FTMO now offers two paths to an FTMO Account. One requires a single evaluation phase. The other requires a Challenge and a Verification phase. Both lead to the same destination — a funded account — but the rules, costs, and refund structure along the way are meaningfully different, and at least one widely repeated “fact” about the difference has it backwards.
FTMO launched the 1-Step Challenge to give experienced, disciplined traders a faster route to funding, while keeping the original 2-Step model for traders who want a more gradual, two-phase qualification. This guide is built around the decision that actually matters: which FTMO Challenge gives you the best chance of success based on your trading style, psychology, and goals?
Correction worth knowing before you read further: several FTMO guides currently state that the 1-Step fee is refunded and imply the 2-Step isn’t, or blur the two. Per FTMO’s own FAQ, it’s the opposite — the 1-Step Challenge fee is not refunded after passing, while the 2-Step Challenge fee is refunded with your first reward. We cover why this matters in detail below.
Quick Verdict
Choose FTMO 1-Step if:
- You want the fastest route to a funded account
- You prefer a single evaluation phase over two
- You can manage a tighter 3% daily loss limit and a trailing drawdown
- You want a 90% profit split from your very first payout
Choose FTMO 2-Step if:
- You value a more gradual, lower-pressure qualification path
- You prefer a Verification phase that confirms consistency before funding
- You want your Challenge fee refunded once you’re funded and paid
- You’re newer to FTMO’s specific rule structure
FTMO 1-Step vs 2-Step: Key Differences
Feature |
FTMO 1-Step |
FTMO 2-Step |
|---|---|---|
Evaluation Phases |
1 |
2 |
Verification Phase |
No |
Yes |
Profit Target |
10% |
10% then 5% |
Max Daily Loss |
3% |
5% |
Max Loss |
10% — EOD trailing |
10% — static |
Best Day Rule |
Yes (50%) |
No |
Profit Split |
90% from day one |
80%, scaling to 90% |
Fee Refund |
No |
Yes, with first reward |
Minimum Trading Days |
Not fixed (Best Day Rule governs) |
4 per phase |
Time Limit |
None |
None |
Fastest Path to Funding |
Yes |
No |
What Is FTMO 1-Step?
A single-phase evaluation: hit a 10% profit target while respecting a 3% Max Daily Loss and a 10% end-of-day trailing Max Loss, with no fixed minimum trading days — though the Best Day Rule (no single day above 50% of total positive-day profit) effectively requires several profitable sessions regardless. There’s no time limit to reach the target.
After satisfying the objectives, FTMO reviews your results before Identity Verification (KYC) and account progression — once cleared, you become an FTMO Trader on a 90% profit split from your very first payout. This model suits traders who already understand FTMO’s rule structure and are confident managing a tighter, trailing drawdown in a single pass/fail attempt.
What Is FTMO 2-Step?
The original FTMO structure: Phase 1 (the FTMO Challenge) requires a 10% profit target within a 5% Max Daily Loss and 10% static Max Loss, over a minimum of 4 trading days. Phase 2 (Verification) then asks for a 5% target under the same loss limits and minimum days — designed specifically to confirm consistency before FTMO commits its own capital to you.
After clearing both phases, the same Review and KYC steps apply before you become an FTMO Trader, starting at an 80% profit split that scales to 90% via the Scaling Plan. Because it adds a second phase, it takes longer than the 1-Step, but gives you two chances to demonstrate consistency rather than one.
Become an FTMO Trader
Prove your trading skills and gain access to a funded FTMO Account with one of the world’s most recognized proprietary trading firms.
Trading involves risk. Challenge rules, profit splits, and scaling opportunities depend on the selected FTMO program.
FTMO 1-Step vs 2-Step: Rules Compared
Profit Target Comparison
The 1-Step asks for 10% in one go. The 2-Step splits it — 10% in Phase 1, then a lighter 5% in Verification. Which is easier? In raw percentage terms, the 2-Step’s Verification phase is a lower bar per phase, but you have to clear it twice; the 1-Step’s 10% is a single, larger hurdle but only needs clearing once. Neither is objectively easier — it depends whether you’d rather face one bigger target or two smaller ones in sequence.
Maximum Loss Comparison: Static vs Trailing
The 2-Step’s 10% Max Loss is static — fixed to your original starting balance for the entire evaluation, regardless of how much profit you’ve banked. The 1-Step’s 10% Max Loss is end-of-day trailing — it recalculates daily based on your highest close-of-day balance, meaning your allowable floor rises as you profit. This makes the 2-Step’s version more forgiving in one specific way: profit you’ve already banked doesn’t tighten your remaining drawdown room the way it does on the 1-Step.
