Rules as published by each firm
CFD vs CFD
Static Equity-Based vs Static Balance-Based
☪ Islamic / Swap-Free Ready
FTMO vs The5ers
Which of these two is likelier to end your account, and why — compared rule by rule from what each firm publishes.
Short answer
- Both use the same drawdown mechanic: the loss limit is fixed to your starting balance and never moves.
- Minimum trading days: FTMO 4 days, The5ers 3 days — this sets the earliest you can finish, however fast you hit the target.
- Entry cost: The5ers from $39, 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
The5ers
CFD • Max $500,000
Drawdown Model
Static Balance-Based
Profit Split
80% - 100%
Starting Price
$39
Min Trading Days
3 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 | The5ers |
|---|---|---|
| Asset Class / Market | CFD | CFD |
| 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. |
Static Balance-Based The total-loss cap is static — a fixed percentage of the starting balance that never trails — but the daily limit is recalculated every day off the previous day's close, so it is not a fixed dollar figure. |
| 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. |
5.0% 5% on High Stakes, measured off the higher of the previous day's closing balance or equity and reset at 00:00 UTC+3; Hyper Growth and Pro Growth use 3%, and the firm's own 2-Step Plan FAQ also states 3%. |
| Max Overall Loss | 10.0% 10% of your starting capital, measured on equity, and the same figure on both of FTMO's programmes. |
10.0% 10% of the initial balance on High Stakes, fixed when the account opens and never trailing; Hyper Growth and Pro Growth stop out at 6%, and Bootcamp uses 5% on steps 1-3 and 4% once funded. |
| Profit Split | 80% - 90% | 80% - 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. |
3 Days High Stakes needs 3 profitable days at Step 1, at Step 2 and again at every scaling step, where a profitable day means closed trades netting at least 0.5% of the initial balance. |
| 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 | ✓ New orders may not be executed from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after high-impact news on the High Stakes programme; holding existing positions through news is allowed, and any profit made inside that window is deducted from the account and does not count toward the profit target |
| 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) | ✓ Permitted (Overnight and weekend holding allowed with no restrictions) |
| Supported Platforms | MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView | MT5, cTrader, 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. |
Bi-weekly or on-demand after 14 days |
| 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. |
14 days from funding First withdrawal 14 days after the funded account is activated, then every 2 weeks from the last approved one, with $150 minimum profit required to request a payout. |
| 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. |
No restrictive lot-size or profit consistency rule |
| Islamic / Swap-Free Option | ✓ Available on Request Swap-Free option available on request via support for eligible regions (no overnight interest fees charged) |
✓ Native Swap-Free Option Native Swap-Free account option selectable upon registration with zero administration fee markups |
| US Residents Accepted | ✓ Accepted | ✗ Restricted |
| Maximum Capital Allocation | $2,000,000 | $500,000 |
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.
Where these figures come from. Read from The5ers' own published rules on : High Stakes daily/total loss mechanics and 00 · High Stakes minimum profitable days table and · Platform availability by residency · MetaQuotes platforms prohibited for US residen · Full banned-strategy list and the termination, · 14-day first withdrawal, 2-week cadence therea · Bootcamp per-step max loss (5% steps 1-3, 4% f · Hyper Growth / Pro Growth 6% stop-out and 3% d · 2-Step Plan daily loss limit stated as 3% of t. Prop firm rules change without notice — confirm on the firm's own site before you pay for an evaluation.
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
- The5ers: You cannot open or close an order in the four-minute window running from two minutes before to two minutes after a high-impact news release, and if you do, the profit from it is taken off your account and does not count toward your target while the loss still counts against you. source
- The5ers: Copy trading, running an expert advisor whose source code you do not own, sharing or reselling your account, or paying someone to pass a challenge for you gets the account terminated, any profit or refund you were owed withheld, and you permanently banned from The5ers. source
- The5ers: Arbitrage, tick scalping, high-frequency trades lasting seconds, bracketing stop orders around news, hedging the same instrument across accounts, and gambling-sized or one-directional bets carry the same penalty: account closed, profit and refund forfeited, permanent ban. source
- The5ers: You must produce three separate profitable days, each closing at least 0.5% of your starting balance in profit, to clear Step 1, to clear Step 2 and again at every scaling step — hitting the profit target in one big day is not enough to pass. source
- The5ers: If you place no trades for 30 days in a row on an evaluation account, or 60 days in a row on a funded account, The5ers expires the account automatically and you lose it without breaking any trading rule. source
- The5ers: You cannot take any money out for the first 14 days after your funded account is activated, you need at least $150 of profit to request a payout, and after that each request comes two weeks after your last approved one. source
Drawdown Architecture: FTMO vs The5ers
The fundamental differentiator between FTMO and The5ers 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.
The5ers: Static Balance-Based
The5ers implements a Static Balance-Based model. This provides traders with full intraday flexibility without the fear of open spikes ratcheting up their liquidation point.
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 The5ers if you:
- Prefer Static Balance-Based execution terms.
- Trade CFD via MT5, cTrader, TradingView.
- Value Traders looking for instant funding programs, low entry fee Bootcamps, and scaling that reaches $4,000,000 on Bootcamp (High Stakes and Hyper Growth both cap at $500,000).
- Want flexible swing trading terms without time limits.
- Want access to starting entry fees at $39.
Frequently Asked Questions: FTMO vs The5ers
Which firm offers a better drawdown model between FTMO and The5ers?
FTMO uses Static Equity-Based, while The5ers utilizes Static Balance-Based.
Traders who hold positions through volatile pullbacks typically favor FTMO, whereas scalpers capitalizing on quick momentum benefit from The5ers.
Can I trade both FTMO and The5ers 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 The5ers 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 The5ers operates on a Bi-weekly or on-demand after 14 days schedule (14 days from funding). Both platforms support crypto and direct bank transfers.