Scalping and Day Trading
Atmos Funded is highly compatible with scalpers, explicitly allowing the style and providing 1:50 leverage on Forex. The main risk for scalpers here is the consistency rule on "1 Step Plus" and "Instant" accounts, where no single day can exceed 45% or 20% of total profits respectively. In terms of platforms, Atmos relies solely on MetaTrader 5.
Funding Traders also allows scalping but imposes a critical restriction: high-frequency trading (HFT) or trades lasting 15 seconds or less are strictly prohibited. This significantly limits "tick scalpers." However, Funding Traders offers more platform variety for day traders, including TradeLocker alongside MT5. Scalpers should also note the "Maximum Risk Per Trade Idea" rule (2% on Pro accounts), which groups trades in the same direction within 2 minutes.
Automated Trading (EAs)
There is a massive divide between the two firms regarding Expert Advisors. Atmos Funded allows the use of EAs without specific restrictions on their logic, making it the superior choice for algorithmic traders. The only barrier is the prohibition of latency arbitrage or bots that overload the price feed.
Funding Traders is much more restrictive. EAs are permitted ONLY if they are focused on risk management (calculators). Any EA that automatically places trades is forbidden unless the trader developed the code personally and can explain it to the risk team. Off-the-shelf or "plug-and-play" bots purchased online will lead to account termination.
News Trading
For traders who specialize in high-impact events, the rules are opposite. Atmos Funded strictly prohibits trading within a 4-minute window (2 minutes before and 2 minutes after) around high-impact news events. This makes Atmos a poor choice for news straddle strategies.
Funding Traders allows news trading during the challenge phases without restrictions. In the funded phase of Pro accounts, it is allowed but limited: news-influenced trades cannot represent more than 30% of total profits. For Instant Funded accounts, news trading is prohibited by default unless the trader purchases a specific "Hold Through News" add-on for an extra 15% of the account price.
Swing Trading
Both firms are friendly toward swing traders as they both allow holding positions over the weekend. Atmos Funded permits weekend holding across all instruments without extra costs. This interacts well with their 2-step accounts which use static drawdown, protecting swing traders from being stopped out by balance fluctuations during the week.
Funding Traders also allows weekend holding on all instruments, including crypto. While there is no "Friday flatten" rule, swing traders must be aware of the 30-day inactivity rule, which starts from the day of purchase, not the last trade. This means a swing trader cannot wait too long to find their first setup after buying the account.
Copy Trading and Hedging
Atmos Funded allows copy trading only between your own Atmos accounts. It also permits hedging within the same account, which is a significant advantage for traders using recovery zones or complex hedging strategies.
Funding Traders allows copy trading from external sources (your own accounts in other brokers or firms) into your Funding Traders account. However, it strictly prohibits hedging. You cannot have opposing positions on the same instrument, and doing so across different accounts is considered a prohibited strategy.
If you trade like this
- If you use automated EAs: Atmos Funded is the clear winner, as Funding Traders almost entirely bans commercial or automated bots.
- If you trade high-impact news: Funding Traders is better, especially during the evaluation phase, whereas Atmos prohibits it entirely.
- If you are a high-volume Scalper: Atmos Funded is safer because it lacks the 15-second minimum trade duration rule found at Funding Traders.
- If you need TradeLocker or more platforms: Funding Traders is the only option between the two that offers an alternative to MetaTrader 5.
- If you use Hedging: Atmos Funded is your only choice, as Funding Traders considers hedging a violation of their terms.
Frequently asked questions
Which firm is cheaper to start a small evaluation, Atmos Funded or Funding Traders?
Atmos Funded is significantly cheaper for beginners due to its "Nova" challenge, which costs only $5 for a $10,000 account (plus a $79 activation fee if passed). In contrast, Funding Traders' cheapest standard evaluation for a $5,000 account starts at $39 for the 2-Step Pro6 or $49 for the 1-Step.
Can I use a commercial Expert Advisor (EA) in both Atmos Funded and Funding Traders?
No, you can only use commercial EAs freely in Atmos Funded. Funding Traders has a very strict policy that prohibits any EA that automatically places trades unless you personally wrote the code and can explain the logic to their risk team; they specifically ban "off-the-shelf" EAs purchased online.
Between Atmos Funded and Funding Traders, which has more flexible news trading rules?
Funding Traders is more flexible because it allows news trading without restrictions during the challenge phases and permits it with a 30% profit cap in the funded phase. Atmos Funded, on the other hand, strictly prohibits any trading activity 2 minutes before and after high-impact events.
Which firm offers more trading platforms, Atmos Funded or Funding Traders?
Funding Traders offers more variety by providing both MetaTrader 5 and TradeLocker. Atmos Funded currently only offers MetaTrader 5 as its trading platform.





















