Key takeaways
FTMO now sells futures as well as CFDs, so the fair Lucid Trading vs FTMO comparison is Lucid’s four current futures plans (LucidPro, LucidFlex, LucidDaily and LucidDirect) against FTMO Futures Growth and Pro.
Read the full summary
FTMO now sells futures as well as CFDs, so the fair Lucid Trading vs FTMO comparison is Lucid’s four current futures plans (LucidPro, LucidFlex, LucidDaily and LucidDirect) against FTMO Futures Growth and Pro. The evaluation targets are identical at 50K, 100K and 150K ($3,000, $6,000 and $9,000), and both firms use an end-of-day trailing drawdown that locks, pay 90/10 and make you flat before the daily close. The big differences are price model and payout rules: Lucid charges a one-time fee with no time limit, while FTMO Futures bills $119 to $269 every month until you pass. FTMO Pro has the larger per-request caps ($5,000 to $8,000) but a hard daily loss limit, and FTMO caps you at 3 funded accounts against Lucid’s 5. Lucid has a 25K size, 12 platforms, all-soft daily loss limits and payouts that land within minutes to 2 business days, but it closes your simulated accounts when it moves you live and its Trustpilot score (4.4) trails FTMO’s (4.8). FTMO Futures only launched in September 2026, so it has very little payout history of its own. Pick Lucid if you want a one-off cost, a 25K account or a Rithmic platform; pick FTMO Futures if you want bigger withdrawals per request and trust a longer company record. Checked October 13, 2026.
How we researched this article
BestProps used document-based research from primary firm sources, checked October 13, 2026. The complete source list, scope, limitations, and commercial-state record appear near the end of this article.
Comparing Lucid Trading vs FTMO used to start with a market split: Lucid for futures, FTMO for simulated forex and CFDs. That split no longer holds. FTMO launched FTMO Futures in September 2026 (its launch competition runs from September 21 to October 18, 2026), with CME futures on NinjaTrader, Tradovate and TradingView. A futures trader can now choose between the two firms like for like, and that is the comparison this page makes.
Every number below was read on October 13, 2026 from Lucid’s help centre, the pricing data on lucidtrading.com and FTMO’s Futures Trading Objectives and Rules page and Futures FAQ. We did not buy either account, so prices and terms are as the firms publish them, not verified by purchase. Both firms change rules often; check the linked source on the day you buy.
Lucid Trading vs FTMO Quick Verdict
Consider Lucid Trading first if you want to pay once and take as long as you need, want a 25K account, trade on a Rithmic platform (Quantower, Sierra Chart, ATAS, Bookmap and others), want daily payouts (LucidDaily) or want to skip the evaluation (LucidDirect). Lucid’s daily loss limits are all soft, so a bad day pauses the account rather than ending it.
Consider FTMO Futures first if you want larger single withdrawals (FTMO Pro allows 100% of profit per request up to $5,000, $6,000 or $8,000), trade crypto or micro FX futures (FTMO lists Micro Bitcoin, Micro Ether and micro euro, pound and Australian dollar contracts, which Lucid does not), or put weight on a firm that has operated since 2015. Expect a monthly bill until you pass, and on FTMO Pro a hard daily loss limit that ends the account.
Choose neither yet if you have not checked your country, your platform and how your best day compares with your total profit. Advertised account size is not usable risk: a 50K account at either firm gives you $2,000 to $3,000 of drawdown, not $50,000.
Earlier versions of this page treated FTMO as a forex and CFD firm only and avoided quoting numbers. FTMO Futures now exists, so this version compares the futures products directly, with the published targets, drawdowns, fees, payout caps and restrictions of both firms. Lucid’s legacy plans (LucidBlack, the legacy Live and legacy LucidMaxx structures) are not compared here; see the links at the end.
