Which has a higher profit split — FTMO or ThinkCapital?

FTMO pays 90%; ThinkCapital pays 90% of trader profits once funded. Both firms offer the same profit share.

Is FTMO cheaper to start than ThinkCapital?

FTMO: evaluation from €89–€1,080 one-time (refundable on pass). ThinkCapital: offers instant funding (no evaluation).

Which pays out faster — FTMO or ThinkCapital?

FTMO payouts: On-demand (default 14 days, weekly available). ThinkCapital payouts: Bi-weekly. First-payout eligibility: FTMO — First payout possible after 14 days; reduce to weekly on request; ThinkCapital — 14 days (with a 7-day payout frequency option available via add-on).

What's the maximum allocation at FTMO vs ThinkCapital?

FTMO scales up to $200,000. ThinkCapital scales up to $5K–$200K.

Can I trade news at FTMO or ThinkCapital?

FTMO: permits news trading. ThinkCapital: permits news trading.

Can I hold positions overnight at FTMO or ThinkCapital?

FTMO: allows overnight holds. ThinkCapital: allows overnight holds.

Head-to-head

FTMO vs ThinkCapital

A direct, side-by-side comparison of FTMO and ThinkCapital — 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

ThinkCapital is best for

traders who want to skip the evaluation.

Full ThinkCapital profile →

Watch flags · risk only

Public risk notes we've recorded on the firm record. Not a judgement of fit — just things to verify before committing capital.

ThinkCapital
unregulated prop firm activity, limited independent payout verification, thin third-party review coverage

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.

ThinkCapital

estimate

Approx. total

$2.5

to reach first payout eligibility

Approx. time

14days

from sign-up to first eligible request

Start cost: $2.5
Monthly fee: —

How we estimated this

Instant-funding path: lowest published activation cost.
Source — eval fee: Starting from $39 ($5K Nexus Challenge) / $49 ($2.5K Bolt Instant Funding) / $59 ($5K Lightning & Dual Step Challenges); monthly: —; first payout: 14 days (with a 7-day payout frequency option available via add-on).

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. ThinkCapital offers instant funding as an alternative path.

ThinkCapital trade-offs

No copy trading
Forbids copy / algo bridges. FTMO permits them.
Open risk note
Watch flag on file: unregulated prop firm activity, limited independent payout verification, thin third-party review coverage

Decision guide

Best for your trader type

Highest profit share
Tie
Both pay 90%.
Fastest to funded
ThinkCapital
Offers instant funding.
Biggest scaling ceiling
FTMO
Up to $200,000.
Copy & algo traders
FTMO
Copy trading is permitted.

Attribute	FTMO Evaluation · est. 2015	ThinkCapital Evaluation + Instant Funding · est. 2023
Cost
Evaluation fee	€89–€1,080 one-time (refundable on pass)	Starting from $39 ($5K Nexus Challenge) / $49 ($2.5K Bolt Instant Funding) / $59 ($5K Lightning & Dual Step Challenges)
Monthly fee	No monthly fee — one-time challenge cost	—
Evaluation required	Yes	Yes
Instant funding	No	Yes
Capital
Profit split	90%	90%
Max allocation	$200,000	$5K–$200K
Account sizes	$10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K (USD/EUR/GBP/CZK)	$5K–$200K
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)	Bi-weekly
First payout	First payout possible after 14 days; reduce to weekly on request	14 days (with a 7-day payout frequency option available via add-on)
Assets
Futures	Yes	No
Stocks	Yes	No
Options	No	No
Forex	Yes	Yes
Crypto	Yes	Yes
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	ThinkTrader, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5
Data feed	Purple Trading / Spotware	—
Company
Headquarters	Prague, Czech Republic	Cyprus

About FTMO

Online evaluation program funding remote retail traders.

Full FTMO profile →

About ThinkCapital

Prop firm by ThinkMarkets group leveraging regulated broker infrastructure.

Full ThinkCapital 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.

FTMO

Reputation

—canonical score

Not enough independent rating sources to compute a canonical score yet.

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.

ThinkCapital

Reputation

canonical

4.0/ 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

Frequently asked

Common questions

Which has a higher profit split — FTMO or ThinkCapital?: FTMO pays 90%; ThinkCapital pays 90% of trader profits once funded. Both firms offer the same profit share.
Is FTMO cheaper to start than ThinkCapital?: FTMO: evaluation from €89–€1,080 one-time (refundable on pass). ThinkCapital: offers instant funding (no evaluation).
Which pays out faster — FTMO or ThinkCapital?: FTMO payouts: On-demand (default 14 days, weekly available). ThinkCapital payouts: Bi-weekly. First-payout eligibility: FTMO — First payout possible after 14 days; reduce to weekly on request; ThinkCapital — 14 days (with a 7-day payout frequency option available via add-on).
What's the maximum allocation at FTMO vs ThinkCapital?: FTMO scales up to $200,000. ThinkCapital scales up to $5K–$200K.
Can I trade news at FTMO or ThinkCapital?: FTMO: permits news trading. ThinkCapital: permits news trading.
Can I hold positions overnight at FTMO or ThinkCapital?: FTMO: allows overnight holds. ThinkCapital: allows overnight holds.

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