FTMO vs The5ers

FTMO is the better prop firm for most traders, while The5ers is the stronger choice if aggressive account scaling or a low upfront entry cost matters more to you.

As of September 2026, the closest like-for-like comparison is the FTMO 2-Step Challenge versus The5ers New High Stakes programme. Both require a 10% profit target in Phase 1 and 5% in Phase 2, both allow unlimited evaluation time, and both use a 5% maximum daily loss and 10% maximum loss.

The difference appears after those headline rules. FTMO offers a cleaner fee refund, more immediate profit economics and a slower, time-based scaling programme. The5ers offers more aggressive milestone-based scaling and can ultimately reach a 100% profit split on some programmes.

Our verdict: choose FTMO if you want the strongest all-round proposition with straightforward rules and a 100% challenge-fee refund on its 2-Step programme. Choose The5ers if scaling capital is the priority and you are happy to trade within its programme-specific rules.

Is FTMO or The5ers better?

The5ers becomes more compelling for a narrower type of trader: somebody who specifically values rapid scaling, long-term capital growth and the possibility of reaching a 100% profit split.

This distinction matters because comparing only headline profit splits gives the wrong answer.

An FTMO trader who passes the 2-Step programme starts with an 80% reward ratio, which can increase to 90% after qualifying through FTMO's Scaling Plan or Premium Programme. A trader who passes FTMO 1-Step receives 90% from the beginning.

The5ers High Stakes starts at an 80/20 split and increases through scaling milestones. Its published High Stakes scaling table reaches 90% at higher balances and eventually 100% at the upper tiers.

So the useful question is not simply, "Which prop firm has the highest profit split?"

It is:

Which firm gives you the best combination of rules, refundable cost, usable drawdown, payout terms and realistic scaling for the way you actually trade?

For most traders, that answer is FTMO.

FTMO 2-Step vs The5ers High Stakes: the fairest comparison

FTMO and The5ers each sell several different programmes. Treating every programme as though it uses one company-wide rule set creates misleading comparisons.

For a normal two-phase evaluation, FTMO 2-Step should be compared with The5ers New High Stakes.

Evaluation rules are surprisingly similar

The core challenge requirements are close:

FTMO requires trading on at least four separate days during the evaluation. The5ers requires three profitable days and defines a profitable High Stakes day using its own minimum-profit calculation.

That means the evaluation targets themselves should rarely decide an FTMO vs The5ers purchase.

The important differences start after the challenge.

FTMO has the better fee-refund structure

FTMO refunds 100% of the original FTMO 2-Step Challenge fee with the first reward withdrawal after the trader qualifies. FTMO 1-Step is different: its fee is non-refundable.

The5ers changed the High Stakes refund structure. Its current policy gives traders Hub Credit as they pass evaluation stages, with 10% after Step 1 and 20% after Step 2. At the funded stage, 70% of the amount paid using external funds is added to account equity and can become withdrawable with the first qualifying payout.

If you care about getting your original evaluation fee back in cash, FTMO 2-Step wins this category.

Both can pay after roughly 14 days

FTMO allows a reward request on the 14th day or later after the first trade on the relevant FTMO Account, assuming the account is profitable and the applicable conditions are met. FTMO says withdrawal requests are then reviewed before payment.

The5ers High Stakes allows funded traders to request payouts every two weeks. The5ers currently requires at least $150 in profit before a High Stakes payout can be processed.

There is no massive headline advantage here. Both are effectively built around a two-week payout cycle.

The5ers beats FTMO for aggressive scaling

FTMO's standard Scaling Plan increases an FTMO Account by 25% every four months when the trader meets its requirements. Those requirements include at least 10% net simulated profit during the preceding four-month period, at least two processed rewards and a positive account balance. FTMO advertises scaling up to $2 million across FTMO Accounts.

The5ers High Stakes works differently. Instead of waiting four months for each scale, the account scales after the trader reaches specified 10% profit milestones. High Stakes currently scales as high as $500,000, with the trader's profit split improving at higher account levels.

The5ers also runs Growth and Bootcamp programmes with advertised scaling paths reaching as high as $4 million, although their drawdown rules, targets and initial profit splits differ from High Stakes.

This creates a genuine strategic difference:

• FTMO scaling rewards consistency over time.
• The5ers scaling rewards repeated profit milestones.

A profitable trader who can repeatedly hit scaling targets may progress faster with The5ers.

A trader who would rather withdraw profits consistently without organising the whole strategy around the next scaling milestone may prefer FTMO.

FTMO is better for some platforms, while The5ers has its own platform advantages

FTMO currently supports MT4, MT5 and cTrader.

