Apex Trader Funding vs FTMO Futures: which prop firm is better?

FTMO Futures, not the FTMO Challenge

FTMO is best known for its forex and CFD FTMO Challenge. Apex is futures only, so this page compares it with FTMO Futures, FTMO's separate futures program with its own monthly Evaluation, rules and platforms.

Cost: Apex vs FTMO

Apex sells one-time evaluations that expire after 30 days, plus an activation fee when you pass. FTMO Futures bills a monthly subscription with no time limit and no activation fee. Apex's help center points traders to its sitewide code SAVENOW, which took 90% off evaluations on October 25, 2026. FTMO does not publish a discount code for futures.

For a single attempt, FTMO Growth and Apex Intraday cost about the same. Apex is cheaper if you retry while its coupon runs; FTMO is the only option of the two if you need more than 30 days. FTMO's Pro Evaluation costs $139 a month.

Rules and drawdown

Apex is faster to pass: no consistency rule and no minimum days. FTMO Growth's 40% rule means at least three days. Once funded it flips: FTMO has no consistency rule on the Sim-Funded Account, while Apex requires your largest day to be under 50% of profit before each payout.

FTMO's end-of-day drawdown locks permanently at your starting balance. Apex's Performance Account keeps the drawdown type you chose. See our trailing drawdown guide.

Payouts: Apex vs FTMO

Apex pays 100% but closes a 50K account after six capped payouts, at most $13,000 in total ($14,500 on an Intraday account). FTMO pays 90% with larger caps, especially on Pro. Apex lets you run 20 funded accounts; FTMO allows 3.

Both invite top traders to live capital: Apex Live pays 90/10 with daily payout requests, and FTMO's Live Funded Account allows daily payouts with no cap after a one-time buffer.

Platforms and trading rules

Both support NinjaTrader and Tradovate. Apex adds WealthCharts; FTMO adds TradingView. FTMO includes Level 1 data, but Depth of Market cannot be purchased on FTMO logins.

• Automation: FTMO allows automated strategies, except high-frequency and latency arbitrage. Apex does not allow automation or algorithms.
• News: both allow news trading. Apex bans gambling on releases with orders on both sides.
• Overnight positions: neither allows them. Close by 4:59 PM ET at Apex and 4:10 PM ET at FTMO.
• Copying: Apex allows copying across your own accounts; FTMO forbids trading on other people's signals or decisions.

Trust and track record

FTMO has offered trader evaluations since 2015 from Prague, says it has paid more than $650 million in rewards and serves US clients through JV Prop Corporation, a Delaware company. Apex Trader Funding was founded in 2021 in Austin, Texas, and reports more than $692 million paid to traders since 2022.

Both publish their rules in detail, which we used for this comparison.

Bottom line

Pick Apex Trader Funding if you pass fast, retry cheaply with its coupon, want 100% of approved payouts and up to 20 accounts. Pick FTMO Futures if you want no deadline, no activation fee, automation, no consistency rule once funded and bigger payouts per request, and three funded accounts are enough. For every rule in detail, read our full Apex Trader Funding review and FTMO Futures review.