ResearchCFD/FX accounts
FTMO vs The5ers vs FundedNext: Three $100K CFD Accounts Compared
The useful difference between these accounts is whether their loss rules, trading permissions, and payout conditions fit the way you intend to trade. FundedNext's lower first target comes with a manual-trading requirement at this size: no expert advisors in either stage. The5ers' lower list fee comes with a smaller opening loss allowance and a refund partly delivered as purchase credit. FTMO's evaluation permissions change when the Standard account becomes funded.
- Compares
- FTMO · 2-Step Standard · $100,000
- FundedNext · Stellar 2-Step Standard payout route · $100,000
- The5ers · High Stakes New · $100,000
Only these three accounts. Other programs, options and sizes can have different rules and costs.
- Values
- Quoted from the account pages, with sources checked 19 September – 23 October 2026. Each value’s information button opens its conditions and sources.
- Side by side
- Compare these accounts
On this page
The scope is FTMO's 2-Step Standard, FundedNext's Stellar 2-Step Standard payout route, and The5ers' High Stakes New at the same advertised size. It excludes FTMO Swing and 1-Step, FundedNext Lifetime Reward and other add-ons, The5ers Classic and Summer Plan, and other sizes. These CFD/FX accounts were checked on MT5. The advertised account size is not cash you can withdraw.
The tables use PFW's approved account data and list FTMO, FundedNext, and The5ers in a consistent alphabetical order. The needs matrix turns the rules into specific checks without assigning an overall winner.
Which accounts are being compared?
The variant matters as much as the firm's name. Each linked account page is the detailed record for the configuration used here.
| Exact account | Included route and excluded options |
|---|---|
| FTMO · 2-Step Standard · $100,000 | Standard account type, without the Swing option or add-ons. Two evaluation phases (the FTMO Challenge, then the Verification), followed by the funded FTMO Account. |
| FundedNext · Stellar 2-Step Standard payout route · $100,000 | The standard payout route, without the Lifetime Reward or other add-ons. Two phases, then the funded account. |
| The5ers · High Stakes New · $100,000 | The New variant (not Classic or the Summer Plan). Two evaluation steps, then the funded account. |
Passing the evaluation leads to the funded stage described by the applicable agreement. This article compares the conditions recorded for these accounts, not the firms' ability to fulfill future obligations. Use the separate guide to reviews and payout evidence for that assessment.
What differs at a glance?
Read each column as the exact account above. Where the site has a current verified offer, the list-price cell can show it beside the struck-through list price, with its conditions. This comparison, including the fee per $1,000 below, uses the list price and excludes optional purchases. The cost metric is a common base-cost scenario, not an all-in checkout quote.
| Measure | FTMO | FundedNext | The5ers |
|---|---|---|---|
| List price | $549.99 one-time | $405 one-time | |
| Opening loss allowance | $10,000 | $10,000 | $8,000 |
| Profit targets | 10% then 5% | 8% then 5% | 10% then 5% |
| Difficulty ratio | 1.50 | 1.30 | 1.875 |
| Fee per $1,000 of opening risk | $60.44 | $55.00 | $50.63 |
| Initial profit share | 80% | 80% | 80% |
Opening loss allowance is the smallest opening allowance across the required evaluation phases. Difficulty ratio adds each phase's target divided by that phase's opening allowance. A lower ratio describes less target relative to opening allowance across the route; it does not establish an easier trading path or a higher chance of passing. The phase-by-phase explanation shows what the total leaves out.
Fee per $1,000 of opening risk divides the base cost of a 30-day attempt, expressed in US dollars, by the opening allowance and multiplies by 1,000. It keeps broader lifecycle costs and contingent refunds separate. FTMO's euro price makes its dollar-based cost comparison sensitive to the exchange-rate date. Use the date and calculation attached to the quoted value instead of assuming your payment provider will use the same conversion.
How do loss rules change the comparison?
