Detailed Comparison: Funded Trading Plus vs Blue Guardian (2025)

Algaroud Center, 2nd Floor, Office 101-05, Dubai, UAE

London, United Kingdom

Sean Bainton

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

Liquidity Provider

Gooey Trade (technology provider)

Refund available within 14 days if no trades have been placed. Evaluation fee refund also available upon reaching 10% profit on the FT+ Trader simulated live account (not applicable to Master or Prestige programs).

• 1 Step Nano: up to weekly
• 2 Step Nano: bi-weekly
• Other products: 14 days

• 1-Step Express: first withdrawal from day 1, then every 7 days. Minimum $50.
• 2-Step Classic: first withdrawal 10 days after funded account creation, then every 10 days. Minimum 1% of initial balance.
• Instant: first withdrawal from day 1, then every 7 days. Minimum $50.
• Activation Accounts: every 10 trading days. Requires at least 3% simulated profit and 25% payout consistency. Minimum withdrawal $50.

Payouts processed within 24 business hours (Mon 9 AM – Fri 5 PM Dubai time). If they miss this window you automatically receive a 100% profit split on that payout (no Blue Guardian cut). Delays caused by compliance checks, risk reviews or pending KYC do not qualify.

2 Step Nano: 2% of the initial balance per payout ($500 on $25K, $1,000 on $50K, $2,000 on $100K and $4,000 on $200K).

$100 in crypto, $500 via Rise (bank transfer). On 1 Step Standard and Instant accounts, once you reach 6% profit and the trailing drawdown locks at breakeven, a 1% buffer must remain in the account.

• 1-Step Express / Instant: $50
• 2-Step Classic: 1% of the initial balance
• Activation Accounts: $50 after reaching the 3% payout-eligibility threshold

• 1-Step Express, Instant and Activation Accounts: 1:30
• 2-Step Classic: 1:50

• Evaluation: 20:1
• Funded: 10:1

• Commodities (metals): 1:30
• Gold & Silver: 1:20

• Evaluation: 20:1
• Funded: 10:1

• Evaluation: 20:1
• Funded: 10:1

Available for breached or failed evaluations at a discounted price. Not available for simulated live accounts.

Profit split upgrade add-ons available at checkout (e.g., start with 90/10 split).

• 1-Step Express: 10% scaling target
• 2-Step Classic: 20% scaling target; requires 50% consistency, one successful withdrawal and an account active for at least two months
• Instant: 10% scaling target
• Activation Accounts: no scaling plan

Eligible programs can scale up to a $2,500,000 starting balance, with a maximum of $5,000,000 after scaling. Requests are subject to risk review and require no open trades.

• Instant, Guardian X, 1 Step Standard, 1 Step Nano, 2 Step Pro, Crypto: Trailing
• 1 Step Pro, 2 Step Standard, 2 Step Classic, 2 Step Nano, 3 Step: Static

• 1-Step Express: 6% relative trailing maximum drawdown; locks at the initial balance
• 2-Step Classic: 8% static drawdown
• Instant: 6% relative trailing maximum drawdown; locks at the initial balance
• Activation Accounts challenge: 6% static maximum drawdown
• Activation Accounts funded: 6% trailing maximum drawdown; locks at the initial balance

• Existing 1, 2 and 3 Step programs: 85%
• 1 Step Nano and 2 Step Nano: up to 100%
• Instant: 80%
• Instant Starter: 90%
• With add-on: 90%

• 1-Step Express, 2-Step Classic and Instant: start at 80%; eligible accounts can scale to 90% at 20% profit and 100% at 30% profit. An optional add-on can start the account at 90%.
• Activation Accounts: fixed 80% profit split; it does not increase over time.

Based on highest value between balance and equity

• 1-Step Express: 4%, balance based
• 2-Step Classic: 4%, balance based
• Instant: 6%, balance based
• Activation Accounts challenge: 4%, balance based
• Activation Accounts funded: 3%, balance based

• 1-Step Express, 2-Step Classic and Instant: scaling up to a $2,500,000 starting balance, with a $5,000,000 maximum after scaling
• Activation Accounts: maximum $250,000 combined activated capital

Same-type funded accounts can be merged up to $400,000 ($200,000 cap on Instant). Cross-merging different types (e.g. 2 Step Standard with 2 Step Pro) is NOT allowed. Both accounts must be at break-even (no profit, no loss) at merge time. Beyond the merge cap, the Scaling Plan can take total allocation up to $2,000,000. Guardian X and Instant accounts are NOT eligible for scaling.

Only untraded simulated live accounts can be merged. Maximum merged account size is $200,000 (or $100,000 if the program doesn't offer $200K). Not applicable to 2-Step Classic.

No limit

No time limit on any program. Accounts must have at least 1 trade (open and close) every 30 days to remain active.

