FTMO vs The5ers
FTMO
The5ers
Computed verdict
There isn't a current verified offer on both firms, so we don't call a cost winner. On the overall score, FTMO comes out ahead (83 vs 82).
The verdict is computed from verified data and recomputes when the data changes. It is not an opinion and no commercial arrangement alters it. Methodology
Rule by rule
Max loss is 10% of initial balance — static on the 2-Step and end-of-day trailing on the 1-Step — measured on equity, so floating losses count.
A static 10% max loss from initial balance and a 5% daily limit anchored to the higher of the previous close's balance or equity — nothing trails, but touching either terminates the account.
Hard daily limit of 5% (2-Step) or 3% (1-Step) of initial capital, recalculated at CET midnight and applied to equity — touching it for an instant fails the account.
A hard daily limit on High Stakes, measured against the higher of the previous midnight's balance or equity — hitting it terminates the account. The5ers' own pages disagree on the number: the 2-Step Plan Rules & Specifications page (last updated 7 September 2026) and the Summer Plan page both state 3%, while the High Stakes general-rules page (last updated 10 August 2026) states 5%. Unresolved, and we do not pick a side. We publish 5% because it comes from the High Stakes page, but 3% is the safer assumption and the one to trade to until The5ers reconciles its pages. On a $100,000 account the gap is $2,000 of daily room, on a limit that ends the account.
The 2-Step has no consistency rule at all; the 1-Step requires your best day to stay within 50% of your positive days' profit to pass, never failing the account.
There is no percentage consistency rule, but each step requires at least 3 profitable days of +0.5% or more, which blocks one-day passes.
Two phases: 10% ($5,000) in Phase 1 and 5% ($2,500) in Verification, minimum 4 days each; 10% ($5,000) max overall loss, 5% ($2,500) daily.
Two steps on the current High Stakes plan: 10% then 5% (a legacy Classic variant runs 8% then 5%), each needing a minimum of 3 profitable days, where a profitable day is closed net of at least +0.5% of the initial balance. Maximum total loss is 10% of the initial balance. The daily loss limit is disputed between The5ers' own pages at 3% and 5% — see the daily-loss section, where both positions are recorded and neither is settled. Inactivity: an account expires after 30 consecutive days without trading during evaluation, and after 60 on a funded account.
On-demand payouts from day 14 after your first trade, at a 90% split (1-Step) or 80% rising to 90% (2-Step), with the 2-Step entry fee refunded with your first withdrawal.
On the 2-Step, The5ers splits 80/20 and scales to 100% with a fixed monthly payout at high balances. On how much you need before you can be paid, its own pages disagree: the 2-Step rules page asks for $250 of profit, the withdrawals help page asked for $150. We record both and pick neither. What is clear is that there is a cap: $2,000 per payout cycle. First payout 14 days after the account is activated, then every two weeks.
$50K 1-Step Challenge: one-time EUR 319, read first-hand from FTMO's own promo page on 2026-09-08, where the fees are stated one-time and non-refundable. FTMO prices in euros and we do not convert. We hold no primary price for the 2-Step and publish none. No subscription or activation fee is documented on the pages we reviewed, which is not the same as a confirmed absence.
$100K 2-Step Classic (8%/5%): one-time $179, and $149 for the 10%/5% tier — both read on The5ers' own pages on 2026-09-08. Smaller sizes are served by a dynamic pricing widget we could not read, so we publish no $50K price. No monthly fee, no activation fee documented, and no paid reset product: a failed evaluation means buying a new one.