If you are choosing a prop firm in 2026, FTMO is almost always the first name on the list. It has been running since 2015, it has paid out more than $650 million, and most other firms get measured against it. Atlas Funded is four years old and gets measured against it too.
This page puts the two side by side on the things that actually decide it: what the evaluation costs, how quickly you see your money, how big an account you can get, and which rules will catch you out. Every figure comes from one of the two firms' own published pages, and where FTMO is the better choice we say so.
The short version is that Atlas is cheaper at every account size on the two-step evaluation both firms sell, pays faster and puts a $1,000 penalty on itself if it is late, and offers ways to get funded that FTMO does not sell at all. FTMO has the longer track record, MetaTrader 4, and a bigger ceiling to grow into.
Those are the four places the gap is widest. FTMO is still ahead on track record, MetaTrader 4, the wait to a first payout and a scaling ceiling of $2,000,000, and the section further down says so properly rather than burying it.
FTMO vs Atlas Funded at a glance
Every number below is published by one of the two firms. FTMO's come from its own trading objectives and challenge pages, and ours from the Atlas pricing table and trading rules. Where FTMO is stronger, the row says so.
| Feature | Atlas Funded | FTMO | Better |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid entry | $5 upfront on Access, balance only if you pass | €79 for a $10K one-step | Atlas |
| $50K two-step challenge | $268 | €345 (about $398) | Atlas |
| $100K two-step challenge | $498 | €540 (about $622) | Atlas |
| Two-step profit target | 9% then 5% | 10% then 5% | Atlas |
| Largest single account | $400,000 on Instant Funding and Access | $200,000 | Atlas |
| Payout once approved | 24 hours on a business day, or Atlas adds $1,000 | 1 to 2 business days, no guarantee | Atlas |
| First payout | 28 days after your first funded trade | From the 14th day after your first trade | FTMO |
| Daily loss limit | 5% | 5% | Even |
| Maximum loss | 10%, static | 10%, static | Even |
| Time limit | None | None | Even |
| Weekend holds, funded account | Allowed on every model | Standard accounts close before the weekend | Atlas |
| News trading, funded account | Allowed, profit within 5 minutes either side is deducted | Standard accounts cannot open or close within 2 minutes | Atlas |
| Ways to get funded | Five forex models plus a futures programme | One-step and two-step | Atlas |
| Platforms | TradeLocker, MT5, Match‑Trader | MT4, MT5, cTrader | FTMO |
| Scaling ceiling | Up to twice the starting balance | Up to $2,000,000 | FTMO |
| Highest profit split | 100% as a paid add‑on | 80%, rising to 90% free through the Scaling Plan | FTMO |
| Track record | Trading since 2024 | Trading since 2015 | FTMO |
What is Atlas Funded?
Atlas Funded launched in 2024 and runs simulated funded accounts across forex, metals, energy, indices and futures. The pitch is fewer obstacles between passing an evaluation and being paid: a 24 hour payout guarantee backed by an automatic $1,000 credit if it is missed, no time limit on any evaluation phase, and weekend and overnight holding on every model.
There are four ways in on forex. A one-step and a two-step in standard and Pro versions, instant funding with no evaluation at all, and Access, where $5 gets you started and the rest is only due if you pass. A separate futures programme sits alongside them. Accounts run from $5,000 to $400,000, platforms are TradeLocker, MT5 and Match-Trader, and the firm is Atlas Funded LTD, registered in Saint Lucia.
What is FTMO?
FTMO was founded in Prague in 2015 and is the reference point for the whole sector. It publishes more than $650 million paid to traders and is the firm most people mean when they say prop firm. It sells two products: a one-step challenge and the two-step challenge and verification that made the model famous.
Accounts run from $10,000 to $200,000 with fees quoted in euros, and the evaluation fee is refunded on your first withdrawal. Platforms are MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and cTrader. Funded accounts come in Standard and Swing versions, and the difference matters: Standard has to be flat before the weekend and cannot trade around news, while Swing can do both at lower leverage. Its scaling plan grows a funded account by 25% every four months towards a $2,000,000 ceiling.
