SurgeTrader vs FTMO - full comparison
| Feature | SurgeTrader | FTMO |
|---|---|---|
Overall |
4.23 |
4.22 |
4.7 |
4.5 |
|
4 |
4.3 |
|
4.1 |
3.7 |
|
4.2 |
4.7 |
|
Benefits for Prop-trader |
3.9 |
3.9 |
4.5 |
4.2 |
|
|
Your capital is at risk.
|
Your capital is at risk.
|
SurgeTrader vs FTMO: pros and cons
SurgeTrader offers 75% profit splits to funded traders who meet their trading criteria. It's the perfect prop firm to diversify your investment portfolio with a variety of tradeable assets. SurgeTrader has only one phase of evaluation, unlike many other prop firm trading entities. Traders of all skill levels can choose from six packages. With its Starter Package, you get $25,000 in instant funding and a 10% profit target. There’s a maximum trailing drawdown of 5%. The Starter Package is ideal for beginners who want to avoid aggressive accounts. With a $1 million funding size and 75% profit split, the Master Package is the highest-tier account. A 10% target is set, along with a five-percent daily loss limit and a six-percent maximum trailing drawdown. If you have a lot of confidence in your abilities, this package may be for you. Additionally, this prop firm offers a wide variety of tradable securities, including crypto and gold, as well as popular stock indices. It’s possible to leverage up to 1:10. A top proprietary trading firm, SurgeTrader requires all of its clients to undergo evaluations. You need to pass only one phase of the SurgeTrader Audition process. It’s not necessary to earn over 10% of your account balance in order to pass the audition.
To qualify for a funded trading account at FTMO, you must go through a rigorous three-step process: Enter the FTMO Challenge, where you must meet the profit targets within 30 days. Begin the 60-day Verification Procedure, during which you must demonstrate that you can repeat your FTMO Challenge success. After completing the two-step review procedure with the FTMO Challenge and Verification, you will be contacted by FTMO with an offer to trade their capital on accounts ranging from $10,000 to $400,000. A great fact to note is that FTMO’s stronghold is its currencies. This is the best place to consider a forex funded account, if you enjoy trading currencies. You can trade 44 currency pairs as well as 10 cryptocurrencies. Furthermore, cash indices, commodities, and stock CFDs are available for trading. The free versions of the three most popular forex trading platforms, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and cTrader, are accessible.
| SurgeTrader | FTMO | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Pros | Reliability. Venture capital is provided by an international venture fund. Trading is carried out through affiliate broker EightCap, which is licensed by ASIC, the Australian regulator | Quite low testing cost is €155 |
| No restrictions on the use of strategies. Any strategy may be applied, subject to the trading rules of the company. Permissible strategies include algorithmic trading, hedging, scalping, and Martingale | Classic platforms such as MT4, MT5, and Ctrader are familiar to many traders. For these platforms, hundreds of indicators, scripts, and advisers have been developed | |
| High income of the trader is 75% of the money earned | The starting reward is 80% | |
| A wide range of assets includes more than 100 instruments as well as cryptocurrencies | Diversification of tariff plans. Candidates can choose a demo deposit from 10 thousand to 200 thousand US dollars. There are tariff plans that span from standard to aggressive trading | |
| No risk. If the maximum loss and drawdown requirements are met, the loss is covered by SurgeTrader | Leverage is up to 1:100 | |
| Transparency and loyalty. All legal documents and conditions are available on the website in the public domain. The company allows violations of trading rules if they are random and not systematic | ||
| Overall Cons | The high exam cost is from USD 250-6,500. In case of violation of trade requirements, the discount for re-taking the exam is up to 20% | Strict requirements for the test period. The allowable maximum loss is 10% of the deposit amount. The target profit is 10%, for which 1 month is provided |
| Tough conditions. The daily drawdown is no more than 5%, and the maximum loss is up to 4% | Strict requirements for the test period. The allowable maximum loss is 10% of the deposit amount. The target profit is 10%, for which 1 month is provided | |
| Small leverage. Depending on the asset type, the leverage is 1:2 - 1:10 | There is no information about how the company is funded |
SurgeTrader vs FTMO - regulation and safety
| SurgeTrader | FTMO | |
|---|---|---|
Regulators |
ASIC |
No |
Country of registration |
USA |
Czech Republic |
Year of establishment |
n/a |
2014 |
Reliability of a prop trading company largely depends on its registration and regulation. The most reliable companies operate in compliance with laws of countries with high legal culture, such as the U.S., the UK, EU countries, Australia and Singapore.
