1. Business Environment and Trust
- Funded Trading Plus (FTP) is based in the United Kingdom and has been operating since 2021. It has established a solid reputation for its scaling plan and straightforward rules.
- Top One Trader (TOT) is based in the United States (Wyoming) and is a newer entity, founded in 2023.
- Geographic Restrictions: Both firms have significant lists of banned countries. Notably, FTP restricts Vietnam and Pakistan, while TOT has a much broader list of restricted countries, including several Eastern European and Middle Eastern nations.
2. Program Structure and Evaluation Phases
- Variety of Pathways: Both firms offer 1-Step, 2-Step, and Instant Funding models.
- Evaluation Difficulty:
- FTP's "Experienced" (1-Step) requires a 10% target.
- TOT's 1-Step requires a 10% target but includes a trailing drawdown that makes it more technically challenging than a static one.
- Instant Funding: FTP’s "Master" program is a pure instant funding model with no profit target. TOT offers "Instant Funding" and "Instant Prime," but these come with complex consistency rules and specific lot-size limits from the start.
3. Drawdown Mechanics and Risk Management
- Trailing vs. Static:
- FTP uses a Trailing Drawdown for most programs (Experienced, Advanced, Premium, Master), but importantly, the trailing stops following at the starting balance level. This protects the trader's ability to withdraw profits without losing the account easily. Their "Prestige" accounts use a Static Drawdown, which is generally preferred by traders.
- TOT uses a Trailing Drawdown for Instant and 1-Step accounts. In these, the drawdown only locks at the starting balance after a payout is requested.
- Daily Drawdown:
- FTP bases it on the highest value between equity and balance.
- TOT uses an EOD (End of Day) high-watermark, meaning it resets based on the higher of balance or equity at the close of the trading day.
4. Trading Rules and Restrictions
- Expert Advisors (EAs):
- FTP allows fully autonomous EAs, making it a superior choice for algorithmic traders.
- TOT strictly prohibits EAs, which is a significant limitation for traders relying on automated systems.
- Stop Loss (SL) Requirement:
- FTP does not require a Stop Loss, allowing more flexibility for various manual strategies.
- TOT mandates an active SL for every trade at the moment of execution. Failing to set one results in a "Soft Breach" (automatic trade closure). You must pay an extra fee (Add-on) to remove this rule.
- Holding Time (Scalping):
- FTP allows scalping with no minimum holding time.
- TOT imposes a 5-minute minimum holding time for profitable trades. Closing a trade earlier results in the profit not being counted or potential rule violations. This effectively bans traditional scalping.
- Consistency Rules:
- FTP has no formal consistency rule regarding profit distribution.
- TOT has strict consistency rules: For 2-Step funded accounts, no single day can exceed 30% of the total profit. For Instant Prime, they use an ESS (Entry Sensitivity Score) formula, adding complexity to how you must manage your winners.
5. Payouts and Profit Sharing
- Profit Split:
- FTP starts at 80% and can scale up to 100% profit split if the trader reaches a 30% profit milestone.
- TOT starts at 80% for evaluation accounts (can be boosted to 90% with an add-on) and starts as low as 60% for Instant Funding.
- Payout Frequency:
- FTP offers payments every 7 to 14 days depending on the program.
- TOT defaults to 14 or 30 days, but offers Weekly or On-Demand payouts only if the trader purchases an Add-on during checkout.
- Withdrawal Fees: FTP has unknown/low fees, while TOT charges a 2% payout fee through the Rise platform.
6. Brokerage and Technical Conditions
- Platforms: Both offer a wide range including MatchTrader, DXTrade, and cTrader.
- Leverage:
- FTP is consistent at 1:30 for Forex.
- TOT offers higher leverage (1:50) during evaluation but drops it significantly during the funded phase or for 1-Step accounts (1:10).
- Commissions:
- FTP charges $7 per lot for most assets.
- TOT is more competitive here, with commissions ranging from $4 to $5 per lot depending on the platform.
7. The "Add-on" Culture in Top One Trader
A major difference is how features are accessed. Funded Trading Plus provides most features (like news trading or weekend holding) based on the program chosen.
Top One Trader uses a heavy Add-on system. To get features like "No Stop Loss," "Weekly Payouts," or "90% Profit Split," the trader must increase the initial purchase price by 10% to 35%. This makes the initial "cheap" price of TOT accounts misleading when compared to the all-inclusive nature of FTP.
8. Summary: Which one to choose?
Choose Funded Trading Plus if:
- You use Expert Advisors (EAs) or automated trading bots.
- You are a Scalper who needs to open and close trades in seconds or minutes.
- You want the potential to keep 100% of your profits.
- You prefer a firm with a longer track record and simpler, all-inclusive rules without hidden "add-on" costs.
- You do not want to be forced to use a Stop Loss on every single execution.
Choose Top One Trader if:
- You are a Manual Day Trader who already uses Stop Losses and holds trades for more than 5 minutes.
- You want lower trading commissions ($4-5 vs $7).
- You are interested in the EquityShield feature to help automate the closing of losing positions.
- You prefer a US-based firm and are comfortable with a payout fee in exchange for potentially cheaper initial challenge costs (if no add-ons are selected).