The5ers' current platform FAQ says non-US clients can use MetaTrader 5, cTrader and TradingView, while US clients use TradingView. The5ers also notes an additional charge for cTrader. Individual The5ers programme pages can impose more specific platform conditions, so the programme selected at checkout should be treated as the final rule set.

That gives each firm a niche:

• Choose FTMO if MT4 is essential.
• Choose The5ers if TradingView integration matters more.
• If you use MT5 or cTrader, compare the actual programme rules instead of choosing by platform alone.

Which prop firm is better for swing trading and news trading?

The5ers permits High Stakes traders to hold trades overnight and over the weekend. Traders may also hold positions through news, but executing orders from two minutes before until two minutes after designated high-impact news is prohibited.

FTMO permits unrestricted news trading during its evaluation process. Once funded, restrictions around selected news releases and weekend holding apply to FTMO Standard accounts. FTMO Swing accounts remove those restrictions, but the Swing account type is associated with the 2-Step programme rather than FTMO 1-Step.

For traders who regularly hold positions across weekends or major macroeconomic releases, compare The5ers High Stakes directly with FTMO 2-Step Swing.

Do not buy an FTMO 1-Step account and only discover afterwards that the account format does not fit your strategy.

FTMO vs The5ers pricing: ignore the misleading "starting from" comparison

For example, The5ers High Stakes currently begins with a small $2,500 account option priced from $19. That does not make it directly comparable with an FTMO $10,000 challenge.

At the $100,000 level, the numbers are much closer.

FTMO lists its standard $100,000 2-Step Challenge at €540, although a €439 promotional price was visible when this comparison was checked.

The5ers' current High Stakes payout documentation uses a $545 fee for a $100,000 account in its worked refund example.

Currencies and live promotions make a simplistic "$X versus $Y" winner unreliable.

The more interesting The5ers cost advantage appears in Bootcamp, where traders pay a smaller amount upfront and the remaining fee only after passing. Current Bootcamp pricing lists:

Bootcamp therefore reduces the amount of money at risk before proving you can pass, but the trade-off is a three-phase evaluation rather than the two phases used by FTMO 2-Step and High Stakes.

If minimising upfront challenge spend matters most, The5ers Bootcamp wins.

What about FTMO 1-Step vs The5ers Growth?

The one-step programmes change the decision again.

FTMO 1-Step is attractive for traders who want a single evaluation and a 90% reward ratio immediately after qualifying.

FTMO 1-Step requires a 10% profit target, allows unlimited time, uses a 3% maximum daily loss and a 10% maximum loss, and imposes a 50% Best Day Rule. The challenge fee is not refunded.

The5ers Growth programme also uses a one-step structure. The current programme advertises a 10% evaluation target, a 6% stop-out level, 3% daily loss, unlimited time and scaling up to $4 million, with profit share potentially reaching 100%.

That produces a straightforward split:

Choose FTMO 1-Step if you value the 90% reward ratio from the start and prefer FTMO's larger 10% maximum-loss allowance.

Choose The5ers Growth if the long-term scaling path matters more than the initial profit split or wider loss allowance.

Which is better for different types of traders?

There is no need to overcomplicate the decision.

Choose FTMO if you:

• want the best overall balance of evaluation rules, payout structure and flexibility;
• want a 100% challenge-fee refund on the 2-Step programme;
• use MetaTrader 4;
• want a 90% split immediately through FTMO 1-Step;
• prefer slower, consistency-based scaling instead of repeatedly chasing scaling targets;
• want the FTMO Swing option for longer-term positions.

Choose The5ers if you:

• want to minimise upfront cost through Bootcamp;
• want aggressive milestone-based scaling;
• specifically want the possibility of reaching a 100% profit split;
• want a scaling programme advertised up to $4 million;
• prefer TradingView where available;
• regularly hold High Stakes trades overnight and through weekends.

Are FTMO and The5ers funded accounts real trading capital?

FTMO states that its FTMO Accounts use simulated capital and that successful traders receive real-money performance rewards based on simulated profits.

The5ers likewise states that trading through its Hub is conducted in a simulated environment and that the funds displayed for evaluation do not represent money owned by the trader.

This distinction matters when comparing "funding" figures such as $100,000, $500,000 or $4 million.

The nominal account balance is useful for understanding position sizing, drawdown allowances and reward potential, but it should not be confused with a cash investment account that the trader owns.

FTMO vs The5ers: final verdict

Rules, prices, promotions and account availability can change. Always verify the exact programme conditions before purchasing an evaluation.