If you're serious about prop trading in 2026, IC Funded and FTMO are two names that will come up in almost every conversation. FTMO has been the gold standard of prop firms since 2015 — the most recognized name in the industry with a massive global following. IC Funded is the rising challenger — newer, leaner, and built on IC Markets' professional ECN infrastructure. Both offer funded accounts with 80% profit splits. But they're not the same — and choosing the wrong one for your trading style can cost you more than just the challenge fee. 💥 Start your IC Funded Challenge today: Join IC Funded and use code FXT for 35% OFF your challenge fee 🏆 This comprehensive IC Funded vs FTMO comparison breaks down every important category so you can make the right decision before spending a cent on a challenge fee. 1. Company OverviewIC Funded is a prop trading firm that uses IC Markets — one of the world's most trusted ECN brokers — as its underlying trading platform. IC Funded offers both 1-Step Accelerated and 2-Step Professional evaluation programs with account sizes ranging from $5,000 to $500,000. Despite being a newer entrant to the prop firm space, IC Funded has already earned the Prop Firms Awards 2025 and Rising Star 2026 recognition from PropFirmsCompared — two of the most credible awards in the prop trading industry. FTMO was founded in 2015 in Prague, Czech Republic — making it one of the oldest and most established prop firms in the world. With over 10 years of operation and hundreds of thousands of funded traders globally, FTMO is the benchmark that most other prop firms are compared against. FTMO offers a 2-step FTMO Challenge and Verification process with account sizes from $10,000 to $200,000. Winner: FTMO — longer track record and larger global community. IC Funded wins on platform quality and cost accessibility. 2. Challenge StructureUnderstanding how the evaluation process works at each firm is the most important factor in choosing between them. IC Funded 2-Step Professional: Phase 1: 10% profit target, 8% max drawdown, 4% max daily drawdown, min 3 trading days, no time limitPhase 2: 5% profit target, 10% max drawdown, 5% max daily drawdown, min 3 trading days, no time limitDrawdown type: Static — calculated from initial balanceIC Funded 1-Step Accelerated: Phase 1: 10% profit target, 6% max drawdown, 3% max daily drawdown, min 3 trading days, 45-day time limit45% consistency rule appliesDrawdown type: Static — calculated from initial balanceFTMO Challenge (2-Step): Phase 1 (Challenge): 10% profit target, 10% max drawdown, 5% max daily drawdown, min 4 trading days, 30-day time limitPhase 2 (Verification): 5% profit target, 10% max drawdown, 5% max daily drawdown, min 4 trading days, 60-day time limitDrawdown type: Balance-based trailing drawdown on some accountsKey differences: No time limit vs time limit: IC Funded 2-Step has NO time limit — take as long as you needFTMO Challenge has 30-day limit on Phase 1 and 60-day limit on Phase 2This is a major advantage for swing traders on IC FundedDrawdown limits: IC Funded Phase 1: 8% max drawdown — tighter than FTMO's 10%FTMO Phase 1: 10% max drawdown — more breathing roomIC Funded's lower drawdown limit is more challenging but builds better habitsMinimum trading days: IC Funded: 3 days minimum — less restrictiveFTMO: 4 days minimum — slightly more restrictiveWinner: Tie — IC Funded wins on no time limit for 2-Step. FTMO wins on higher drawdown allowance in Phase 1. 3. Challenge Fees and CostThis is where IC Funded has a clear and significant advantage — especially with the discount code. IC Funded challenge fees: $5,000 account: $74 (approximately $48 with FXT code)$10,000 account: Check icfunded.com for current pricing$25,000 account: Check icfunded.com for current pricing$50,000 account: Check icfunded.com for current pricing$100,000 account: Check icfunded.com for current pricingUse code FXT for 35% OFF all challenge feesFTMO challenge fees: $10,000 account: approximately $155$25,000 account: approximately $250$50,000 account: approximately $345$100,000 account: approximately $540$200,000 account: approximately $1,080No standard public discount code availableCost comparison on $100,000 account: FTMO: approximately $540IC Funded: Check current pricing — apply FXT for 35% offIC Funded with FXT code typically offers meaningful savingsChallenge fee refund: IC Funded: Refunded after third payout ✅FTMO: Refunded after first payout ✅Winner: IC Funded — lower challenge fees made even more accessible with 35% discount code FXT. FTMO refunds fee faster (after first payout). 4. Profit SplitBoth firms offer the same headline profit split — but the details matter. IC Funded profit split: 80% to trader20% to IC FundedNo profit capApplies from first funded payoutFTMO profit split: 80% to trader initiallyUp to 90% available through FTMO's scaling planNo profit capScaling plan increases split to 90% after consistent profitabilityWinner: FTMO — potential 90% profit split through scaling plan beats IC Funded's fixed 80%. IC Funded wins on simplicity — no conditions to meet for profit split. 