# FTMO vs ROMER

> FTMO suits forex, CFD and futures traders who want an established firm: it has operated since 2015 and allows EAs, bots and a VPS within limits, though it bans high-frequency strategies and its accounts are simulated. ROMER suits high-frequency and automated strategies that need to run at the exchange, with a path to real capital.

Last checked: 2026-09-30. Page: https://romertrading.io/compare/ftmo-vs-romer. Published by ROMER (https://romertrading.io), a funded-trader program for algorithmic and high-frequency traders. ROMER's terms are planned and may change.

## At a glance

| | FTMO | ROMER |
|---|---|---|
| Markets | CFDs (forex, indices, commodities, stocks, crypto) and CME futures | Futures and digital-asset derivatives |
| Price, about $50K account | Futures $119–$139 a month; CFD 2-Step €345 once, refunded with first Reward | $249 a month for $50K (planned) |
| Activation fee | None | None (planned) |
| Funded account | Simulated demo account; futures traders may be invited to a live account | Our own capital on the real exchange, after two stages |
| Profit split | 80–90% on CFD accounts; 90% on futures | 80% of real profits |
| Bots and automation | Allowed; CFD EAs must stay under 2,000 server requests a day | Allowed at every stage, and so is trading by hand |
| High-frequency trading | Banned: "high-frequency strategies and latency arbitrage" | Allowed. Spoofing and other manipulation are not |
| Where your algo runs | Your own set-up; VPS use "generally allowed" | On our hardware, inside the exchange’s data centre |

## How FTMO's programs work

FTMO has been running since 2015. Its [home page](https://ftmo.com/en/) reports "$650M+" paid in rewards and customers in more than 140 countries, by its own count. It sells two separate programs: CFD Challenges traded on MT4, MT5, cTrader or TradingView, and FTMO Futures on CME Group markets.

For a $50,000 account, the FTMO Challenge 2-Step costs €345 once, and FTMO [refunds that fee](https://ftmo.com/en/faq/are-the-fees-recurrent/) with your first Reward. The 1-Step costs €319 and isn't refunded. On the 2-Step you need a 10% profit in the Challenge and 5% in the Verification, you may not lose more than 5% of the starting capital in a day or 10% in total, and each phase needs at least four trading days ([trading objectives](https://ftmo.com/en/trading-objectives/)).

Passing gives you an FTMO Account, which the home page describes as "A demo account with fictitious capital". Rewards are still real money. The [rewards FAQ](https://ftmo.com/en/faq/how-do-i-withdraw-my-profits/) explains that "Although FTMO Traders trade with simulated capital only, they are entitled to receive a Reward in the form of real money". You receive 80% of the profit on a 2-Step account, rising to 90% under the Scaling Plan or Premium Programme, and 90% on a 1-Step account.

FTMO Futures works more like the US futures firms. A $50K evaluation costs $119 a month on the Growth plan or $139 a month on Pro, with no activation fee ([comparison table](https://ftmo.com/en/futures/comparison-table/)). After passing, you trade a Sim-Funded Account with a 90% payout ratio and per-request payout caps that start at $2,500 on the [Growth plan](https://ftmo.com/en/futures/). The step after that is a Live Funded Account "backed by FTMO capital", and FTMO's [guide to the process](https://ftmo.com/en/futures/how-it-works/) is clear that it is "Not automatic: the Live Funded Account is offered by invitation only, after FTMO validates your Sim-Funded trading." Its Trading Department makes that decision, and live accounts aren't available to residents of some countries ([eligibility](https://ftmo.com/en/futures/faq/who-is-eligible-for-a-live-funded-account/)).

## Bots, EAs, HFT and servers at FTMO

FTMO allows more automation than most of the firms we checked. For CFD accounts, its [strategy FAQ](https://ftmo.com/en/faq/which-instruments-can-i-trade-and-what-strategies-am-i-allowed-to-use/) says it has no reason to restrict "discretionary trading, algorithmic trading, EAs, etc." as long as the trading is legitimate. It adds that "your trading style should be replicable on live accounts to generate the same results as on your FTMO Account."

The limits are specific. According to the same FAQ, the platform servers allow "200 orders at a time and 2000 max positions per day", and FTMO may ask you to change an EA that causes hyperactivity. Its CFD [forbidden trading practices](https://ftmo.com/en/forbidden-trading-practices/) ban EAs that make an account "hyperactive in the sense of an excessive number of more than 2,000 server requests per day", counting every order opened, modified or closed. The same page rules out "ultra-high-speed tools" that give an unfair advantage. FTMO also warns that other traders may run the same third-party EA, which can put you over its maximum capital allocation.

