FundingPips vs FTMO — Which Should You Pick in 2026?
The two biggest names in prop trading. FTMO is the established giant; FundingPips is the rising challenger with cheaper challenges and more flexible payouts. This page breaks down the actual differences that matter for your trading style.
Quick verdict
Pick FTMO if: You want maximum brand reliability, you trade swing/positional, you prefer consistent bi-weekly payouts, and the higher price (EUR 345 for the $50K 2-Step) doesn't matter.
Pick FundingPips if: You want cheap entry ($299 for $50K 2-Step Standard), zero consistency rule (on default payouts), flexible payout cycles (weekly/biweekly/on-demand/monthly), and you self-developed your strategy or EA.
Side-by-side rule comparison
| Rule | FundingPips (2-Step Standard) | FTMO Challenge ($50K) |
|---|---|---|
| Price ($50K) | $299 | EUR 345 |
| Profit target Phase 1 | 8% | 10% |
| Profit target Phase 2 | 5% | 5% |
| Max drawdown | 10% static | 10% static |
| Daily drawdown | 5% | 5% |
| Min trading days | 3 per phase | 4 per phase (2-Step); 1-Step has none |
| Consistency rule | None on weekly/biweekly/monthly. 35% on optional on-demand. | None |
| Profit split | 80% biweekly / 90% on-demand / up to 100% | 80%, scales to 90% |
| Payout frequency | Weekly / biweekly / on-demand / monthly | Bi-weekly (every 14 days) |
| EA policy | Self-developed: full automation with proof of ownership. Third-party: trade/risk manager only | Allowed, incl. third-party (max 2,000 server requests/day) |
| News rule | 5-min buffer (funded) | No news restrictions on Challenge |
| Trustpilot | 4.7 / 5 | 4.8 / 5 |
Where FundingPips wins
Price
FundingPips' $50K 2-Step Standard is $299. FTMO prices in euros: the equivalent 2-Step is EUR 345. FundingPips is still the cheaper entry, but the gap is far smaller than the $540 this page used to quote — check the euro rate on the day before you treat it as a big saving. With the verified email code FHFUNDED (20% off), you can drop the FundingPips price to ~$231.
Payout flexibility
FTMO pays bi-weekly, full stop. FundingPips lets you choose between weekly, biweekly, on-demand (the moment you hit profit), or monthly. This matters more than people think — if you have a winning week and want cash now to scale into other accounts, on-demand pays the same day.
Lower phase 1 target
FundingPips' 8% Phase 1 vs. FTMO's 10% is a meaningful difference. On a $50K account, that's $4,000 vs $5,000 — about 20% less risk required to pass.
Add-on system
FundingPips lets you toggle between payout structures and challenge variants without buying separate products. The Daily Rewards add-on (free, only on 2-Step Pro) switches you to daily on-demand 90% payouts. FTMO doesn't have this kind of modular system.
Where FTMO wins
Brand & longevity
FTMO has been around since 2014 and has paid out over $300M in profits to traders. They survived the 2023 MetaQuotes shutdown that killed several competitors. If reliability and "won't disappear next year" matters to you, FTMO is the safer institutional bet.
No news restrictions on the Challenge
FTMO's Challenge phase has no news-trading restrictions. FundingPips imposes a 5-minute buffer around high-impact news on funded accounts. If you trade news events specifically, this matters.
A one-day pass is possible — but only on the 1-Step
FTMO's 1-Step Normal carries no minimum trading days, so you can clear it in a single session if you hit the target. The 2-Step is the opposite: it requires a minimum of 4 trading days per phase, which is one more than FundingPips' 3. Check which product you are buying before you plan around this.
Verification → Funded refund
FTMO refunds your initial Challenge fee with your first profit split. FundingPips offers a similar refund-after-4th-payout structure, but FTMO's is faster (1st payout vs 4th).
Which is better for specific trading styles?
Scalpers (sub-1-minute holds)
FundingPips is friendlier — no min hold time on most products. FTMO has no explicit minimum either, but their internal review system flags suspicious tick-scalping more aggressively. Edge: FundingPips
News traders
FTMO has zero news restrictions on the Challenge. FundingPips imposes a 5-minute buffer on funded. Edge: FTMO
Swing / positional traders
Both work well. FTMO's brand stability favors longer-term commitment. Edge: FTMO (slight)
EA users
Both allow self-developed EAs, and FundingPips will let one run fully automated — but only if you can prove you wrote it (source code, version history, or walking them through the logic on a call; a compiled binary is not proof). Third-party EAs are where they split: FundingPips permits them only as a trade or risk manager, while FTMO allows bought EAs outright, capped at 2,000 server requests a day. Both ban HFT. Edge: FTMO if your EA is bought, Tie if you coded it yourself.
High-frequency / day traders
FundingPips' on-demand payouts mean you can take profit the moment you make it. FTMO makes you wait 14 days. Edge: FundingPips
Multi-account traders (running several challenges)
FundingPips' lower entry price ($299 vs EUR 345) makes scaling across multiple accounts much cheaper. Edge: FundingPips
Discount codes
To save additional money on either firm:
- FundingPips:
FHFUNDEDfor 20% off — our own partner code: we earn a commission, and you pay the same or less than without it - FTMO: No discount codes — FTMO does not offer promo codes. Best price is the standard rate.
FundingPips vs FTMO — FAQ
Which pays out faster, FundingPips or FTMO?
FundingPips: Bi-weekly 85% · Weekly 60% / Bi-Weekly 80% / Monthly 100% / On Demand 90% (chosen per payout) · Bi-weekly 85% or 95% (chosen at purchase, locked); the 95% split needs 3 profitable days >=0.5% per cycle and the counter resets after every reward — FTMO: Bi-weekly (on-demand after 14 calendar days from first trade) · Bi-weekly · Bi-weekly (on-demand after 14 days from first trade). Always confirm the current payout policy on the firm's official terms before buying.
Does FundingPips or FTMO have a consistency rule?
FundingPips: not documented on our current audit. FTMO: Best Day max 50% of your Positive Days' Profit (1-Step only). A consistency rule caps how much of your total profit one day may contribute — a real constraint if your profit comes in bursts.
What discount codes work for FundingPips and FTMO?
FundingPips: code FHFUNDED (20% off all challenges). Codes rotate — every code on this site is re-checked against the firm's own site on a rolling cycle, and each one carries its own check date.
Can you use EAs or bots on FundingPips and FTMO?
FundingPips: Self-developed EAs may run fully automated with proof of ownership; third-party EAs are allowed only as a trade or risk manager, never to fully automate. HFT is banned on every model. FTMO: Allowed — discretionary, algorithmic and EAs, including third-party/purchased (cap: no EA may exceed 2,000 server requests per day) Automation rules change more often than prices — confirm the current policy in the firm's terms before you deploy a bot on a paid account.
Final verdict
If you're a new trader or a price-sensitive trader running multiple accounts, FundingPips wins on value. The 47% lower entry price and flexible payout structure make it the smarter starting point in 2026.
If you have established capital and want maximum institutional reliability — or if you specifically trade news events — FTMO is worth the premium. Their decade-plus track record and no-news-rule policy on the Challenge earn the higher price for traders who need those features.
For most retail traders in 2026, FundingPips is the better starting point. You can always graduate to FTMO once you've proven you can pass evaluations consistently.