Fintokei vs FTMO Head-to-Head: Which Should Japanese Traders Choose? A 7-Axis Comparison

📢 Advertising/affiliate disclosure: This article contains a prop-memo.com affiliate link (Fintokei, marked with 🎁). Anyone who purchases a challenge through that link receives unlimited free use of Hosono P's semi-discretionary EA "ELDRA" as a gift. See Hosono P's note article for details.

※ Prop firm rules change frequently. Always check each firm's official site for the latest accurate rules. (Last updated: May 2, 2026)

The "big two" for Japanese traders

The two firms Japanese traders shortlist first are Fintokei 🎁 and FTMO. Both are headquartered in the Czech Republic and are the public faces of the industry.

• FTMO: Founded in 2015. Over $170M+ paid out to traders cumulatively. Trustpilot score of 4.9
• Fintokei: Rapid growth since 2023. Has a Japanese subsidiary, full Japanese-language support, and introduced DPR (profit split up to 100%) in January 2026

Choosing based on a vague sense of "FTMO has more history, so it's safer" or "Fintokei has better Japanese support" is risky. This article breaks both firms down completely across 7 numeric axes.

Conclusion: recommendations by goal

To cut to the chase:

In a nutshell: "Fintokei for actually trading as a Japanese trader; FTMO if you want the peace of mind of the FTMO legend." Let's go through the reasoning across 7 axes.

The 7-axis comparison matrix

Fintokei wins on 6 axes, FTMO wins on 2, and 1 is a tie. On the numbers alone, Fintokei is clearly ahead, but for anyone who treats "FTMO's decade-long track record" as an absolute value, FTMO still holds real appeal.

1. Price comparison

$100K account, 2-phase (the most common condition)

FTMO's 1-Step (1-phase) is the cheapest, but its daily DD is a strict 3% and its profit split caps at 90%. In practical cost-effectiveness, they're roughly even.

Both firms also actively run first-time discounts — Fintokei's FINTOKEISUMMIT26 and FTMO's seasonal coupons can get you up to 30% off. See prop-memo.com's coupon roundup for details.

Comparing the cheapest plans

• Fintokei: starting from Beginner ($5K) = $44 (¥6,600)
• FTMO: starting from 2-Step $10K = $183 (¥27,450)

Fintokei wins decisively on entry-level pricing. For anyone wanting to "try a prop firm for the first time," the Fintokei Beginner plan is the best answer.

2. How strict are the rules: FTMO's news-trading problem

This is FTMO's biggest landmine. On an FTMO Standard account, if your SL/TP triggers within 2 minutes before or after a major economic release, it can be flagged as a "rule violation" and result in account closure.

Concrete risks:

• Go long 2 minutes before an NFP (US jobs) release → the release causes a price gap → your SL gets hit → hard breach
• Hold a swing position ahead of an FOMC statement → sudden volatility → your TP gets hit → hard breach

The design is strict enough that you can get caught "even without intentionally trading the news." By contrast, Fintokei 🎁 has no news-trading restrictions at all. Playing economic releases on purpose is completely fine.

That said, since 2024 FTMO has added its own account types (such as 1-Step Aggressive), and some plans have relaxed news restrictions. Re-check the latest specs on the official site.

Holding over the weekend

• Fintokei: weekend holding is OK on every plan, every instrument
• FTMO Standard: weekend holding is banned (you must close by a set time Friday)
• FTMO Swing accounts: weekend holding is available for an extra fee (though costs are higher)

For anyone doing swing trading across weekends, Fintokei is the only real choice.

3. Profit split: DPR vs. scaling

Fintokei's DPR (Dynamic Performance Reward)

An in-house system introduced in January 2026. You're ranked on 4 metrics — trading days, profit amount, consistency, and continuity — and reach a 100% profit split once you hit Rank 6.

• Rank 1: 80% (starting point)
• Ranks 2–5: 85–95%
• Rank 6: 100%

On top of that, the SwiftTrader (速攻プロ) plan offers a 90% split (100% only for the Diamond tier). It's a design that favors Japanese traders. (※ Fintokei's SwiftTrader was revised in 2026, changing to a 6% target / −2% daily / −3% overall / 90% split / max 60 days.)

FTMO's scaling plan

Over a 4-month cycle:

• A minimum of +10% net profit
• 2+ biweekly payouts
• Account balance grows by +25% (up to $400K max)

The split rate expands from 80% to 90% (never reaching 100%). The scaling benefit here is centered on growing the account size rather than the split rate.

On split rate alone, Fintokei wins decisively; for an account-growth system, FTMO takes it.

