Funding Pips vs FTMO: which prop firm wins for Australian traders in 2026?
FTMO is the safer default for Australian traders prioritising verified payout history and AU regulatory standing. Czech-based since 2014, USD 240m+ in verified trader payouts (the most extensive public ledger in the prop firm category), 80 to 90 percent profit split, dedicated FTMO Australia entity (VRGK Tech Pty Ltd, AFSL 525757). Funding Pips wins for traders willing to weight up-to-95 percent profit splits and aggressive scaling above operating-history depth. UAE-based since 2022, sector-leading 95 percent split ceiling, account-doubling scaling tiers on consistent performance, competitive challenge fees that undercut FTMO at most account sizes. Both accept Australian residents. Both pay in USD or stablecoin. The single biggest decision factor: do you weight FTMO's 12-year verified payout track record + AU regulatory entity above Funding Pips' higher profit-split ceiling and faster scaling?
Quick verdict: which should you choose?
Choose FTMO if:
- You weight verified payout history above all other factors (USD 240m+ distributed)
- You want a dedicated Australian ASIC-regulated entity (only major prop firm with one)
- You value 12 years of operating-history depth over headline economics
- You want broader platform support (MT4, MT5, cTrader, DXtrade)
- You prefer the most established brand recognition with prop trading communities
Choose Funding Pips if:
- You want sector-leading 95 percent profit split ceiling (vs FTMO's 90 percent)
- You value aggressive account-doubling scaling tiers
- You are cost-sensitive on lower-tier challenge fees
- You prioritise no-time-limit and news-trading-friendly rules
- You are comfortable trading 4-year operating history for higher headline economics
At-a-glance comparison
| Feature | Funding Pips | FTMO | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2022 | 2014 | FTMO (longer) |
| Headquartered | UAE (Dubai) | Czech Republic | Different jurisdictions |
| AU regulatory entity | None | FTMO Australia (AFSL 525757) | FTMO |
| Verified total payouts | Lower (newer firm) | USD 240m+ (public ledger) | FTMO |
| Profit split (top tier) | Up to 95% | Up to 90% | Funding Pips |
| Scaling plan | Account-doubling on consistent performance | +25% every 4 months at 10% profit | Different mechanics |
| Trading platforms | MT4, MT5, cTrader | MT4, MT5, cTrader, DXtrade | FTMO (more) |
| Payout cadence | Bi-weekly | Bi-weekly to monthly | Funding Pips (slight) |
Payout track record compared
This is the single most important metric in the prop firm category and the area where FTMO has the clearest lead.
FTMO publishes a continuously-updated payout ledger on its website. Total verified distributed: USD 240m+ as of early 2026. The ledger lists each payout with anonymised trader handle, country, payout amount, and date. The transparency lets traders verify firm health independently. Independent third parties have replicated the ledger via FTMO's public API, confirming the numbers are not selectively published. 12 years of continuous operation through multiple market cycles, including the 2022-2023 retail crypto bear market that took down several other prop firms.
Funding Pips publishes payout examples and individual success stories but not a continuously-updated comprehensive ledger. The firm is younger (founded 2022) and the absolute payout figures are correspondingly smaller. Community reporting since 2023 has been broadly positive on /r/Forex, /r/TradingPropFirmReview, and Discord channels. Trustpilot reviews are positive in aggregate. There are no major systemic payout-failure complaints on the public record.
For risk-averse traders weighting firm continuity heavily, FTMO's track record is the decisive factor. For traders comfortable with Funding Pips' shorter history and willing to weight execution-model and economics more heavily, the gap matters less but is real.
Profit splits and scaling plans
Profit split mechanics differ structurally:
FTMO: 80 percent baseline, scaling to 90 percent with consistent profitable performance over multiple reward cycles. Documented scaling plan adds 25 percent to the funded account size every four months on hitting 10 percent profit during the period. A trader who consistently performs grows from USD 100k to USD 125k after four months, USD 156k after eight months, USD 195k after a year. The scaling is firm-discretionary at the edges but the rule is documented and applied consistently.
Funding Pips: 80 percent baseline, scaling to 95 percent at the highest tier on the standard challenge model. Account-doubling scaling means a USD 100,000 funded account can grow to USD 200,000 after meeting performance criteria, then potentially to USD 400,000 with continued consistency. The exact triggers vary by program; both 95 percent split and account doubling are sector-leading.
For raw split percentage at the top tier, Funding Pips wins (95 percent vs 90 percent). For long-horizon scaling outcome on consistent traders, FTMO's documented +25 percent four-monthly cadence often produces similar dollar outcomes despite the lower split ceiling.
Want the gold-standard payout track record?
Start FTMO challengeWant sector-leading 95% profit split?