The futures rules begin with "Automated trading is permitted." FTMO then excludes any automated system that manipulates, abuses or gives an unfair advantage, "including high-frequency strategies and latency arbitrage" ([futures rules](https://ftmo.com/en/futures/forbidden-trading-practices/)). You are "fully responsible for all activity generated by your automated systems, including errors and malfunctions."

You can also run your platform on a rented server. FTMO's [VPS FAQ](https://ftmo.com/en/faq/can-i-travel-or-use-vpn-vps/) says "The use of VPN/VPS is also generally allowed", with one exception: don't set your location to the United States when using MetaTrader, cTrader or TradingView. That makes FTMO one of four firms in [our VPS comparison](/help/prop-firms-that-allow-vps) that allow one.

## How ROMER differs

ROMER is our funded-trader program for algorithmic and high-frequency traders. Every ROMER term on this page is planned.

Bots, algos and HFT are allowed at every stage. Where FTMO caps server requests on CFD accounts, ROMER applies the exchange's own message limits. Spoofing and other manipulative trading aren't allowed, and we monitor every order.

A VPS at FTMO keeps your code running, and the account it trades is still a demo. At ROMER your algo runs on our hardware inside the exchange's data centre, an arrangement called [colocation](/help/prop-firm-with-colocated-servers), so you don't need a VPS at all. Our latency design target is under 1 microsecond, against roughly 30 milliseconds for a home internet connection to a simulator, and both figures are illustrative.

Two stages come before real capital. Stage 1 is a simulated evaluation of at least 3 trading days. Our Stage 2 is called Verification, as FTMO's second phase is, and your algo has to pass again over at least 10 new trading days, with fills still simulated. The point of the second pass is to show the Stage 1 result wasn't luck. After that, the best algos trade our own capital on the real exchange. Traders are independent contractors who keep 80% of real profits, and funding isn't guaranteed.

ROMER is built for futures and digital-asset derivatives, so it isn't an option for forex or CFD trading. Planned pricing, which may change, is $249 a month for the $50K Pro plan, with no activation fee, a 6% profit target, a 4% trailing maximum loss and a 2% daily loss limit. The monthly fee covers running your algo on our hardware in the exchange's data centre. Our 80% share is below FTMO's 90% futures payout ratio.

## Which one to pick

FTMO is the stronger choice for forex and CFD traders, including MetaTrader users whose EAs stay well inside its request limits. Its futures program also suits traders who want a long-established firm that allows automation and a VPS. On the CFD 2-Step, the fee comes back with your first Reward.

ROMER is aimed at strategies that FTMO's rules exclude, meaning high-frequency and latency-sensitive algos, and at traders who want an automated strategy to pass twice, on separate trading days, before it trades real capital.

## Quick answers

**Can I use an EA at FTMO?**
Yes. FTMO allows EAs and algorithmic trading on CFD accounts, and "Automated trading is permitted" on FTMO Futures. An EA must not make the account hyperactive with more than 2,000 server requests a day, and high-frequency strategies are banned.

**Does FTMO allow HFT?**
No. Its futures rules ban automated systems that give an unfair advantage, "including high-frequency strategies and latency arbitrage", and its CFD rules ban "ultra-high-speed tools".

**Is an FTMO account real money?**
No. FTMO says all accounts it provides "are demo accounts with fictitious funds". Rewards are paid in real money, and futures traders may be invited to a Live Funded Account backed by FTMO capital.

## Sources

1. [FTMO home page (rewards paid, pricing and platforms)](https://ftmo.com/en/)
2. [FTMO FAQ: Are the fees recurrent? / Is the entry fee refunded?](https://ftmo.com/en/faq/are-the-fees-recurrent/)
3. [FTMO: Trading objectives](https://ftmo.com/en/trading-objectives/)
4. [FTMO FAQ: How do I withdraw my reward?](https://ftmo.com/en/faq/how-do-i-withdraw-my-profits/)
5. [FTMO Futures: Comparison table](https://ftmo.com/en/futures/comparison-table/)
6. [FTMO Futures overview](https://ftmo.com/en/futures/)
7. [FTMO Futures: How it works](https://ftmo.com/en/futures/how-it-works/)
8. [FTMO Futures FAQ: Who is eligible for a Live Funded Account?](https://ftmo.com/en/futures/faq/who-is-eligible-for-a-live-funded-account/)
9. [FTMO FAQ: Which instruments can I trade and what strategies am I allowed to use?](https://ftmo.com/en/faq/which-instruments-can-i-trade-and-what-strategies-am-i-allowed-to-use/)
10. [FTMO: Forbidden trading practices (CFD)](https://ftmo.com/en/forbidden-trading-practices/)
11. [FTMO: Futures forbidden trading practices](https://ftmo.com/en/futures/forbidden-trading-practices/)
12. [FTMO FAQ: Can I travel or use VPN/VPS?](https://ftmo.com/en/faq/can-i-travel-or-use-vpn-vps/)