Head-to-head
DayTraders.com vs FTMO
DayTraders.com 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 DayTraders.com and FTMO. Data pulled live from our firm listings.
Quick verdict
DayTraders.com is best for
traders who prefer Evaluation + Instant Funding and a Las Vegas, NV-based firm.
Full DayTraders.com 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.
DayTraders.com
estimateApprox. total
$5
to reach first payout eligibility
Approx. time
—
from sign-up to first eligible request
- Start cost
- $5
- Monthly fee
- —
How we estimated this
- Instant-funding path: lowest published activation cost.
- Source — eval fee: Per account plus a flat $5 activation fee. Pricing builder example (29 Oct 2026): 25K EOD $80. S2F (no evaluation) $370–$825 per the firm's prop-trading guide.; monthly: Lifetime (one-time) and Monthly billing options; first payout: Pro: after 8 Qualifying Days and a balance minimum (e.g. 50K: request at $52,600 or more), min $500. S2F: 10 Qualifying Days and the cycle profit target. Live: once the drawdown locks at the starting balance, min $500, above a $1,000 buffer..
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.
Decision guide
Best for your trader type
| Attribute | DayTraders.com Evaluation + Instant Funding · est. 2023 | FTMO Evaluation · est. 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| Retail accessibility | Open to retail traders via evaluation | Open to retail traders via evaluation |
| Cost | ||
| Evaluation fee | Per account plus a flat $5 activation fee. Pricing builder example (29 Oct 2026): 25K EOD $80. S2F (no evaluation) $370–$825 per the firm's prop-trading guide. | 2-Step €89–€1,080; 1-Step €79–€999; Instant Account €169–€2,999 (all one-time) |
| Monthly fee | Lifetime (one-time) and Monthly billing options | 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% (simulated Pro/S2F accounts; Medium flag: moving to live is the firm's choice, and excess simulated balances are then generally forfeited) or 80% (Live) | 90% |
| Max allocation | $25K–$300K (Static $25K–$150K; S2F $25K–$150K; Live Core $50K, Edge $150K, Ultra $300K) | $200,000 |
| Account sizes | $25K–$300K (Static $25K–$150K; S2F $25K–$150K; Live Core $50K, Edge $150K, Ultra $300K) | $5K (Instant only), $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K (USD/EUR/GBP/CZK and more) |
| Scaling | Up to 15 simulated funded accounts (no more than 5 EOD and 5 S2F); up to 5 live accounts with one tradeable at a time. Live scaling is discussed with the Risk Team. | Scaling Plan: +25% balance every 4 months at 10%+ profit over 2 of 4 months. |
| Payouts | ||
| Frequency | Per payout cycle on simulated accounts (8 Qualifying Days on Pro, 10 on S2F); Live accounts can request on business days once the drawdown has locked. Paid via Plane. | On-demand (default 14 days, weekly available) |
| First payout | Pro: after 8 Qualifying Days and a balance minimum (e.g. 50K: request at $52,600 or more), min $500. S2F: 10 Qualifying Days and the cycle profit target. Live: once the drawdown locks at the starting balance, min $500, above a $1,000 buffer. | First payout possible after 14 days; reduce to weekly on request |
| Assets | ||
| Futures | Yes | Yes |
| Stocks | No | Yes |
| Options | No | No |
| Forex | No | Yes |
| Crypto | No | Yes |
| Trading rules | ||
| News trading | — | Yes |
| Overnight holding | — | Yes |
| Weekend holding | — | Yes |
| Copy trading | Yes | Yes |
| Technology | ||
| Platforms | Rithmic, Onyx, Quantower | cTrader, DXtrade, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 |
| Data feed | Rithmic | Purple Trading / Spotware |
| Company | ||
| Headquarters | Las Vegas, NV | Prague, Czech Republic |
About DayTraders.com
US futures prop firm from Las Vegas with Trail, Static and EOD evaluations from $25K to $300K, a no-evaluation S2F account and an S2L path to a live account at an 80/20 split.
Full DayTraders.com 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 — DayTraders.com or FTMO?
- FTMO pays 90% of trader profits once funded.
- Is DayTraders.com cheaper to start than FTMO?
- DayTraders.com: offers instant funding (no evaluation). FTMO: offers instant funding (no evaluation).
- Which pays out faster — DayTraders.com or FTMO?
- DayTraders.com payouts: Per payout cycle on simulated accounts (8 Qualifying Days on Pro, 10 on S2F); Live accounts can request on business days once the drawdown has locked. Paid via Plane.. FTMO payouts: On-demand (default 14 days, weekly available). First-payout eligibility: DayTraders.com — Pro: after 8 Qualifying Days and a balance minimum (e.g. 50K: request at $52,600 or more), min $500. S2F: 10 Qualifying Days and the cycle profit target. Live: once the drawdown locks at the starting balance, min $500, above a $1,000 buffer.; FTMO — First payout possible after 14 days; reduce to weekly on request.
- What's the maximum allocation at DayTraders.com vs FTMO?
- DayTraders.com scales up to $25K–$300K (Static $25K–$150K; S2F $25K–$150K; Live Core $50K, Edge $150K, Ultra $300K). FTMO scales up to $200,000.
- Can I trade news at DayTraders.com or FTMO?
- DayTraders.com: policy unconfirmed. FTMO: permits news trading.
- Can I hold positions overnight at DayTraders.com or FTMO?
- DayTraders.com: policy unconfirmed. FTMO: allows overnight holds.
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