5. Payout FrequencyIC Funded: Bi-weekly payouts — every two weeksFirst payout requires 5 profitable trading daysSecond payout requires 3 profitable trading daysThird payout onwards — no minimum requirementFTMO: Monthly payouts by defaultOn-demand payouts available — request payout anytime after 14 daysFirst payout after minimum trading days completedWinner: IC Funded — bi-weekly payouts vs FTMO's monthly default. Faster access to your profits. 6. Trading PlatformThis is one of IC Funded's most significant advantages over FTMO. IC Funded trading platform: Uses IC Markets as the underlying brokerMetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5IC Markets' genuine ECN infrastructureRaw spreads from 0.0 pipsSub-40ms execution from NY4 and LD5 serversNo dealing desk — true ECN environmentEA trading fully supportedPlatform familiar to millions of IC Markets traders globallyFTMO trading platform: Uses multiple brokers and proprietary infrastructureMetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and cTrader availableFTMO proprietary trading tools and analyticsExecution quality variesFTMO Trader — proprietary statistics and performance tracking toolKey advantage for IC Funded: Traders who already use IC Markets for their personal trading can use the exact same platform, execution environment, and trading conditions on IC Funded — zero learning curve, zero adaptation period. What works on your IC Markets live account will work identically on IC Funded's challenge account. Winner: IC Funded — IC Markets' genuine ECN infrastructure is a meaningful execution quality advantage. FTMO wins on platform variety with cTrader and proprietary tools. 7. Account Sizes AvailableIC Funded account sizes: $5,000$10,000$25,000$50,000$100,000$200,000$500,000FTMO account sizes: $10,000$25,000$50,000$100,000$200,000Key differences: IC Funded offers $5,000 accounts — FTMO's minimum is $10,000. This makes IC Funded more accessible for traders starting with lower challenge fees. IC Funded offers $500,000 accounts — FTMO's maximum is $200,000. For traders aiming for maximum capital access, IC Funded's $500,000 option is a significant advantage. Winner: IC Funded — more account sizes including $5,000 minimum and $500,000 maximum. FTMO capped at $200,000. 8. Scaling PlanFTMO Scaling Plan: After 4 consecutive months of profitability (minimum 10% profit)Account size increases by 25%Profit split increases to 90%Can scale up to $2,000,000 funded accountClear, documented scaling pathwayIC Funded Scaling: Check current scaling plan on icfunded.comScaling options available — details evolving as firm growsWinner: FTMO — more established and documented scaling plan with clear pathway to $2,000,000 and 90% profit split. 9. LeverageIC Funded leverage: Forex: 1:30 (1-Step) or 1:50 (2-Step and Funded)Metals, Indices, Commodities: 1:20Crypto: 1:2FTMO leverage: Forex: 1:100 on most accountsIndices: 1:50Commodities: 1:50Crypto: 1:2 to 1:5FTMO offers significantly higher leverage on forex — 1:100 vs IC Funded's 1:50 maximum. For traders who rely on higher leverage in their strategy, FTMO's leverage allowance provides more flexibility. Winner: FTMO — higher forex leverage at 1:100 vs IC Funded's 1:50. 10. Educational Resources and CommunityFTMO: FTMO University — structured educational contentFTMO Trading Journal — built-in performance trackingFTMO Mentor — one-on-one coaching availableLarge global community — millions of tradersExtensive blog and market analysis contentFTMO Trader statistics dashboardIC Funded: Educational content available — webinars and tutorialsMarket data and news updatesGrowing community forumAccess to IC Markets' educational resources indirectlyNewer and smaller community than FTMOWinner: FTMO — significantly more mature educational ecosystem and larger global trading community. 11. Trust and ReputationFTMO: Founded 2015 — 10+ years of operationHundreds of thousands of funded traders globallyExtremely well-documented payout historyNo major controversy or payment issues in track recordThe most recognized prop firm name in the worldIC Funded: Newer firm — more recent launchProp Firms Awards 2025 winner ✅Rising Star 2026 from PropFirmsCompared ✅Verified trader payouts documented — $2,025 and $1,422.75 confirmedUses IC Markets — adds significant credibility through associationGrowing positive reputation in trading communitiesWinner: FTMO — decade of track record and global recognition is hard to compete with. IC Funded is building its reputation rapidly — awards and verified payouts are positive signals. 12. IC Funded vs FTMO — Pros and ConsIC Funded Pros: Uses IC Markets — genuine ECN execution quality ✅No time limit on 2-Step Professional ✅Account sizes from $5,000 to $500,000 ✅Bi-weekly payouts ✅35% discount with code FXT ✅Cha