4. Japanese-language support

Fintokei

• Fully Japanese UI (site, dashboard, terms)
• Japanese staff providing support
• LINE-equivalent chat support (near-instant during business hours)
• Official blog and Twitter run by native Japanese speakers
• Runs seminars and events inside Japan

FTMO

• Has a Japanese UI, but translation quality is inconsistent
• Support is mostly email-based (primarily in English)
• Terms and rule updates ship in English first
• Events aimed at Japanese users are limited

The less comfortable you are with Japanese, the more reason to choose Fintokei. When trouble hits, the difference in response speed matters enormously.

5. EA and scalping in practice

Fintokei

• Commercial EAs: customization required (unmodified use is banned)
• Self-made EAs: OK (no source-code disclosure required)
• Tick scalping: closing under 15 seconds is banned
• Martingale: allowed (since July 28, 2025. Officially discouraged, contained by the 3% risk rule)

FTMO

• Commercial EAs: allowed, but be careful about heavy reuse of the same EA
• Self-made EAs: OK (no source-code disclosure required)
• Tick scalping: not explicitly banned (within reasonable limits)
• Martingale: gray area (excessive risk can trigger a warning)
• Cap of 200 concurrent positions, 2,000 orders per day

If you're running ELDRA (the semi-discretionary EA provided by prop-memo.com), Fintokei/Funded7 is the standard template. If you want to run your own self-made EA as-is, FTMO is also a valid option.

For more detail, see the 18-firm comparison in A Deep Dive into EA/Automated-Trading Rules.

6. Track record and payout history

FTMO

• The oldest name in the industry, founded in 2015
• Trustpilot score of 4.9 (approx. 30,000 reviews)
• Publicly states over $170M+ paid out cumulatively
• No major complaints about being unable to withdraw (occasional reports of delayed withdrawals)

This level of trust is FTMO's one, biggest weapon.

Fintokei

• Rapid growth since 2023
• Has a Japanese subsidiary and an office inside Japan
• The largest number of registered accounts in prop-memo.com's database, with substantial payout history as well
• No major scandal or fraud incidents

FTMO wins on length of track record; Fintokei wins on the size of its Japanese community. From a fraud-risk standpoint, both are safe. See Prop Firm Scam Checklist for details.

7. Concrete recommendations by scenario

Case A: First prop firm, trying it out with ¥100,000–200,000

→ Fintokei Beginner ($5K) or Sapphire ($100K). Friendly to beginners thanks to Japanese-language support and low pricing.

Case B: You've admired FTMO for 10 years, and brand matters to you

→ FTMO 2-Step $100K. A choice to pay for a trusted brand. Just be prepared for the two catches: news-trading restrictions and no weekend holding.

Case C: Your main focus is EA/automated trading

→ Fintokei 🎁's Sapphire or Platinum. It's also eligible for the ELDRA gift, and with no news restrictions, EA operation has much more freedom.

Case D: Chasing the largest possible size ($200K, $400K)

→ FTMO $200K or Fintokei Emerald ($400K). If budget allows, Fintokei has the edge in expected value for reaching a 100% profit split.

Case E: Swing trading, must hold positions over the weekend

→ Fintokei is the only real choice. FTMO Standard bans weekends, and Swing accounts cost extra.

FAQ

Q. I'm worried Fintokei grew too fast and might suddenly shut down.

It has been a legitimate operation from the start, with headquarters in the Czech Republic plus a Japanese subsidiary, and it has a solid payout track record. This isn't a fraud structure like MyForexFunds. That said, no newer firm carries zero risk, so we recommend checking the 5 items on the prop-memo.com Scam Checklist.

Q. Isn't FTMO obviously safer just because it's been around longer?

Longevity is one signal of trust, but as the My Forex Funds case proved, "operating for years" does not equal "absolutely safe." You should look at transparency, payout track record, and third-party evaluations together, not just years in operation.

Q. Is it OK to buy from both?

Yes. Many experienced traders reach Funded at one firm and then challenge the other too, diversifying their portfolio. Just be careful — running Phase 1 at both firms simultaneously with the same trades copied across accounts can constitute a rule violation (copying the same trade across multiple accounts is banned) in some cases.

prop-memo.com related tools

• 🔍 Plan comparison/search (filtered to Fintokei) — sort every Fintokei plan by difficulty and value
• 🔍 Plan comparison/search (filtered to FTMO) — every FTMO plan
• 📊 Stats & payout history — real user payout data for both firms
• 🤖 EA Tracker (MT4/MT5) — automatically logs ELDRA and self-made EA progress
• Fintokei full guide / FTMO full guide

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