FTMO Futures wins on drawdown room if you take Pro, on consistency rules and on platform choice. Topstep wins on monthly price and on the size of a single payout. Both sell simulated futures accounts, so this is a like-for-like comparison rather than the forex-against-futures mismatch most pages still describe.
Every figure below comes from ftmo.com/futures and help.topstep.com, both read on 25 October 2026. Where a number is a company claim rather than a published term, I say so.
FTMO Futures: $119 to $269 a month, no activation fee, a 40% to 50% consistency cap and a 90/10 split. Topstep: $49 to $199 a month plus $149 to activate, a best day capped at 55% of the profit target, and payout limits that double if you add a daily loss limit.
Key Takeaways
- Cost: Topstep is $49 a month for a 50K Combine; FTMO Futures Growth is $119 a month for the same $50,000 and charges no activation fee.
- Drawdown: Topstep trails $2,000 on 50K and stops at your starting balance. FTMO Growth trails the same $2,000; FTMO Pro trails $3,000.
- Consistency: Topstep caps your best day at 55% of the profit target. FTMO sets a 40% consistency limit on Growth and 50% on Pro, and drops the rule once you are funded.
- Payouts: both pay 90% to you. FTMO pays every 4 or 5 days; Topstep pays on request once you log 5 winning days of $150 or more, with per-request caps that double if you bought a daily loss limit.
Fees: What Each Firm Charges, and What Recurs
Topstep is cheaper to start and has one extra charge at the end. A 50K Combine costs $49 a month against $119 for the same $50,000 on FTMO Futures Growth, but Topstep then takes $149 to activate the Express Funded Account. FTMO charges nothing to activate the Sim-Funded Account.
| Cost | FTMO Futures Growth | FTMO Futures Pro | Topstep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account sizes | $50,000 / $100,000 / $150,000 | $50,000 / $100,000 / $150,000 | $50,000 / $100,000 / $150,000 |
| Monthly subscription | $119 / $169 / $229 | $139 / $199 / $269 | $49 / $99 / $199 |
| Recurring? | Yes, monthly until you reach the Sim-Funded Account | Yes, monthly until you reach the Sim-Funded Account | Yes, rebills every 30 days until you pass or cancel |
| Reset fee | $109 / $159 / $219 | $129 / $189 / $259 | The monthly price again |
| Activation fee | None | None | $149 once, on the Express Funded Account |
| Fee refunded? | No refund stated for Futures | No refund stated for Futures | No refund; the reset is a new purchase |
| Cost per $1,000 of profit target | $39.67 at 50K, $28.17 at 100K, $25.44 at 150K | $46.33 at 50K, $33.17 at 100K, $29.89 at 150K | $16.33 at 50K, $16.50 at 100K, $22.11 at 150K |
Both subscriptions recur, so the sticker price is a monthly cost, not a one-off. A trader who takes three months to pass a 50K account pays $147 to Topstep plus $149 at the end, or $357 to FTMO Futures Growth with nothing further to pay. Resets are priced separately at both firms and neither refunds them.
Rules: Targets, Drawdown, Consistency and Payouts
The rules diverge in three places: how much room you get, how much one good day can count, and how much you can take out at once.
| Rule | FTMO Futures Growth | FTMO Futures Pro | Topstep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profit target | $3,000 / $6,000 / $9,000 | $3,000 / $6,000 / $9,000 | $3,000 / $6,000 / $9,000 |
| Maximum drawdown | $2,000 / $3,500 / $5,000 | $3,000 / $4,500 / $6,000 | $2,000 / $3,000 / $4,500 |
| Drawdown type | End-of-day trailing | End-of-day trailing | End-of-day trailing; locks at your starting balance |
| Daily loss limit | None in the Evaluation; soft $1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000 when funded | Hard $1,000 / $1,500 / $2,000 | None by default; optional $1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000 if added at checkout |
| Consistency rule | 40% in the Evaluation, none when funded | 50% in the Evaluation, none when funded | Best single day below 55% of the profit target |
| Maximum contracts | 5 / 10 / 15 | 5 / 10 / 15 | 5 / 10 / 15 (50 / 100 / 150 micros) |
| Profit split | 90% | 90% | 90% |
| Payout frequency | Every 4 days, with a per-day profit minimum | Every 5 days, with a per-day profit minimum | On request after 5 winning days of $150 or more; $125 minimum |
| Payout cap per request | $2,500 / $3,000 / $4,000 | $5,000 / $6,000 / $8,000 | $2,000 / $3,000 / $5,000 standard, $3,000 / $4,000 / $6,000 on the consistency path; doubled with a daily loss limit |
| Platforms | NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView | NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView | TopstepX |
| Overnight positions | Not allowed; flat by 4:10pm ET | Not allowed; flat by 4:10pm ET | Not allowed; flat by 3:10pm CT |
The consistency row is where most traders quietly fail. Topstep measures your best day against the profit target, not against your total profit: on a 50K Combine your best day must stay below $1,650. FTMO sets a 40% consistency limit on Growth and 50% on Pro, applied during the Evaluation and dropped once you are funded.
FTMO Pro is the only configuration here with a hard daily loss limit, and it is also the only one that gives you as much drawdown as profit target. That combination suits a trader who wants a fixed daily stop rather than a soft one that can be rebuilt.
Pick FTMO Futures If…
- You want no activation fee and no second payment between passing and getting paid.
- You want to keep the same $50,000 account without re-buying, and you are willing to pay $70 a month more than Topstep for that.
- You are happy on NinjaTrader, Tradovate or TradingView - the three platforms FTMO Futures supports.
- You want three concurrent accounts and up to $450,000 of simulated capital in total.
- You want a hard daily loss limit in the Evaluation, which only the Pro plan provides.
Pick Topstep If…
- You want the lowest monthly cost in futures prop trading: $49 for a 50K Combine.
- You expect to pass inside two or three months, where the $149 activation is a one-off rather than a recurring disadvantage.
- You want a large single payout: $5,000 per request on a 150K account, or $10,000 with the daily loss limit add-on.
- You already trade on TopstepX, or you are willing to, and you do not need external platform execution.
- You want the option to add a daily loss limit later without changing the account size.
Trading Forex or CFDs Instead? Neither Firm Applies
Neither product will take a forex trade. Topstep is CME futures only, day trading only, with every position flat by 3:10pm CT. FTMO Futures is simulated CME futures on NinjaTrader, Tradovate or TradingView, flat by 4:10pm ET.
If you want EUR/USD, gold or index CFDs, the product you want is FTMO's CFD challenge, priced separately in our FTMO account prices guide. If you are still deciding whether futures prop trading suits you at all, start with how futures prop firms work.
Verdict: The Fee Structure Decides It
Choose FTMO Futures if you intend to stay funded. The higher monthly fee buys no activation charge, three execution platforms, a hard daily stop on Pro and more drawdown per dollar of target than Topstep offers. Choose Topstep if you want the cheapest ticket and the biggest single payout, and if a proprietary platform is acceptable. The rules are close enough that the fee structure, not the rulebook, should make the decision.
Sources: FTMO Futures comparison table, FTMO Futures trading objectives and FTMO Futures FAQ (read 25 October 2026); Topstep Trading Combine parameters, Topstep payout policy and Topstep subscriptions (read 25 October 2026).
