Scalping
Scalping is handled with different levels of technical freedom in these two firms.
- Rules and Limitations: FundingPips explicitly allows scalping, whereas Dolvero prohibits "tick scalping" and strategies that exploit latency or feed delays.
- Platforms: FundingPips offers MatchTrader and cTrader, which are often preferred by scalpers for execution speed, while Dolvero is limited to MetaTrader 5.
- Costs: Dolvero charges a commission of $20 per $1M nominal on Forex. FundingPips charges $5 per lot on its standard models, which may be more expensive depending on the pair and lot size.
- Risk: Both firms have tight daily drawdowns (3% to 5% depending on the challenge), which limits the number of losing scalp trades a user can take in a single session.
Swing Trading
Holding positions for several days is possible but requires careful planning due to weekend restrictions.
- Rules: Dolvero prohibits holding positions over the weekend by default. To swing trade through the weekend, you must purchase a "Weekend Holding" add-on for an additional 15% of the fee. At FundingPips, weekend holding is permitted during evaluation phases but strictly prohibited on Master accounts (except for the Labs 247 model).
- Risk: Dolvero uses static drawdown on its 2-Step accounts, which is ideal for swing traders as the "floor" doesn't rise with profits. FundingPips uses static drawdown on Standard and Flex models, but trailing drawdown on its Zero and Prime accounts.
- Costs: The 15% surcharge at Dolvero is a significant upfront cost for swing traders. At FundingPips Zero, holding into the weekend is a "hard breach" (account closure), making it a high-risk environment for this style.
News Trading
Both firms impose restrictions to prevent gambling on high-impact economic events.
- Rules: Dolvero prohibits opening or closing trades 30 minutes before and after high-impact news. This restriction can only be removed with a 15% add-on. FundingPips allows news trading during evaluations, but on Master accounts, it deducts profits from trades executed within a 5-minute window of the event (or a 10-minute window and hard breach for the Zero model).
- Payout Impact: At Dolvero, violating the news rule is a breach of terms. At FundingPips, it usually results in profit deduction rather than account loss (except in the Zero model), providing a slightly larger safety net for accidental executions.
Automated Trading (EAs)
The use of Expert Advisors is highly regulated in both firms to ensure the trader is actually the one managing the risk.
- Approval Process: Dolvero requires prior approval for any EA, a process that takes 24 to 48 hours. FundingPips only allows third-party EAs if they are used strictly as trade or risk managers.
- Ownership: FundingPips allows full automation only if the trader can prove they own the code. Dolvero does not specify a code ownership requirement but prohibits HFT, arbitrage, and grid strategies.
- Technical Setup: Dolvero prohibits VPNs and proxies but allows a private VPS with a dedicated IP for approved EAs. FundingPips allows VPNs.
Copy Trading and Hedging
These strategies are mostly restricted to prevent coordinated trading and risk manipulation.
- Copy Trading: Dolvero explicitly prohibits copy trading and external signals. FundingPips allows copying between your own accounts but strictly forbids copying from external sources or between different users.
- Hedging: Both firms prohibit hedging on identical or correlated instruments. Dolvero lists this as a prohibited strategy, and FundingPips also excludes it from its allowed trading practices.
If you trade like this
- The Scalper: FundingPips is the better choice due to the availability of cTrader and the lack of "tick scalping" ambiguity found in Dolvero’s rules.
- The Swing Trader: Dolvero (with the 2-Step static drawdown) is safer for long-term positions, provided you pay the 15% add-on to hold through the weekend.
- The EA User: Dolvero is more accessible if you use a commercial EA that acts as a manager, as long as you get it approved, whereas FundingPips’ ownership proof is a high barrier.
- The News Trader: FundingPips offers more flexibility during the evaluation phase, where there are no news restrictions.
Frequently asked questions
Which firm is cheaper for a $100,000 challenge, Dolvero or FundingPips?
FundingPips is generally cheaper for this size. A 2-Step Standard $100k account at FundingPips costs $522, while the 2-Step $100k account at Dolvero costs $549. Additionally, FundingPips offers a "2-Step Pro" version for $422, which significantly undercuts Dolvero's pricing for the same capital allocation.
Between Dolvero and FundingPips, which one has a more restrictive news trading rule?
Dolvero is more restrictive because its prohibited window is 60 minutes in total (30 minutes before and 30 minutes after) and applying it to a Master account requires an extra 15% fee to unlock. FundingPips only restricts a 10-minute total window (5 minutes before and after) on most Master accounts, and it is completely allowed during their evaluation phases.
Who offers better platform variety for algorithmic trading, Dolvero or FundingPips?
FundingPips offers better variety as it supports MetaTrader 5, MatchTrader, and cTrader. Dolvero is currently limited to MetaTrader 5 only. For algorithmic traders, the inclusion of cTrader at FundingPips (available as a +20% add-on) provides a modern alternative to the standard MT5 environment offered by Dolvero.
Which firm allows for faster payouts, Dolvero or FundingPips?
FundingPips allows for much faster payouts. While Dolvero requires 14 days after becoming funded for the first payout and every 14 days thereafter, FundingPips offers daily payouts on its "Prime" and "Labs 247" models. Even on its standard accounts, FundingPips offers "On Demand" and weekly payout options, whereas Dolvero is strictly bi-weekly.