Lucid Trading vs FTMO: Futures and CFD Products
The market model is still the first filter. Futures are standardized exchange contracts with fixed tick values, expiry cycles and sessions. CFDs track an underlying market without being the exchange contract. A strategy built around ES or NQ will not transfer cleanly to an index CFD with different spreads, hours and contract sizes. So the question is which FTMO product you are comparing with Lucid.
| Lucid Trading | FTMO Futures | FTMO CFD Challenge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Markets | CME Group futures: indices, energy, metals, FX, grains and livestock; no crypto futures | CME Group futures: indices, metals, energy, FX, crypto micros | Simulated forex, indices, commodities and crypto CFDs |
| Plans | LucidPro, LucidFlex, LucidDaily (evaluations), LucidDirect (straight to funded) | Growth and Pro (one-step evaluation each) | 2-Step, 1-Step, Instant |
| Sizes | 25K, 50K, 100K, 150K | 50K, 100K, 150K | $10,000 to $200,000 |
| Fee model | One-time fee | Monthly subscription until you pass | One-time fee (2-Step fee refundable with the first reward) |
| Platforms | 12: NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView plus 9 Rithmic platforms | NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView | FTMO’s CFD platforms |
| Like-for-like with Lucid? | – | Yes | No: different market |
The rest of this page compares Lucid with FTMO Futures. If you trade forex or CFDs, Lucid is not an option at all; read our FTMO review and the FTMO 2-Step and 1-Step rules instead.
Lucid Trading vs FTMO Comparison
The table sets the 50K accounts side by side. Every plan uses the same structure at 100K and 150K; those numbers are in the sections below.
| Rule (50K) | LucidPro | LucidFlex | LucidDaily | LucidDirect | FTMO Growth | FTMO Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fee | $172 once | $136 once | $136 once (EOD eval) or $108 (intraday eval) | $515 once | $119 a month | $139 a month |
| Profit target | $3,000 | $3,000 | $3,000 | None | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Max drawdown | $2,000 EOD | $2,000 EOD | $2,000 (funded is intraday) | $2,000 EOD | $2,000 EOD | $3,000 EOD |
| Daily loss limit | Optional, soft, $1,200 | Optional, soft, $1,200 | Optional, soft, $1,200 | Soft, $1,200 | None in eval; soft $1,000 funded | Hard $1,000 (eval and funded) |
| Evaluation consistency | None | 50% | 50% | – | 40% | 50% |
| Fastest pass | 1 day | 2 days | 2 days | No evaluation | 3 days | 2 days |
| Funded consistency | 40% per cycle | None | None | 20% per cycle | None | None |
| Max request | $2,000, then $2,500 | 50% of profit, up to $2,000 | Profit above buffer | $2,000, then $2,500 | 50% of profit, up to $2,500 | 100% of profit, up to $5,000 |
| Contracts | 4 minis | 2 to 4 minis (scaling) | 4 minis | 4 minis | 5 in eval; 2 to 5 funded | 5 in eval; 2 to 5 funded |
| Split | 90/10 | 90/10 | 90/10 | 90/10 | 90/10 | 90/10 |
Sources: LucidPro evaluation, LucidFlex evaluation, LucidDaily evaluation, LucidDirect funded account, Lucid list prices from lucidtrading.com, and FTMO’s Trading Objectives and Rules. Lucid prices are list prices with the daily loss limit switched on; turning it off costs extra (see Fees and Costs).
Lucid Trading vs FTMO Evaluation Rules
Both firms run a single-step evaluation with no time limit and assess passes after the trading day closes. The targets match exactly at every shared size, so the differences are in how the drawdown, daily loss limit and consistency rule shape the path to the target.