Start Funding Pips challengeChallenge economics
Challenge fees and structure across both firms:
| Account size (USD) | Funding Pips fee | FTMO fee | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000 | ~USD 79 | ~USD 89 | USD 10 |
| 10,000 | ~USD 89 | ~USD 89 | ~USD 0 |
| 25,000 | ~USD 169 | ~USD 189 | USD 20 |
| 50,000 | ~USD 289 | ~USD 289 | ~USD 0 |
| 100,000 | ~USD 549 | ~USD 540 | ~USD 0 |
| 200,000 | ~USD 1,099 | ~USD 1,080 | ~USD 0 |
Pricing indicative at May 2026 in USD. Fees refundable on first profitable withdrawal at both firms. Pricing differs by challenge model and is updated periodically.
The headline fee difference is smaller than community discussion sometimes suggests. Both firms are competitive at standard tiers. Funding Pips is slightly cheaper on the lowest tier (USD 5,000 account); the two converge at higher tiers. The bigger value differentiator at Funding Pips is the higher profit split ceiling, not the headline fee.
Rules clarity and trap clauses
Both firms publish clear rules with no hidden trap clauses identified in community reporting:
FTMO rules:
- 5 percent daily drawdown, 10 percent maximum drawdown
- 10 percent profit target phase 1, 5 percent phase 2
- 30 calendar days for phase 1, 60 days for phase 2
- Minimum 4 trading days per phase
- News-trading restrictions during scheduled releases (configurable)
- Weekend holds permitted
Funding Pips rules:
- 5 percent daily drawdown, 10 percent maximum drawdown
- 8 percent profit target phase 1, 5 percent phase 2
- No time limit on most challenge models
- Minimum 5 trading days
- News-trading allowed (no scheduled-release restrictions)
- Weekend holds permitted
The structural differences:
- Funding Pips' no-time-limit policy is materially friendlier to swing traders who need 4-8 weeks for a setup to play out
- Funding Pips' news-trading allowance is friendlier to event-driven strategies
- FTMO's documented review process for split scaling is more deterministic over the long horizon
For day traders running standard setups, both firms' rules work equivalently. For swing traders or news-event traders, Funding Pips' rules are more accommodating.
AU regulatory standing
This is where FTMO has a unique advantage: the only major prop firm with a dedicated Australian regulatory entity.
FTMO Australia is operated by VRGK Tech Pty Ltd (ACN 640 619 521), which holds Australian Financial Services Licence AFSL 525757. This is meaningful because it means:
- The counterparty for Australian traders is an ASIC-licensed Australian company
- AFCA dispute resolution access applies
- Australian consumer protection frameworks apply to the relationship
- Tax records and payout flows are from a domestic AU entity rather than offshore
Funding Pips is UAE-headquartered with no Australian subsidiary. Australian traders deal directly with the offshore entity. This is not a problem operationally, but the regulatory positioning is materially different from FTMO Australia. There is no AU consumer protection framework around the relationship.
For Australian traders weighting onshore regulatory standing as part of risk management, FTMO is the only major prop firm that delivers it. For traders comfortable with offshore counterparty exposure (which is the standard prop firm pattern), Funding Pips works fine but does not offer this differentiation.
Who wins on specific use cases
Day trader running 5-15 trades per day on majors
Tie. Both fit this profile well. FTMO's broader platform support (DXtrade in addition to MT4/MT5/cTrader) gives more options. Funding Pips' lower lowest-tier fee tilts cost-adjusted decision toward Funding Pips for first attempts.
Swing trader holding positions 3-10 days
Winner: Funding Pips. No time limit on challenges removes the artificial pressure to close positions early. FTMO's 30-day phase 1 is workable but tight for genuine swing setups.
News-event trader running scheduled-release strategies
Winner: Funding Pips. News-trading allowance is structural. FTMO's restrictions are configurable but the default friction is meaningful.
Risk-averse trader prioritising payout reliability
Winner: FTMO. The USD 240m+ verified payout ledger is the gold standard. No competitor matches it.
Australian trader specifically wanting onshore regulatory standing
Winner: FTMO. FTMO Australia (AFSL 525757) is the only major prop firm with a dedicated AU entity.
Trader wanting maximum headline profit split
Winner: Funding Pips. Up to 95 percent at top tier vs FTMO's 90 percent.
Trader pursuing maximum scaled funded capital over 24 months
Tie. FTMO's +25 percent every-four-months scaling and Funding Pips' account-doubling produce similar trajectories on consistent traders.
Trader on a tight budget for first attempt
Winner: Funding Pips. ~USD 79 entry tier vs FTMO's ~USD 89. Small absolute saving but real for budget-constrained first attempts.
