There are now more prop firms than ever in the industry, giving traders a huge amount of choice as to who they wish to obtain their funded trading accounts from.
FTMO led the march in the prop firm industry for many years. However, now there are prop firms offering different trading conditions, different rules and different amounts of capital allocation which may be more suitable for traders.
In this article we’ll take a look at the best alternative prop firms to FTMO. Plus everything you’ll need to consider when choosing the prop firm you want to trade with. So, let’s get into it…
What Is FTMO?
FTMO is a prop trading firm, offering traders capital of up to $200,000. The capital is simulated capital, whereby traders will have access to demo accounts, once completing a trading challenge.
Once the challenge is completed, the trade will be able to keep up to 80% of the profits he made.
FTMO was one of the first “big players” in the prop firm scene and paved the way for many of the other prop firms to come into the market and explode the growth. Whilst providing a huge amount of opportunities for retail traders looking to increase their capital under management.
The Best FTMO Alternative
There are a few great alternatives to FTMO that you can be trading with. However, you must be very cautious when choosing a prop firm, as many are untrustworthy and have bad or non-existent reputations
Therefore, when deciding to branch away from FTMO, it’s important to ensure you’re conducting your due diligence. You must check you are working with a prop firm that is very reputable. This includes transparent company information, information of the staff and directors, a transparent business model, addresses, phone numbers and reviews.
You may have noticed that most of the new prop firms in 2023 have a ‘copy and paste’ style website, with no company addresses or phone numbers. Nor any information about the business itself or who is running the show. These firms need to be avoided at all costs, as they disappear as quickly as they’re opened.
The5ers- The Best Alternative To FTMO
The5ers is the best alternative to FTMO in the market currently.
The firm was founded in 2016 and has a completely transparent background – including registration information, addresses and staff. All staff are legitimate staff you can find on LinkedIn. Rather than the typical ‘stock photo staff’ we see with other prop firms.
The5ers offers traders real capital funding of up to $4,000,000 through a range of trading programs centered around forex. But also offer metals, indices and stock trading.
The firm has a glowing reputation in the industry, second to only FTMO, with a 4.8/5 star reputation on Trustpilot. They have over 1500 reviews at the time of writing this.
The5ers has a risk desk and an incredible scaling program, designed to help profitable traders reach larger levels of capital that would usually only be achievable at large family offices or hedge funds.
One aspect that sets The5ers apart from competition, beyond its age and reputation, is the real trading capital. This ensures that when the regulators start working within the industry, the firm will remain fully compliant. It helps them stray away from the ‘Ponzi’ model that has led to the downfall of MyForexFunds and others.
Comparing The5ers And FTMO
Now that we have introduced an FTMO alternative, let’s compare FTMO against The5ers to help you make a more informed decision as to whether it’s the prop firm for you!
Cost
Cost wise, The5ers comes in with a challenge account costing just $39 – which is much cheaper than the cheapest FTMO account of $155.
This is a great option for traders just looking to dip their toe into the prop firm industry without spending big!
Reputation
FTMO and The5ers both have flawless reputations. FTMO boasts 6000 Trustpilot reviews, with an average of 4.9/5 stars.
The5ers boasts 1500 reviews on Trustpilot with an average of 4.8/5 stars.
FTMO clearly has more reviews due to their prestige and notoriety within the industry.
Funding Potential
FTMO will fund traders with up to $200,000 in trading capital. There is also a scaling program in place whereby traders can increase their capital by 25% every 4 months, if the profit and consistency targets are met.
The5ers will fund traders with up to $100,000 in trading capital initially, followed by an aggressive scaling program up to $4,000,000. Every 5% gain, your capital will be increased until you reach that $4M milestone in capital.
Age
The5ers was founded in Israel in 2016. FTMO was founded in the Czech Republic in 2015. There is really only a few months difference in the founding dates, meaning these are the 2 oldest and most established online prop firms within the industry at this point.
Other Prop Firms That Could Be A Good Alternative
Besides The5ers, there are a few other firms that could be a good alternative to FTMO.
E8 Funding
E8 Funding could be a great option as an FTMO alternative, offering traders up to $250,000 in capital along with 80% profit splits
Whilst E8 Funding are a much newer firm than The5ers, they’ve garnered over 1300 Trustpilot reviews so far with an average of 4.7/5 stars.
They offer a range of markets to be traded too, which makes them a great option for indices and crypto traders alike.
True Forex Funds
True Forex Funds is another possible option for traders looking to work with a different prop firm.
They’ve been around for a few years now and generated a huge amount of traction within the online trading communities. Through their huge payouts, relaxed ruleset and great marketing.
They’re offering traders up to $400,000 in simulated trading capital and up to 80% profit splits, making it a great option!
True Forex Funds, although relatively new to the industry, has garnered over 2000 reviews on Trustpilot. Coming in at an average of 4.7/5 stars.
The Benefits Of Trading With Multiple Prop Firms
If you’re already trading with FTMO, there are still a number of benefits for seeking out additional prop firms to work with.
Reducing Risk
Prop firms that are mismanaged or built on a Ponzi style model, like MyForexFunds, can easily go bust. Or be shut down by the regulators in their case.
By trading with a number of different prop firms at once, you’re reducing your overall risk exposure . If one prop firm ceases trading, you’ll only notice a slight hit, rather than losing access to all of your large prop firm accounts.
Increasing Profits
Most prop firms will only let traders have access to so much capital when they’re working together. This means typically that if you want to increase your profits, you should look to work with a second or third prop firm simultaneously.
If you’re netting consistent results on your $100,000 FTMO account, you’ll also be netting those same results on other prop firm accounts. In theory increasing your profits trading each month.
Automating Your Trading
It may sound like a hassle to trade with multiple prop firms at once but the reality is there are a range of great trade copiers that will replicate your trades to multiple accounts at once.
The majority of prop firms are okay with traders using this method. So long as trades aren’t copied to multiple accounts with one firm in particular.
These trade copier systems can usually be set up in a few minutes. They will run indefinitely on a forex vps until turned off.
For more benefits, check out our full article Benefits of Using a Prop Firm
In Summary – The Best Alternative To FTMO Is The5ers
In conclusion, there are some great alternatives in the market to FTMO, one of which being The5ers. Being the one of the most reputable and long standing prop firms in the industry (since 2016), makes this a great option for traders looking to work with a safe prop firm for their funded accounts.
