Updated September 28, 2026 · BrokerCue Editorial Team
City Traders Imperium vs Ftmo
City Traders Imperium vs Ftmo: the differences
| Compare |  City Traders Imperium |  Ftmo |
|---|---|---|
| Profit split | 80% to 100%Higher | 80% to 90% |
| Maximum drawdown | 5% to 10% | 10% |
| Account sizes | USD 2,500 - 100,000 (1-Step and 2-Step), USD 2,500 - 80,000 (Instant and Direct), scaling to USD 4,000,000 | $10,000 / $25,000 / $50,000 / $100,000 / $200,000 |
| Daily loss limit | 5% | 3% to 5% |
| Payout frequency | First payout from 7 days, then weekly or anytime payouts by VIP tier | Reward claim from the 14th day after first trade; paid within 1-2 business days after invoice approval |
| Challenge price | $29 to $549 | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Evaluation steps (2 step).
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Key differences
- Ftmo scores higher overall: 9.6 vs 9.4.
- Founded is lower at Ftmo: 2015 vs 2018.
- Profit split is higher at City Traders Imperium: 80% to 100% vs 80% to 90%.
- Support channels: only Ftmo offers Phone.
Our verdict on each
City Traders Imperium
City Traders Imperium suits traders who want a 2 step evaluation with instant and direct routes on the same ladder, plus accounts that scale as the record grows. Fees of $29 to $549 keep the entry affordable, and support runs on email, chat and help centre.
Ftmo
FTMO pairs a 2 step evaluation with a fixed maximum drawdown of 10% and a profit split of 80% to 90%, below the 100% offered by Funding Pips. It suits disciplined traders who want clear published rules, a choice of account sizes and broad support coverage.
Score breakdown
| Area | City Traders Imperium | Ftmo |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.8 | Not confirmed |
| Offer | 8.9 | 9.4HigherFixed terms on offer: 10% maximum drawdown, 3% to 5% daily loss limit, 2 step evaluation, 80% to 90% profit split. |
| Trust | 9.4 | 9.7Higher |
How they place
| Ranking | City Traders Imperium | Ftmo |
|---|---|---|
| Prop trading firms | 8 of 37 | 5 of 37 |
Ranges side by side
| Fact | City Traders Imperium | Ftmo |
|---|---|---|
| Profit split | 80% to 100% | 80% to 90% |
Which one suits you
Pick City Traders Imperium if profit split matter most.
Pick Ftmo if offer and trust matter most.
Sources behind this comparison
City Traders Imperium
- citytradersimperium.com: 11 facts, checked September 26, 2026
Ftmo
- ftmo.com: 10 facts, checked September 26, 2026
Every fact side by side
| Fact | City Traders Imperium | Ftmo |
|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | City Traders Imperium Limited | FTMO s.r.o. |
| Headquarters | Comoros | Czechia |
| Founded | 2018 | 2015Lower |
| Support channels | Email, Chat, Help centre, Community | Email, Chat, Phone, Help centre, CommunityCovers more |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | City Traders Imperium | Ftmo | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Challenge price | $29 to $549lowest quarter | Not confirmed | $75 |
| Profit split | 80% to 100%highest quarter | 80% to 90%at the median | 90 |
| Maximum drawdown | 5% to 10%at the median | 10%at the median | 10 |
| Daily loss limit | 5%highest quarter | 3% to 5%at the median | 3% |
Median across 26 listed brokers.
Pros and cons
City Traders Imperium
Pros
- Fees of $29 to $549 keep the entry affordable, and the profit share runs 80% to 100%, so the reward on offer is large for the ticket size.
- A ceiling of 80% to 100% matches what Apex Trader Funding publishes at 100%, so the top of the range is not the weak spot.
- The standard route is 2 step, with a 5% to 10% maximum drawdown and a 5% daily loss limit, which keeps the rule set short enough to hold in mind.
Cons
- Support runs on email, chat and help centre only, so a trader who wants to speak to someone has to write instead.
- Most retail traders lose money: the median retail loss across the site's listings is 70.15%, with the middle band running 65.75% to 74.5%, so a funded account changes the size of the position rather than the odds of keeping money.
- The 5% to 10% maximum drawdown bracket straddles the 8% median recorded across the site's listings, so there is no unusually deep buffer to lean on.