Price: what each firm charges
Fees are the clearest gap between the two firms, and it is not close once you compare the same product. FTMO quotes in euros, so the dollar column below is converted rather than quoted.
| Account | Atlas Funded | FTMO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | $88 | €89 (about $103) | Atlas saves $15 |
| $25,000 | $178 | €250 (about $288) | Atlas saves $110 |
| $50,000 | $268 | €345 (about $398) | Atlas saves $130 |
| $100,000 | $498 | €540 (about $622) | Atlas saves $124 |
| $200,000 | $928 | €1,080 (about $1,244) | Atlas saves $316 |
There is also a bracket FTMO does not sell into. Atlas Access costs $5 upfront with the balance due only if you pass. FTMO's cheapest paid evaluation is €79 for a $10,000 one-step, and it runs free trials that let you test the rules without funding you. FTMO also refunds your evaluation fee on your first withdrawal, which Atlas does not do until your third funded payout, so on a single passed account the true costs land closer together than the sticker prices suggest.
Payouts: how fast you get paid
Atlas processes an approved payout within 24 hours on a business day. If it misses that on a valid request, $1,000 is credited to the account automatically and there is nothing to claim. That is the only hard commitment either firm makes about payout speed.
FTMO says one to two business days to review a reward request and one to two more to send it, with no guarantee attached. Where FTMO is genuinely better is the wait to your first payout: you can claim from the 14th day after your first trade, while Atlas asks for 28 days before the first one and then every 14 after that. If getting paid early in your first month matters more than the guarantee, FTMO wins that trade.
Trading rules compared
The headline risk limits are identical on the two-step. Both firms run a 5% daily loss limit and a 10% maximum loss calculated statically from the starting balance, and neither puts a time limit on the evaluation. The profit target is where they part company: Atlas asks for 9% then 5%, FTMO for 10% then 5%. On a $100,000 account that is $1,000 of profit you do not have to find.
The bigger differences show up once you are funded. An FTMO Standard account has to be flat before the weekend and cannot open or close a position within two minutes either side of a listed news release. Atlas allows weekend and overnight holds on every model, and allows news trading on funded accounts, deducting profit made within five minutes either side of a red folder event rather than blocking the trade or breaching the account.
Neither firm's two-step carries a consistency rule. FTMO's one-step does: the Best Day Rule caps your best day at 50% of your positive days' profit and applies to the funded account as well as the challenge. Atlas has no consistency rule on the Two Step, Two Step Pro, Three Step, One Step Pro or Instant Zero, though the One Step funded account carries a 25% rule and Instant Funded a 20% rule. Neither breaches the account; they hold the payout until the ratio improves.
Platforms and markets
FTMO wins here and it is worth being direct about it. It offers MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and cTrader. Atlas offers TradeLocker, MT5 and Match-Trader on forex, plus TradeSea and Volumetrica on futures. If your strategy depends on an MT4 expert advisor or an indicator nobody ever ported, FTMO can run it and Atlas cannot.
On markets the two are close. Both cover forex majors, minors and exotics, metals, energy and global indices. FTMO adds equity CFDs. Atlas adds a futures programme with its own pricing and rules, which FTMO does not offer at all.
Where Atlas Funded is stronger
Cheaper at every size on the two-step
Compare the product both firms sell and Atlas comes in lower at every tier. The $50K is $268 against about $398, and the $200K is $928 against about $1,244. Both columns are list prices, so neither is flattered by a promotion.
Paid in 24 hours, or we add $1,000
Atlas commits to a number and puts money behind it. Miss 24 hours on a valid request and $1,000 is credited automatically, with nothing to claim. FTMO says one to two business days and attaches no guarantee. Both firms process on business days, so a Friday request lands Monday either way.
A lower bar to clear
The Atlas two-step asks for 9% and then 5%. FTMO asks for 10% and then 5%. One percent sounds small until you are trading it on a $100,000 account, where it is $1,000 of profit you do not have to find.
A bigger single account
The largest account FTMO will put you on is $200,000. Atlas funds a single account to $400,000 on Instant Funding and Access. FTMO can allocate $400,000 in total, but only by splitting it across separate accounts with separate rules.
Five ways in, plus futures
FTMO sells a one-step and a two-step. Atlas has a one-step, a two-step, instant funding with no evaluation at all, Access at $5 upfront, and a separate futures programme.
