Where you trade
The choice of environment significantly differs between these two firms. Atlas Funded Futures focuses its ecosystem on Volumetrica, a platform specialized in order flow and volume analysis. This setup is designed for traders who prioritize depth of market and technical volume data.
In contrast, FTMO Futures provides a broader suite of tools. Traders can choose between NinjaTrader, Tradovate, and Tradingview. The inclusion of Tradingview is particularly relevant for those who prefer web-based charts, while NinjaTrader serves the professional desktop-based community.
Who executes your orders
Execution in FTMO Futures is handled through Tradovate, acting as the broker for their simulated and live environments. This provides a standardized futures execution experience with market data included in the cost.
Atlas Funded Futures manages its execution internally through its proprietary simulated environment. While they do not use a third-party retail broker for the evaluation phases, they offer a transition to Atlas Live accounts for consistently profitable traders, which operate under different payout and drawdown parameters.
Leverage and margin
Risk management is handled through two different technical philosophies:
- Atlas Funded Futures: Uses a Trailing Drawdown calculated at the close of the trading day (16:45 New York). In Standard, Apex, and Direct programs, this trailing stops once it reaches the initial balance. A critical technical rule is the 80% margin usage limit; exceeding this will automatically close positions.
- FTMO Futures: Also utilizes an End-of-Day Trailing Drawdown based on the highest closing balance, which locks at the starting balance. However, they control leverage through Position Size Scaling. A $100,000 account starts with a limit of 4 mini contracts, which can scale up to 10 minis as profit is realized.
Markets available
The range of tradable instruments defines the strategy's scope:
- Atlas Funded Futures: Focuses on the core CME Group products, including Equity Indexes, Metals, and Commodities.
- FTMO Futures: Offers a wider variety of futures contracts, covering Indices, Commodities, Crypto, and Forex. This makes it a more versatile choice for traders looking to hedge across different asset classes.
What the setup lets you do
Both firms allow EAs and algorithmic trading, but the execution rules vary:
- Atlas Funded Futures: Implements a 3-minute rule on funded accounts; profits from trades held for less than 3 minutes are deducted. They also have a news trading restriction where profits from trades opened/closed within 5 minutes of high-impact news are removed.
- FTMO Futures: Allows scalping without a minimum hold time, provided it reflects legitimate market behavior. They are more permissive with News Trading, which is unrestricted. However, they are very strict against strategies that cannot be replicated in a live market, such as latency arbitrage or spoofing.
What the setup costs
The financial commitment follows two distinct models:
- Atlas Funded Futures: Operates on a one-time fee basis (e.g., $299 for a $100,000 Apex account). There are no activation or subscription fees. Commissions are not explicitly detailed as a per-side cost in the tech info but are factored into the simulation. Payouts occur every 14 days with a 90% split, reaching 100% on Live accounts.
- FTMO Futures: Uses a monthly subscription model (e.g., $169 per month for a $100,000 Growth account). They charge transparent commissions: $0.50 per side for minis and $0.20 for micros, plus exchange fees. Payouts are on-demand once qualifying days are met, with a 90% profit split.
Better setup for
- Atlas Funded Futures is the better setup for Order Flow traders who prefer a one-time payment model and don't mind a 3-minute holding rule in exchange for no monthly recurring costs.
- FTMO Futures is the better setup for Intraday Scalpers and multi-platform users who require Tradingview or NinjaTrader and want the flexibility of on-demand payouts and news trading.
Frequently asked questions
Which firm is cheaper for a $100,000 account, Atlas Funded Futures or FTMO Futures?
It depends on your timeframe. FTMO Futures has a lower entry cost of $169 for a Growth account, but this is a monthly subscription. Atlas Funded Futures charges a one-time fee of $219 for a Standard account or $299 for an Apex account. If you pass and trade for several months, Atlas becomes cheaper as it has no recurring billing.
Does Atlas Funded Futures or FTMO Futures offer faster payouts?
FTMO Futures offers faster access to capital because it allows payouts on-demand as soon as the qualifying profitable day requirements are met. Atlas Funded Futures follows a fixed schedule, requiring a wait of 14 days for the first payout in most programs, though this drops to 7 days once a trader reaches the Atlas Live stage.
Which firm has stricter daily loss rules, Atlas Funded Futures or FTMO Futures?
FTMO Futures has stricter technical daily limits on its Pro accounts, where hitting the daily loss (e.g., $1,500 on a $100K account) results in a hard breach and account termination. Atlas Funded Futures is more lenient; its Standard accounts use a soft limit that only pauses trading for the day, and its Apex and Direct programs have no daily loss limit at all.
Can I use Tradingview with Atlas Funded Futures or FTMO Futures?
You can only use Tradingview with FTMO Futures, which offers it alongside NinjaTrader and Tradovate. Atlas Funded Futures is technically restricted to Volumetrica, making it a more rigid choice for traders who are already integrated into the Tradingview ecosystem for their analysis and execution.






















