Head to head on price, cost to get funded, rules, payouts and trust, read on both firms' own pages. Checked October 31, 2026.
Verdict: Topstep wins 4 of the 7 points the data decides, FTMO 3. Topstep leads on proptested safety score, cheapest plan to start, cheapest $100k plan, first payout. FTMO leads on trustpilot, lowest cost to get funded (est.), rules allowed (of 5). Points the data cannot decide are left unmarked.
 FTMO |  Topstep | |
|---|---|---|
| Market | forex | futures |
| Based in | Czech Republic | n/a |
| Founded | 2015 | n/a |
| Trustpilot | 4.8 (55,531 reviews) | 3.7 (15,022 reviews) |
| PropTested safety score | 67/100 | 69/100 |
| Plans on sale | 4 | 2 |
| Cheapest plan to start | $354.95 (FTMO Challenge 1-Step, $50K, converted from EUR 319) | $85 (Trading Combine, No Activation Fee, $50K) |
| Cheapest $100K plan | $443.97 (converted from EUR 399) | $129 |
| Lowest cost to get funded (est.) | $219 | $372 |
| Max profit split | 90% | 90% |
| Drawdown types | Static, End of day, Trailing balance | End of day |
| Plans without daily loss limit | 0 of 20 | 12 of 24 |
| Plans without consistency rule | 15 of 20 | 0 of 24 |
| First payout | After 14 days | After 3 days |
| Payout cycle | Reward claim from day 14 after first trade on the account, review 1-2 business days, sent 1-2 business days after invoice approval | XFA: after 5 winning days or 3 traded days by chosen path; Live: daily after 30 winning days |
| Payouts read on chain | none visible | none visible |
| Rules allowed (of 5) | 3 | 0 |
| Platforms | MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView | TopstepX |
| Current offer | none | none |
| Checked | 2026-11-05 | 2026-10-31 |
FTMO is a forex prop firm based in Czech Republic, founded in 2015. As of November 5, 2026, PropTested reads 4 plans on its site, from $87.90 one payment (converted from EUR 79; the firm charges in EUR), with a profit split of up to 90%. Drawdown is static or end of day or trailing balance. The first payout can be requested after 14 days. Trustpilot shows 4.8 of 5 from 55,531 reviews. All FTMO plans and rules.
Topstep is a futures prop firm. As of October 31, 2026, PropTested reads 2 plans on its site, from $85 per month, with a profit split of up to 90%. Drawdown is end of day and some plans have no daily loss limit. The first payout can be requested after 3 days. Trustpilot shows 3.7 of 5 from 15,022 reviews. All Topstep plans and rules.
Topstep has the cheaper entry plan: FTMO starts at $354.95 (FTMO Challenge 1-Step) and Topstep at $85 (Trading Combine, No Activation Fee), checked October 31, 2026. FTMO charges in EUR; its price is converted from EUR 319 at 1.1127, ECB reference rate of November 11, 2026. The cost-to-funded estimate in the table is the better guide, because it counts resets and fees against each plan's pass odds.
Topstep allows the earlier first payout: FTMO after 14 days, Topstep after 3 days. Cycles: FTMO Reward claim from day 14 after first trade on the account, review 1-2 business days, sent 1-2 business days after invoice approval; Topstep XFA: after 5 winning days or 3 traded days by chosen path; Live: daily after 30 winning days.
FTMO allows 3 of the five trading rules PropTested tracks (news, EAs, copy trading, overnight, weekend) and Topstep allows 0. 15 of FTMO's 20 setups have no evaluation consistency rule, against 0 of 24 at Topstep.
On Trustpilot FTMO scores higher: FTMO 4.8 from 55,531 reviews, Topstep 3.7 from 15,022. PropTested's safety score adds payout proof, rules and the company behind the firm.
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