Last updated: March 27, 2026
Yes: FTMO explicitly supports Expert Advisors on both the challenge and funded accounts. Standard trend-following, breakout, swing, and scalping EAs are fully permitted. The restriction applies only to exploitative strategies that target platform inefficiencies.
| EA Support | Yes: fully supported |
| Allowed EA Types | Trend following, breakout, swing, scalping, multi-strategy |
| Martingale | Allowed: but reviewed if it triggers drawdown limits |
| Grid Trading | Allowed |
| Copy Trading | Own accounts only, third-party signal copying reviewed case-by-case |
| HFT / Latency Arbitrage | Prohibited |
| News Trading | Restricted: no new trades within 2 minutes of major news events |
| Min Trade Duration | Not stated |
| Fixed SL Required | No |
| Account Sizes | $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K |
| Phase 1 Profit Target | 10% |
| Phase 2 Profit Target | 5% |
| Daily Drawdown | 5% (balance-based) |
| Max Drawdown | 10% (static, balance-based) |
| Drawdown Type | Static: calculated from starting balance, does not trail |
| Min Trading Days | 4 days per phase |
| Time Limit | 30 days (Phase 1), 60 days (Phase 2) |
| Profit Split | 80% (up to 90% via scaling) |
| Scaling Plan | 25% account increase every 4 months with 10% profit; up to €2M |
| Platforms | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, DXTrade |
| MT5 Available | Yes |
| Payout Frequency | On-demand monthly; processed within 1 business day |
| Payout Methods | Bank wire, crypto, Skrill, Neteller, PayPal (varies by country) |
FTMO is the most credible prop firm for algo traders who want a verified track record. Static drawdown means your room does not shrink as you profit. The 2-minute news restriction is easy to handle with a news filter built into your EA. Best for: multi-strategy MT5 portfolios with strict risk management and fixed stop losses on every trade.