FTMO vs Topstep: which prop firm is better in 2026?
FTMO wins this comparison (10 against 6). Topstep remains the cheaper way in, 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 : 10 / 33
Topstep
Futures · Trustpilot 3.6/5
Founded in Chicago in 2012, Topstep is the oldest futures prop firm. It charges a monthly subscription rather than a one-off ticket, with a 6 % target and a trailing drawdown that locks once the starting balance is cleared. Its 90 % profit split and first withdrawal after five winning days are among the best in the segment.
Criteria won : 6 / 33
Pricing at equal account size
Cheapest evaluation for a 100 K account.
FTMO
€499
Topstep
$99
Full comparison
| Criterion | FTMO | Topstep |
|---|---|---|
| Trust | ||
| Score | 88/100 ✓ | 77/100 |
| Trustpilot | 4.8/5 ✓ | 3.6/5 |
| Founded | 2015 | 2012 ✓ |
| Headquarters | CZ | US |
| Pricing | ||
| Entry price | €79 | $49 ✓ |
| Price for a 100 K account | €499 | $99 ✓ |
| Refundable fee | Yes ✓ | No |
| Reset price | — | — |
| Account sizes | 200 K ✓ | 150 K |
| Rules | ||
| Steps | 1 | 1 |
| Profit target | 10 % | 6 % ✓ |
| Max daily loss | 3 % | — |
| Max total drawdown | 10 % ✓ | 4 % |
| Drawdown type | Static ✓ | Trailing (end of day) |
| Time limit | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Consistency rule | 50 | 50 |
| Min trading days | — | 2 |
| Payouts | ||
| Profit split | 80 % | 90 % ✓ |
| Max profit split | 90 % | 90 % |
| First payout | 14 days | 5 days ✓ |
| Payout frequency | A la demande a partir du 14e jour suivant le premier trade, puis tous les 14 jours | Sur demande : Express Funded Standard après 5 journées gagnantes à 150 $+ ; Express Funded Consistency après 3 journées de trading avec cible de consistance 40 % |
| Payout methods | — | wise and bank |
| Scaling plan | Yes | Yes |
| Max allocation | 2 M ✓ | 150 K |
| Trading | ||
| Platforms and instruments | mt4, mt5, ctrader, dxtrade, tradingview ✓ | ninjatrader, tradovate, rithmic |
| Instruments | fx, indices, metals, energy, crypto, stocks ✓ | futures |
| Leverage | 1:100 (forex) | — |
| News trading | Yes | — |
| Weekend holding | Yes ✓ | No |
| Expert Advisors | Yes | — |
| Copy trading | Restricted | — |
| Scalping | Yes | — |
| Hedging | Yes | — |
Choose FTMO if…
- You need a platform Topstep does not offer: mt4, mt5, ctrader, dxtrade, tradingview.
- You are aiming for size: allocation scales up to 2 M.
- 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.
Choose Topstep if…
- Your budget is the binding constraint: the entry ticket starts at $49, below FTMO.
- Cash flow matters to you: the first withdrawal comes after 5 days rather than 14.
- You need a platform FTMO does not offer: ninjatrader, tradovate, rithmic.
Our analysis
Trust and longevity
Topstep has been running since 2012, 3 years longer than FTMO. On Trustpilot they sit at 4.8/5 and 3.6/5 respectively. Our trust pillar scores them 97/100 and 80/100, 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.
Entry cost
Topstep opens at $49 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 $99 for Topstep. 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.
Risk rules side by side
FTMO applies a static drawdown capped at 10 %, with a 3 % daily limit. Topstep applies a trailing (end of day) drawdown capped at 4 %. 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.
Payout terms compared
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. Topstep keeps 90 % of profits, allows a first withdrawal after 5 days, then pays Sur demande : Express Funded Standard après 5 journées gagnantes à 150 $+ ; Express Funded Consistency après 3 journées de trading avec cible de consistance 40 %. 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.
Platforms and instruments
FTMO is the only one of the two to offer mt4, mt5, ctrader, dxtrade, tradingview. Topstep covers ninjatrader, tradovate, rithmic, 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.