Elite Trader Funding vs FTMO: which prop firm is better in 2026?
Across pricing, rules and payout terms, FTMO takes the lead (9 against 5). and it pays out a larger share of profits, so the choice is not automatic.
Elite Trader Funding
Futures · Trustpilot 3.8/5
At Elite Trader Funding the funded account stays simulated: the headline split is 100%, but payouts are capped at $25,000 per trader, after which moving to the LIVE ELITE program on an 80/20 split becomes mandatory. Six futures evaluation models, $47 resets, but activation fees of $177 to $307 and $87 a month once funded.
Criteria won : 5 / 33
FTMO
Forex / CFD · Crypto · Stocks · Trustpilot 4.8/5
Founded in Prague in 2015, FTMO reports more than $450 million paid to traders and closed its acquisition of broker OANDA in December 2025. The 2-Step challenge, static drawdown and no deadline, remains its core product, with fees fully refunded on the first payout. Price is the weak spot, and it rose again in 2026.
Criteria won : 9 / 33
Pricing at equal account size
Cheapest evaluation for a 100 K account.
Elite Trader Funding
$205
FTMO
€499
Full comparison
| Criterion | Elite Trader Funding | FTMO |
|---|---|---|
| Trust | ||
| Score | 77/100 | 88/100 ✓ |
| Trustpilot | 3.8/5 | 4.8/5 ✓ |
| Founded | 2022 | 2015 ✓ |
| Headquarters | US | CZ |
| Pricing | ||
| Entry price | $99 | €79 ✓ |
| Price for a 100 K account | $205 ✓ | €499 |
| Refundable fee | — | Yes |
| Reset price | $47 | — |
| Account sizes | 250 K ✓ | 200 K |
| Rules | ||
| Steps | 1 | 1 |
| Profit target | — | 10 % |
| Max daily loss | — | 3 % |
| Max total drawdown | — | 10 % |
| Drawdown type | Trailing intraday | Static ✓ |
| Time limit | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Consistency rule | — | 50 |
| Min trading days | 5 | — |
| Payouts | ||
| Profit split | 100 % ✓ | 80 % |
| Max profit split | 100 % ✓ | 90 % |
| First payout | 8 days ✓ | 14 days |
| Payout frequency | a la demande, approbation le jour meme | A la demande a partir du 14e jour suivant le premier trade, puis tous les 14 jours |
| Payout methods | — | — |
| Scaling plan | — | Yes |
| Max allocation | 250 K | 2 M ✓ |
| Trading | ||
| Platforms and instruments | ninjatrader, tradingview, rithmic, tradovate | mt4, mt5, ctrader, dxtrade, tradingview ✓ |
| Instruments | futures | fx, indices, metals, energy, crypto, stocks ✓ |
| Leverage | — | 1:100 (forex) |
| News trading | — | Yes |
| Weekend holding | Yes | Yes |
| Expert Advisors | No | Yes ✓ |
| Copy trading | Restricted | Restricted |
| Scalping | Yes | Yes |
| Hedging | — | Yes |
Choose Elite Trader Funding if…
- You need a platform FTMO does not offer: ninjatrader, rithmic, tradovate.
- You expect to stay funded long enough for the split to matter: 100 % against 90 % at FTMO.
- Cash flow matters to you: the first withdrawal comes after 8 days rather than 14.
Choose FTMO if…
- Your budget is the binding constraint: the entry ticket starts at €79, below Elite Trader Funding.
- You want a drawdown you can compute in your head: the limit is fixed on the starting balance and never moves as the account grows.
- You need a platform Elite Trader Funding does not offer: mt4, mt5, ctrader, dxtrade.
- You are aiming for size: allocation scales up to 2 M.
Our analysis
Where you actually trade
Elite Trader Funding is the only one of the two to offer ninjatrader, rithmic, tradovate. FTMO covers mt4, mt5, ctrader, dxtrade, which its rival does not. Platform choice is not cosmetic: order execution, available order types and the reliability of your automation all depend on it, and switching mid-evaluation is rarely possible.
Track record
FTMO has been running since 2015, 7 years longer than Elite Trader Funding. On Trustpilot they sit at 3.8/5 and 4.8/5 respectively. Our trust pillar scores them 67/100 and 97/100, which weighs age, corporate transparency and public payout evidence. In an industry with no financial regulator overseeing these evaluations, longevity and a verifiable payout history are the closest thing to a guarantee.
What you pay to start
FTMO opens at €79 against $99 for Elite Trader Funding, a moderate gap on the smallest account. At the reference size of 100 K the comparison is $205 for Elite Trader Funding against €499 for FTMO. The headline fee is rarely the real cost, though: what matters is the price of a reset after a failed attempt, whether the fee comes back on the first payout, and whether an activation fee appears when you move to a funded account. Compare those three lines in the table above before deciding on price alone.
Drawdown: the rule that decides
Elite Trader Funding applies a trailing intraday drawdown. FTMO applies a static drawdown capped at 10 %, with a 3 % daily limit. This is the single most consequential difference between the two. A static drawdown is measured once, from the starting balance, and never moves; a trailing drawdown follows your equity upward, so a winning streak raises the floor you can no longer fall below. Intraday trailing is stricter still, because it tracks unrealised peaks reached inside the session — profit you never actually banked can permanently raise your loss threshold.
What reaches your account
Elite Trader Funding keeps 100 % of profits, allows a first withdrawal after 8 days, then pays a la demande, approbation le jour meme. FTMO keeps 90 % of profits, allows a first withdrawal after 14 days, then pays A la demande a partir du 14e jour suivant le premier trade, puis tous les 14 jours. Payout frequency deserves as much attention as the split itself: a slightly lower share paid every two weeks compounds faster than a headline percentage locked behind a monthly cycle and a long first-withdrawal delay.