FTMO or The5ers? The short answer
FTMO and The5ers are the two oldest firms we review, FTMO since 2015, The5ers since 2016. Both allow Expert Advisors without an add-on. The difference comes down to one question: do you own your EA's source code? The5ers requires it, FTMO does not. Then there is the platform: The5ers has no MT4.
We award no new overall score here. The match by EA type:
- Bought EA without source code, or an MT4-only EA: FTMO. At The5ers it is not allowed.
- Self-coded MT5 or cTrader EA with a visible stop-loss: both fit; The5ers is much cheaper to start and scales up to 4M USD (Growth).
- EA without a news filter: The5ers Growth or Bootcamp (only bracketing banned) or FTMO Swing; not FTMO standard funded and not The5ers High Stakes.
- Grid EA with many positions open at once: risky at both, at The5ers because of the vague bulk-trading clause, at FTMO because of the rules against overexposure.
The rules come from our comparison of prop firm EA rules (as of 7 Nov 2026, with sources) and the reviews of FTMO and The5ers (as of 1 Oct 2026). Where those sources or the firm itself contradict each other, it is noted 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 | The5ers |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 8.4 | 8.2 |
| Challenge cost | 7.0 | 8.4 |
| Profit split | 9.0 | 7.6 |
| Rules | 7.0 | 7.6 |
| Payout reliability | 10.0 | 9.0 |
| EAs allowed | 8.0 | 6.8 |
| Scaling | 9.0 | 8.4 |
It is close. The5ers leads on cost and rules, FTMO on split, payouts, EA openness and scaling. The5ers' "EAs allowed" sub-score was lowered from 8.0 to 6.8 on 1 Oct 2026 because of the source-code requirement and the bulk-trading ban. How the scores are built is explained in our methodology.
FTMO vs. The5ers 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 | The5ers |
|---|---|---|
| Models | 2-Step, 1-Step | High Stakes (2-step), Hyper/Pro Growth (1-step), Bootcamp (3-step) · limited-time: Summer Plan |
| Account sizes | 10,000–200,000 USD | 2,500–250,000 USD starting capital |
| Fee | 2-Step €89–€1,080 (refunded with first payout) · 1-Step €79–€999 (not refunded) | High Stakes 2.5K from 19 USD · Pro Growth 5K 52 USD · Bootcamp 20K 22 USD + 50 USD on success (not refunded) |
| Profit split | 2-Step 80%, 90% with scaling plan · 1-Step 90% from the start | High Stakes 80% · Growth 75% · Bootcamp 50% · each up to 100% |
| Daily loss | 5% (2-Step) · 3% (1-Step) | 5% (High Stakes) · 3% (Hyper/Pro Growth) · 2-Step Plan FAQ: 3% |
| Daily loss calculation | line from balance at 00:00 CE(S)T, checked against equity | higher of balance and equity at 00:00 GMT+3 (several programmes); Hyper Growth and Bootcamp Pro: daily pause instead of losing the account |
| Maximum loss | 10% static (2-Step) · 10% end-of-day trailing (1-Step) | 10% (High Stakes) · 6% stop-out (Growth) · 5% per Bootcamp step; static or trailing not stated explicitly |
| Minimum trading days | 4 (2-Step) · none (1-Step) | High Stakes: 3 profitable days per step of at least 0.5% |
| Consistency | 1-Step: best day max. 50% of total profit (orders from 12 Oct 2026) | 2-Step Plan: none in the evaluation, only on the Pro account |
| News | funded Standard: no execution within 2 min, SL/TP included · challenge and Swing free | High Stakes: no execution within 2 min · Growth/Bootcamp: allowed, only bracketing banned |
| Weekend | funded Standard: close positions · challenge and Swing free | allowed |
| EAs allowed | yes, no add-on | yes, in the CFD programmes; source code required, visible stop-loss |
| Third-party EAs | allowed, cap of 400,000 USD per trader or strategy | only with your own source code; banned if others have the same trades open |
| HFT / scalping | ultra-high-speed tools banned, max. 2,000 server requests per day | HFT and tick scalping banned, no excessive server requests (no number), no rollover scalping |
| Grid / martingale | not explicitly banned, overexposure and one-sided bets are | not named, bulk trading banned |
| Copy trading | identical trades from signal services count toward the cap | banned |
| Platforms | MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView | MT5, cTrader (+10 USD), TradingView · no MT4 |
| VPS | allowed, no US geolocation | no explicit rule found (not verified) |
| Payouts | request from day 14, then every 14 days; 1–2 business days each for review and transfer | first after 14 days, then every 2 weeks · from 150 USD · up to 3 business days · 3.5% fee |
| Scaling | +25% every 4 months at ≥10% profit and 2 payouts, max. 2M USD | Growth: with every 10% target up to 4M USD · High Stakes up to 500,000 USD · Bootcamp split 50 → 100% |
EA compatibility: source code and platform
FTMO sets no conditions on the EA itself. 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 and you do not have to show source code. The limits: no exploiting price errors or delayed quotes, no ultra-high-speed tools, no opposite positions across linked accounts, no gap trading before major news or longer market closures, at most 2,000 server requests per day, 200 open orders at a time and 2,000 positions per day.
