FTMO vs The5ers: which prop firm is better in 2026?
Across pricing, rules and payout terms, FTMO takes the lead (8 against 5). The5ers remains the cheaper way in and it pays out a larger share of profits, so the choice is not automatic.
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 : 8 / 33
The5ers
Forex / CFD · Futures · Trustpilot 4.7/5
Founded in Israel in 2016, The5ers is one of the oldest forex prop firms still operating. Its strongest asset is the rulebook: static drawdown across every program, no time limit and no consistency rule. The tradable universe stays narrow, though — forex, indices, metals and futures, with no crypto and no equities.
Criteria won : 5 / 33
Pricing at equal account size
Cheapest evaluation for a 100 K account.
FTMO
€499
The5ers
$545
Full comparison
| Criterion | FTMO | The5ers |
|---|---|---|
| Trust | ||
| Score | 88/100 ✓ | 86/100 |
| Trustpilot | 4.8/5 ✓ | 4.7/5 |
| Founded | 2015 ✓ | 2016 |
| Headquarters | CZ | IL |
| Pricing | ||
| Entry price | €79 | $39 ✓ |
| Price for a 100 K account | €499 ✓ | $545 |
| Refundable fee | Yes | Yes |
| Reset price | — | — |
| Account sizes | 200 K | 250 K ✓ |
| Rules | ||
| Steps | 1 ✓ | 2 |
| Profit target | 10 % | 10 % |
| Max daily loss | 3 % | 5 % ✓ |
| Max total drawdown | 10 % | 10 % |
| Drawdown type | Static | Static |
| Time limit | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Consistency rule | 50 | No ✓ |
| Min trading days | — | 3 |
| Payouts | ||
| Profit split | 80 % | 80 % |
| Max profit split | 90 % | 100 % ✓ |
| First payout | 14 days | 14 days |
| Payout frequency | A la demande a partir du 14e jour suivant le premier trade, puis tous les 14 jours | Premier retrait 14 jours apres l'obtention du compte finance, puis toutes les deux semaines ; retrait minimum de 150 $ |
| Payout methods | — | crypto and rise |
| Scaling plan | Yes | Yes |
| Max allocation | 2 M ✓ | 500 K |
| Trading | ||
| Platforms and instruments | mt4, mt5, ctrader, dxtrade, tradingview ✓ | mt5, ctrader, tradingview |
| Instruments | fx, indices, metals, energy, crypto, stocks ✓ | fx, indices, metals, futures |
| Leverage | 1:100 (forex) | 1:100 sur High Stakes ; 1:30 sur Hyper Growth et Pro Growth |
| News trading | Yes | — |
| Weekend holding | Yes | — |
| Expert Advisors | Yes | — |
| Copy trading | Restricted | Restricted |
| Scalping | Yes | — |
| Hedging | Yes | — |
Choose FTMO if…
- You need a platform The5ers does not offer: mt4, dxtrade.
- You are aiming for size: allocation scales up to 2 M.
- You want the shortest path to funding: 1 evaluation phase against 2 at The5ers.
Choose The5ers if…
- Your results concentrate on a few strong sessions: no consistency rule caps a single day's share of total profit.
- Your budget is the binding constraint: the entry ticket starts at $39, below FTMO.
- You expect to stay funded long enough for the split to matter: 100 % against 90 % at FTMO.
Our analysis
Track record
FTMO has been running since 2015, 1 years longer than The5ers. On Trustpilot they sit at 4.8/5 and 4.7/5 respectively. Our trust pillar scores them 97/100 and 96/100, 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
The5ers opens at $39 against €79 for FTMO, a substantial gap on the smallest account. At the reference size of 100 K the comparison is €499 for FTMO against $545 for The5ers. 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
FTMO applies a static drawdown capped at 10 %, with a 3 % daily limit. The5ers applies a static drawdown capped at 10 %, with a 5 % daily limit. Both use the same model, so the difference plays out on the percentages rather than on the mechanism.
What reaches your account
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. The5ers keeps 100 % of profits, allows a first withdrawal after 14 days, then pays Premier retrait 14 jours apres l'obtention du compte finance, puis toutes les deux semaines ; retrait minimum de 150 $. 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.
Where you actually trade
FTMO is the only one of the two to offer mt4, dxtrade. 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.