| Size | Target (all) | Lucid Pro / Flex / Daily drawdown | FTMO Growth drawdown | FTMO Pro drawdown | Lucid max size | FTMO max size (eval) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25K | $1,250 (Lucid only) | $1,000 | – | – | 2 minis / 20 micros | – |
| 50K | $3,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $3,000 | 4 minis / 40 micros | 5 minis / 50 micros |
| 100K | $6,000 | $3,000 | $3,500 | $4,500 | 6 minis / 60 micros | 10 minis / 100 micros |
| 150K | $9,000 | $4,500 | $5,000 | $6,000 | 10 minis / 100 micros | 15 minis / 150 micros |
- LucidPro: no evaluation consistency rule, so Lucid says you can pass in one trading day. Optional fixed daily loss limit of $1,200, $1,800 or $2,700 (50K to 150K). Source
- LucidFlex and LucidDaily: a 50% consistency rule with a small built-in cushion, so the fastest pass is two days. LucidDaily lets you pick an end-of-day or a cheaper intraday drawdown for the evaluation. Flex source, Daily source
- LucidDirect: no evaluation at all; you start funded and pay much more for it. Source
- FTMO Growth: a 40% consistency rule and no daily loss limit during the evaluation. FTMO puts the minimum time to pass at 3 trading days. Source
- FTMO Pro: a 50% consistency rule, a larger drawdown and a hard daily loss limit ($1,000, $1,500 or $2,000) that fails the evaluation if touched. Minimum 2 trading days. Source
Consistency at both firms is the same formula: best day divided by total profit. Missing it is not a breach; you keep trading until the ratio drops. At FTMO Growth 50K, FTMO’s own example shows a $2,000 best day forcing total profit up to $5,000 before you can pass, not $3,000. At Lucid Flex 50K the same $2,000 day needs about $4,000 in total. A trader whose profit comes in bursts reaches the target soonest on LucidPro, which has no evaluation consistency rule.
Build a shortlist of specific plans, then record these items from the official rule pages:
- The profit target and how the consistency rule changes it for your typical best day.
- The daily loss limit, whether it is soft or hard, and the exact time at which it resets.
- The maximum drawdown, whether it trails at end of day or intraday, and the balance at which it locks.
- The contract limit in the evaluation and on the funded account, including any scaling plan.
- Rules for news events and the time you must be flat each day.
- Inactivity provisions and prohibited trading practices.
- The conditions that apply after passing, not just during evaluation.
A plan with a lower target is not automatically easier. Its drawdown may be tighter, its daily limit may interact poorly with open positions, or its consistency conditions may not suit a strategy that produces irregular returns.
Lucid Trading vs FTMO Drawdown Rules
Both firms use an end-of-day trailing drawdown on their main products: the loss floor is recalculated from your highest closing balance, never moves down, and stops trailing once it reaches a set level. The details differ in three ways that matter.
| Lucid Trading | FTMO Futures | |
|---|---|---|
| Drawdown type | End of day on Pro, Flex and Direct; LucidDaily funded accounts trail intraday | End of day on Growth and Pro |
| Where it locks | At starting balance + $100 (for example $50,100 on 50K) once you close above the initial trail balance ($52,100 on 50K) | At the starting balance (for example $50,000 on 50K) once the trailing limit reaches it |
| Daily loss limit | Soft on every plan: trading stops for the day, the account survives. Optional on Pro, Flex and Daily (chosen at checkout) | Growth: none in evaluation, soft when funded. Pro: hard in evaluation and funded; touching it ends the account |
| Funded daily limit growth | Pro and Direct switch to LucidScale above the trail: 60% of your highest end-of-day profit | Recalculated each day from the start-of-day balance; can rise or fall |
Sources: LucidPro drawdown, LucidPro daily loss limit, LucidDaily funded account, FTMO Trading Objectives and Rules and Growth vs Pro FAQ.
Here is the same price path on two 50K accounts. The trader closes day 1 up $1,000, gives back $500 on day 2, then closes day 3 up $2,000 more.
| Closing balance | Lucid Pro / Flex 50K floor ($2,000 EOD) | FTMO Growth 50K floor ($2,000 EOD) | FTMO Pro 50K floor ($3,000 EOD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start: $50,000 | $48,000 | $48,000 | $47,000 |
| Day 1 close: $51,000 | $49,000 | $49,000 | $48,000 |
| Day 2 close: $50,500 | $49,000 (does not fall) | $49,000 (does not fall) | $48,000 (does not fall) |
| Day 3 close: $52,500 | $50,100 (locked: closed above $52,100) | $50,000 (locked at starting balance) | $49,500 (still trailing; locks at $53,000 close) |
On LucidDaily funded accounts the floor follows open profit in real time, so a trade that is up $1,000 and comes back to breakeven raises the floor by $1,000 even though nothing was banked. That is the main reason to model LucidDaily separately from the other plans. On FTMO Pro the drawdown is larger, but a single bad day that touches the hard daily limit ends the account, which never happens at Lucid because its daily limits are soft.
