FTMO: 5 Stars... But Not Without Flaws
Let's be upfront: FTMO is our highest-rated prop firm, with a 5/5 score and a 4.8 on Trustpilot across 40,000+ reviews. That's impressive, and it's deserved. But no company is perfect, and it would be dishonest not to address the pain points.
This article isn't a hit piece against FTMO — it's an honest look at the recurring complaints we see on forums, Reddit, and that traders share with us. Because making an informed choice means knowing both sides of the coin.
Complaint #1: Challenge Prices Are High
This is probably the most frequent criticism. An FTMO $100K challenge costs around €540. For a $200K account, you're looking at over €1,000. Compared to competitors offering challenges at half the price, it stings.
What We Think
The price is genuinely above market average. But let's put things in perspective:
- FTMO refunds the challenge cost with your first payout. If you pass, it's technically free.
- The Free Retry: if you fail without violating max drawdown, you restart for free. This safety net doesn't exist everywhere.
- Reliability has a price. FTMO has been paying traders for 10+ years without interruption. Cheaper firms don't all have that track record.
Our take: the price is justified by service quality, but if your budget is really tight, alternatives like FundedNext offer lower entry points.
Complaint #2: The 2-Phase Process
Many traders find the 2-phase process (Challenge + Verification) too long and tedious. When you add the 4 minimum trading days per phase, it takes at least 2-3 weeks to get funded, and often more.
What We Think
We understand the frustration. When you're ready to trade, waiting several weeks can feel like an eternity. But:
- The 2 phases exist to verify consistency, not just a lucky streak
- It's also a filter that protects traders themselves — if you can't reproduce your results in Phase 2, you're probably not ready
- Competitors like E8 Markets offer 1-phase models, but with a tighter max drawdown (8% vs 10%)
It's a trade-off: more time for more security. If speed is your priority, the FTMO model may not be the best fit.
Complaint #3: The Consistency Rule
This is the most controversial topic in the FTMO community. The consistency rule prevents a trader from making a disproportionate share of their profits on a single trade or single day. In practice, if you make 8% of your 10% target in one trade, that can be problematic.
Why Traders Are Frustrated
- News traders or swing traders who catch a big move feel penalized
- The rule seems to punish good trades rather than bad ones
- The exact implementation isn't always crystal clear
What We Think
We partially share this criticism. The consistency rule has good intentions — verifying that the trader is consistently profitable, not just lucky — but its implementation can feel arbitrary. FTMO has adjusted this rule multiple times, showing they're aware of the issue. Our advice: spread your entries across multiple days and avoid concentrating all gains on a single position.
Complaint #4: Slow Customer Support
With tens of thousands of active clients, FTMO's support can be slow to respond. Multiple traders report 24-48h delays for simple questions, and sometimes longer for complex issues.
What We Think
This is a real problem, even if it's understandable given the volume. FTMO has significantly improved their support in recent years with live chat, but there's room for improvement, especially for urgent technical issues.
Our advice: use live chat rather than email for urgent questions. And check their FAQ before contacting support — many answers are already there.
Complaint #5: News Trading Restrictions
FTMO prohibits opening or closing positions during the 2 minutes before and after major economic announcements. For news traders, this is a dealbreaker.
What We Think
This restriction is frustrating for a specific trader profile, but it makes sense from FTMO's perspective. News moves are often violent and unpredictable, and prop firms want to avoid profiles that depend on announcement randomness.
If news trading is core to your strategy, FTMO isn't the firm for you. Look at firms that explicitly allow news trading instead.
Complaint #6: The 80% Starting Profit Split
FTMO starts with an 80% profit split, which can rise to 90% with the scaling plan. Some competitors offer 80-90% or more right from the start, making FTMO less attractive on this point.
What We Think
80% is still fair compared to the market, and the ability to reach 90% is good incentive. But it's true that if you're looking for the highest split from day one, other firms are more generous. Again, it's all about trade-offs: a slightly lower split at a reliable firm beats 90% at one that doesn't pay.
So, Should You Still Choose FTMO?
Despite these complaints, our answer is yes, without hesitation. Here's why:
- Payment reliability: in 10+ years, FTMO has never defaulted. In an industry where firms regularly disappear, that's priceless.
- Reputation: 4.8/5 across 40,000 Trustpilot reviews isn't marketing. It's the voice of tens of thousands of traders.
- Infrastructure: analytics tools, mobile app, detailed stats... FTMO invests heavily in the trader experience.
The criticisms are legitimate, but none are dealbreakers. FTMO remains the market standard, and the weaknesses are far outweighed by the strengths.
For a full comparison with alternatives, check our comparison page.