Trader running multiple prop firm accounts
Winner: Both. Many serious traders run both. The FTMO + Funding Pips pairing covers complementary positioning (long-history-AU-licensed + sector-leading-economics).
Final recommendation
For most Australian traders, FTMO is the safer default. The USD 240m+ verified payout ledger, the dedicated FTMO Australia entity (AFSL 525757), and the 12-year operating history are decisive for risk-averse decision-making. For Australian traders specifically, FTMO Australia produces an onshore regulated counterparty that no other major prop firm offers. The 4.7 rating reflects this.
For sophisticated traders willing to weight sector-leading 95 percent profit splits, aggressive account-doubling scaling, and friendlier swing-trader rules above operating-history depth, Funding Pips is the better choice. The 4.3 rating reflects credible economics on a younger operating record.
The honest framing: FTMO is the safer, longer-track-record, AU-licensed default. Funding Pips is the higher-economics, swing-friendly, value-tier alternative. Neither is wrong. Both accept Australian residents and pay reliably. The decision is a function of how much you weight payout-history depth + AU regulatory standing vs higher headline profit split + faster scaling.
For the broader prop firm landscape, see the Best Prop Trading Firms 2026 pillar. For the FTMO vs FundedNext head-to-head (the most common decision in retail prop trading), see FTMO vs FundedNext. For Funding Pips against FundedNext (the value-tier head-to-head), see Funding Pips vs FundedNext.
Start FTMO challenge
USD 240m+ verified payouts. 12-year operating history. FTMO Australia AFSL 525757 (only major prop firm with AU entity). 90% profit split.
Start FTMO challengeStart Funding Pips challenge
UAE-based since 2022. Up to 95% profit split. Account-doubling scaling. No time limit on challenges. News-trading allowed.
Start Funding Pips challengeFrequently asked questions
FTMO is the safer default for Australian traders prioritising verified payout history (USD 240m+ distributed to date) and a dedicated AU ASIC-regulated entity (VRGK Tech Pty Ltd, AFSL 525757). Funding Pips is better for traders willing to weight sector-leading profit splits (up to 95 percent vs FTMO's 90 percent) and aggressive scaling above the longest-track-record signal. Both accept Australian residents and pay reliably.
FTMO offers up to 90 percent profit split after consistent performance scaling from a standard 80 percent baseline. Funding Pips offers up to 95 percent profit split, matching FundedNext as the sector-leading ceiling. The 5 percentage point difference matters less than headline framing suggests because FTMO's documented +25 percent every-four-months account scaling on sustained 10 percent profits compounds total earnings differently. For most consistent traders, the dollar outcome over 24 months is similar at both firms.
FTMO has the strongest verified payout record in the prop firm category. The publicly maintained payout ledger shows USD 240m+ distributed to traders to date with continuous updates. Funding Pips has been operating since 2022 with positive community-reported payouts on Trustpilot, /r/Forex, and /r/TradingPropFirmReview, but the verified payout record is shorter than FTMO's 12-year history. For risk-averse traders, FTMO's track record is the safer signal.
Funding Pips is generally cheaper at lower account tiers but converges with FTMO at higher tiers. Indicative pricing at May 2026: USD 5,000 account costs roughly USD 79 at Funding Pips vs USD 89 at FTMO; USD 100,000 account costs roughly USD 549 at both; USD 200,000 account costs roughly USD 1,099 at Funding Pips vs USD 1,080 at FTMO. Both refund the challenge fee on the first profitable withdrawal. The fee gap is smaller than community discussion sometimes suggests.
Yes. FTMO Australia is operated by VRGK Tech Pty Ltd (ACN 640 619 521), which holds Australian Financial Services Licence AFSL 525757. This is unique among major challenge-based prop firms - no other competitor offers a dedicated AU regulated counterparty. Funding Pips is UAE-headquartered with no Australian subsidiary. For Australian traders weighting AU regulatory standing heavily, FTMO is the only option that provides an onshore licensed counterparty.
Community reporting since 2023 indicates Funding Pips payouts have been reliable, with positive Trustpilot reviews and community-verified payouts on /r/TradingPropFirmReview. The firm pays via international wire or stablecoin (USDT, USDC). Australian traders typically receive funds within 3 to 5 business days end-to-end. The honest caveat: Funding Pips has not been operating long enough to be stress-tested through a sustained adverse environment. FTMO has 12 years; Funding Pips has 4.
Yes. Many serious traders maintain accounts at multiple prop firms to diversify risk and access more total funded capital. The constraint is operational complexity: managing different rule structures, payout schedules, and tax records across multiple firms. For Australian traders, the additional considerations are FX exposure on USD or stablecoin payouts and the trader-vs-investor classification implications when prop trading becomes a meaningful income source.
About this analysis
