Head-to-head
City Traders Imperium vs FTMO
City Traders Imperium vs FTMO covers the two firms side by side on the facts recorded in their profiles.
Profit splits, evaluation fees, payout cadence, supported assets, and trading rules for City Traders Imperium and FTMO. Data pulled live from our firm listings.
Quick verdict
City Traders Imperium is best for
traders prioritizing profit share (100% vs 90%); scaling toward larger allocations (up to $4,000,000).
Full City Traders Imperium profile →Cost to first payout
Cost to first payout
What it actually costs to reach payout — a normalized estimate built from each firm's lowest published evaluation cost, monthly fees, and first-payout window. Estimates, not guarantees. Each card shows the assumptions used.
City Traders Imperium
estimateApprox. total
$2.5
to reach first payout eligibility
Approx. time
7days
from sign-up to first eligible request
- Start cost
- $2.5
- Monthly fee
- —
How we estimated this
- Instant-funding path: lowest published activation cost.
- Source — eval fee: One-time: 1-Step $29–$449, 2-Step $39–$549 ($2.5K–$100K); Instant Funding $79–$1,599 ($2.5K–$80K); Direct Funding $229–$3,999 ($5K–$80K); monthly: —; first payout: Challenges: first withdrawal after 7 days (3 min profitable days); Instant/Direct: after 5 days.
FTMO
estimateApprox. total
—
to reach first payout eligibility
Approx. time
7days
from sign-up to first eligible request
- Start cost
- —
- Monthly fee
- None
How we estimated this
- Instant funding offered but cost not published — figure unverified.
- Source — eval fee: 2-Step €89–€1,080; 1-Step €79–€999; Instant Account €169–€2,999 (all one-time); monthly: 2-Step and 1-Step Challenges: no monthly fee (one-time). FTMO Futures: monthly subscription, Growth $119–$229/mo, Pro $139–$269/mo (USD); first payout: First payout possible after 14 days; reduce to weekly on request.
Trade-offs
Where each firm is weaker
No firm wins on every axis. These are the most meaningful drawbacks of each option — derived from the same structured fields shown in the table, never invented.
City Traders Imperium trade-offs
No copy trading
Forbids copy / algo bridges. FTMO permits them.
FTMO trade-offs
Lower profit split
Pays 90% versus 100% — 10 points less of every funded dollar.
Lower scaling ceiling
Scales to $200,000 vs $4,000,000 at City Traders Imperium — caps long-term capital growth.
Decision guide
Best for your trader type
- Highest profit share
100% vs 90%
- Biggest scaling ceiling
Up to $4,000,000.
- Copy & algo traders
Copy trading is permitted.
| Attribute | City Traders Imperium Evaluation + Instant Funding · est. 2018 | FTMO Evaluation · est. 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| Retail accessibility | Open to retail traders via evaluation | Open to retail traders via evaluation |
| Cost | ||
| Evaluation fee | One-time: 1-Step $29–$449, 2-Step $39–$549 ($2.5K–$100K); Instant Funding $79–$1,599 ($2.5K–$80K); Direct Funding $229–$3,999 ($5K–$80K) | 2-Step €89–€1,080; 1-Step €79–€999; Instant Account €169–€2,999 (all one-time) |
| Monthly fee | — | 2-Step and 1-Step Challenges: no monthly fee (one-time). FTMO Futures: monthly subscription, Growth $119–$229/mo, Pro $139–$269/mo (USD) |
| Evaluation required | Yes | Yes |
| Instant funding | Yes | Yes |
| Capital | ||
| Profit split | 100% | 90% |
| Max allocation | $4,000,000 | $200,000 |
| Account sizes | $2.5K–$100K (challenges); up to $80K Instant/Direct; scaling to $4M | $5K (Instant only), $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K (USD/EUR/GBP/CZK and more) |
| Scaling | Every 10% profit milestone doubles your balance, up to $2,000,000 per account. | Scaling Plan: +25% balance every 4 months at 10%+ profit over 2 of 4 months. |
| Payouts | ||
| Frequency | Bi-weekly | On-demand (default 14 days, weekly available) |
| First payout | Challenges: first withdrawal after 7 days (3 min profitable days); Instant/Direct: after 5 days | First payout possible after 14 days; reduce to weekly on request |
| Assets | ||
| Futures | No | Yes |
| Stocks | No | Yes |
| Options | No | No |
| Forex | Yes | Yes |
| Crypto | No | Yes |
| Trading rules | ||
| News trading | Yes | Yes |
| Overnight holding | Yes | Yes |
| Weekend holding | Yes | Yes |
| Copy trading | No | Yes |
| Technology | ||
| Platforms | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader | cTrader, DXtrade, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 |
| Data feed | — | Purple Trading / Spotware |
| Company | ||
| Headquarters | London, UK | Prague, Czech Republic |
About City Traders Imperium
London-based funded trader program known for swing-trading friendly rules and direct funding accounts up to $4M scaling.
Full City Traders Imperium profile →About FTMO
Online evaluation program funding remote retail traders. Funds traders across forex, indices, commodities, and crypto.
Full FTMO profile →Trust & stability
Reputation and rule‑change activity
Two added decision signals: a weighted reputation score from independent review sources, and a 90-day view of structural rule‑change activity where monitored sources are available.
Reputation
Not enough independent rating sources to compute a canonical score yet.
Rule Stability
last 90d- Last change
- —
- Type
- —
- Sources monitored
- —
- Status
- No changes detected in monitored sources
Weekly diff of the firm's published rule pages (terms, rules, FAQ, legal). "No changes detected" only means none of the monitored monitored sources changed — other surfaces (Discord, email, dashboards) are not covered. "Limited" or "unavailable" means our monitor cannot reach enough sources to make an honest call.
Reputation
Not enough independent rating sources to compute a canonical score yet.
Rule Stability
last 90d- Last change
- —
- Type
- —
- Sources monitored
- —
- Status
- No changes detected in monitored sources
Weekly diff of the firm's published rule pages (terms, rules, FAQ, legal). "No changes detected" only means none of the monitored monitored sources changed — other surfaces (Discord, email, dashboards) are not covered. "Limited" or "unavailable" means our monitor cannot reach enough sources to make an honest call.
Frequently asked
Common questions
- Which has a higher profit split — City Traders Imperium or FTMO?
- City Traders Imperium pays 100%; FTMO pays 90% of trader profits once funded. City Traders Imperium pays a higher share to the trader.
- Is City Traders Imperium cheaper to start than FTMO?
- City Traders Imperium: offers instant funding (no evaluation). FTMO: offers instant funding (no evaluation).
- Which pays out faster — City Traders Imperium or FTMO?
- City Traders Imperium payouts: Bi‑weekly. FTMO payouts: On‑demand (default 14 days, weekly available). First‑payout eligibility: City Traders Imperium — Challenges: first withdrawal after 7 days (3 min profitable days); Instant/Direct: after 5 days; FTMO — First payout possible after 14 days; reduce to weekly on request.
- What's the maximum allocation at City Traders Imperium vs FTMO?
- City Traders Imperium scales up to $4,000,000. FTMO scales up to $200,000.
- Can I trade news at City Traders Imperium or FTMO?
- City Traders Imperium: permits news trading. FTMO: permits news trading.
- Can I hold positions overnight at City Traders Imperium or FTMO?
- City Traders Imperium: allows overnight holds. FTMO: allows overnight holds.
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