At a glance
Every cell below was copied from the firms' own sites on the date of this article - FTMO's program pages and The5ers' program table, as displayed at the time of writing. Evaluation terms in this category are revised frequently, so treat this as a structural snapshot and confirm current values on both official sites.
| Dimension | FTMO | The5ers |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 (FTMO s.r.o., Czech Republic) | Since 2016, with the site marking ten years of operation |
| Company scale | 4.5M+ customers, $650M+ rewards, 140+ countries (site footer) | 262K pro traders, 171 employees across 24 countries |
| Program lineup | 1-Step and 2-Step challenges, unlimited Free Trial, Standard and Swing accounts | 1-Step and 2-Steps CFD programs plus a futures track |
| Evaluation terms | No time limit on the challenge; targets and loss caps set per account size | $100K 1-Step showed: unlimited period, 10% target, 6% max loss, 3% daily loss, 50% daily consistency, 1:100 leverage, $249 price |
| Reward share | Up to 90% of simulated profits | Program table listed 75%-25% profit share plus a 10% bonus on the funded stage |
| Account scaling | Scaling Plan grows capital with performance; Premium Programme above it | Marketing centers on scaling manage up to $4,000,000 |
| Funded-stage fees | One-time challenge fee framed as your maximum downside | One-time fee listed, refunded from the third payout on the displayed program |
| Markets | CFDs across forex, commodities and indices; MT4, MT5, cTrader; separate futures arm | CFDs in forex, metals and indices, plus futures programs |
| Payout mechanics | 1-4 business day review after passing 1-Step | Minimum withdrawal $250 and a $2,000 payout cap shown in the $100K funded column |
| Education and community | FTMO Academy, Account MetriX, 35-tool App Suite, Mentor | The5ers Academy with classes, webinars and weekly sessions; Discord community; 24/7 support |
| Trust signals | 4.8 Trustpilot rating linked from the site | Trustpilot and PropFirmMatch badges displayed, plus industry award graphics |
Company backgrounds
FTMO began testing traders in 2015 and has spent a decade compounding scale: its own footer claims 4.5 million customers, more than $650 million in rewards and presence in over 140 countries, supported by a 4.8 Trustpilot score. The Czech firm is the reference point most competitors position themselves against, and its breadth of published tooling - analytics, academies, career ladders - is the benchmark for what a mature prop operation looks like.
The5ers launched in 2016 and has grown into a materially staffed organization rather than a lean brand: the site reports 262,000 pro traders, 171 employees operating across 24 countries, and a decade of continuous operation of its own. Where FTMO's marketing leans on payout totals, The5ers leans on structure - fair-play messaging, published program tables with explicit numbers, and a scaling story that reaches four million dollars.
Program design: one-step speed against two-step depth
FTMO keeps its lineup deliberately small. Two paid challenge shapes - 1-Step, where passing accounts are typically reviewed within 1-4 business days, and 2-Step, the classic challenge-plus-verification route - plus an unlimited Free Trial the firm recommends before paying anything. Account type is the second decision: Standard versus Swing determines what happens with overnight positions, weekend holding and news events once you are funded.
- FTMO 1-Step - single evaluation stage, no separate verification, review in 1-4 business days
- FTMO 2-Step - challenge followed by verification, the traditional structure
- Free Trial - unlimited attempts at simplified rules with no fee
- Standard or Swing - picked at funding, decides holding and news restrictions
The5ers presents its programs as tabs - 1 Step, 2 Steps and Futures - with the full parameter table shown up front. Its $100K 1-Step column, as displayed when we checked, read like this: unlimited trading period, a 10% profit target, a 6% maximum loss, a 3% maximum daily loss, a 50% per-day consistency rule, 1:100 leverage and a $249 fee. The funded column added a $250 minimum withdrawal, a $2,000 payout cap, the 75%-25% profit share display, a 10% bonus, a fee refund starting from the third payout, and a limit of two active accounts.
- 1 Step - one evaluation with the parameter table above; funded terms include the $250 minimum and $2,000 cap
- 2 Steps - the two-stage variant for traders who want a verification pass before funding
- Futures - a separate track for exchange-traded contracts rather than CFDs
- Fee refund - returned from the third payout on the displayed program, not credited immediately
Markets, platforms and rulebooks
Both firms are CFD-first with a futures extension, and both describe core markets in similar terms - FTMO across forex, commodities and indices, The5ers across forex, metals and indices - before each adds its own derivatives branch. FTMO's futures arm carries separate pricing and trading-objectives pages; The5ers lists Futures as a first-class program tab. Practically, an index or metals trader can build the same book at either firm.
The rulebooks differ in where they bite. FTMO concentrates on a short list of documented limits - profit target, maximum daily loss, maximum loss - with the Standard-versus-Swing switch governing holding behavior after funding. The5ers layers a per-day consistency percentage (50% on the displayed program) into the evaluation itself and publishes its full loss ladder up front: 6% maximum loss and 3% maximum daily loss against a 10% target. Transparency of the table is The5ers' argument; account-type flexibility is FTMO's.
