Key takeaways
FTMO vs Apex is no longer simply CFDs versus futures.
Read the full summary
FTMO vs Apex is no longer simply CFDs versus futures. FTMO offers both CFD Challenges and a separate Futures service, while Apex offers futures evaluations. For CFDs, FTMO’s 2-Step has 10% and 5% profit targets with a fixed 10% maximum-loss amount; its 1-Step instead uses end-of-day trailing maximum loss and a Best Day Rule. For a futures-to-futures comparison, FTMO Growth and Pro use end-of-day trailing drawdown, while Apex offers EOD and Intraday paths. Apex’s current EOD evaluation lasts 30 calendar days; its Performance Account has separate payout conditions. Compare the named product and account stage, not a brand-wide drawdown label.
How we researched this article
BestProps used document-based research from primary firm sources, checked September 18, 2026. The complete source list, scope, limitations, and commercial-state record appear near the end of this article.
FTMO and Apex Trader Funding can serve different strategies, but market access alone no longer settles every comparison. FTMO’s CFD programs and its Futures service are separate products. An index CFD is not an exchange-listed futures contract, and rules from one FTMO product should not be transferred to another.
This document-based comparison uses the FTMO website and Apex Trader Funding website, including their linked program rules. Figures describe provider terms checked September 18, 2026, not first-hand execution tests, typical earnings or guaranteed payouts.
FTMO vs Apex quick verdict
- Forex or CFD strategy: start with FTMO’s CFD Challenge, then choose between its 1-Step and 2-Step rules. Apex’s futures evaluation is not a substitute for a spot-forex or CFD account.
- Futures strategy: compare FTMO Futures Growth or Pro against Apex EOD or Intraday. Both the evaluation and simulated funded stage matter.
- Infrequent setups: Apex EOD’s 30-day evaluation access period is a concrete constraint. No minimum trading days does not mean unlimited evaluation time.
- Large isolated winning days: compare consistency requirements by stage. FTMO’s CFD 1-Step Best Day Rule and Apex’s PA payout consistency rule use different definitions.
FTMO and Apex program comparison
| Program | Evaluation structure | Loss and payout distinction |
|---|---|---|
| FTMO CFD 2-Step | 10% Challenge target, then 5% Verification target; four trading days in each phase | Maximum loss amount is 10% of initial simulated capital, with a fixed overall floor; separate daily-loss rule |
| FTMO CFD 1-Step | 10% target; Best Day must be no more than 50% of Positive Days’ Profit | 3% daily-loss amount; 10% end-of-day trailing maximum-loss amount |
| FTMO Futures Growth and Pro | Single-phase evaluation; available in 50K, 100K and 150K sizes | Both use EOD trailing maximum drawdown and a 90/10 Sim-Funded payout ratio; daily-loss and withdrawal conditions differ |
| Apex EOD, new accounts | 30-day evaluation; no minimum trading days and no evaluation consistency rule | EOD threshold is recalculated at market close and enforced intraday in the next session; separate daily-loss pause and PA payout rules |
Sources: FTMO CFD objectives, FTMO Futures Growth versus Pro and Apex EOD evaluations. Apex’s new programs must not be mixed with legacy accounts purchased before March 1, 2026.
FTMO forex and CFDs versus futures
Currency pairs, gold CFDs and index CFDs use different specifications from listed futures. Contract size, tick value, session times, expiration, spreads and commissions can all differ even when two charts track a similar underlying market. Translate the strategy’s position size and trading hours rather than copying a lot size or stop distance.
A displayed account balance is not trader-owned cash or the amount available to lose. The loss threshold defines the practical risk budget. A larger advertised account can still give a strategy less room if its drawdown trails aggressively.
FTMO and Apex drawdown rules
FTMO’s CFD 2-Step maximum-loss floor remains tied to initial simulated capital. The 1-Step maximum-loss floor instead follows the highest balance recorded at midnight CE(S)T, less 10% of initial simulated capital; it can rise but cannot fall. Its daily-loss limit resets at midnight and is enforced against equity, including open P/L, swaps and commissions. Calling all FTMO accounts “static” is therefore inaccurate.
Apex EOD is also not a static-loss account. Its trailing threshold is calculated from the end-of-day balance, then remains fixed during the following session. Touching that threshold fails the evaluation. Hitting its separate Daily Loss Limit pauses trading for the rest of the session rather than failing the account. The current 50K EOD evaluation lists a $3,000 profit target, $2,000 EOD drawdown, $1,000 Daily Loss Limit and six-contract maximum.
