FTMO wins on drawdown clarity and the fee refund; E8 Markets wins on price and payout flexibility. Most of the pages you will find on this comparison contradict each other about E8's drawdown, and they are all partly right: E8 runs four products with four different drawdown mechanics, so "the E8 drawdown" does not exist until you pick a product.
Every figure below comes from E8's own help centre and pricing pages and from ftmo.com, with the check date on each. The E8 site sits behind a bot check for automated readers, so I used dated archived copies of its official help-centre pages; the archive date is stated next to each source.
E8 Signature: $280 for a $100,000 one-phase account, a 6% target, an end-of-day drawdown that locks, and payouts on demand. FTMO 1-Step: €499 for the same size, a 10% trailing drawdown, and the fee refunded with your first payout. Pick E8 for price and payout speed; pick FTMO for room to breathe and the refund.
The Drawdown Contradiction, Settled
E8's help centre describes four distinct drawdown rules, one per product. The database pages ranking above this one each picked a different one. Here is the rule text from E8's own help centre, with the archive date of each page.
E8 Drawdown by Product (E8 Help Centre)
- E8 Signature: "A moving loss limit based on your highest end-of-day balance. It only updates once per day at market close (intraday equity swings do not move it). It locks permanently at the initial balance level." Help centre, archived 27 September 2026.
- E8 One: a Daily Drawdown of 4% of the initial balance, set as a fixed dollar amount each day at 00:00 server time, plus a 6% Dynamic Drawdown on "the last Highest Closed Balance" that "locks, becomes fully static" once you have closed that much profit. Help centre, archived 9 October and 29 January 2026.
- E8 Pro: "A fixed loss limit based on your initial balance. It never moves, except when a first payout is processed" (8%), plus a 2.5% daily loss. Help centre, archived 27 September and 9 October 2026.
- E8 Zero (futures): an EOD Dynamic Drawdown on end-of-day balance, same lock-at-start mechanic as Signature. Product overview, archived 5 August 2026.
The practical difference is large. On Signature and Pro your worst-day risk is bounded and predictable, and Pro's floor even moves up to your starting balance after the first payout. On E8 One the daily 4% is calculated against the starting balance of the day, so a profitable run raises the daily dollar floor, while the 6% dynamic floor follows your closed profits upward. If a page does not name the product, its drawdown claim is guesswork.
Fees: What Each Firm Charges, and What Recurs
Both charge once per attempt and neither charges a monthly subscription. E8 is cheaper at every comparable size and lists no refund. FTMO refunds the fee in full with your first payout, which at a 10% target means the attempt is free once you pass.
| Cost | FTMO 1-Step | FTMO 2-Step | E8 Signature | E8 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | €199 | €250 | $120 | $148 |
| $50,000 | €319 | €345 | $160 | $228 |
| $100,000 | €499 (promo €399) | €540 (promo €439) | $280 | $488 |
| $150,000 | Not offered | Not offered | $450 | Not offered |
| $200,000 | €999 | €1,080 | Not offered | $998 |
| Recurring? | No, one-time per attempt | No, one-time per attempt | No, one-time per attempt | No, one-time per attempt |
| Activation fee | None | None | None ("Contains activation fee: No") | None stated |
| Fee refunded? | Yes, 100% with the first payout | Yes, 100% with the first payout | No refund stated | No refund stated |
| Platform surcharge | None | None | cTrader costs $10 extra on accounts under $100 | cTrader costs $10 extra on accounts under $100 |
Two pricing caveats. E8's prices above are the base figures from its own account configurator, archived 12 October 2026; a 30% to 50% promotional code was live at the time, so check the checkout price before you rely on any figure. FTMO's €399 and €439 promotions on the $100,000 accounts are conditional and were checked on 23 October 2026.
Rules: Targets, Drawdown, Consistency and Payouts
I compare E8 Signature against FTMO's 1-Step because they are the same shape: one phase, one target, straight to payouts. E8 Pro is in the table because its rules differ enough to change the decision.
| Rule | FTMO 1-Step | E8 Signature | E8 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profit target | 10% | 6% ($1,500 at 25K up to $9,000 at 150K) | 8% |
| Daily loss limit | 3% | None in the challenge; 2% soft Daily Pause once funded | 2.5% |
| Maximum drawdown | 10% trailing | EOD dynamic: $1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000 / $4,500, locking at start | 8% static, moves to start after first payout |
| Minimum trading days | None stated | None; one trade per 60 days to keep the account | None; one trade per 60 days |
| Consistency | Best day at or below 50% of total profit, accounts opened from 12 Oct 2026 | 35% best day before each payout request | None |
| Profit split | 90% | 80% | Up to 100%, paid from 50% of profit set aside per request |
| Payout cycle | Every 14 days | On demand; 5 profitable days of 0.3%+ between requests | On request daily; minimum 1% of balance |
| Payout extras | 1 to 2 business days processing; fee refunded with first payout | Buffer equal to the drawdown held back; payout caps per cycle; $100 minimum | No caps; $100 minimum |
| Platforms | MT4, MT5, cTrader, DXtrade | MT5, TradeLocker, MatchTrader, cTrader (+$10 under $100) | Same as Signature |
| Asset class | Forex and CFD | Forex, crypto or futures, chosen at checkout | Forex or perpetual futures |
The consistency rows point in opposite directions. FTMO caps your best day at half of total profit before the account will pay, and applies no minimum trading days. E8 Signature sets the bar tighter at 35% but asks for just five profitable days of 0.3% or more between payouts, and E8 Pro asks for neither rule at all.
Payout mechanics differ more than the split suggests. FTMO's 90% arrives every 14 days on a fixed cycle. E8 Signature holds back a buffer equal to its drawdown and caps each request, and on its futures version limits you to five payouts per account. E8 Pro's advertised "up to 100%" works by setting aside half of your profit per request, with the rest staying in as the buffer that protects your new floor.
Pick FTMO If…
- You want the widest drawdown: 10% trailing against E8's 3% to 4% on Signature.
- You want the fee back. FTMO refunds it in full with the first payout; E8 states no refund.
- You want a 90% split without payout buffers or per-request caps.
- You trade on DXtrade or MT4, which E8 does not offer.
Pick E8 Markets If…
- You want the lowest entry: $120 to $280 for Signature against €199 to €499 at FTMO.
- You want payouts on demand rather than every 14 days, and can live with the 35% best-day rule and the held-back buffer.
- You want a product with no consistency rule at all: E8 Pro.
- You want your drawdown to lock rather than trail forever, which neither FTMO product does.
Verdict: Decide on the Drawdown, Then the Fee
The two firms are selling different risk shapes. FTMO gives you a big trailing floor, a fixed payout calendar and a fee that comes back. E8 Signature gives you a small floor that locks, cheaper entry and faster payouts, in exchange for a tighter consistency test and a lower split. If you know your worst-case day matters more than your entry fee, the drawdown table above, not the price table, should make the choice.
Sources: Signature rules, Pro rules, Daily, Static, Dynamic and EOD Dynamic Drawdown, product overview, payout guide, platforms and the 35% Best Day Rule — E8 help centre, each page's archive date given in the text above, plus e8markets.com pricing (archived 12 October 2026). FTMO figures from ftmo.com, read 23 October 2026: see our FTMO account prices guide and FTMO drawdown rules explained.
