FTMO or FundedNext? The short answer
Both firms allow Expert Advisors, but on fundamentally different terms. FTMO treats an EA like any other strategy: no add-on, MT4, MT5 and cTrader, bought EAs allowed, no account-size limit for automation. FundedNext treats automation as an extra product: the EA and the VPS each cost a separate add-on, EAs are allowed only on small accounts and only on MT4/MT5, grid trading is banned, and if you pass with an EA you stay an EA account.
That does not add up to a new overall score, but to a match by EA type:
- Bought or MT4 EA, account of 50,000 USD or more, swing EA holding over the weekend: FTMO.
- Your own trend or breakout EA on MT4/MT5 with a stop-loss on every position, small account, wish for short payout cycles: FundedNext is workable.
- Grid or recovery EA: banned at FundedNext, defensible at FTMO only with a hard equity stop well ahead of the daily limit.
- Tick scalper or EA with many very short trades: problematic at both, at FundedNext especially because of the Quick Strike rule.
The rules on this page come from our comparison of prop firm EA rules (as of 7 Nov 2026, with sources) and the reviews of FTMO and FundedNext (as of 1 Oct 2026). Where those sources contradict each other, we say so below.
Our scores from the individual reviews
The scores are taken unchanged from the two reviews (as of 1 Oct 2026, 0–10 scale). This head-to-head awards no score of its own and changes none.
| Criterion | FTMO | FundedNext |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 8.4 | 7.4 |
| Challenge cost | 7.0 | 7.6 |
| Profit split | 9.0 | 8.4 |
| Rules | 7.0 | 6.4 |
| Payout reliability | 10.0 | 8.0 |
| EAs allowed | 8.0 | 5.6 |
| Scaling | 9.0 | 7.6 |
The widest gap is on "EAs allowed". FundedNext leads only on challenge cost, FTMO on every other criterion. How the scores are built is explained in our methodology.
FTMO vs. FundedNext side by side
Rules as of 7 Nov 2026 per prop firm EA rules; fees, split, payouts and scaling as of 1 Oct 2026 per the reviews.
| Item | FTMO | FundedNext |
|---|---|---|
| Models | 2-Step, 1-Step | Stellar 2-Step, Stellar Lite (2-step), Stellar 1-Step, Stellar Instant |
| Account sizes | 10,000–200,000 USD | up to 200,000 USD (2-Step from 6,000 USD) |
| Fee | 2-Step €89–€1,080 (refunded with first payout) · 1-Step €79–€999 (not refunded) | 2-Step approx. 120 USD (15K) to 1,100 USD (200K), refunded with first payout · 1-Step and Lite only with the third payout |
| Profit split | 2-Step 80%, 90% with scaling plan · 1-Step 90% from the start | 80%, 90% after scale-up, up to 95% via add-on · Instant 70% to 80% |
| Daily loss | 5% (2-Step) · 3% (1-Step) | 5% (2-Step) · 4% (Lite) · 3% (1-Step) · Instant none |
| Daily loss calculation | line from balance at 00:00 CE(S)T, checked against equity incl. open losses, swaps, commissions | realised and unrealised results, swap, commission; reset 0:00 server time |
| Maximum loss | 10% static (2-Step) · 10% end-of-day trailing (1-Step) | static 10% / 8% / 6% · Instant 6% trailing up to the starting balance |
| Minimum trading days | 4 (2-Step) · none (1-Step) | 5 (2-Step) · 2 (Lite) · 2 (1-Step) · Instant none |
| Consistency | 1-Step: best day max. 50% of total profit (orders from 12 Oct 2026) | none stated |
| News | funded Standard: no execution within 2 min, SL/TP included · challenge and Swing free | challenge free · funded/Instant: profits within 5 min count 40% |
| Weekend | funded Standard: close positions · challenge and Swing free | no rule stated (not verified) |
| EAs allowed | yes, no add-on | only via paid add-on |
| Account size for EAs | no limit stated | below 50,000 USD (help article) or 5K–25K (rules page) |
| Third-party EAs | allowed, cap of 400,000 USD per trader or strategy | allowed with customised settings; pass EAs banned; 300,000 USD per EA strategy |
| HFT / scalping | ultra-high-speed tools banned, max. 2,000 server requests per day | HFT and tick scalping banned, Quick Strike (under 30 sec) |
| Grid / martingale | not explicitly banned, overexposure and one-sided bets are | grid banned, martingale not named |
| Copy trading | identical trades from signal services count toward the cap | only between own accounts, not with a funded account |
| Platforms | MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView | MT4, MT5, cTrader, Match-Trader (EAs on MT4/MT5 only) |
| VPS | allowed, no US geolocation | add-on only |
| Payouts | request from day 14, then every 14 days; 1–2 business days each for review and transfer | 1-Step every 5 business days · 2-Step/Lite after 21, then every 14 days · Instant on demand from 5% |
| Scaling | +25% every 4 months at ≥10% profit and 2 payouts, max. 2M USD | Prestige: +25% after 4 payouts of ≥4% each, max. 4M USD · Lite: +40% |
EA compatibility: add-on versus standard
The most important difference sits at the top of the table. At FTMO an EA is not a special category. The strategy FAQ allows discretionary trading, algorithmic trading and EAs alike, as long as the trading is legitimate, fits sound risk management and would be reproducible on a live account. A stop-loss is not mandatory. The limits concern the strategy, not the technology: exploiting price errors or delayed quotes, ultra-high-speed tools, opposite positions across linked accounts and gap trading before major news or longer market closures are banned. An EA account may not generate more than 2,000 server requests per day, and the servers cap open orders at 200 at a time and positions at 2,000 per day.