The5ers allows "any EA you have" according to its FAQ, but ties that to two hard conditions. First: you must own the source code. A bought .ex5 file without source is not enough, and third-party EAs with which other traders have the same trades open are explicitly banned. Second: the stop-loss must be visible on the platform; a "stealth" stop-loss inside the EA code is not allowed, and on the Bootcamp a stop-loss on every position is mandatory. Accounts with banned EA types are closed without a refund, according to the FAQ.
The5ers' list of prohibited practices (page last updated 3 Nov 2026) is longer than FTMO's and vague in two places: bulk trading is defined as "several trades open at the same time" without a number, and EAs with excessive server requests are banned without a fixed threshold. FTMO gives the concrete figure of 2,000 requests here. For an EA that holds many positions in parallel or modifies orders often, FTMO's rule is easier to comply with because you can measure it.
Platform. FTMO supports EAs on MT4, MT5 and cTrader. The5ers offers MT5, cTrader for a 10 USD surcharge and TradingView, for US clients only TradingView. At The5ers the platform choice is final after purchase. A large share of the commercial EA market is MT4-only; none of it runs at The5ers. Which platform makes sense for your EA is explained in MT4 vs. MT5 for algo trading.
Futures. The5ers' EA permission covers the CFD programmes. In the futures offering, algorithmic trading, HFT and hedging are banned according to the futures FAQ.
If you plan to buy an EA and have a prop firm in mind, settle this before buying; how to buy a forex EA helps.
Drawdown mechanics: grid and martingale versus trend EAs
Daily limit. FTMO sets the daily line from the balance at 00:00 CE(S)T minus 5% (2-Step) or 3% (1-Step) of the starting capital and checks equity against it, including open losses, swaps and commissions. The5ers takes the higher of balance and equity at midnight GMT+3 as the base in several programmes. If your EA carries open profits into the new day, The5ers' daily line therefore sits higher than with a pure balance base. The reset time zones differ by one to two hours; your daily-limit guard has to know that.
Daily pause instead of losing the account. On The5ers Hyper Growth and Bootcamp Pro the daily limit is a pause: when it is hit, The5ers closes all trades and locks the account until the next trading day, but the account is not lost. At FTMO a breached daily limit is a rule violation. For an EA that has the occasional bad day, this difference matters more than a percentage point on the limit.
Maximum loss. FTMO 2-Step is static (100,000 USD account: limit at 90,000 USD), FTMO 1-Step trails at the highest end-of-day balance. The5ers states 10% on High Stakes, a 6% stop-out on Growth and 5% per Bootcamp step; whether static or trailing is not stated explicitly on the programme pages, though the wording "from the initial balance" suggests a fixed value.
What that means by EA type:
- Grid, martingale and recovery EAs hold many positions with large floating losses. Both firms check against equity, so those losses count immediately. At The5ers the bulk-trading clause comes on top, at FTMO the ban on overexposure and one-sided bets. The5ers Growth with a 6% stop-out is especially tight for such EAs. If at all, then FTMO 2-Step or The5ers High Stakes, each with your own equity stop well ahead of the firm's line. More in grid and martingale EAs: the risks.
- Trend and breakout EAs with a fixed stop-loss suit both. At The5ers the visible stop-loss is mandatory anyway. On programmes with 3% daily loss (FTMO 1-Step, The5ers Growth) the risk per trade must be small enough that a losing streak in one day stays below it.
