What trading strategies are prohibited at The 5%ers, is martingale allowed, and are there any lot size limits?

💡 Answer

Martingale Allowed?

No

Prohibited Strategies

The 5%ers forbids practices such as one-sided betting without regard to market conditions, exploiting price discrepancies (arbitrage), trading bracket strategies around high-impact news, and exploiting system errors like price display inaccuracies or update delays. These behaviours are considered abusive and can lead to immediate account closure.


Lot Size Limits:

The 5%ers does not publish a fixed maximum lot size, but it enforces risk and behaviour checks. Oversized positions relative to account size or historical behaviour, or using extreme lot sizes to hit targets quickly, may be flagged and can lead to violations under the firm’s risk and conduct rules.

More FAQs about The 5%ers

Guides Where The 5%ers Is Featured

These guides include The 5%ers alongside other prop firms, grouped by trading features, platforms, availability, and trader requirements.

The 5%ers vs QT Funded vs FTMO - Prop Firm Comparison (March 2026)

Side-by-side comparison of The 5%ers vs QT Funded vs FTMO. Quickly scan maximum funding, profit splits, risk rules, leverage, platforms, instruments, payout schedules, payment options, trading permissions and KYC restrictions to narrow down your prop trading firm shortlist. Data updated March 2026.

The 5%ers vs QT Funded vs FTMO - Prop Firm Comparison (March 2026)
The 5%ers
The 5%ers is an established prop firm offering Bootcamp, High Stakes, and Hyper Growth programs, combining structured evaluations, strong education and community, scaling up to $4M, and profit splits that can reach 100%, with varied rule sets and limited spread...
QT Funded
QT Funded (Quant Tekel) is a simulated CFD prop firm (founded Oct 2023) offering QT Prime (2-step/3-step), QT Power (2-step) and QT Instant (instant funding). Traders get access to FX, indices, metals, crypto and oil on MT5, cTrader or TradeLocker,...
FTMO
FTMO is a Prague-based prop trading evaluation company founded in 2015 that uses a two-step challenge (FTMO Challenge + Verification) with unlimited time, strict 5% max daily loss and 10% max loss limits, and Normal or Swing funded account types....
Overview
Trustpilot Rating 4.8 4.4 4.8
Trustpilot Reviews 21,364 12,324 40,041
Headquarters ISRAEL South Africa Czech Republic
Age (Years) N/A N/A 11
Max Funding $4,000,000 $400,000 $400,000
Profit Split Start 50% 80% 80%
Profit Split Max 100% 100% 90%
Platforms MT5 cTrader Match-Trader MT5 cTrader TradeLocker MT4 MT5 cTrader DXtrade
Assets FX Metals Indices Energy Crypto FX Metals Indices Crypto Oil FX Indices Commodities Stocks Crypto
Leverage
FX Leverage 100 100 100
Metals Leverage 25 35 30
Crypto Leverage 2 2.5 3.3
Risk & Drawdown Rules
Max Daily Loss Maximum Daily LossDaily loss limits at The 5%ers focus on controlling intraday risk, especially within the High Stakes and Bootcamp structures.High Stakes: Daily drawdown limit of 5%, typically calculated from the previous day's closing balance, including both closed and floating PnL.Bootcamp: While the program emphasises a 5% max loss per stage rather than a separate daily cap, traders must still stay comfortably within this limit to avoid breaching.Hyper Growth: Uses a 6% overall loss cap with no separate published daily... Maximum Daily LossDaily loss limits are program-specific:QT PRIME: 4% daily drawdown fixed to the initial balance (does not change with profits).QT POWER: daily drawdown is based on End-of-Day (EOD) equity; 3% on legacy rulesets and 4% for accounts issued after 9 Apr 2025.QT INSTANT: 3% daily drawdown fixed to the initial account balance (does not change with profits).Breaching the daily limit is treated as a hard breach on funded stages. Maximum Daily LossFTMO applies a 5% Maximum Daily Loss. It is calculated from the account’s balance at midnight CE(S)T (platform time) each day and includes the running total of the day’s closed trades + floating P/L, including commissions and swaps. If the daily limit is exceeded at any time, the account fails.
Max Total Loss Maximum Overall LossThe 5%ers defines maximum overall loss per program to cap total drawdown across each phase or funded account.Bootcamp: 5% max loss at each evaluation step and 4% max loss once funded, measured from the starting balance of the stage.High Stakes: 10% maximum overall loss for each evaluation phase and funded account, with 5% daily drawdown included.Hyper Growth: 6% maximum overall loss throughout the evaluation and funded stages, with positions allowed to be held overnight and over weekends.Breaching the... Maximum Overall LossOverall drawdown limits differ by plan:QT PRIME: 10% maximum drawdown (static, based on initial balance).QT POWER: 8% maximum loss limit (based on initial balance).QT INSTANT: 6% maximum drawdown that trails the highest recorded balance or floating equity (high-water mark). (Some operational details—such as whether trailing drawdown locks at starting balance after withdrawal—depend on the account’s issue date.) Maximum LossFTMO applies a 10% Maximum Loss (overall loss limit). This is a static cap measured against the account’s starting balance, and it is evaluated on equity (closed + floating results, including trading costs). Breaching it at any time results in account failure.