Reward share, fees and payout terms
FTMO's headline share - up to 90% - sits above the 75%-25% figure displayed in The5ers' $100K program table, though The5ers counters with a 10% bonus line and a fee refund that begins with the third payout. Neither number is a universal default: each attaches to specific program conditions, and both firms revise their tables. The fee structures are one-time at both companies - neither bills a subscription for holding the evaluation.
On the funded stage, The5ers publishes concrete withdrawal parameters in its table - a $250 minimum request and a $2,000 payout cap at the $100K level - which makes monthly planning possible before you buy. FTMO describes reward processing in its terms with a 1-4 business day account review published for 1-Step passes rather than per-tier withdrawal limits. If knowing the exact payout ceiling in advance matters to you, The5ers discloses more up front; FTMO discloses more in its ecosystem tooling.
Rules that shape the day-to-day experience
FTMO's most consequential quality-of-life decision remains the account type chosen at funding. Swing accounts carry no overnight or weekend restrictions and no news-trading restrictions at all, while Standard accounts meet those restrictions only in the funded stage - evaluation trading is unaffected either way. The firm's no-time-limit policy also removes deadline pressure from the challenge itself.
The5ers pushes rule pressure into the evaluation instead: the 50% per-day consistency figure on the displayed program caps how dominant any single session can be, and the two-active-account ceiling limits parallel experimentation at the funded stage. Unlimited trading period applies on both sides of its table, so - like FTMO - there is no clock on the evaluation. The difference is consistency discipline during the attempt versus holding flexibility after funding.
Ecosystem, growth and support
FTMO's support layer is the largest in the category: the Scaling Plan and Premium Programme, Quantlane as a destination for elite traders, Account MetriX analytics, the Mentor planning app, 35 FX Blue tools in the App Suite and the FTMO Academy, with 24/7 support behind it. Ten years of payouts also generate an enormous third-party review record.
The5ers answers with an organizational footprint rather than a tool count: 171 staff across 24 countries, 24/7 support, a free Academy of classes, webinars and weekly mastermind sessions, and an active Discord community. Its homepage also displays a wall of industry award graphics and review-platform badges. The growth promise - scaling toward $4,000,000 in managed capital - is the most aggressive published ceiling between the two firms.
Which firm fits which trader?
Choose FTMO if you want the larger operating record, an unlimited free trial before committing, up to 90% reward share, and the account-type flexibility that lets Swing holders trade through news and weekends without restriction. The ecosystem - Scaling, Premium, Quantlane, the App Suite - is built for traders who plan to compound at one firm for years rather than rotate.
Choose The5ers if you prefer your numbers published up front: the program table shows target, loss limits, consistency, leverage, price, withdrawal minimum, payout cap and refund schedule in one view before you buy. The 1-Step route with an unlimited period, the fee refund from the third payout and the four-million-dollar scaling story give it a distinctive shape. Confirm current tables, platform access and regional eligibility on both official sites before paying.
Editorial note
dangcash may earn a commission when you follow a link from this page. Compensation does not influence which firm is portrayed more favorably in any section above - the figures come from each company's published pages, and the official links are included so you can audit them yourself.
Related pages
- FTMO provider profile - programs and tracked offers
- The5ers provider profile - programs and tracked offers
- Best prop firms 2026 - the full ranked comparison
- Active prop firm offers
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, FTMO or The5ers?
Neither is universally better. FTMO leads on published scale, reward share ceiling and ecosystem depth. The5ers leads on upfront parameter disclosure, a simple 1-Step program and a large published scaling ambition. Match the program table to the rules you actually want to trade under.
Which firm shows its evaluation numbers in advance?
The5ers publishes a full parameter table - target, maximum loss, daily loss, consistency, leverage, price, withdrawal minimum, payout cap and refund schedule - on its programs page. FTMO publishes objectives per account size on its challenge pages. Both disclose; The5ers consolidates more into one table.
Which firm has the higher reward share?
FTMO advertises up to 90% of simulated profits. The5ers' $100K program table displayed a 75%-25% profit share alongside a 10% bonus on the funded stage. Both are program-specific - verify the current split for the exact account you buy.
How long do I get to pass the challenge?
Both firms publish unlimited evaluation periods on the pages reviewed here: FTMO states no time limit on its challenge, and The5ers showed an unlimited maximum trading period in its 1-Step column.
Do either offer futures programs?
Yes. FTMO runs a futures arm with separate pricing and trading-objectives pages. The5ers lists Futures as a program tab alongside its 1-Step and 2-Steps CFD tracks.
Is there a free trial?
FTMO offers an unlimited Free Trial and recommends starting there. The5ers' homepage does not advertise a free trial on the pages we checked - it routes visitors straight to its paid program table. Confirm current offers on both sites.
Last updated: 2026-10-02