FTMO vs FundedNext
These two run almost the same evaluation. Both are two-step, both ask 10% then 5%, both cap drawdown at 10% with a 5% daily loss limit, both have no time limit, and both give you MT4, MT5 and cTrader. If you are trying to pick between them on the rules, you will be looking at a table of near-identical numbers.
The decision is really about three things: how the profit split actually works once you read past the headline, how quickly you get paid, and whether you trade news. Those three separate them cleanly, and not always in the direction the marketing suggests.
Pick FTMO if
You want the longest track record in the category, the strongest platform and support scores, and you like that your challenge fee comes back in full with your first payout. You do not need to trade news or hold over the weekend on a funded account.
Pick FundedNext if
You trade news or hold positions through the weekend, you want the higher split from day one rather than after a scaling plan, you want paid every two weeks instead of monthly, or you want to start smaller than $10,000.
FTMO scores 8.3. FundedNext scores 8.0. They tie on challenge rules, payout reliability and transparency. FTMO takes cost, platform and support. That is a narrow win built on execution rather than on terms, and the terms favour FundedNext in a couple of places that may matter more to you than the gap in the headline score.
Score breakdown
Rules side by side
| FTMO | FundedNext | |
| Account sizes | $10K to $200K (5 tiers; up to $400K combined) | $6,000 to $200,000 depending on plan |
| Evaluation type | Two-step (FTMO Challenge + Verification) | 2-step (Phase 1 + Phase 2) |
| Profit target | 10% of initial simulated capital | Not published |
| Phase 1 target | 10% of initial simulated capital | 10% |
| Phase 2 target | 5% of initial simulated capital | 5% |
| Max drawdown | 10% (Static (2-Step) / EOD trailing (1-Step)) | 10% (Overall account) |
| Daily loss limit | 5% of balance at 00:00 CET (recalculated daily) | 5% of account balance |
| Time limit | None | Unlimited |
| Min. trading days | 4 per phase (a day where at least one position is opened) | 5 days per phase |
| Consistency rule | None on 2-Step | Not published |
| Profit split | Up to 90% (80% default; 90% via Scaling Plan) | Up to 90% (95% at scaling) |
| Scaling | 25% account boost every 4 months; min 10% net profit, 2 processed rewards, positive balance; up to $2,000,000 | Not published |
| Markets covered | CFDs: forex pairs, indices, commodities, stocks, crypto | Forex, indices, commodities, metals, crypto |
| Platforms | MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader 5 (MT5), cTrader | MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader 5 (MT5), cTrader |
| Leverage | Standard: higher leverage (exact ratio not publicly listed); Swing: lower leverage | Not published |
| News trading | Allowed during evaluation on both account types; restricted on Standard funded accounts; unrestricted on Swing funded accounts | Allowed |
| Copy trading | Allowed; max $400K capital per strategy per person across accounts | Not published |
| KYC required | Yes, identity verification required before first reward | Yes, before first payout |
| Fee refund | 100% refunded with first reward withdrawal | Not published |
| Inactivity rule | Must place at least one trade every 30 days; account freeze available for 7 days to 6 months | Not published |
The split is the opposite of what the headlines say
FundedNext advertises up to 90% as standard, rising to 95% at scaling milestones. FTMO defaults to 80% and only reaches 90% once you qualify for its Scaling Plan. On that alone FundedNext looks clearly better, and for a trader who plans to withdraw steadily over a long period it probably is.
So why does FTMO score higher on cost against value, 8.5 to 7.8? Because FTMO refunds 100% of your challenge fee with your first reward withdrawal. Your entry cost comes back. FundedNext does not do that. It runs a different model instead, paying you 15% of the profit you made during the challenge phase, which is unusual and genuinely trader-friendly, but it is a share of evaluation profit rather than your money back.
Which is better depends entirely on you. If you pass on the first attempt and withdraw once, FTMO’s refund is worth more than a 10 point split difference on a small first payout. If you pass and then trade the account hard for a year, the 90% from day one compounds and FundedNext wins comfortably.
News trading is the rule that should decide it for some traders
FundedNext allows news trading and weekend holds. FTMO allows news trading during the evaluation, but restricts news and overnight trading on Standard funded accounts. Its Swing accounts lift that restriction.
If your strategy involves trading around scheduled releases, or holding through a weekend, this is not a preference, it is a hard constraint. You either take a FTMO Swing account or you go to FundedNext. Traders get caught by this because the evaluation lets them trade the way they want and the funded account then does not.
Payout cadence and the rule FTMO does not publish
FundedNext pays every two weeks. FTMO’s default cycle is monthly. Neither is slow by prop firm standards, but if cash flow matters to you, two weeks beats four.