Maximum Daily Loss Comparison
The 1-Step’s 3% daily limit is meaningfully tighter than the 2-Step’s 5% — both reset once per day, calculated against equity (not just closed balance), but the 1-Step gives you less room to absorb a single bad session. Combined with its trailing Max Loss, the 1-Step demands tighter day-to-day risk control throughout.
Best Day Rule Comparison
This is the 1-Step’s signature structural difference: no single trading day can account for more than 50% of your total positive-days profit, calculated on closed profit only. The 2-Step has no equivalent rule. It exists because, without a second Verification phase to independently confirm consistency, FTMO needed a mechanism within the single 1-Step phase to filter out traders who pass on one lucky session rather than genuine skill. Practically, it means you can’t front-load your target on Day 1 and coast — you need at least two or three real profitable days, which changes how you’d approach position sizing on an early strong day.
FTMO 1-Step vs 2-Step: Pricing
Account Size |
1-Step Fee |
2-Step Fee |
|---|---|---|
$10,000 |
€79 |
€89 |
$25,000 |
€199 |
€250 |
$50,000 |
€319 |
€345 |
$100,000 |
€499 |
€540 |
$200,000 |
€999 |
€1,080 |
Value for Money: Sticker Price vs Effective Cost
The 1-Step looks cheaper at every tier — €41 less on the $100,000 size, €81 less on $200,000. But sticker price isn’t effective cost once the refund structure is factored in.
Fee Refund Comparison: The Detail Most Guides Get Backwards
Per FTMO’s own FAQ:
FTMO 1-Step: The one-time fee applies to the single evaluation phase only. After successfully passing, the fee is not refunded — you keep the €79–€999 you paid as a sunk cost regardless of how well you go on to trade.
FTMO 2-Step: The one-time fee covers both the Challenge and Verification stages. If you pass both and receive your first Reward on your FTMO Account, the fee is refunded alongside that first Reward withdrawal.
Does the Refund Matter?
Yes, and it changes the effective cost comparison meaningfully. On a $100,000 account: the 1-Step’s €499 is a permanent cost. The 2-Step’s €540 becomes €0 net once you clear your first payout — making the 2-Step the objectively cheaper path for traders who go on to pass and get funded. The 1-Step’s lower sticker price only stays the cheaper option if you value speed and the higher 90% split enough to permanently forfeit the fee, or if you’re confident enough in a single-phase pass that the refund’s conditional nature doesn’t concern you.
Profit Split Comparison
1-Step: 90% from your very first payout — no scaling milestones required to reach that rate.
2-Step: 80% initially, rising to 90% via the Scaling Plan once you’ve demonstrated sustained profitability over multiple cycles.
$100,000 Example: Long-Term Impact
On $5,000 of simulated profit in a payout cycle: a 1-Step trader keeps $4,500 (90%) from day one. A 2-Step trader keeps $4,000 (80%) initially — a $500 gap per cycle — until they scale to 90%, at which point the two converge. Over many cycles, the 1-Step’s immediate 90% adds up to a real head start, provided you clear the tighter single-phase bar to get there in the first place.
Which Challenge Is Easier to Pass?
Easier profit target? Roughly a wash — one 10% hurdle vs. two smaller ones (10% then 5%) in sequence.
Easier drawdown rules? The 2-Step, on balance — a static 10% Max Loss and a 5% daily limit give more room than the 1-Step’s 3% daily limit and trailing Max Loss.
Easier psychology? The 2-Step spreads pressure across two phases with a built-in checkpoint; the 1-Step compresses everything into one attempt, which can feel higher-stakes even though it’s structurally shorter.
Easier consistency requirements? The 1-Step’s Best Day Rule is an explicit, enforced consistency check; the 2-Step has no equivalent rule, relying instead on the Verification phase itself to prove consistency.
Overall: The 2-Step is generally considered the more forgiving path on raw risk parameters. The 1-Step is faster but demands tighter execution throughout — it’s a trade of time for margin of error.
Which Challenge Is Faster?
The 1-Step is structurally faster — it eliminates the Verification phase entirely, cutting straight from Challenge to Review to KYC to Account. FTMO’s own published 1-Step statistics reportedly include a fastest pass time of just 2 days for exceptional traders, though a realistic typical timeline is longer and depends entirely on individual trading pace. The 2-Step’s best-case scenario still requires clearing two separate phases with their own minimum trading days, making it inherently a multi-week process even for fast traders.