- EAs with rare large winning days run into the consistency rule on FTMO 1-Step (best day max. 50% of total profit). The5ers states no consistency rule in the 2-Step Plan evaluation; High Stakes instead requires three profitable days per step of at least 0.5% of the starting capital.
- Swing EAs may hold over the weekend at The5ers; at FTMO only on the challenge account or with a Swing account.
Derive the lot size from the tightest limit, see position sizing and risk per trade. A tool for a hard daily limit on MT5 is our free Daily Loss Limit.
Cost per attempt
To get started, The5ers is clearly cheaper. A High Stakes 2.5K starts at 19 USD, a Pro Growth 5K at 52 USD, a Bootcamp 20K at 22 USD plus 50 USD only on success; the Bootcamp fee is not refunded. FTMO starts at €89 for 10,000 USD (2-Step, refunded with the first payout) or €79 (1-Step, not refunded) and runs up to €1,080 or €999 for 200,000 USD (as of 1 Oct 2026).
For an EA trader that means: at The5ers you can test an EA cheaply on a real evaluation before buying a larger account, and grow through the scale-up plan instead of buying an expensive challenge. At FTMO an attempt costs more, but you get the 2-Step fee back with the first payout. Ongoing costs: The5ers charges 3.5% per payout (except when converted into Hub credits) and a 10 USD surcharge for cTrader. You pay for a VPS yourself at both; a selection is in VPS for EAs.
Payouts and scaling
Payouts. FTMO: first request from day 14 after the first trade, then every two weeks, review and transfer usually 1–2 business days each. The5ers: first payout 14 days after the funded account is activated, then every two weeks, every scale-up restarts the cycle, minimum profit 150 USD, processing up to 3 business days. The limited-time Summer Plan has payout caps per cycle (2,000 USD on the 100K 1-step, 3,000 USD on the 200K account). Both have a long history: FTMO by its own figures has paid out over 650 million USD since 2015, The5ers has taken on around 262,000 traders since 2016 (as of 1 Oct 2026).
Split. FTMO starts at 80% (2-Step) or 90% (1-Step) and reaches 90% on the 2-Step with the scaling plan. The5ers starts lower but scales further: Bootcamp 50%, Growth 75%, High Stakes 80%, each up to 100%.
Scaling. FTMO adds 25% after at least 4 months, two payouts and at least 10% net profit in the window, up to 2M USD. The5ers grows Growth accounts with every 10% target up to 4M USD, High Stakes accounts up to 500,000 USD, Bootcamp accounts with every 5% target. For a consistent EA The5ers' ladder reaches higher (4M versus 2M USD); FTMO grows in fixed 25% steps.
Contradictions and open points
- The5ers High Stakes daily loss: the programme page states 5%, the 2-Step Plan FAQ (updated 2 Nov 2026) 3% based on the higher of the previous day's closing balance and closing equity. The firm either contradicts itself or runs two programmes; the pages do not make it clear (as of 7 Nov 2026). When in doubt, plan with 3%.
- The5ers Hyper Growth: our review (1 Oct 2026) describes Hyper Growth as advertised without a daily loss limit. The newer rules comparison (7 Nov 2026) states 3% daily loss for Hyper and Pro Growth, as a daily pause on Hyper Growth. We follow the newer figure.
- The5ers maximum loss: static or trailing is not stated explicitly (as of 7 Nov 2026).
- The5ers VPS: no explicit rule found, not verified.
- FTMO payout volume: the 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).
Choose FTMO if…
- you run a bought EA without source code,
- your EA only runs on MT4,
- you want clear, measurable limits (2,000 server requests rather than "excessive"),
- your EA holds many positions at once and you want to avoid the vague bulk-trading clause,
- the longest payout history and a refundable 2-Step fee matter to you.
Choose The5ers if…
- you coded your EA yourself and own the source code,
- it runs on MT5 or cTrader and sets a visible stop-loss,
- you want to prove it on a real evaluation with a small stake (from 19 USD),
- it holds positions over the weekend or runs without a news filter (Growth/Bootcamp),
- you want to work towards a split of up to 100% and scaling up to 4M USD.
Further reading
The full reviews: FTMO review and The5ers review. Every EA rule with sources is collected in prop firm EA rules, the selection criteria in the prop firm comparison for algo traders. The second head-to-head: FTMO vs. FundedNext. For practice: passing a prop firm challenge with an EA and news filters for EAs.