Head-to-head
FTMO vs IMC Trading
A direct, side-by-side comparison of FTMO and IMC 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 →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.
IMC Trading
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.
FTMO trade-offs
No structural disadvantages versus the other firm based on the fields we track.
IMC 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
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 | FTMO Evaluation Based · est. 2015 | IMC Trading Firm Capital · est. 1989 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | ||
| Evaluation fee | €89–€1,080 one-time (refundable on pass) | — |
| Monthly fee | No monthly fee — one-time challenge cost | — |
| Evaluation required | Yes | No |
| Instant funding | No | No |
| Capital | ||
| Profit split | 90% | 50% |
| Max allocation | $200,000 | Institutional only |
| Account sizes | $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K (USD/EUR/GBP/CZK) | Institutional only |
| Scaling | Scaling Plan: +25% balance every 4 months at 10%+ profit over 2 of 4 months. | — |
| Payouts | ||
| Frequency | On-demand (default 14 days, weekly available) | Annual bonus |
| First payout | First payout possible after 14 days; reduce to weekly on request | — |
| Assets | ||
| Futures | Yes | No |
| Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| Options | No | Yes |
| Forex | Yes | No |
| Crypto | Yes | No |
| Trading rules | ||
| News trading | Yes | Yes |
| Overnight holding | Yes | Yes |
| Weekend holding | Yes | Yes |
| Copy trading | Yes | No |
| Technology | ||
| Platforms | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, DXtrade | Proprietary systems |
| Data feed | Purple Trading / Spotware | — |
| Company | ||
| Headquarters | Prague, Czech Republic | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
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
- 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.
Frequently asked
Common questions
- Which has a higher profit split — FTMO or IMC Trading?
- FTMO pays 90%; IMC Trading pays 50% of trader profits once funded. FTMO pays a higher share to the trader.
- Is FTMO cheaper to start than IMC Trading?
- FTMO: evaluation from €89–€1,080 one-time (refundable on pass). IMC Trading: evaluation pricing varies.
- Which pays out faster — FTMO or IMC Trading?
- FTMO payouts: On-demand (default 14 days, weekly available). IMC Trading payouts: Annual bonus. First-payout eligibility: FTMO — First payout possible after 14 days; reduce to weekly on request; IMC Trading — n/a.
- What's the maximum allocation at FTMO vs IMC Trading?
- FTMO scales up to $200,000. IMC Trading scales up to Institutional only.
- Can I trade news at FTMO or IMC Trading?
- FTMO: permits news trading. IMC Trading: permits news trading.
- Can I hold positions overnight at FTMO or IMC Trading?
- FTMO: allows overnight holds. IMC Trading: allows overnight holds.
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