FTMO vs. FundedElite: Which Should You Buy? | A 1-Year Simulation of 5 Plans Under the Same Assumptions Puts FTMO 1-Step on Top, With FundedElite's Lite Putting Up a Good Fight [September 2026]

※ Rules and prices were confirmed on September 27, 2026, from FTMO's official site (Trading Objectives, pricing table) and FundedElite's official site (challenge configuration screen) and official FAQ. FTMO is priced in euros, converted here at €1 = $1.146.

Conclusion

• FTMO 1-Step comes out on top at every lot size and every skill level. At 1% risk per trade and "medium" edge, it came to +$29,498 over a year, versus the best FundedElite result — 1-Step — at +$25,607.
• The gap comes down to three things. FTMO 1-Step has a 10% max loss (FundedElite's is 8%), a 90% split (FundedElite's is 80%), and it resets to a fresh account with the max-loss cushion back at 10% every time you get paid.
• The two 2-step plans are nearly even. FundedElite's 2-Step Lite ($343.85) came in slightly ahead of FTMO's 2-Step (about $619).
• At zero edge (50% win rate) and 1% risk per trade, only FTMO 1-Step is positive (+$791). Every other plan was negative.
• If you're running an EA, FTMO is the only real choice. FundedElite bans EAs from placing trades on their own.

The two firms' plans ($100K)

FundedElite is a "fully custom" model where you choose the target, max loss, split, and withdrawal interval yourself. This article calculates using the configuration screen's default values (80% split, 14-day withdrawal) and the official FAQ's standard 8% max loss. As of September 27, 2026, the configuration screen showed what appears to be a time-limited "14% max loss" offer, but since the deadline is unclear, it wasn't used here.

As of September 27, 2026, FTMO was showing a sale price for $100K (2-Step €439, 1-Step €399), while FundedElite was showing a first-purchase 50% OFF code, NEW50.

Simulation assumptions

Both firms are calculated with the same assumptions and the same engine as the FTMO vs. The5ers vs. Fintokei vs. Hantec expected-value comparison.

Fixed

• 1 year (250 trading days), max 3 trades/day, take-profit and stop-loss at 1:1
• Daily loss capped at 2.5% of the initial balance for every plan (once a further loss would exceed 2.5%, no more trades that day)
• Risk per trade, floating loss, and daily loss never exceed 3%
• Cost is 5% of risk per trade (a win is +0.95R, a loss is −1.05R). In USDJPY terms, a 1.5-pip round-trip cost corresponds to a 30-pip stop/target
• On failure, buy the same plan again; no scaling; free retries aren't used; profit left in the account at year-end isn't counted
• 20,000 runs per condition

Varied

• Edge: 50% win rate (zero) / 52% (small) / 55% (medium) / 58% (strong)
• Risk per trade: 0.5% / 1.0% / 1.5%
• How much profit is left in the account at each withdrawal (the best amount was chosen for each plan)

Expected value per trade is (2p − 1.05) × R, which comes to +0.05R at a 55% win rate. The formula and a worked USDJPY example are laid out in "The expected-value formula" in the 4-firm comparison article.

0.5% risk per trade: average annual take-home minus fees

1.0% risk per trade

1.5% risk per trade

At 1.5% risk per trade, one loss puts the next loss over the 2.5% daily cap, so trading stops there for the day.

Why the difference

1-step vs. 1-step (FTMO 1-Step vs. Elite 1-Step)

• Room: both share a 10% target and 3% daily loss, but max loss is 10% for FTMO versus 8% for FundedElite. Against the same target, FTMO tolerates 2 more points of losing.
• Split: FTMO is 90%, FundedElite is 80%. Earning the exact same amount pays out over 10% more with FTMO.
• Rebuilding at each payout: every time FTMO 1-Step pays out, it becomes a new account and the max-loss line resets to 90% of the initial balance. You restart every time with a fresh 10% of room.
• Fee: FundedElite refunds the fee at the 3rd payout, but its list price is on the higher side, at $654.