FTMO and FundedNext start with the same opening overall allowance in this comparison. The5ers starts with less room, while its profit targets match FTMO's. FundedNext's lower first target explains its lower Difficulty ratio here, but the daily rule and required activity still apply independently.
| Evaluation constraint | FTMO | FundedNext | The5ers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total and daily loss | Static 10% total; 5% hard daily loss. Initial floor $90,000. | Static 10% maximum loss; 5% hard daily loss. Initial floor $90,000. | Maximum loss 8% of the initial balance, a floor of $92,000. Daily loss 4% of the day's starting balance or equity, whichever is higher, taken at the start of the day on MT5 server time (GMT+2 in winter, GMT+3 in summer). Both apply in each step and on the funded account; reaching either ends the account. |
| Minimum trading days | At least 4 trading days in each phase. There is no time limit, but FTMO's activation and inactivity terms still apply. | At least 5 trading days in each phase, with at least one trade on each. No time limit. | At least 3 profitable days in each step, each with profit of at least 0.5% of the initial balance ($500). No time limit. |
The5ers' day-opening reference can be equity when open profit puts it above balance. That can change the day's allowance compared with a balance-only calculation. An overnight strategy therefore needs to account for the reset as well as the headline allowance. The daily-loss formulas and reset-time explanation show how to record those conditions. How The5ers' daily loss works follows the reference through a worked example.
Required profitable days are also different from days on which a trade is placed. A lower day count does not necessarily take less time to complete. Compare the definition of a qualifying day before estimating an evaluation schedule; the trading-day guide explains that distinction.
Treat the opening allowance as a starting measurement, not suggested trade risk or today's remaining buffer. The opening-loss calculation and overall max-loss models explain why those quantities can diverge.
What cash do you pay, and what can come back?
Use the same endpoint for each account. Consider a hypothetical one-attempt purchase-to-first-payout path: the listed MT5 configuration is bought using the original payment method, the trader passes without a retry, buys no add-ons, and later qualifies for a cash payout. Taxes, payment-provider charges, exchange-rate costs, trading P&L, and receiving-provider charges are outside this base-fee scenario unless established in the relevant record.
| Cost or refund condition | FTMO | FundedNext | The5ers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Activation fee | None | None | None |
| Platform and data fees | None | None | None |
| Fee refund with a reward | The challenge fee is refunded with the first reward. It still has to be paid upfront. | The challenge fee is refunded with the first reward. This is separate from cancelling a purchase. | Hub credit of 10% of the fee on passing step 1 and 20% on passing step 2; Hub credit can only be used toward a new challenge and cannot be withdrawn. On the funded account, 70% of the part of the fee paid with your original payment method (not Hub credit) is added to equity and can be withdrawn with the first payout, once the account has made at least $150 profit and been active for 14 days. |
| Cancellation refund | Consumers can cancel within 14 calendar days if they have not placed a trade, with the refund paid within 14 days, under FTMO's evaluation terms. | Under the CFD challenge terms, a refund can be requested within 7 days if no trade has been placed. Add-on and third-party fees have their own conditions, and statutory rights still apply. | Under The5ers' general terms, an unused purchase with no trading or breach can be refunded in cash within 5 days, and after that only as Hub credit. The funded account contract is separate. |
Through funded activation, the modeled base cash outlay is the list fee: the compared accounts add no activation or platform/data charge. That does not establish your final checkout total: a temporary offer, taxes, or payment charges can change it. A different platform can introduce a charge, as the platform rows show.
FTMO and FundedNext's recorded rules provide for a challenge-fee refund with the first qualifying reward, but do not establish how it is paid. If your requirement is cash returned to your bank account or wallet, that remains unresolved for these two accounts. The5ers allocates part of the refund to Hub credit and adds the remaining refundable part to funded-account equity. Hub credit can only buy another challenge; an equity addition is not cash received. The fee-refund answer shows what each refund is worth and what is not yet established about it.
For this successful path, record cash paid, cash refund actually received, and payout or provider fees separately. Keep Hub credit in a separate non-cash column. If the attempt fails before an eligible reward, do not subtract a reward-dependent refund from the cost of that failed attempt. Cancellation is a separate route with its own deadline and usage conditions.
The full cost inventory and refunds-versus-credits explanation provide the accounting checklist. If another attempt is part of your plan, check the current reset or replacement options for FTMO, FundedNext, and The5ers before adding a retry cost.
Can you trade the same way after you pass?