The bigger FTMO caveat is one we flagged in our full review: traders report an informal 1% risk per trade expectation applied at payout review, which is not a published hard rule in the way the drawdown limits are. We have not been able to confirm it as a written term. An unwritten expectation that only surfaces when you ask for money is the kind of thing we mark a firm down for, and it is the single thing we would want a prospective FTMO trader to be aware of.
In fairness, both firms score 8.0 on payout reliability. FTMO has paid over $500 million and neither has the pattern of denial complaints we have documented at weaker firms. This is a caution, not an accusation.
What the review counts actually tell you
FTMO holds 4.8 out of 5 from about 44,700 Trustpilot reviews. FundedNext holds 4.5 from roughly 74,000. Both are excellent by any normal standard, and both are among the largest verified review bases on this site.
The detail worth noticing is that FundedNext, founded in 2022, has accumulated substantially more reviews than FTMO despite being seven years younger. That reflects how aggressively it has grown rather than anything about quality. A slightly lower average across a much larger and much faster-acquired base is close to what you would expect, and we would not read 4.5 against 4.8 as a meaningful quality gap.
Small differences worth knowing
FundedNext starts at $6,000 against FTMO’s $10,000, so it is cheaper to get in at the bottom end. Both top out at $200,000.
FTMO asks 4 minimum trading days per phase, FundedNext asks 5. Marginal, but it matters if you pass quickly.
FundedNext also runs futures accounts, so if you want one firm across CFD and futures it covers both. FTMO is CFD only.
Both require KYC before your first payout, both have no time limit on the evaluation, and both support MT4, MT5 and cTrader. There is no platform argument to make here.
Pros and cons
FTMO pros
- Founded 2015, one of the longest-running prop firms
- $500M+ paid in trader rewards worldwide
- 4.8/5 Trustpilot from 44,700+ reviews
- MT4, MT5, and cTrader all supported
FTMO cons
- Best Day Rule (1-Step): one profitable day cannot exceed 50% of total profits
- News and overnight trading restricted on Standard funded accounts
- Informal “1% risk per trade” rule reported to be applied at payout review
- 80% default split, only reaches 90% after Scaling Plan qualification
FundedNext pros
- 15% refund of challenge phase profits
- MT4, MT5, and cTrader all supported
- News trading and weekend holds allowed
- Up to 90% profit split standard
FundedNext cons
- Discount code only gives 5% off
- 5-day minimum trading requirement per phase
- Bi-weekly payouts (not weekly)
- $6K minimum account is lower quality tier
Frequently asked questions
Is FTMO or FundedNext better?
FTMO scores 8.3 against FundedNext’s 8.0 on our methodology, winning on cost, platform and support while tying on rules, payouts and transparency. But the terms favour FundedNext in two specific places: it pays up to 90% from the start rather than after a scaling plan, and it allows news trading and weekend holds that FTMO restricts on Standard funded accounts. If either of those matters to you, take FundedNext despite the lower score.
Which one pays more, FTMO or FundedNext?
It depends how long you trade the account. FundedNext pays up to 90% as standard and 95% at scaling. FTMO starts at 80% and reaches 90% only through its Scaling Plan, but refunds 100% of your challenge fee with your first withdrawal. Pass once and withdraw once and FTMO’s refund usually wins. Trade the account for a year and FundedNext’s higher split compounds ahead.
Can you trade news on FTMO?
During the evaluation, yes, on both account types. On a funded account it depends which you hold: news and overnight trading are restricted on Standard funded accounts and unrestricted on Swing accounts. FundedNext allows news trading and weekend holds without that split, so news traders generally find it simpler.
What is FundedNext’s 15% challenge profit share?
FundedNext pays you 15% of the profit you generated during the challenge phase, which most firms treat as simulated and worth nothing. It is one of the more genuinely distinctive features in the category. It is not the same as FTMO’s model, which refunds your entire challenge fee with your first reward instead.
Are FTMO and FundedNext rules different?
Barely. Both are two-step with a 10% then 5% profit target, a 10% maximum drawdown, a 5% daily loss limit, no time limit, and MT4, MT5 and cTrader support. FTMO asks 4 minimum trading days per phase against FundedNext’s 5, and FundedNext starts at $6,000 against FTMO’s $10,000. The meaningful differences are in the split, the payout cadence and the funded-account restrictions, not the evaluation.
Why does FundedNext have more Trustpilot reviews than FTMO?
FundedNext launched in 2022 and has grown very fast, accumulating roughly 74,000 reviews against FTMO’s 44,700 despite being seven years younger. FTMO rates slightly higher at 4.8 against 4.5. We would not treat that gap as a quality signal. A marginally lower average across a much larger and much faster-acquired review base is close to what you would expect.
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