FundedElite 1-Step also counts profit days only when they're "1% or more." This model counts them at 0.5% or more, so FundedElite 1-Step is actually slightly worse off in practice than the table shows.

2-step vs. 2-step (FTMO 2-Step vs. Elite 2-Step / Lite)

• FTMO 2-Step has a wide 10% max loss and refunds the full fee at the first payout. In exchange, its target of 10%→5% is on the heavier side.
• FundedElite's target of 8%→5% is lighter, in exchange for an 8% max loss.
• These two roughly cancel out, putting the two 2-step plans on even footing. Lite has a slightly narrower 4% daily loss, but its lower price of $343.85 pulls it a bit ahead.

Which to pick

Things to watch with FundedElite

• Free retry: 2-Step and 1-Step give you one free new account if you fail the evaluation. However, daily and max loss get narrower, the split drops permanently to 50% going forward, and the fee isn't refunded. This article's figures assume the retry is never used.
• Risk interviews around withdrawal: you may be asked for a video interview before or after a withdrawal, and failing to complete it within 5 business days gets the withdrawal denied.
• Reputation: as of July 2026, Trustpilot had suspended FundedElite's rating for a guidelines violation (removal of fake reviews).

Things to watch with FTMO

• 1-Step's 3% daily loss: this assumes something is in place to stop daily losses short of 3% (such as an EA's daily guard). Take three straight 1% losses without stopping, and you'll fail on the daily limit.
• Prices are in euros. Your JPY cost will move with the exchange rate.

FAQ

Q. Which has the higher expected value, FTMO or FundedElite?

Under this article's assumptions, FTMO 1-Step came out on top at every lot size and every skill level. At 1% risk per trade and "medium" edge, FTMO 1-Step came to +$29,498 versus FundedElite 1-Step's +$25,607. Between the 2-step plans, FTMO 2-Step came to +$20,306, FundedElite 2-Step to +$20,648, and Lite to +$21,232 — essentially even.

Q. Does FundedElite's NEW50 make it a better deal than FTMO?

NEW50 only halves the price of your first purchase. In a calculation that involves buying again multiple times over a year, it only affects that first purchase, so it rarely changes the ranking. If you just want the cheapest way to try it, Lite comes to $171.93 with NEW50.

Q. Does the max-loss line rise after a withdrawal?

Neither does. FTMO 2-Step and every FundedElite plan have a max loss fixed to the initial balance (the balance itself drops by the amount withdrawn, so the distance to the line shrinks). FTMO 1-Step becomes a new account at every payout, and the line resets to 90% of the initial balance.

Q. Is the fee refundable?

FTMO 2-Step refunds 100% at the first payout. FTMO 1-Step has no refund. FundedElite refunds it at the 3rd payout for an account that passed the evaluation on its first attempt (accounts that passed via a free retry don't qualify).

Q. I want to run this with an EA

FTMO allows EAs (what's banned are the abusive practices listed in the official Forbidden Trading Practices). FundedElite allows EAs as an assistive tool for risk management or lot-size calculation, but bans EAs from placing trades on their own.

Q. I want to run this with my own numbers

Both the simulation engine and the configs for FTMO and FundedElite are published. Combine the two configs into one file and run python sim-prop-ev.py <config>.json 20000 to reproduce this article's tables (requires Python and numba).

Related

• 📊 FTMO's Expected Value / FundedElite's Expected Value
• 📊 FTMO vs. The5ers vs. Fintokei vs. Hantec Expected Value Comparison
• 📊 FTMO vs. Hantec: Which Should You Buy?
• 🏢 FTMO Guide / FundedElite Guide / Compare Pricing
• 🤖 Prop Firm EA Rules Comparison

Sources: FTMO's "Trading Objectives," "Pricing table (homepage)," "Forbidden Trading Practices"; FundedElite's "Challenge configuration screen," official FAQ articles "2-Step Challenge + FREE RETRY," "1-Step Challenge + FREE RETRY," "LITE-2 step CHALLENGE," "Do I get my fee back?," "EAs (Expert Advisors)." All confirmed September 27, 2026.