Evaluation permission does not automatically carry into the funded account. Check the action itself: holding a position through an event is different from opening, closing, or having a pending order execute during it.
| Permission and stage | FTMO | FundedNext | The5ers |
|---|---|---|---|
| News trading | No news restriction during the evaluation (the FTMO Challenge and the Verification). On the funded FTMO Account, trades on the instruments a selected news release affects cannot be opened or closed, and pending orders such as a stop-loss or take-profit cannot execute, from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after the release. Positions opened more than 2 minutes before may be held, but a stop-loss or take-profit triggered in that window is a breach, and a breach may end the FTMO Account. | No news restriction during the evaluation. On the funded account, profit from trades within 5 minutes of high-impact news counts only 40% toward the reward, while losses count in full. | Holding positions through news is allowed. Opening or closing trades within 2 minutes before or after high-impact news is not. Profits of such trades are not taken into account. |
| Overnight and weekend holding | Allowed during the evaluation. On the funded Standard account, positions must be closed over the weekend and over market breaks longer than 2 hours. | Weekend holding and overnight holding are both allowed. (partly unknown) | Overnight and weekend holding is allowed. Accounts expire after 30 days without activity. |
| Expert advisors and copying | Your own expert advisors are allowed under conditions. FTMO's CFD rules do not cover copying between your own accounts; FTMO's support told us on 5 October 2026 that you may, without opposite or hedging positions across the accounts and within the $400,000 allocation limit. (interpretation) | Accounts of $50,000 or more must be traded manually, so expert advisors are not allowed on this account. Copying between your own challenge accounts is allowed within limits; copying on funded accounts is prohibited. | Copying between your own accounts is allowed, except for between Bootcamp accounts. EAs are allowed. |
For FTMO Standard, a strategy that depends on keeping positions open over the weekend cannot rely on the evaluation's permission once funded. News execution changes at that transition too. FTMO's news rule by stage gives the window and its execution limits in full. FundedNext's funded news rule instead reduces recognized profit while leaving losses fully counted. That can alter the payoff of a news strategy even where execution is permitted. The5ers' news restriction applies during both evaluation and funded trading.
FundedNext's holding row is marked partly unknown, although its stage rules, taken from FundedNext's holding article, record overnight and weekend holding as allowed in both stages, with overnight swaps on swap accounts counting toward the daily loss limit. Until that row is settled, this comparison leaves the funded weekend-holding requirement unresolved. If holding is essential, open the row's details and confirm with FundedNext for the exact account.
For automation, distinguish owning a strategy from satisfying the firm's EA conditions. The5ers' stage rules, from its official EA FAQ, require ownership of the EA's source code and a visible stop-loss, and exclude specified trading practices. A purchased tool is not automatically eligible merely because you can run it. The5ers EA conditions, checked 8 October 2026.
FTMO's own-account copying entry is marked Interpretation: it is our reading of the support reply recorded on 5 October 2026 and the related rules, not a permission FTMO publishes. FundedNext distinguishes copying between challenge accounts from copying on funded accounts. The5ers' permission concerns your own trades and remains subject to its trading rules.
Read the stage-specific permission tables for FTMO, FundedNext, and The5ers before configuring a strategy. The Learn guides explain news order actions, CFD holding rules, and automation versus copying permission.
When can you request a payout, and what affects cash received?
The initial share is only one input. The event that starts the request clock, any minimum or cap, the amount eligible for reward, and payment deductions all matter.
| Payout condition | FTMO | FundedNext | The5ers |
|---|---|---|---|
| First and later payouts | You can request a Reward claim in the Account MetriX on the 14th or any following day after the first placed trade on the specific account (partly unknown) | You can request your first Performance Reward 21 days after starting trading, with subsequent Performance Rewards occurring every 14 days thereafter. | 14 days after activation, then 14 days after last approved payout; scaling resets clock. |
| Payout minimums and caps | Bank requires $20 closed profit; crypto $50. | Performance Reward minima: crypto $20 (capped at $1,999, or $1,000,000 for OFAC countries), Rise $50 (no cap), bank $1,000 (capped at $50,000). | Selected $100k: minimum withdrawal $500, cap $4,000. (sources differ) |
| Funded consistency rules | No extra consistency rule and no minimum number of trading days on the funded account for this 2-Step route. | On the standard payout route, no consistency rule and no minimum number of funded trading days. Other payout options are outside this configuration. | No consistency rule and no separate profitable-day requirement for payouts. The 3 profitable days apply to scaling. |
| Payout processing fees | FTMO says it charges no withdrawal commission. | Up to 3.5% depending on the payout method, and provider conditions vary. The exact fee for each method has not been established. | Payout methods carry a 3.5% fee, and receiving banks may charge more. Hub credit has no fee but is not cash. |
| Published processing time | FTMO says it reviews a reward request and replies within 1–2 business days, and typically sends payment 1–2 business days after the invoice is approved. The time for money to arrive is separate. | FundedNext promises to process a reward within 24 hours of the request, with exceptions for bank transfers and incorrect details. | The5ers says review usually takes 24–48 business hours, and payment is typically processed within 3 business days after approval. |
Check the event behind each clock. FTMO counts from the first trade placed on the specific account, and The5ers from activation and then from the last approved payout. FundedNext's quoted wording refers to starting trading, while its trading-cycle article, checked 8 October 2026, starts the first cycle when the funded account is received. Confirm the applicable start event before projecting your request date. FTMO's combined first-and-later-payout record is partly unknown. Do not invent a later-cycle schedule from its first-request statement.
