Guides / FTMO vs Blue Guardian

FTMO vs Blue Guardian: rules compared

FTMO and Blue Guardian side by side: prices, drawdown, news, weekend and EA rules, and the hidden rules in their terms. Every figure comes from each firm's own site.

Quick take

Blue Guardian has the higher fine-print score (41 vs 26), meaning fewer or milder hidden rules by our method.
FTMO: 0 of 3 plans clearly allow news trading; Blue Guardian: 1 of 6.
FTMO: 0 of 3 plans clearly allow weekend holding; Blue Guardian: 6 of 6.
FTMO: 0 of 3 plans clearly allow EAs; Blue Guardian: 0 of 6.

Which is better depends on how you trade. “Not found in the pages we read” means we didn't find it in the firm's pages we read. Checked 23 Oct 2026. Not financial advice.

	FTMO	Blue Guardian
Challenge types	Instant; 1-Step; 2-Step	Instant; 1 Step Standard/Nano; 2 Step Standard/Nano
Plans tracked	3	6
Cheapest listed price	€79 ($10,000 1-Step)	$11 (5K Instant Starter ($5K, one payout))
Daily loss limit	2-Step (Standard/Swing): 5% (Max Daily Loss) 1-Step: 3% Instant: 3%	Instant (Standard): 3% (on 100K = $3,000) Instant Starter ($5K, one payout): 3% ($150) 1 Step Standard: 4% 1 Step Nano: 4% 2 Step Standard: 4% 2 Step Nano: 3%
Max loss	2-Step (Standard/Swing): 10%, static 1-Step: 10%, trailing on balance (end of day) Instant: 10%, trailing on balance (intraday)	Instant (Standard): 6% trailing on highest closed balance; locks at starting balance (+1% buffer) once 6% profit Instant Starter ($5K, one payout): 5% trailing ($250) 1 Step Standard: 6% trailing on highest closed balance; locks at starting balance (+1% buffer) at 6% profit 1 Step Nano: 6% trailing on highest closed balance; locks at starting balance 2 Step Standard: 8%, static 2 Step Nano: 10%, static
Profit split	2-Step (Standard/Swing): 2-Step: 80% default, 90% with Scaling Plan/Premium Programme; 1-Step and Instant: 90% 1-Step: 90% Instant: 90%	Instant (Standard): 80% default; 90% with add-on Instant Starter ($5K, one payout): 90% fixed; $250 profit cap; one payout only then account closes; crypto payouts only (min $100) 1 Step Standard: 85% default; 90% with add-on 1 Step Nano: 85% default; optional 100% add-on 2 Step Standard: 85% default; 90% with add-on 2 Step Nano: 85% default; optional 100% add-on; payout cap $2,000 shown for 100K
News trading (plans)	Allowed with conditions: 3/3	Allowed: 1/6 Allowed with conditions: 4/6 Unclear, read the wording: 1/6
Weekend holding (plans)	Allowed with conditions: 3/3	Allowed: 6/6
EAs (plans)	Allowed with conditions: 3/3	Allowed with conditions: 6/6
Consistency rule (plans)	Has a consistency rule: 2/3 Not found in the pages we read: 1/3	No consistency rule: 2/6 Has a consistency rule: 3/6 Not found in the pages we read: 1/6
Hidden rules found	23 (10 can breach the account)	18 (8 can breach the account)
Fine-print score	26/100	41/100
Rule changes logged	1	0
Platforms	MT4; MT5; cTrader; TradingView	MT5; Match-Trader; TradeLocker; TradingView

All FTMO rules All Blue Guardian rules