At FundedNext the checks start before the strategy. You need the EA add-on and, if your EA runs on a VPS, a second add-on for the VPS. Both are paid and non-refundable. Then comes account size, and here FundedNext contradicts itself: the help article (updated 8 Sep 2026) allows EAs on accounts below 50,000 USD, the "What is allowed" rules page only on 5K to 25K accounts. Our review of 1 Oct 2026 cites the 50,000 USD limit. Until FundedNext clarifies this, plan with the narrower figure. Automation runs only on MT4 and MT5, not on cTrader or Match-Trader. US clients only get Match-Trader and therefore no EAs.
On top of that come rules FTMO does not have in this form:
- No switching between EA and manual. If you pass the challenge with an EA, you keep trading the funded account with an EA (review, as of 1 Oct 2026).
- Pass EAs are banned. FundedNext names examples such as Prop Pilot EA, Forex Flex EA and X Pass Bot.
- Trade managers count as EAs. Even a tool that only sets stop-loss, take-profit or lot size needs the add-on; EAs with a Telegram or WhatsApp connection are banned.
- Risk limits on the funded account. Open risk at most 3%; trades risking the full daily limit and margin usage of 70% or more are also banned (review, as of 1 Oct 2026).
For bought EAs both firms are more open than The5ers, with a catch. FTMO itself warns that many buyers of the same EA run the same trades, at which point the cap of 400,000 USD capital per trader or strategy across all accounts applies; identical trades from signal groups or copy services explicitly count. FundedNext caps every EA strategy at 300,000 USD and requires the settings to be customised to your own style. What to check before buying is covered in how to buy a forex EA; which platform your EA needs is explained in MT4 vs. MT5 for algo trading.
Drawdown mechanics: grid and martingale versus trend EAs
On paper the limits are close. FTMO 2-Step and FundedNext Stellar 2-Step both have 5% daily loss and 10% static maximum loss; the 1-Step models of both firms have 3% daily loss. The differences are in the calculation.
Daily limit against equity. Neither firm checks the daily loss against closed trades only. At FTMO the balance at 00:00 CE(S)T sets the line, but equity including open profits and losses, swaps and commissions is what gets checked. FundedNext counts realised and unrealised results, swap and commission and resets at 0:00 server time. For your EA that means a floating loss is enough to lose the account, even if no trade was closed. The two reset times differ; a daily-limit guard that counts by broker time has to be set per firm.
Static, end-of-day or trailing. On FTMO 2-Step and the FundedNext challenges the maximum loss is static: on a 100,000 USD account with 10% the limit is always 90,000 USD. FTMO 1-Step trails the limit at the highest end-of-day balance; it can only rise. FundedNext Instant has no daily loss, but 6% trailing that rises with profits and stops at the starting balance.
What that means by EA type:
- Grid, martingale and recovery EAs live on deep floating drawdowns that are resolved later. Exactly those drawdowns count against the daily limit at both firms. At FundedNext grid is also banned, so it is ruled out regardless of drawdown. At FTMO such EAs collide with the rules against overexposure and one-sided bets. If at all, then only on FTMO 2-Step with its static maximum loss and your own equity stop well ahead of the daily line. Why the balance drawdown of such EAs is misleading is explained in grid and martingale EAs: the risks.
- Trend and breakout EAs with a fixed stop-loss have a predictable daily loss: number of concurrent positions times risk per trade. They suit both firms. On trailing models (FTMO 1-Step, FundedNext Instant) you have to measure the largest drawdown from the backtest against the trailed limit, not against the starting capital.
- EAs with uneven profit distribution, for example rare large trend trades, run into the consistency rule on FTMO 1-Step: the best day may be at most 50% of total profit. Exceeding it is not a breach; you keep trading until the ratio fits. FundedNext states no consistency rule.