A long period of operation in the global markets and awards can also provide additional information about the company. TU compared regulation and reliability of SurgeTrader and FTMO by the above criteria.
SurgeTrader vs FTMO - trading conditions, costs and leverage
SurgeTrader
| Trading Plan | Managed amount, USD | Min trading days / Trading period | Profit target, USD | Daily loss | Max total loss | Max leverage | Price, USD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 25 000 | no limitations | 2 500 | 5% | 6% | FX, Metals, Oils and Indices - up to 10:1. Individual stocks - 5:1. Cryptocurrencies 2:1. Traders can purchase an add-on at checkout to increase leverage on forex and metals to 20:1 | 250 (one-time payment) |
| Intermediate | 50 000 | no limitations | 5 000 | 5% | 6% | 400 (one-time payment) | |
| Seasoned | 100 000 | no limitations | 10 000 | 5% | 6% | 700 (one-time payment) | |
| Advanced | 250 000 | no limitations | 25 000 | 5% | 6% | 1800 (one-time payment) | |
| Expert | 500 000 | no limitations | 50 000 | 5% | 6% | 3500 (one-time payment) | |
| Master | 1 000 000 | no limitations | 100 000 | 5% | 6% | 6500 (one-time payment) |
FTMO
| Trading Plan | Managed amount, USD | Min trading days / Trading period | Profit target, USD | Daily loss | Max total loss | Max leverage | Price, USD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | 10 000 | 10/30 (Stage 1) 10/60 (Stage 2) | 1000 (Stage 1) 500 (Stage 2) | 5% | 10% | 155 EUR (one-time payment) | |
| 25 000 | 2500 (Stage 1) 1250 (Stage 2) | 5% | 10% | 250 EUR (one-time payment) | |||
| 50 000 | 5000 (Stage 1) 2500 (Stage 2) | 5% | 10% | 345 EUR (one-time payment) | |||
| 100 000 | 10000 (Stage 1) 5000 (Stage 2) | 5% | 10% | 1:100 | 540 EUR (one-time payment) | ||
| 200 000 | 20000 (Stage 1) 10000 (Stage 2) | 5% | 10% | 1080 EUR (one-time payment) | |||
| Aggresive | 10 000 | 2000 (Stage 1) 1000 (Stage 2) | 10% | 20% | 250 EUR (one-time payment) | ||
| 25 000 | 5000 (Stage 1) 2500 (Stage 2) | 10% | 20% | 345 EUR (one-time payment) | |||
| 50 000 | 10000 (Stage 1) 5000 (Stage 2) | 10% | 20% | 540 EUR (one-time payment) | |||
| 100 000 | 20000 (Stage 1) 10000 (Stage 2) | 10% | 20% | 1080 EUR (one-time payment) |
Prices of offered trading plans, minimum and maximum amount under management are the most interesting aspects of a prop trading company. Risk management levels for maximum losses and profit targets also play the key role.
SurgeTrader vs FTMO - profit split
| Profit split | SurgeTrader | FTMO |
|---|---|---|
Managed amount |
up to USD 500,000 |
up to USD 400,000 |
% Profit split |
75% (with a possibility of an increase to 90%) |
80% (with a possibility of an increase to 90%) |
Profit split is one of the most interesting criteria for traders. Learn about the share of trading profit you can earn by traders with SurgeTrader and FTMO.