The5ers' minimum-and-cap row is marked sources differ. Treat that row as unsettled, not as a withdrawal promise: The5ers' pages have not been reconciled on what the minimum and cap apply to. If a planned withdrawal depends on that row, resolve it before treating the account as meeting your requirement. The conflicting-rules guide explains how to distinguish a scope mismatch from a genuine contradiction.
The published processing statements also end at different events. A review response, an approved invoice, payment processing, dispatch, and money received are not interchangeable. These are the firms' published statements, not measured payout performance. See what starts a request clock, the separate payout stages, and how to read speed claims.
Choose an intended receiving method before estimating net cash. The cap explanation and processing-fee examples show why the advertised share alone cannot answer that question. Check current payout methods for FTMO, FundedNext, and The5ers; a listed method does not by itself establish that you can receive it.
Can you access the compared account and platform?
These accounts were checked on MT5. The platform row below is each firm's broader CFD platform list, so it may include alternatives with different access conditions or charges. Those alternatives do not change the MT5 cost basis used above.
| Access check | FTMO | FundedNext | The5ers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader or TradingView, chosen when you buy. | MT4, MT5, cTrader and Match-Trader; cTrader and Match-Trader cost a one-time $25. US clients can use only Match-Trader. | MetaTrader 5, cTrader ($10 extra) and TradingView outside the US; TradingView only for US clients. The choice is final once bought. |
| Platform access and eligibility | Compared on MT5. Open to traders aged 18 or over, with country exclusions. The route for US residents differs from the global one. | MT5. Open to adults (18 or over, or the local age of majority) who pass identity checks, with residency and citizenship restrictions. The platform is not available for U.S. clients. | MT5 (hedging account). Open to adults (18 or over, or the local age of majority) who pass identity checks, with country exclusions. MetaQuotes restrictions affect US residents. |
An available US route or alternative platform does not establish access to the MT5 configuration assessed here. Match your residence, any applicable citizenship conditions, identity documents, and receiving method to the actual entity and account you would buy.
Check Who can trade for FTMO, FundedNext, and The5ers. Keep purchase eligibility, platform availability, identity approval, and payout-provider coverage as separate checks, using the eligibility guide. If your method depends on a particular platform, also use the platform-compatibility checklist.
What consequences do the recorded terms describe?
Account closure and lost rewards are different from a contractual monetary penalty. The complete recorded wording matters, including its limits.
| Account | Contractual penalties and related consequences |
|---|---|
| FTMO | No fine or per-breach penalty in FTMO's published terms. Forbidden trading practices or risk-management breaches can end all agreements and accounts with no refund, forfeit potential rewards and bar future use. The trader indemnifies FTMO against certain third-party claims. The funded-account terms are not published. |
| FundedNext | The CFD challenge terms set a $25,000 penalty for each prohibited-practice breach, which may be applied per trade, pattern or account, and allow FundedNext to deduct it from money owed. We have not assessed whether this is enforceable. |
| The5ers | No fine or per-breach penalty in The5ers' terms. Prohibited trading, evading country restrictions or public disparagement can end the account with no refund and forfeit accrued profits; prohibited trading also brings a permanent ban. The trader indemnifies the firm for violations of the terms. |
FundedNext's quoted entry reports what the CFD challenge terms say; it does not determine enforceability or whether a penalty would apply to a particular dispute. Likewise, the absence of a stated fine in the other entries does not mean a breach has no financial consequences. Read the applicable agreement for the stage you are entering, including any funded agreement supplied separately.
Which accounts meet a stated requirement?
