FTMO gives you the wider drawdown and the cleaner payout; The 5%ers gives you the cheaper $100,000 evaluation and no consistency percentage to break. That is the trade, and it matters more than the fee gap.
Both firms run a two-step evaluation at $100,000, so this is a like-for-like decision. I checked FTMO's trading objectives and price list and The5ers' High Stakes plan pages on 27 October 2026. Every figure below carries that date and the plan names are the firms' own.
At $100,000, FTMO's 2-Step costs €540 and allows a 10% maximum loss with 5% daily. The5ers' High Stakes costs $405 under its NEW rules and allows 8% maximum with 4% daily, but imposes no consistency percentage and caps a payout at $4,000. Pick FTMO if you need room and an uncapped 90% split. Pick The5ers if your profits arrive in bursts and you want the lower entry cost.
Key Takeaways
- The5ers is cheaper at 100K: $405 against €540, different currencies, before any promotion.
- FTMO offers more room: 10% maximum loss against 8%, and 5% daily against 4%.
- The consistency gap is the big one. FTMO caps your best day at 30% of total profit on the 2-Step; The5ers publishes no consistency percentage for High Stakes.
- FTMO's split is a flat 90% with a 14-day cycle. The5ers starts at 80%, scales to 100%, caps a payout at $4,000 and asks for $500 minimum.
Fees: $405 Against €540
Both charge once per attempt. Neither firm charges a monthly subscription for these evaluation plans, so the entry fee is the whole cost unless you buy a second attempt.
| Cost at $100,000 | FTMO 2-Step | FTMO 1-Step | The5ers High Stakes (NEW) | The5ers High Stakes (Classic) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-time fee | €540 | €499 | $405 | $455 |
| Current promotion | €439, only without another active $100K account | €399, same condition | None shown on the plan table | None shown on the plan table |
| Profit target | 10%, then 5% | 10% | 10%, then 5% | 8%, then 5% |
| Fee refunded? | Yes, with your first reward | No | Marked “Refund” at the Pro Trader stage | Marked “Refund” at the Pro Trader stage |
| Starting split | 80%, rising to 90% | 90% | 80%, rising to 100% | 80%, rising to 100% |
| Recurring charge | None | None | None | None |
The currencies are not the same, so do not subtract one from the other without checking the rate on the day. What survives the conversion is the shape: The5ers is the cheaper attempt, and FTMO is the one with a refund promise attached to the 2-Step only.
FTMO's own pages disagree about that refund. Its 2-Step pricing card and refund FAQ say the 2-Step fee comes back with the first reward, while its 1-Step page carries a 100% refund card that the refund FAQ contradicts. I follow the FAQ: assume the 1-Step and Instant fees are not refundable.
Rules: 10% Against 8%, and the Gate Nobody Prices
This is where the two firms stop looking similar. The percentage targets match on the NEW High Stakes rules, but the room you have to hit them does not.
| Rule | FTMO 2-Step | The5ers High Stakes |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum loss | 10% static, floor at 90% of starting balance | 8% static |
| Daily loss | 5% of starting balance, reset at midnight CE(S)T | 4% |
| Minimum profitable days | 4 trading days per phase, any activity counts | 3 profitable days per phase, each 0.5% or more |
| Consistency | Best day at or below 30% of total profit before a reward | No consistency percentage published for High Stakes |
| Minimum withdrawal | No published minimum; 14-day payout cycle | $500 |
| Payout cap | None per request | $4,000 per request on the 100K plan |
| Platforms | MT4, MT5, cTrader, DXtrade | MT5 Hedge only |
| News trading | Allowed, with restrictions on latency and bracket strategies | Allowed, but not within two minutes either side of high-impact news |
The 10% against 8% gap is not cosmetic. On a $100,000 account it is $10,000 of room against $8,000, and the daily limit is $5,000 against $4,000. A trader who runs three positions with correlated risk will feel that difference inside a week.
FTMO's floor is static, not trailing: it starts at $90,000 and only moves up as your balance rises. The5ers' 8% floor is also static. So this is not the usual trailing-versus-static argument. It is simply a question of how much room each firm gives you for the same 10% target.
The Consistency Rule Is the Real Difference
FTMO replaced the Best Day Rule with a Consistency rule for accounts opened from 12 October 2026. On the 2-Step, your most profitable day must be 30% or less of total profit before you can take a reward. Go over it and nothing is breached; you simply have to keep trading until the share falls.
The5ers' High Stakes table has no equivalent percentage. It asks for three profitable days per phase at 0.5% or more, which is a floor on activity, not a cap on your best day. If your edge is two or three large sessions a month, that difference decides which evaluation you can actually finish.
Read that alongside the payout cap. A 30% consistency rule is painful for a burst trader but the reward itself is uncapped at FTMO. At The5ers the burst trader clears the activity gate more easily, then meets a $4,000 cap per request. Our prop firm payout rates comparison shows where that cap sits against the rest of the market.
Pick FTMO If…
- You want the widest room: 10% maximum loss and 5% daily on the 2-Step.
- You trade in bursts and can live with a 30% best-day cap in exchange for an uncapped 90% split.
- You need MT4, cTrader or DXtrade. The5ers' High Stakes plan is MT5 Hedge only.
- You want the fee back on a 2-Step and a payout every 14 days without a per-request ceiling.
Pick The 5%ers If…
- You want the cheaper 100K attempt: $405 against €540.
- Your profits cluster into a few big days and FTMO's 30% consistency test would block you.
- You can work with an $8,000 maximum loss and a $4,000 payout cap per request.
- You already trade MT5 and do not need a second platform.
Verdict: Decide on Your Worst Week, Not the Price
If you cannot answer “what is my worst week?” with a number, buy neither evaluation yet. Once you can, the choice is mechanical. A trader whose drawdowns run to 6% or 7% of the account needs FTMO's 10% floor, because The5ers would end the account before the strategy had recovered.
A trader who makes most of the month's profit in two sessions should take The5ers despite the tighter floor, because the 30% consistency gate at FTMO is the rule most likely to stop the payout. The fee difference is real but small next to either failure mode.
Two guides do the rest of the work. FTMO drawdown rules explained puts the 10% and 5% limits into dollars, and FTMO alternatives starts from the reason you are leaving rather than the fee.
Sources: FTMO Trading Objectives, 2-Step Challenge and 1-Step Challenge, checked 27 October 2026; The5ers High Stakes plan page, checked 27 October 2026, using the 100K tab and the NEW rule set. Currency figures are as published, not converted.
