Head-to-head
City Traders Imperium vs FTMO
A direct, side-by-side comparison of City Traders Imperium and FTMO — profit splits, evaluation fees, payout cadence, supported assets, and trading rules. Data pulled live from our firm directory.
Quick verdict
City Traders Imperium is best for
traders prioritizing profit share (100% vs 90%).
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
$449
to reach first payout eligibility
Approx. time
—
from sign-up to first eligible request
- Start cost
- $449
- Monthly fee
- —
How we estimated this
- Evaluation path: lowest published one-time evaluation fee.
- Source — eval fee: $449; monthly: —; first payout: —.
FTMO
estimateApprox. total
—
to reach first payout eligibility
Approx. time
17days
from sign-up to first eligible request
- Start cost
- —
- Monthly fee
- None
How we estimated this
- Adds ~10 calendar days for evaluation completion (most firms require ≥5 minimum trading days).
- Source — eval fee: €89–€1,080 one-time (refundable on pass); monthly: No monthly fee — one-time challenge cost; 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.
Decision guide
Best for your trader type
- Highest profit share
100% vs 90%
- Biggest scaling ceiling
Up to $200,000.
- Copy & algo traders
Copy trading is permitted.
| Attribute | City Traders Imperium Evaluation Based · est. 2018 | FTMO Evaluation Based · est. 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | ||
| Evaluation fee | $449 | €89–€1,080 one-time (refundable on pass) |
| Monthly fee | — | No monthly fee — one-time challenge cost |
| Evaluation required | Yes | Yes |
| Instant funding | No | No |
| Capital | ||
| Profit split | 100% | 90% |
| Max allocation | $5K–$200K | $200,000 |
| Account sizes | $5K–$200K | $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K (USD/EUR/GBP/CZK) |
| Scaling | — | 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 | — | 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 | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, DXtrade |
| 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 →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
canonical- Sources used
- 1
- Confidence
- medium
Weighted blend of independent trader-review sources. See methodology.
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
canonical- Sources used
- 1
- Confidence
- medium
Weighted blend of independent trader-review sources. See methodology.
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: evaluation from $449. FTMO: evaluation from €89–€1,080 one-time (refundable on pass).
- 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 — n/a; 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 $5K–$200K. 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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