SurgeTrader vs FTMO - trading restrictions
| Trading restrictions | SurgeTrader | FTMO |
|---|---|---|
Scalping |
Allowed |
Allowed |
News trading |
Allowed |
Allowed (for Swing Account). For other account, the limitations is +/-2 minutes |
Algorithmic trading |
Allowed |
Allowed |
Mandatory Stop Loss |
Yes |
No |
Mandatory position closing before the weekend |
Yes |
No (for Swing Account) |
Other limitations |
For traders who received real equity to manage after passing the exam, there are restrictions on daily / total loss of 5% / 10% |
Some prop trading companies have limitations for certain trading strategies. There can also be limitations for trading without Stop Loss, trading position rollover to weekend, etc.s
SurgeTrader vs FTMO - trading assets
| Asset Name | SurgeTrader | FTMO |
|---|---|---|
Forex |
Yes |
Yes |
Stocks |
Yes |
No |
Metals |
Yes |
Yes |
Cryptocurrencies |
Yes |
Yes |
Energy |
Yes |
Yes |
Indices |
Yes |
Yes |
ETFs |
No |
No |
Bonds |
No |
No |
Mutual funds |
No |
No |
Stock options |
No |
No |
Futures Trading |
No |
No |
Others |
No |
No |
Most prop trading companies focus their trading on specific markets: stock, Forex, futures and options, and in some cases cryptocurrency. If you have a preference of a specific market, compare SurgeTrader and FTMO trading assets to make a better informed choice.
SurgeTrader vs FTMO - trading platforms
| SurgeTrader | FTMO | |
|---|---|---|
МТ4 |
Yes |
Yes |
МТ5 |
Yes |
Yes |
cTrader |
No |
Yes |
NinjaTrader |
No |
No |
Other |
No |
No |
|
Your capital is at risk.
|
Your capital is at risk.
|
Trading platform is very important to many traders, particularly those who already have experience of working with trading bots and strategies on one of them. Prop trading companies mostly offer to work with MT4, MT5 and cTrader Forex trading platforms as well as proprietary platforms of large brokers. Compare trading platforms of SurgeTrader and FTMO to make the best choice.
FAQs
What amount can I get as a funded trader?
Trading plans of prop companies are developed taking into account individual financial abilities and needs of traders. As a rule, beginners are offered plans from $10,000 to $25,000. Successful traders can attract up to $1 million in management.
Can anybody become a prop trader?
You don’t need special education and status to become a prop trader. The main selection criterion is the ability to trade successfully and meet company’s risk/reward requirements.
How to choose a prop trading company
Choose one of the top prop trading companies for analysis.
Compare it with its key competitors using the criteria developed by TU experts.
Select the company that perfectly fits your trading strategy and style.
Submit an application and fulfill the conditions of a prop company.
How to get funded as a trader
You need to select one or several companies that seem interesting to you, review their conditions, submit an application and pass the primary selection of traders. As a rule, prop trading companies offer educational courses or organize competitions on demo accounts, based on the results of which you can receive financing.
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Team that worked on the article
Mikhail Vnuchkov joined Traders Union as an author in 2020. He began his professional career as a journalist-observer at a small online financial publication, where he covered global economic events and discussed their impact on the segment of financial investment, including investor income. With five years of experience in finance, Mikhail joined Traders Union team, where he is in charge of forming the pool of latest news for traders, who trade stocks, cryptocurrencies, Forex instruments and fixed income.
Olga Shendetskaya has been a part of the Traders Union team as an author, editor and proofreader since 2017. Since 2020, Shendetskaya has been the assistant chief editor of the website of Traders Union, an international association of traders. She has over 10 years of experience of working with economic and financial texts. In the period of 2017-2020, Olga has worked as a journalist and editor of laftNews news agency, economic and financial news sections. At the moment, Olga is a part of the team of top industry experts involved in creation of educational articles in finance and investment, overseeing their writing and publication on the Traders Union website.
Mirjan Hipolito is a journalist and news editor at Traders Union. She is an expert crypto writer with five years of experience in the financial markets. Her specialties are daily market news, price predictions, and Initial Coin Offerings (ICO).