Which Challenge Has Better Risk Rules?
“Better” depends on what you’re optimizing for. The 2-Step’s static drawdown and 5% daily limit are more forgiving in absolute terms. The 1-Step’s trailing drawdown and 3% daily limit are tighter, but its 90% split and single-phase structure reward traders who can operate confidently within that tighter band. Neither rule set is a design flaw — they’re built for different trader profiles by design.
FTMO 1-Step vs 2-Step by Trader Type
Beginners
The 2-Step is generally the better starting point — more room in the daily and max loss limits, and a Verification phase that gives you a second attempt at proving consistency rather than one all-or-nothing pass. Beginners often underestimate the 1-Step’s trailing drawdown mechanic, which can catch traders coming from static-drawdown backgrounds off guard.
Experienced Traders
Experienced prop traders, professionals, and traders switching from other firms are the natural fit for the 1-Step — the speed and 90%-from-day-one split reward traders who already know they can operate within tight risk parameters without needing a Verification phase to prove it to themselves.
Scalpers
The Best Day Rule matters more to scalpers than most other styles, since high-frequency strategies can rack up an outsized single-day result quickly — worth deliberately managing position sizing on strong days to avoid an accidental Best Day Rule breach on the 1-Step. The 2-Step has no equivalent constraint.
Swing Traders
Both models permit swing-style holding during the evaluation stage, but the 1-Step’s tighter daily loss and trailing drawdown leave less room to absorb a wide stop on a multi-day hold. The 2-Step’s static, more generous drawdown may suit wider-stop strategies better during evaluation.
Algorithmic Traders
EA and systematic strategies are permitted on both models under FTMO’s standard Forbidden Trading Practices policy. The main consideration is the Best Day Rule on the 1-Step — a systematic strategy that occasionally produces an outsized single-day result needs to account for that risk explicitly, whereas the 2-Step imposes no such constraint on trade distribution.
Become an FTMO Trader
Prove your trading skills and gain access to a funded FTMO Account with one of the world’s most recognized proprietary trading firms.
Trading involves risk. Challenge rules, profit splits, and scaling opportunities depend on the selected FTMO program.
Real-World Example: $100,000 Trader
The scenario below is hypothetical, for illustration only.
Scenario A: FTMO 1-Step
- Target: 10% ($10,000)
- Drawdown: 3% daily ($3,000), 10% trailing max loss
- Best Day Rule: No single day above 50% of total profit
- Timeline: Passes in 9 trading days, spreading profit across 4 solid sessions
- Fee outcome: €499 paid, not refunded
Scenario B: FTMO 2-Step
- Phase 1: 10% target ($10,000), passes in 12 trading days
- Verification: 5% target ($5,000), passes in 8 trading days
- Timeline: 20 trading days total across both phases
- Fee outcome: €540 paid, refunded in full with first Reward
Trader A reaches funding roughly twice as fast, but pays €499 permanently. Trader B takes longer but recovers the entire €540 the moment they’re funded and paid — their net evaluation cost converges to zero, while Trader A’s does not.
What Traders Like About FTMO 1-Step
- Genuinely faster route to a funded account
- Simpler, single-phase structure — no second evaluation to plan around
- 90% profit split from day one, no scaling wait
- No Verification phase means no risk of passing Phase 1 only to fail Verification later
What Traders Like About FTMO 2-Step
- The original, most proven FTMO model with the longest track record
- Fee refund structure makes the evaluation effectively free once funded and paid
- Verification phase reduces pressure by splitting the target across two smaller hurdles
- More forgiving static drawdown and 5% daily loss give more room for error
FTMO 1-Step: Pros & Cons
Pros
- Fastest route to funding
- 90% split from day one
- Single, simple evaluation phase
Cons
- Fee is not refunded, even on success
- Tighter 3% daily loss and trailing drawdown
- Best Day Rule adds a consistency constraint
FTMO 2-Step: Pros & Cons
Pros
- Fee refunded on first Reward — effectively free if you’re funded and profitable
- More forgiving static drawdown and 5% daily loss
- Proven, longest-running FTMO model
Cons
- Slower — two phases instead of one
- Starts at an 80% split, not 90%
- Higher sticker-price fee upfront
Which FTMO Challenge Should You Choose?