Drawdown Type Drawdown ModelThe 5%ers uses fixed percentage loss limits rather than trailing equity models. Each program specifies a static maximum loss relative to the starting balance of the phase or funded stage (e.g., 5% or 10% for Bootcamp and High Stakes, 6% for Hyper Growth).Static Limits: Maximum loss is typically defined as a fixed percentage of the starting balance, and includes both closed and floating losses.Program-Specific Caps: Bootcamp and Hyper Growth are structured around relatively conservative overall loss thresholds (4–6%), while... Drawdown ModelQT Funded uses a mix of static and trailing drawdown models:Static drawdown: QT PRIME (10% max loss) and QT POWER (8% max loss) use static overall drawdown anchored to the initial balance.Trailing drawdown: QT INSTANT uses a 6% trailing maximum drawdown from the highest recorded balance/equity, paired with a fixed 3% daily drawdown. Drawdown ModelFTMO uses static loss limits: a daily loss limit that resets at midnight (platform time) and an overall loss limit based on the starting balance. Both limits include floating P/L and trading costs (commissions/swaps), so equity protection matters as much as closed P/L.
Payouts
Payout Frequency Payout FrequencyThe 5%ers provides regular and scalable payout options across its programs.Payouts are generally available on a bi-weekly basis once funded.The minimum withdrawal amount is $150 after the profit split has been applied.Profit splits start around 50% on Bootcamp and 80% on High Stakes and can scale up to 100% as traders progress through the scaling plan.Profits can be left in the account to increase the effective drawdown buffer and support larger position sizes.At higher High Stakes and Bootcamp tiers,... Payout FrequencyPayout requests are available every 2 weeks (14 days) from the first trade on the funded account and every 14 days for each consecutive payout cycle.QT PRIME: Bi-weekly payouts at 80% split, or Prime On-Demand payouts (100% split) subject to eligibility requirements.QT POWER: payout on-demand subject to minimum conditions (including 35% consistency and minimum trading days).QT INSTANT: bi-weekly payouts at 80% split (with a 5% minimum profit and 25% consistency requirement for eligibility). Payout FrequencyFTMO rewards are processed on request. Once you have access to the FTMO Account, you can request your reward after a minimum of 14 calendar days from your first day of trading on the FTMO Account (biweekly request cadence).Minimum profit thresholds apply to cover transaction costs (e.g., $20 minimum for bank transfer, $50 minimum for crypto withdrawals).
Days to First Payout 14 14 14
Payout Processing Time Payout ProcessingThe 5%ers typically processes profit withdrawals on a bi-weekly cycle, with payments sent after approval via Rise, The5ers Visa Card, bank transfer, or cryptocurrencies. Processing times are designed to be prompt, with most payouts completed within a few business days depending on the chosen method and any required compliance checks. Payout ProcessingQT Funded states payout requests are processed within 24 business hours after submission/approval (the request day does not count toward the 24-hour processing window).Minimum performance fee: the minimum payout amount is 1% or $100 (whichever is higher). For QT INSTANT, the minimum performance fee is stated as 5% of profit margin. Payout ProcessingReward requests go through a review step (typically 1–2 business days). After approval, payments are usually processed within an additional 1–2 business days, depending on the chosen payout method and banking/processor timelines.
Payout Methods Bank Transfer Crypto Rise Platform The5ers Visa Card Crypto Bank Wire Transfer QT Card Bank Transfer Cryptocurrency Skrill Neteller
Payments
Payment Methods Apple Pay Bank Transfer Credit/Debit Card Crypto Google Pay PayPal Credit/Debit Card (Visa Mastercard American Express) PayPal Crypto Credit/Debit Card Bank Transfer Cryptocurrency Skrill
Trading Permissions
News Trading News trading is allowed on most The 5%ers programs with important restrictions.Bootcamp and Hyper Growth: News trading is permitted, but placing bracket orders (pending orders around major news purely to capture spikes) is prohibited.High Stakes: Executing orders from 2 minutes before until 2 minutes after high-impact news is not allowed.These rules are intended to prevent abusive event-driven strategies while still allowing normal trading around news where permitted. Evaluation stage: news trading is allowed.Funded stage (QT PRIME & QT INSTANT): news trading is restricted around Forex Factory red-folder (high-impact) releases: no manual trading activity (opening/closing/modifying positions or orders) within 5 minutes before/after the event; SL/TP and qualifying limit orders set earlier may still trigger. Violations are treated as hard breaches. QT PRIME On-Demand does not have the news rule applied. Evaluation (FTMO Challenge + Verification): news trading is allowed freely during all releases.FTMO Account (Normal): for specified high-impact announcements and targeted instruments, you must not open or close trades (including SL/TP triggers) in the 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after the release.FTMO Account Swing: news trading restrictions do not apply.