Lucid Trading vs FTMO Fees and Costs
The price models are different, so compare the total you would pay for the time you expect to need. Lucid sells each evaluation for a one-time fee with no monthly rebilling and no activation fee (source). FTMO Futures is a monthly subscription that renews on the same date until you pass; the subscription is then cancelled, there is no activation fee and you pay nothing for the funded account (source). You can cancel the subscription at any time (source).
| Plan | Evaluation price | Reset price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| LucidPro | $172 / $272 / $365 once | $120 / $190 / $255 | Daily loss limit off adds $20 / $35 / $45 |
| LucidFlex | $136 / $258 / $372 once | $95 / $180 / $260 | Daily loss limit off adds $10 / $35 / $35 |
| LucidDaily (EOD eval) | $136 / $222 / $315 once | $95 / $155 / $220 | Intraday-drawdown eval: $108 / $179 / $258 |
| LucidDirect | $515 / $700 / $836 once | No reset product | Straight to funded |
| FTMO Growth | $119 / $169 / $229 a month | $109 / $159 / $219 | Reset does not change the billing date |
| FTMO Pro | $139 / $199 / $269 a month | $129 / $189 / $259 | Reset fee is non-refundable |
Lucid also prices a 25K size (LucidPro $108, LucidFlex $79, LucidDaily $93). On October 13, 2026 Lucid’s pricing cards applied a 30% checkout discount to evaluations and LucidDirect (resets excluded), which took the LucidPro 50K to $115.40 with the daily loss limit on; current codes are on our Lucid Trading deals page. FTMO Futures showed no discount on its rules page on the same date.
| Pass in | LucidPro | LucidFlex | FTMO Growth | FTMO Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | $172 | $136 | $119 | $139 |
| Month 2 | $172 | $136 | $238 | $278 |
| Month 3 | $172 | $136 | $357 | $417 |
So FTMO is cheapest only if you pass inside the first billing month. A breach changes the sums differently: at Lucid you buy a reset (or a new account); at FTMO a breached account is replaced on your next billing date as part of the subscription, or you pay a reset to restart sooner. Lucid’s refund policy excludes accounts that have been traded, FTMO’s reset fee is non-refundable, and FTMO’s Futures FAQ says there is no free trial for the futures product.
Lucid Trading vs FTMO Payout Rules
Both firms split funded profit 90/10. The rules that decide how much you take home, and how often, are very different.
| Plan | What unlocks a request | How much you can take | Per-request cap (50K / 100K / 150K) | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LucidPro | Profit goal $500 / $750 / $1,000 per cycle, 40% consistency, profit above the buffer | Profit above the buffer (start + drawdown + $100) | $2,000 / $2,500 / $3,000 first; $2,500 / $3,000 / $3,500 after | $500 |
| LucidFlex | 5 days of at least $150 / $200 / $250 profit, positive net cycle | 50% of profit | $2,000 / $2,500 / $3,000 (do not rise) | $500 |
| LucidDaily | Profit above the buffer and $1+ net profit since the last payout | All profit above the buffer, daily | No per-request cap; a max daily profit of $8,000 / $10,000 / $12,000 triggers live review | $500 |
| LucidDirect | Profit goal $3,000 / $6,000 / $9,000 first, then $2,500 / $3,500 / $4,500; 20% consistency | Up to the cap | $2,000 / $2,500 / $3,000 for payouts 1-3; $2,500 / $3,000 / $3,500 for 4-5 | $500 |
| FTMO Growth | 4 days of at least $150 / $250 / $300 profit; half of each request must be new profit | 50% of profit | $2,500 / $3,000 / $4,000 | $20 |
| FTMO Pro | 5 days of at least $200 / $300 / $500 profit; half of each request must be new profit | 100% of profit | $5,000 / $6,000 / $8,000 | $20 |
Sources: LucidPro payouts, LucidFlex payouts, LucidDaily payouts, LucidDirect payout objectives, FTMO Trading Objectives and Rules. Lucid’s Pro and Direct funded-account overviews still say “No simulated payout caps” while their payout arti