Head-to-head

FTMO vs Instant Funding

A direct, side-by-side comparison of FTMO and Instant Funding — profit splits, evaluation fees, payout cadence, supported assets, and trading rules. Data pulled live from our firm directory.

Quick verdict

FTMO is best for

copy-trading setups.

Full FTMO profile →

Quick verdict

Instant Funding is best for

traders who want to skip the evaluation; traders avoiding evaluation hurdles.

Full Instant Funding profile →

Cost to first payout

Cost to first payout

What it actually costs to reach payout — a normalized estimate built from each firm's lowest published evaluation cost, monthly fees, and first-payout window. Estimates, not guarantees. Each card shows the assumptions used.

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.

Instant Funding

Not enough structured fee data published to estimate a cost-to-first-payout figure for this firm.

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

  • Slower to funded

    Requires passing an evaluation before payouts. Instant Funding offers instant funding as an alternative path.

Instant Funding trade-offs

  • No copy trading

    Forbids copy / algo bridges. FTMO permits them.

Decision guide

Best for your trader type

  • Highest profit share

    Tie

    Both pay 90%.

  • Fastest to funded

    Instant Funding

    Offers instant funding.

  • Biggest scaling ceiling

    FTMO

    Up to $200,000.

  • Copy & algo traders

    FTMO

    Copy trading is permitted.

AttributeFTMO

Evaluation Based · est. 2015

Instant Funding

Instant Funding · est. 2022

Cost
Evaluation fee€89–€1,080 one-time (refundable on pass)
Monthly feeNo monthly fee — one-time challenge cost
Evaluation requiredYesNo
Instant fundingNoYes
Capital
Profit split90%90%
Max allocation$200,000$2.5K–$200K
Account sizes$10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K (USD/EUR/GBP/CZK)$2.5K–$200K
ScalingScaling Plan: +25% balance every 4 months at 10%+ profit over 2 of 4 months.
Payouts
FrequencyOn-demand (default 14 days, weekly available)Bi-weekly
First payoutFirst payout possible after 14 days; reduce to weekly on requestOnce you pass the challenge and move to a virtual funded account
Assets
FuturesYesNo
StocksYesNo
OptionsNoNo
ForexYesYes
CryptoYesNo
Trading rules
News tradingYesYes
Overnight holdingYesYes
Weekend holdingYesYes
Copy tradingYesNo
Technology
PlatformsMetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, DXtradeMetaTrader 5
Data feedPurple Trading / Spotware
Company
HeadquartersPrague, Czech RepublicUK

About FTMO

Online evaluation program funding remote retail traders.

Full FTMO profile →

About Instant Funding

Prop firm offering instant-funded accounts with no evaluation phase.

Full Instant Funding 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
3.0/ 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.

Frequently asked

Common questions

Which has a higher profit split — FTMO or Instant Funding?
FTMO pays 90%; Instant Funding pays 90% of trader profits once funded. Both firms offer the same profit share.
Is FTMO cheaper to start than Instant Funding?
FTMO: evaluation from €89–€1,080 one-time (refundable on pass). Instant Funding: offers instant funding (no evaluation).
Which pays out faster — FTMO or Instant Funding?
FTMO payouts: On-demand (default 14 days, weekly available). Instant Funding payouts: Bi-weekly. First-payout eligibility: FTMO — First payout possible after 14 days; reduce to weekly on request; Instant Funding — Once you pass the challenge and move to a virtual funded account.
What's the maximum allocation at FTMO vs Instant Funding?
FTMO scales up to $200,000. Instant Funding scales up to $2.5K–$200K.
Can I trade news at FTMO or Instant Funding?
FTMO: permits news trading. Instant Funding: permits news trading.
Can I hold positions overnight at FTMO or Instant Funding?
FTMO: allows overnight holds. Instant Funding: allows overnight holds.

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