Weekend Trades The 5%ers allows overnight and weekend holding on most instruments across Bootcamp, High Stakes, and Hyper Growth programs, subject to normal market hours and swap rates. Indices may carry higher swaps when held over weekends, and traders should monitor rollover costs carefully. Weekend holding is permitted across QT PRIME, QT POWER and QT INSTANT (trades can be held over the weekend), subject to general risk rules and market conditions. Evaluation (FTMO Challenge + Verification): holding trades over the weekend is allowed.FTMO Account (Normal): positions must be closed before the weekend market close (or if the market break/rollover is longer than 2 hours). Some cryptocurrencies may be tradable during specific weekend hours.FTMO Account Swing: no restrictions on holding positions over the weekend.
Copy Trading The 5%ers permits copy trading with clear limitations.Copy trading is allowed for High Stakes and Hyper Growth accounts under defined conditions.Once total managed capital exceeds about $500K, taking identical trades across multiple accounts is no longer allowed.Copying from an external account is only allowed if that account belongs to the same trader; third-party copy trading is not permitted.Copy trading is not allowed between two Bootcamp accounts.The firm also integrates with Prop Firm One, enabling traders to mirror their own strategies... Copy trading rules depend on total allocation:Under $400,000 total allocation: traders may copy trades and use the same strategy across accounts.$400,000 and above: traders may still hold multiple accounts, but they may not copy trades or use the same strategy between accounts; each account must use a different strategy and trade different instruments for its entire history.QT INSTANT: additional max-allocation rule for same-strategy use (max $99,000); QT Instant allocation also counts toward the overall $400,000 cap. Trade copying tools can be used as long as your trading remains compliant with FTMO’s rules. FTMO’s services are for personal use only: you must not allow any third party to access or trade your accounts, and coordinated/manipulative trade patterns between connected accounts (e.g., opposite positions across accounts for manipulation) are forbidden.
EA Allowed Expert Advisors (EAs) are allowed at The 5%ers as long as they comply with the firm’s terms.EAs must place a stop-loss on every position.EAs must not copy trades from other people’s signals or third-party systems.Tick scalping, latency arbitrage, reverse arbitrage, hedge arbitrage, and emulator-based trading are not allowed.Any account found using EAs that violate these rules can be cancelled, banned, and not refunded across all programs, including Bootcamp and Hyper Growth. Expert Advisors (EAs) are permitted only with pre-approval. Traders must submit the EA name and links to [email protected] before use. Trade copiers are also permitted with approval, and copied executions must place visible SL/TP (no invisible trade management). Unapproved use can result in account forfeit and group trading with shared EAs is prohibited. EAs are allowed as long as the strategy is legitimate, replicable in real markets, and does not fall into forbidden practices. Note that automated trading that overloads servers (e.g., excessive server requests) is prohibited, and widely used third-party EAs may risk breaching maximum capital allocation constraints if multiple users run the same strategy.
KYC & Restrictions
KYC Required No Yes No
KYC Stage The 5%ers requires standard KYC verification and account checks, particularly before funding accounts and processing withdrawals. Traders should expect to provide identification and relevant documentation in line with regulatory and payment-provider requirements. KYC is required as part of onboarding and may be requested by the company’s AML/KYC providers. QT INSTANT specifically requires KYC verification and a signed contract before trading is enabled. Accounts may be treated as inactive/invalid if the latest KYC requirements are not completed. FTMO requires identity verification before becoming an FTMO Trader and signing the FTMO Account Agreement. For individuals, this is KYC and typically requires a government-issued ID and proof of address. Businesses may require KYB documentation. Once the verification is complete, the FTMO Account Agreement is unlocked for signing in the Client Area.
Restricted Countries Afghanistan Belarus Burundi Central African Republic Crimea Cuba Democratic Republic of the Congo Eritrea Guinea Guinea-Bissau Iran Iraq Israel Laos Lebanon Liberia Libya Myanmar North Korea Palestinian Territory Papua New Guinea Republic of the Congo Russia Somalia South Sudan Sudan Syria Vanuatu Venezuela Yemen Iran Iraq Myanmar Belarus North Korea South Korea Russia (MT5) Pakistan Syria Egypt United States (MT5 and cTrader) Canada (MT5) Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Barbados Belarus Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Central African Republic Cuba Democratic Republic of the Congo Eritrea Guam Guinea Guinea-Bissau Haiti Hong Kong Iran Iraq Kazakhstan Kosovo Libya Mali Morocco Myanmar Nicaragua North Korea Pakistan Palestine Panama Puerto Rico Russia Samoa Sierra Leone Somalia South Sudan Sudan Syria Tunisia Uganda Ukraine (Crimea Donetsk Luhansk) United Arab Emirates United States Minor Outlying Islands Venezuela Virgin Islands (US) Yemen Zimbabwe

See all The 5%ers comparisons