1 Step Nano: no minimum during the evaluation; 5 days when funded.

• Instant, 2 Step Standard, Guardian X: 5 days with 0.5% profit or more
• 1 Step, 2 Step Classic, 3 Step, Crypto: 3 days with 0.5% profit or more
• 2 Step Classic: 4 days with 0.5% profit or more

No minimum trading days requirement on any program. Account must be active within any 30-day calendar period (at least one trade opened and closed) or it will be hard-breached for inactivity.

Activation Accounts: up to 10 activations per month and a maximum of 5 activated accounts at the same time, subject to the $250,000 combined limit. There is no limit on challenges purchased or passed.

Activation fee due only after passing, with no payment deadline:

• 25K: $179
• 50K: $299
• 100K: $489
• 200K: $969

Activation Accounts cost $4 to start on every available account size. If the challenge is not passed, no further fee is charged.

EAs, Algos and Bots are allowed. Must not be used for copy trading or hedging across accounts. EAs may be requested for review upon evaluation pass. FT+ does not provide support for third-party EAs.

Hedging is allowed within a single account. Hedging across multiple accounts (yours or others') is NOT allowed.

Hedging is allowed on the same account (opposing positions on the same instrument). Hedging across multiple accounts is strictly prohibited.

Minimum holding time of 2 minutes. Trades closed in under 2 minutes are flagged as tick scalping and count as a rule violation, whether closed manually or by automated systems. Average trade duration should stay above 1–2 minutes. Scalping itself is allowed as long as you stay above the 2-minute floor.

• Symbol Loss Limit (2-Step Classic): Maximum loss per single symbol per day, based on balance at 16:59 EST. Hard breach rule.
• Margin utilization review triggers at milestones (evaluation passes, scaling requests, withdrawals). Not a hard limit but triggers manual risk team review.

Manual copy trading is allowed ONLY between accounts legally owned by the same person (e.g. between your own Evaluation and Funded accounts, or between your Blue Guardian account and external accounts in your name). NOT allowed:

• Copying trades from other traders' accounts.
• Third-party copiers that involve accounts not legally yours.
• Having a third party manage your trades.

Instant Funding users may also use third-party copiers, provided all accounts belong to the same user.

News trading is allowed on Challenge, Guardian X and Instant Starter.

It is NOT allowed on Instant Standard and Funded accounts. On those, do not open or close trades within 5 minutes before or 5 minutes after a red folder (high-impact) release. Profits made during that window or significantly influenced by the news will be removed, even without an account violation. Same 5-minute window applies around FOMC speeches, statements and news events on Funded accounts.

Note: Instant Standard accounts purchased after November 13, 2025 cannot do news trading at all.

30 days

30 days. At least 1 trade (open and close) required every 30 days. Warning email sent 7 days before breach.

Consistency rule applies to: 1 Step Nano evaluation and funded (50%), 2 Step Nano funded (50%), 2 Step Pro funded (25%), Guardian X and Instant Standard funded (20%), Instant Starter funded (15%), $300K and $400K Instant funded (15%).

Does NOT apply to: 2 Step Nano evaluation, 1 Step Standard, 1 Step Pro, 2 Step Standard, 2 Step Classic, 3 Step funded accounts, nor to any other challenge phase.

Calculation: a single trading day cannot equal or exceed the threshold of total profits in the payout cycle. If exceeded, the payout button is blocked until the highest day drops below the threshold. Violating it does NOT terminate the account.

• 1-Step Express: no consistency rule
• 2-Step Classic: 35% during evaluation and 50% when funded; also applies a 3% Symbol Loss Limit
• Instant: no consistency rule
• Activation Accounts challenge: no consistency rule
• Activation Accounts funded: 25%, checked only when requesting a payout; it does not breach the account

• 1-Step Express: allowed
• 2-Step Classic: allowed
• Instant: not allowed; trades are automatically closed at 4:30 PM EST on Friday
• Activation Accounts: allowed during both challenge and funded phases

• Platform or data freezing exploits (using a Demo Server error).
• Use of delayed data feed or trading on delayed charts.
• Tick scalping (trades closed under 2 minutes), high-frequency trading, arbitrage bots.
• Reverse arbitrage, latency arbitrage, hedge arbitrage and any emulators.
• Hedging between accounts (within one account is fine).
• Password changes (the password sent by email is the only one accepted).
• Gambling: any trading where margin usage exceeds 80% on running trades.
• Shared devices, VPS or accounts: each trader must use only their personal device. Shared usage across accounts results in payout disqualification, suspension or termination.
• Bypassing copy-trading or signal-trading rules using VPN/VPS.
• Account inactivity: at least 1 trade every 30 days (otherwise breach).

• Arbitrage
• Grid trading
• Tick scalping
• Abuse of demo trading conditions
• Account management / passing services
• Hedging across multiple accounts