Hold through the weekend
An FTMO Standard funded account has to be flat before the weekend, and the Swing account that escapes that runs at 1:30 leverage instead of 1:100. Every Atlas model holds overnight and through the weekend.
Where FTMO is stronger
These are the reasons a trader would reasonably pick FTMO over us.
Ten years of history
FTMO started in 2015, says it has paid over $650 million to traders, and cites an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year award and Forbes coverage. Atlas started in 2024. If length of track record is what you weigh most heavily, that is FTMO's, not ours.
MetaTrader 4
Atlas runs TradeLocker, MT5 and Match-Trader. If your strategy depends on an MT4 expert advisor or an indicator that was never ported, FTMO can run it and we cannot.
Faster to your first payout, and a free 90%
FTMO lets you claim from the 14th day after your first trade. Atlas makes you wait 28 days for the first one, and asks for five qualifying trading days against FTMO's four. FTMO also moves you to 90% through its Scaling Plan for nothing, where our 100% is a paid upgrade on an 80% default.
A much higher ceiling to scale into
FTMO's scaling plan compounds to $2,000,000. Atlas scales to twice your starting balance. Traders who intend to spend years at one firm and grow into seven figures have more room there.
Which should you choose?
Choose FTMO if
- You need MetaTrader 4 specifically
- You want your first payout as early as possible
- You are aiming at a seven figure funded account over several years
- You want the higher profit split without buying an upgrade
Choose Atlas Funded if
- You want the same two-step evaluation for less at every account size
- You want a payout guarantee with a number and a penalty attached
- You want a single funded account larger than $200,000
- You want to hold trades through the weekend on a funded account
- You want to start for $5 and pay the rest only if you pass
- You want instant funding, Access, or futures, none of which FTMO offers
Frequently asked questions
Is Atlas Funded cheaper than FTMO?
On the two-step, yes, at every account size. Atlas lists the $50K at $268 against FTMO's €345, and the $200K at $928 against €1,080. Converted at 1.1522 on 3 August 2026 that is about $398 and $1,244. Atlas also sells Access at $5 upfront. FTMO's cheapest paid evaluation is €79 for a $10,000 one-step, and its one-step can undercut ours at that size, so the two-step is the fair like-for-like comparison.
How fast does each firm pay?
Atlas processes an approved payout within 24 hours and credits $1,000 automatically if it misses that on a valid request. FTMO says one to two business days to review and one to two more to send, with no guarantee attached. FTMO gets you to your first payout sooner though: you can claim from the 14th day after your first trade, where Atlas asks for 28 days before the first one and then every 14.
Which firm has the easier rules?
The risk limits match on the two-step: 5% daily, 10% maximum loss, static, and no time limit at either firm. Atlas asks for a lower profit target, 9% then 5% against 10% then 5%. On a funded account Atlas also lets you hold through the weekend and trade news, where an FTMO Standard funded account has to be flat before the weekend and cannot open or close within two minutes of a listed release. FTMO asks for four minimum trading days against our five.
Does either firm have a consistency rule?
Neither firm's two-step has one. FTMO's one-step does: the Best Day Rule caps your best day at 50% of your positive days' profit, and it applies to the funded account as well as the challenge. Atlas has no consistency rule on the Two Step, Two Step Pro, Three Step, One Step Pro or Instant Zero. The One Step funded account has a 25% rule and Instant Funded has 20%, and neither breaches the account. They hold the payout until the ratio improves.
What is the biggest account I can get?
The largest single account at FTMO is $200,000, though it can allocate $400,000 in total across separate accounts, and its scaling plan can grow an existing account towards $2,000,000 over time. Atlas funds a single account to $400,000 on Instant Funding and Access, and scales to twice the starting balance.
Is FTMO better than Atlas Funded?
It depends what you are optimising for. FTMO wins on operating history, MetaTrader 4, the long term scaling ceiling, the wait to a first payout, and a free route to 90%. Atlas wins on price at every tier of the two-step, the profit target, the size of a single funded account, the payout guarantee, weekend holding, and the range of ways to get funded. Both run the same 5% and 10% risk limits with no time limit.
Prices and rules move. Everything here was checked against both firms' own pages in August 2026, and the Atlas figures come from our trading rules and pricing, which are the versions that count.
Your move
Only pay the full fee after you pass