | 4 Days 4 trading days on each phase of the 2-Step Challenge and Verification; whether it applies on FTMO's other programmes was not independently confirmed. |
1 Days |
| News Trading Policy | ✓ On a funded Standard account you cannot open or close a trade within 2 minutes before or after selected news releases; Swing accounts are exempt, and the restriction does not apply during the Challenge or Verification for either account type | ✓ Trading through high-impact news permitted during regular market sessions |
| Weekend & Overnight Holding | ✓ Permitted (Swing accounts may hold over the weekend at any stage; Standard accounts are unrestricted during the Challenge and Verification but must be flat before the weekend close once funded) | ✗ Flat by Close (Intraday futures only; positions must close by 4:59 PM EST daily) |
| Supported Platforms | MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView | NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView |
| Payout Schedule | Bi-weekly (Every 14 days) or on-demand Payouts are on demand from the 14-day mark onward, not a forced fortnightly cycle. |
Twice monthly (1st–5th and 15th–20th) |
| First Payout Eligibility | 14 days from first placed trade You can claim on the 14th day after your first placed trade or any day after it, with roughly 1-2 business days to review and 1-2 more to pay. |
After 10 qualified trading days per payout cycle |
| Consistency Rule | No restrictive consistency rule True for the 2-Step; FTMO's newer programme carries a different rule that our checker could not confirm, so do not read this as covering every FTMO account. |
30% single-day consistency rule on PA accounts |
| Islamic / Swap-Free Option | ✓ Available on Request Swap-Free option available on request via support for eligible regions (no overnight interest fees charged) |
✓ Inherently Swap-Free (CME Futures) Inherently Swap-Free (CME Futures contracts are cash-settled intraday with zero overnight financing or swap charges) |
| US Residents Accepted | ✓ Accepted | ✓ Accepted |
| Maximum Capital Allocation | $2,000,000 | $6,000,000 |
Where these figures come from. Read from FTMO's own published rules on : Maximum Loss and Maximum Daily Loss mechanics · 2-minute news blackout · Overnight and weekend holding · Forbidden practices · Current platform list · Eligibility · Payout mechanics · Scaling Plan. Prop firm rules change without notice — confirm on the firm's own site before you pay for an evaluation.
Not independently confirmed. We could not read Apex Trader Funding's own rules pages — every request to the site was answered with HTTP 403, so the rules could not be read from here. The figures below are unconfirmed and may be out of date. Check the current rules on Apex Trader Funding's own site. Last attempted .
What can end the account even if you are profitable
These are the rules people usually find out about after a payout is refused.
- FTMO: Once you are funded on a Standard account, you cannot open or close a trade within 2 minutes either side of a selected news release — a stop-loss or take-profit that fires inside that window counts too — and FTMO can terminate the account for it. source
- FTMO: On a funded Standard account you must close your positions shortly before the market closes for the weekend, and before any rollover or market break lasting more than 2 hours, or you break the account's rules. source
- FTMO: You cannot spread one position across correlated instruments or hold opposing trades just to make your daily profits look evenly spread — FTMO calls that artificially distributing profit without distributing risk, and it can delete the trades, fail you, cancel your payout or close your account. source
- FTMO: You cannot trade off price-feed glitches, display errors or delayed quotes, and FTMO says this counts against you even if you did it without realising, with the same penalties up to termination. source
- FTMO: You cannot let anyone else access or trade your account, trade someone else's account, or coordinate trades between your connected accounts or with other traders in your Program Group for manipulative purposes — FTMO can terminate every agreement you hold with them. source
- FTMO: If FTMO decides you broke any of these rules it can forfeit a payout you have already earned, not just close the account — so being profitable does not protect the money until it is paid. source
- FTMO: You cannot request your first payout until the 14th day after your first placed trade, however fast you hit the target. source
Drawdown Architecture: FTMO vs Apex Trader Funding
The fundamental differentiator between FTMO and Apex Trader Funding lies in how risk and liquidation thresholds are tracked:
FTMO: Static Equity-Based
FTMO applies a Static Equity-Based approach. Under this structure, your stop loss floor is anchored to balance intervals. This ensures that temporary floating open profits do not pull your stop loss floor higher in real-time.
Apex Trader Funding: Trailing Intraday (HWM)
Apex Trader Funding implements a Trailing Intraday (HWM) model. Open equity peaks will instantly adjust your maximum loss threshold tick-by-tick.
The Trader's Verdict: Which Firm Should You Choose?
Depending on your trading style, asset preference, and capital requirements, here is how our research team segments the two providers:
Choose FTMO if you:
- Want Static Equity-Based risk management.
- Trade primarily CFD instruments with MT4, MT5, cTrader.
- Value Discretionary swing & algorithmic traders who value institutional payout credibility and the 2-Step's static equity drawdown cushion.
- Want the ability to hold swing positions over weekends and economic news releases.
- Seek up to $2,000,000 in maximum scaling capital.
Choose Apex Trader Funding if you:
- Prefer Trailing Intraday (HWM) execution terms.
- Trade FUTURES via NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView.
- Value High-volume futures scalpers running trade copiers across multiple accounts (up to 20 PAs) with massive discount coupons.
- Require strict intraday liquidity and same-day/daily payout options.
- Want access to starting entry fees at $33.
Frequently Asked Questions: FTMO vs Apex Trader Funding
Which firm offers a better drawdown model between FTMO and Apex Trader Funding?
FTMO uses Static Equity-Based, while Apex Trader Funding utilizes Trailing Intraday (HWM).
Traders who hold positions through volatile pullbacks typically favor FTMO, whereas scalpers capitalizing on quick momentum benefit from FTMO.
Can I trade both FTMO and Apex Trader Funding accounts at the same time?
Yes. Many professional prop traders run trade copiers (such as Replikanto for NinjaTrader futures, or Social Trader Tools for MT4/MT5 CFDs) to mirror trades across both FTMO and Apex Trader Funding simultaneously, diversifying broker risk and maximizing total payout potential.
Which prop firm has faster payout disbursements?
FTMO processes payouts on a Bi-weekly (Every 14 days) or on-demand basis (14 days from first placed trade), whereas Apex Trader Funding operates on a Twice monthly (1st–5th and 15th–20th) schedule (After 10 qualified trading days per payout cycle). Both platforms support crypto and direct bank transfers.