Head-to-head
Flow Traders vs FTMO
A direct, side-by-side comparison of Flow Traders and FTMO — profit splits, evaluation fees, payout cadence, supported assets, and trading rules. Data pulled live from our firm directory.
Quick verdict
Flow Traders is best for
traders avoiding evaluation hurdles.
Full Flow Traders profile →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.
Flow Traders
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.
Flow Traders 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
- Highest profit share
90% vs 50%
- Fastest to funded
No mandatory evaluation.
- Biggest scaling ceiling
Up to $200,000.
- Copy & algo traders
Copy trading is permitted.
- Fastest payouts
On-demand (default 14 days, weekly available) payouts.
| Attribute | Flow Traders Firm Capital · est. 2004 | 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 trading systems | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, DXtrade |
| Data feed | — | Purple Trading / Spotware |
| Company | ||
| Headquarters | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 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
- 1
- 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 — Flow Traders or FTMO?
- Flow Traders pays 50%; FTMO pays 90% of trader profits once funded. FTMO pays a higher share to the trader.
- Is Flow Traders cheaper to start than FTMO?
- Flow Traders: evaluation pricing varies. FTMO: evaluation from €89–€1,080 one-time (refundable on pass).
- Which pays out faster — Flow Traders or FTMO?
- Flow Traders payouts: Annual bonus. FTMO payouts: On-demand (default 14 days, weekly available). First-payout eligibility: Flow Traders — n/a; FTMO — First payout possible after 14 days; reduce to weekly on request.
- What's the maximum allocation at Flow Traders vs FTMO?
- Flow Traders scales up to Institutional only. FTMO scales up to $200,000.
- Can I trade news at Flow Traders or FTMO?
- Flow Traders: permits news trading. FTMO: permits news trading.
- Can I hold positions overnight at Flow Traders or FTMO?
- Flow Traders: allows overnight holds. FTMO: allows overnight holds.
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