Choose FTMO 1-Step if:
- Speed to funding matters more to you than a lower-pressure evaluation
- You want one phase, not two
- You can manage a 3% daily loss and trailing drawdown without it changing your strategy
- You prefer 90% payouts from day one over a scaling wait
Choose FTMO 2-Step if:
- You want the traditional, most proven FTMO path
- You’d rather have a Verification phase confirm your consistency before funding
- You want the Challenge fee refunded, effectively making a successful evaluation free
- You value a more generous drawdown margin while you’re still learning FTMO’s environment
MarketsXplora Verdict
FTMO 1-Step is the faster, more direct route to an FTMO Account and is likely to appeal to experienced traders who are confident in their ability to meet stricter objectives in a single phase — provided they’re comfortable permanently forfeiting the Challenge fee as the cost of that speed.
FTMO 2-Step remains the more traditional FTMO experience. Although it takes longer, the Verification phase, more forgiving drawdown, and — critically — the fee refund structure make it the effectively cheaper path for traders who go on to pass and get funded.
The better choice depends less on your strategy and more on your preferred evaluation path, risk tolerance, and how much you value speed against the certainty of recovering your fee.
Review Methodology
This comparison is based on FTMO’s official product documentation, Trading Objectives pages, and FAQ — including direct confirmation of the fee refund policy for each model, since this is a point where third-party sources currently disagree. Fee figures are cross-checked against multiple independent trackers alongside FTMO’s own pricing page.
Read Also ↓
- FTMO Review 2026: Rules, Fees, PFLS Score & OANDA Deal
- FTMO Account Types & Fees: Full 2026 Pricing Breakdown
- FTMO Trading Rules: Objectives, Best Day Rule & Forbidden Practices
- FTMO Free Trial vs FTMO Challenge
FAQs
What is the difference between FTMO 1-Step and 2-Step?
1-Step is a single-phase evaluation with a 10% target, 3% daily loss, 10% trailing max loss, and a Best Day Rule. 2-Step splits the evaluation into a Challenge (10% target) and Verification (5% target), with a 5% daily loss and 10% static max loss.
Which is easier to pass, 1-Step or 2-Step?
Neither is objectively easier — the 2-Step has more forgiving drawdown limits but requires clearing two phases; the 1-Step is a single, tighter-margin attempt.
Which is cheaper, 1-Step or 2-Step?
1-Step has a lower sticker price at every account size, but the 2-Step fee is refunded with your first reward, making it effectively free once you’re funded and profitable.
Which has a higher profit split?
The 1-Step offers 90% from your first payout. The 2-Step starts at 80%, scaling to 90% over time.
Does FTMO 1-Step have a Verification phase?
No — it’s a single-phase evaluation.
Does FTMO 2-Step have a Verification phase?
Yes — Phase 2 requires a 5% profit target under the same risk limits as Phase 1.
Which challenge is faster?
The 1-Step, since it eliminates the Verification phase entirely.
Which has better drawdown rules?
The 2-Step’s static 10% max loss and 5% daily loss are generally more forgiving than the 1-Step’s 3% daily loss and trailing max loss.
Which is better for beginners?
The 2-Step, due to its more forgiving risk limits and two-phase structure.
Which is better for scalpers?
Requires more care on the 1-Step due to the Best Day Rule, which can be triggered by an outsized single-day result from high-frequency trading.
Which is better for swing traders?
The 2-Step’s more generous static drawdown may suit wider-stop swing strategies better during evaluation.
Which model has fee refunds?
Only the 2-Step. The 1-Step fee is not refunded after passing, per FTMO’s own FAQ.
Is FTMO 1-Step worth it?
Yes, for traders who value speed and a 90% split from day one, and who are comfortable permanently forfeiting the fee.
Is FTMO 2-Step still worth it?
Yes — the fee refund structure and more forgiving risk limits make it the effectively cheaper, lower-pressure path for many traders.
Can you switch between 1-Step and 2-Step?
Each is a separate purchased product — switching means buying a new Challenge under the other model rather than converting an existing one.
Which challenge do most traders choose?
Not independently verified — treat any specific popularity claim with caution until confirmed against FTMO’s own published data.
About the Author
Samson Ononeme is the founder of MarketsXplora, an independent financial education and research platform covering cryptocurrency, forex, brokers, exchanges, trading platforms, and blockchain technology. He focuses on turning complex financial products and platform features into clear, practical information that readers can use when comparing their options.
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