Head-to-head
DRW vs FTMO
A direct, side-by-side comparison of DRW and FTMO — profit splits, evaluation fees, payout cadence, supported assets, and trading rules. Data pulled live from our firm directory.
Quick verdict
FTMO is best for
traders prioritizing profit share (90% vs 50%); copy-trading setups.
Full FTMO profile →Cost & compensation
Cost and compensation path
Published fees and payout timing apply to trader-paid funding programs. Firm-capital and institutional paths are shown separately because their economics usually depend on hiring, allocation, salary, bonus, or profit-sharing terms.
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.
DRW
Firm CapitalNot applicable for this model
This is a firm-capital or hiring-based trading path, not a trader-paid funding program. Compensation is typically handled through salary, bonus, draw, allocation, or profit-sharing arrangements rather than a published evaluation fee and payout schedule.
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.
DRW trade-offs
Lower profit split
Pays 50% versus 90% — 40 points less of every funded dollar.
No copy trading
Forbids copy / algo bridges. FTMO permits them.
FTMO trade-offs
No structural disadvantages versus the other firm based on the fields we track.
Decision guide
Best for your trader type
| Attribute | DRW Firm Capital · est. 1992 | FTMO Evaluation Based · est. 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | ||
| Evaluation fee | — | €89–€1,080 one-time (refundable on pass) |
| Monthly fee | — | No monthly fee — one-time challenge cost |
| Evaluation required | No | Yes |
| Instant funding | No | No |
| Capital | ||
| Profit split | 50% | 90% |
| Max allocation | Institutional only | $200,000 |
| Account sizes | Institutional only | $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 | Annual bonus | 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 | Yes | Yes |
| Options | No | No |
| Forex | No | Yes |
| Crypto | Yes | Yes |
| Trading rules | ||
| News trading | Yes | Yes |
| Overnight holding | Yes | Yes |
| Weekend holding | Yes | Yes |
| Copy trading | No | Yes |
| Technology | ||
| Platforms | Proprietary | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, DXtrade |
| Data feed | — | Purple Trading / Spotware |
| Company | ||
| Headquarters | Chicago, USA | Prague, Czech Republic |
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
- 2
- Confidence
- low
Weighted blend of independent trader-review sources. See methodology.
Rule Stability
last 90dWe do not currently have enough monitored public rule sources for this firm to report rule-change activity honestly.
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 — DRW or FTMO?
- DRW pays 50%; FTMO pays 90% of trader profits once funded. FTMO pays a higher share to the trader.
- Is DRW cheaper to start than FTMO?
- DRW: evaluation pricing varies. FTMO: evaluation from €89–€1,080 one-time (refundable on pass).
- Which pays out faster — DRW or FTMO?
- DRW payouts: Annual bonus. FTMO payouts: On-demand (default 14 days, weekly available). First-payout eligibility: DRW — n/a; FTMO — First payout possible after 14 days; reduce to weekly on request.
- What's the maximum allocation at DRW vs FTMO?
- DRW scales up to Institutional only. FTMO scales up to $200,000.
- Can I trade news at DRW or FTMO?
- DRW: permits news trading. FTMO: permits news trading.
- Can I hold positions overnight at DRW or FTMO?
- DRW: allows overnight holds. FTMO: allows overnight holds.
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