Illustrative example, not either firm’s offer: an account starting at 50,000 with a fixed 2,500 loss distance has a 47,500 floor. A rise to 52,000 leaves that fixed floor unchanged. A threshold that trails the qualifying high by 2,500 could instead rise to 49,500. Intraday and end-of-day definitions decide which highs count.
For FTMO Futures, both Growth and Pro use EOD trailing drawdown. Growth has no Daily Loss Limit during evaluation and a soft limit at Sim-Funded. Pro uses a hard Daily Loss Limit in exchange for a different target-to-drawdown profile and higher payout caps. The exact product rulebook, not an old FTMO CFD review, controls.
FTMO and Apex fees
Apex’s current homepage distinguishes one-time fees for new products from recurring billing on legacy accounts. Passing a new evaluation is followed by a PA activation payment; EOD evaluation graduates have seven calendar days to activate. An expired 30-day EOD evaluation requires a new purchase to continue. A “cheap monthly Apex subscription” comparison may therefore describe the wrong generation.
FTMO’s CFD Challenge and Futures service have separate pricing. Compare the checkout for the exact size and product, including any activation, reset, platform, data and tax charges. A coupon is not a permanent standard price, and the cheaper first attempt is not necessarily the cheaper total route if several attempts are needed.
FTMO and Apex payout rules
For CFD FTMO Accounts, the reward FAQ allows a request on the 14th or a later day after the first trade, with positions and pending orders closed. The 1-Step reward ratio is 90%; 2-Step starts at 80% and can reach 90% through the applicable scaling or premium conditions. Account review and payment processing remain separate from request eligibility.
FTMO Futures uses a 90/10 Sim-Funded payout ratio. Growth permits requests for up to 50% of available profit in a cycle, while Pro permits up to 100%, subject to the product’s other payout conditions and caps. These percentages describe eligible withdrawal amounts and the trader’s share separately.
Apex’s EOD PA policy requires five qualifying profit days, a minimum $500 request, a safety net and a consistency test. For 50K, each qualifying day needs at least $250 net profit; the listed minimum balance to request is $52,600. No single profitable day may represent 50% or more of profit since the last approved payout. Approved payouts use a 100% split, but the PA allows at most six payouts, with request caps. “100% split” does not mean the whole account balance is withdrawable.
Our guide to prop firm payout rules explains why request eligibility, payout caps and the post-withdrawal risk buffer matter as much as the split.
FTMO and Apex trading restrictions
Apex’s prohibited-activities policy requires positions closed before market close, limits news trading to a normal strategy and prohibits automated or algorithmic trading. Technical access to a platform or copier does not override the conduct policy.
FTMO CFD Standard and Swing accounts have different holding and news conditions; Swing is not offered for CFD 1-Step. Futures has its own rules. Confirm the exact platform, regional availability, instrument and contract specification before buying. Do not import a CFD permission into a futures account or assume evaluation permissions continue unchanged after passing.
FTMO vs Apex frequently asked questions
Can FTMO traders trade futures?
Yes. FTMO now has a separate Futures service with Growth and Pro products. Its CFD Challenge is still a different product; an index CFD is not a CME futures contract.
Which firm uses trailing drawdown?
Both can. FTMO CFD 1-Step and FTMO Futures use EOD trailing calculations; FTMO CFD 2-Step has a fixed overall maximum-loss floor. Apex distinguishes EOD and Intraday drawdown products. Compare the exact formula and account stage.
Are these accounts live?
FTMO’s CFD Challenge, Verification and FTMO Account use simulated capital. FTMO Futures separates Evaluation, Sim-Funded and a live-funded path. Apex’s policy describes simulated evaluation and Performance Account trading. Passing an evaluation is not a transfer of the displayed balance to the trader.
Which firm is better?
For a CFD strategy, FTMO is the relevant choice of these two. For futures, FTMO Growth may suit a trader prioritizing an EOD model with a soft Sim-Funded daily limit, while Apex EOD suits someone able to work within its 30-day evaluation and five-profit-day PA payout rules. Neither is a universal winner; the rules must fit the strategy before price becomes decisive.
Evaluation fees can be lost. Simulated results do not establish future live performance, funding or payouts. This comparison is educational information, not individualized financial advice.
Related BestProps guides: account size.
