Head-to-head

FTMO vs Hudson River Trading

A direct, side-by-side comparison of FTMO and Hudson River Trading — 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 →

Quick verdict

Hudson River Trading is best for

traders avoiding evaluation hurdles.

Full Hudson River Trading 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

estimate

Approx. 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.

Hudson River Trading

Firm Capital

Not 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.

FTMO trade-offs

No structural disadvantages versus the other firm based on the fields we track.

Hudson River Trading 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.

Decision guide

Best for your trader type

  • Highest profit share

    FTMO

    90% vs 50%

  • Fastest to funded

    Hudson River Trading

    No mandatory evaluation.

  • Biggest scaling ceiling

    FTMO

    Up to $200,000.

  • Copy & algo traders

    FTMO

    Copy trading is permitted.

  • Fastest payouts

    FTMO

    On-demand (default 14 days, weekly available) payouts.

AttributeFTMO

Evaluation Based · est. 2015

Hudson River Trading

Firm Capital · est. 2002

Cost
Evaluation fee€89–€1,080 one-time (refundable on pass)
Monthly feeNo monthly fee — one-time challenge cost
Evaluation requiredYesNo
Instant fundingNoNo
Capital
Profit split90%50%
Max allocation$200,000Institutional only
Account sizes$10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K (USD/EUR/GBP/CZK)Institutional only
ScalingScaling Plan: +25% balance every 4 months at 10%+ profit over 2 of 4 months.
Payouts
FrequencyOn-demand (default 14 days, weekly available)Annual bonus
First payoutFirst payout possible after 14 days; reduce to weekly on request
Assets
FuturesYesYes
StocksYesYes
OptionsNoYes
ForexYesYes
CryptoYesYes
Trading rules
News tradingYesYes
Overnight holdingYesYes
Weekend holdingYesYes
Copy tradingYesNo
Technology
PlatformsMetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, DXtradeProprietary
Data feedPurple Trading / Spotware
Company
HeadquartersPrague, Czech RepublicNew York, USA

About FTMO

Online evaluation program funding remote retail traders.

Full FTMO profile →

About Hudson River Trading

Quantitative trading firm responsible for roughly 5% of US equity volume. Builds mathematical models that trade across hundreds of venues worldwide using its own capital.

Full Hudson River Trading 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
4.8/ 5
Sources used
1
Confidence
medium

Weighted blend of independent trader-review sources. See methodology.

Rule Stability

last 90d
monitoring status
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
4.8/ 5
Sources used
1
Confidence
medium

Weighted blend of independent trader-review sources. See methodology.

Rule Stability

last 90d
Unavailable

We do not currently have enough monitored public rule sources for this firm to report rule-change activity honestly.

Frequently asked

Common questions

Which has a higher profit split — FTMO or Hudson River Trading?
FTMO pays 90%; Hudson River Trading pays 50% of trader profits once funded. FTMO pays a higher share to the trader.
Is FTMO cheaper to start than Hudson River Trading?
FTMO: evaluation from €89–€1,080 one-time (refundable on pass). Hudson River Trading: evaluation pricing varies.
Which pays out faster — FTMO or Hudson River Trading?
FTMO payouts: On-demand (default 14 days, weekly available). Hudson River Trading payouts: Annual bonus. First-payout eligibility: FTMO — First payout possible after 14 days; reduce to weekly on request; Hudson River Trading — n/a.
What's the maximum allocation at FTMO vs Hudson River Trading?
FTMO scales up to $200,000. Hudson River Trading scales up to Institutional only.
Can I trade news at FTMO or Hudson River Trading?
FTMO: permits news trading. Hudson River Trading: permits news trading.
Can I hold positions overnight at FTMO or Hudson River Trading?
FTMO: allows overnight holds. Hudson River Trading: allows overnight holds.

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