Choose the requirement before reading the result. Meets means the recorded rule satisfies the requirement, subject to its conditions, not that every strategy or trader is approved. Does not meet means the recorded rule conflicts with that requirement. Unresolved means a remaining evidence gap or unsettled account record prevents this comparison from clearing the requirement. Each cell links to the exact rule behind the judgment.
| Requirement for these exact configurations | FTMO | FundedNext | The5ers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hold positions over the weekend on the funded account | Does not meet. Funded holding rule. | Unresolved. The stage rules record weekend holding as allowed in both stages, but the account's holding row is still marked partly unknown. | Meets, subject to the holding conditions. |
| Open or close affected trades during each firm's news window on the funded account, and keep full profit recognition | Does not meet. Funded news rule. | Does not meet. Funded news profit-recognition rule. | Does not meet. News rule, in both stages. |
| Run my own compliant EA during evaluation and funded trading | Meets, subject to the EA conditions. | Does not meet. EA restriction for this size. | Meets, subject to EA and source-code conditions. |
| Copy my own trades between my own funded accounts | Meets, as an interpretation, subject to the support reply and allocation conditions. Confirm the proposed setup if explicit permission is essential. | Does not meet. Funded copying rule. | Meets, subject to the own-account copying conditions. |
| Have the whole challenge fee refunded with the first reward, with no part given as purchase credit | Meets on the recorded rule, if the reward-refund conditions are met. How the refund is paid is not stated. | Meets on the recorded rule, if the reward-refund conditions are met. How the refund is paid is not stated. | Does not meet. Part of the refund is Hub credit that can only buy a new challenge; the rest is added to the funded account's equity. |
FTMO's copying result keeps its Interpretation label; it is not the same evidence state as a published permission. FundedNext's holding result stays Unresolved while its row is marked partly unknown; it is not a finding that holding is prohibited. The5ers' disputed payout minimums and caps remain a separate unresolved check if your required withdrawal depends on them.
Do not total the cells. A single confirmed mismatch can exclude an account from your shortlist, while several conditional permissions cannot resolve an essential unknown. If you need both weekend holding and an EA, for example, inspect those requirements together before comparing fees. The before-you-pay worksheet gives you space to add instrument access, personal eligibility, cash limits, and other requirements.
What should you check before buying?
First confirm the exact program, variant, size, platform, and payout route at checkout. Then check your essential permissions at both stages, the cash needed through your chosen endpoint, and any unresolved payout or eligibility condition. Keep a dated copy of the terms and the answers that affected your decision.
Other sizes of the same program generally share its core rules, but prices, dollar allowances, and some permissions can vary by size. FundedNext's EA restriction is a material example in this comparison. A platform switch, account variant, or payout add-on can also change the answer. Start a new comparison for that configuration instead of carrying these conclusions across unchanged.
Compare these three accounts side by side, then open the exact account pages and their source details before paying. To compare another size or firm, change the accounts in the comparison tool.
Related reading
- FTMO, The5ers and FundedNext futures accounts, for the separate futures plans and their trading and payout conditions.
- How to compare prop firm programs before you pay, for a requirement-led shortlist.
- Profit targets vs. loss limits, for the meaning and limits of the Difficulty ratio.
- The full cost of a prop firm challenge, for cash costs, retries, refunds, and credits.
- Prop firm payout rules, for request eligibility and the separate stages before receipt.
- When official prop firm rules conflict, for recording and resolving an essential unknown.
- Evidence coverage across six pilot accounts, for a dated study of the documented answers and open questions behind these accounts.
Sources and method
Account values are quoted from PFW's reviewed data. The summary near the start of the page gives the source-check dates for the values quoted here. Each value's ⓘ opens its conditions, calculations, sources, and individual check dates.
The quoted values retain their evidence states. The conditional trade-offs and matrix judgments are PFW's interpretation of the reviewed data and must be reread when it changes. The cash scenario is hypothetical and does not estimate passing or payout probability. The account records below provide the detailed evidence for each configuration.
- FTMO · 2-Step Standard · $100,000, for the scoped account facts and their official sources.
- FundedNext · Stellar 2-Step Standard payout route · $100,000, for the scoped account facts and their official sources.
- The5ers · High Stakes New · $100,000, for the scoped account facts and their official sources.
- The5ers: Can I use an EA?, for the source-code and visible-stop conditions also recorded in the account's stage rules, checked 8 October 2026.
- FundedNext: Trading cycle for the Stellar 2-Step account, for the account-receipt start event discussed above, checked 8 October 2026.
This article compares the terms of the selected configurations. It does not rank the firms, assess their financial reliability, or treat a conditional refund, published processing target, or permitted strategy as a promise of money received.