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 | cTrader, DXtrade, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 | 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
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 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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