Ftmo
Pros
- Trading limits are published in plain form: a 10% maximum drawdown and a 3% to 5% daily loss limit, both easy to check against your own risk plan.
- The drawdown limit stays at 10% across the evaluation, while Alpha Capital Group works with limits of 4% to 10%.
- Account sizes of $10,000 / $25,000 / $50,000 / $100,000 / $200,000 let a trader scale the account to the capital they actually have.
Cons
- The profit split of 80% to 90% leaves a share of each payout with the firm, where Funding Pips and Apex Trader Funding list 100% and 100%.
- The daily loss limit of 3% to 5% and the 10% maximum drawdown are both hard, so a weak session can end an evaluation on a larger size than planned.
- A reward claim only opens after a waiting period counted from the first trade, and payment waits on invoice approval, so the first payout takes patience.
Who each suits
City Traders Imperium
Who it suits
- Traders who want a 2 step evaluation but also want instant and direct routes on the same page.
- Anyone weighing price against payout share: fees of $29 to $549 sit against a profit share of 80% to 100%.
- Traders who want an account that grows rather than a fixed size, since account sizes scale well past the starting balance.
Who should look elsewhere
- Traders who want the top split with no tier to reach: Apex Trader Funding states 100% as its figure.
- Buyers on the smallest budget: Alpha Capital Group charges $27.
- Traders who want the widest price ladder: Funding Pips' fees of $29 to $555 stretch past the top of the range here.
Ftmo
Who it suits
- Traders who want the loss limits on the table before they pay: 3% to 5% a day and 10% overall.
- Traders who want to reach support by email, chat and phone, including phone and chat.
- Anyone whose capital fits one of the listed sizes, $10,000 / $25,000 / $50,000 / $100,000 / $200,000, and who can sit out the claim window after the first trade.
Who should look elsewhere
- Traders who want to keep every point of profit: Funding Pips and Apex Trader Funding publish 100% and 100% splits, against 80% to 90% here.
- Traders who want a tighter loss cap: Alpha Capital Group works with a maximum drawdown of 4% to 10%, which suits people who want a lower ceiling than 10%.
Current offers
City Traders Imperium
Current offer
Free trial
Free Trial - no card needed: Free
No card needed
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Ftmo
Current offer
Discount code
20% Off Special deal on $100K 1-Step Challenge: 20% off
Offer banner on the official site linking to the 1-Step purchase flow; one-time percentage discount on the $100,000 1-Step Challenge.
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Free trial
FTMO Free Trial: Free
Free, simplified version of the FTMO Challenge for practice purposes, signup at trader.ftmo.com/free-trial, no limit on repeats.
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Questions about each
City Traders Imperium
What does a City Traders Imperium challenge cost?+
Fees of $29 to $549 cover the range, so the entry point sits at the lower end and the larger accounts cost more. The median across the listings the site compares is €56.56, and on price alone the brand ranks at 3 of 21.
How much profit do I keep and how fast are payouts?+
The profit share runs 80% to 100%, and the first payout can be requested after a waiting period. After that, payouts are available weekly or at any time, depending on the VIP tier attached to the account. Apex Trader Funding publishes a single figure of 100%, which is the number to set against the top of this range.
Ftmo
What does an FTMO challenge cost?+
FTMO lists the account sizes you can enter, $10,000 / $25,000 / $50,000 / $100,000 / $200,000, and the evaluation runs as a 2 step process, so the entry cost follows the size and the stage you buy. For a sense of the market, the median challenge price across the sites compared here is €56.56, and the median for prop firms is €51.74.
How many stages does the evaluation have?+
FTMO runs a 2 step evaluation, so passing takes more than a single stage and a strong result in a single stage does not carry the account through. That structure appears on 40.9% of the sites compared here, against 36.4% for the single-stage model. Each stage is judged against the same 10% maximum drawdown and 3% to 5% daily loss limit.
Other options to compare
Other matchups
- City Traders Imperium vs PropNext
- City Traders Imperium vs Instant Funding
- City Traders Imperium vs Topstep
- City Traders Imperium vs E8 Markets
- City Traders Imperium vs Alpha Capital Group
- City Traders Imperium vs Funding Pips
- City Traders Imperium vs Blue Guardian
- City Traders Imperium vs Earn2Trade
- City Traders Imperium vs Hola Prime