FTMO fits you if
You want meaningful capital fast and accept pay-per-attempt. You have a validated strategy (or run the EA settings from our guide), the fee is money you can lose twice without flinching, and weeks-not-months matters to you.
● Honest comparison · FTMO vs Axi Select
Two different bets. Pick the one whose losing side you can live with.
FTMO sells speed: pay a fee, prove it in weeks, trade firm capital. Axi Select sells structure: fund a small live account, climb stages for months, keep 80% at the top.
Neither is a scam. Neither is easy. They just charge you differently for the same thing: proof that you can trade with discipline. This page lays out both bills.
Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FTMO or Axi. Both links on this page are affiliate links; disclosure below.
Side by side
The numbers, as both publish them
Verified July 2026 from ftmo.com and Axi's official Program Rules. Both change their programs; the live versions win over this table.
| FTMO (2-step) | Axi Select | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay upfront | One-time challenge fee per attempt | No fee; you deposit your own $500+ (live money) |
| Whose money trades | Simulated capital; firm pays your profit share | Your own live account + Axi's allocation on top |
| Money at risk | The fee (per failed attempt) | Your deposit, capped by the -7% stage max loss |
| Profit target | 10% (Challenge), then 5% (Verification) | 7% per stage |
| Daily loss cap | 5% | None imposed (self-imposed recommended) |
| Max loss | 10% static of initial balance | -7% static per stage (-10% at Pro M) |
| Minimum days | 4 + 4 trading days | 30 days (Seed), then 60 per stage |
| Realistic time to funded | Weeks, if you pass both steps | Months, by design (stage schedule) |
| Profit share | Up to 90%, fee refunded at first payout | 0% (Seed) rising to 80% (Pro M) |
| Capital ceiling | $200,000 account sizes | Up to $1,000,000 allocation |
| News trading | Restricted on funded Standard (±2 min, high impact) | No documented restriction |
| Weekend holding | Forbidden on funded Standard; Swing exempt | Allowed |
| EAs | Allowed (duplication caveat for identical third-party EAs) | Allowed; scalping strategies prohibited |
| If you breach | Account over; new fee, start again | Quarantine, drop a stage; deposit still yours minus losses |
FTMO also offers a 1-step evaluation with different math: 3% daily cap, 10% TRAILING max loss, best-day consistency rule, non-refundable fee. Details in the FTMO guide.
The real trade-off
You are choosing an incentive structure, not a logo
The challenge model is pay-per-attempt. Its honest strength: your downside is capped at the fee, the capital is meaningful from day one, and if your strategy is ready, you can be trading firm capital within weeks. Its honest weakness: every failed attempt is a sunk fee, and the model profits when traders re-buy.
The broker allocation model is pay-with-patience. Its honest strength: no fees stacking up, a real account you can withdraw from at any time, and a ceiling ($1M allocation, 80% share) that no challenge account reaches. Its honest weakness: it is your real money at risk, Seed pays 0%, and the stage clock means months before the allocation gets serious.
Ask yourself one question: which failure can you afford to repeat? If losing a fee twice would end your attempt, do not pick the fee model. If watching your own $500 draw down would make you break your rules, do not pick the live model. The EA enforces limits in both; it cannot enforce which loss you can emotionally survive.
The verdict
Pick by your situation, not by hype
Axi Select fits you if
You think in years, not weeks. You would rather build equity in your own live account than rent access to simulated capital, you can leave $500+ working for months, and the $1M / 80% ceiling is worth the slower climb.
Either way, the EA job is identical
Both programs are won by the same profile: consistent sizing, enforced loss limits, no emotional spirals. Alpha Pulse's Prop Firm Mode covers FTMO caps and Axi stages with the same Section 6 inputs, different values. Both guides give you the numbers.
And either way, nothing is guaranteed
The pass is not guaranteed. The stages are not guaranteed. Anyone who promises otherwise, about any program, is selling you the fantasy this page exists to replace with arithmetic.
FAQ
Quick answers
Which one is cheaper in the end?
It depends on your pass rate, which nobody can promise. One FTMO attempt that passes is cheaper than months of Axi stages. Three failed attempts cost more than an Axi deposit you still own. That is the whole comparison in two sentences.
Can I do both?
Yes, and it is not a crazy plan: an Axi Select account building the long-term track while a challenge attempt runs in parallel. Separate accounts, separate EA instances, same settings logic. Just size each so that neither failure damages the other.
Is FTMO money real? Is Axi Select money real?
FTMO evaluations and funded accounts run on simulated capital; the profit share paid to you is real. Axi Select is your own live deposit plus Axi's allocation. Different mechanics, both pay real withdrawals; both publish the details on their sites.
Does Alpha Pulse use different settings for each?
Same Section 6 inputs, different values: FTMO 2-step runs 4.5% daily / 9% total; Axi Select runs 3% daily (self-imposed) / 6.3% total under the -7% cap. Each guide lists the full table.
Why should I trust a page that earns from both links?
Fair question. The disclosure is right below, the commissions do not depend on which one you pick, and every number above is from the official sources, linked rules, not memory. If this comparison bent toward either side, it would be worthless to you and, soon after, to us.
Next step
Read the guide for the path you picked.
Both guides give you the current rules, the exact Section 6 values with safety cushions, and the honest list of what the EA cannot promise. Then decide with the numbers in front of you.
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The FTMO and Axi links on this page are affiliate links. If you open an account or start a challenge through them, DoItTrading may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, whichever you pick. It never changes the numbers or the warnings we publish.
FTMO and Axi are trademarks of their respective owners. DoItTrading is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by either company. Both programs change their rules: the live versions on ftmo.com and axi.com always win over this page. No trading result is ever guaranteed.