- Scalping EAs have to respect the Quick Strike rule at FundedNext (positions closed within 30 seconds) and the limit of 2,000 server requests per day at FTMO.
Derive the lot size from the tightest limit; the formula is in position sizing and risk per trade. Our free Daily Loss Limit tool enforces a hard daily limit on MT5.
Cost per attempt
For an EA trader what counts is not the single fee but what an attempt that can fail costs. At FTMO the 2-Step challenge costs between €89 (10,000 USD) and €1,080 (200,000 USD) and is refunded with the first payout; the 1-Step challenge costs €79 to €999 and is not refunded. At FundedNext the 2-Step fee runs from about 120 USD (15,000 USD) to about 1,100 USD (200,000 USD), refunded with the first payout; on 1-Step and Lite it only comes back with the third payout (as of 1 Oct 2026).
For EA traders FundedNext adds two items: the EA add-on and, if needed, the VPS add-on, both non-refundable. Our sources do not state the add-on prices; check them before buying. The EA account-size cap also limits which size you can buy at all: a 100,000 USD account is not an option for an EA at FundedNext. FundedNext charges 5 USD commission per lot per side on Stellar 1- and 2-Step, 7 USD on Lite and Instant; for an EA with many trades that is an ongoing cost. cTrader and Match-Trader cost a 25 USD surcharge, but are not allowed for EAs anyway.
At FTMO there are no EA surcharges. A VPS is allowed and you pay the rent yourself; a small Windows server for a challenge is covered in VPS for EAs.
Payouts and scaling
This is FundedNext's strength. Stellar 1-Step pays every 5 business days, 2-Step and Lite after 21 days and then every 14, Instant on demand from 5% profit or on a 14-day cycle. FTMO allows the first request from day 14 after the first trade, then every two weeks; review and transfer usually take 1–2 business days each, according to FTMO. On payout history FTMO leads: in the market since 2015, by its own figures over 650 million USD paid out, Trustpilot 4.8. FundedNext has been active since March 2022, carries Trustpilot 4.5 across more than 79,000 reviews and has a much shorter history (as of 1 Oct 2026).
On the split, FTMO 2-Step starts at 80% and rises to 90% with the scaling plan; 1-Step pays 90% from the start. FundedNext starts at 80%, reaches 90% after scale-up and up to 95% via add-on; Instant starts at 70%.
Scaling is clearly documented at both. FTMO adds 25% after at least 4 months, two payouts and at least 10% net profit in the 4-month window, up to a maximum of 2M USD. FundedNext's Prestige programme (for new Stellar 1-Step and 2-Step accounts since 12 Jan 2026) adds 25% after four payouts of at least 4% growth each and at least two months of activity, up to 4M USD; Lite keeps the old plan with +40%. For an EA trader at FundedNext, though: the EA account-size cap refers to purchased accounts. Whether a scaled EA account may grow beyond it is not answered by our sources; ask support before you plan on it.
Contradictions and open points
- FundedNext EA account size: help article "below 50,000 USD" versus rules page "5K–25K". The firm contradicts itself; we work with the narrower figure (as of 7 Nov 2026).
- FundedNext Quick Strike: our review (1 Oct 2026) describes the threshold as 30% of a cycle's profit, the rules comparison (7 Nov 2026) as 30% of trades, with a warning from 20% on challenge accounts. We follow the newer figure; under either reading the rule hits scalping EAs.
- FTMO payout volume: our older comparison of FTMO alternatives (as of 25 Jul 2026) says over 500 million USD, the FTMO review (as of 1 Oct 2026) over 650 million USD. We use the newer figure.
- FTMO weekend FAQ: summary and main text are not worded identically; ask support when in doubt (as of 7 Nov 2026).
- FundedNext weekend: the rules pages state no weekend rule; not verified.
Choose FTMO if…
- your EA runs on MT4 or is a bought EA without source code,
- you want to trade an account of 50,000 USD or more with an EA,
- your EA holds positions over the weekend (Swing account, 2-Step only) or does not filter news cleanly (Swing accounts are exempt from the news block),
- you want the longest payout history and to plan without add-ons.
Choose FundedNext if…
- your EA is your own trend or breakout system with a stop-loss on every position and no grid,
- it runs on MT4 or MT5 and you want to start with a small account,
- you value short payout cycles (1-Step every 5 business days) and budget for the add-on costs,
- your EA does not close trades in under 30 seconds and keeps open risk below 3% at all times.
Further reading
The full reviews: FTMO review and FundedNext review. Every EA rule of four firms with sources is in prop firm EA rules, the criteria for picking a firm in the prop firm comparison for algo traders. The second head-to-head is FTMO vs. The5ers. For practice: passing a prop firm challenge with an EA and news filters for EAs.