POW vs FTMO / Topstep: How Done-For-You Funded Trading Compares in 2025

Two Different Ways to Get Funded

POW, FTMO, and Topstep solve the same broad problem—access to trading capital—but they ask the trader to do very different work. FTMO uses a two-phase challenge. Topstep uses a Trading Combine. In both cases, you trade the evaluation yourself, meet performance and drawdown rules, and move forward only if the account qualifies.

POW is a managed alternative rather than a challenge. You are not trying to prove that you can execute a prop-firm account under a scorecard. You are paying for a done-for-you operating model in which POW handles execution and risk management. That distinction matters more than the headline account size.

What POW Includes

POW charges a $15,000 access fee and a $299/month management fee. The program funds a $100K live account with POW capital, and its algorithms handle the trading rather than asking you to place every order. Monthly net profits use an 80/20 split, with 80% allocated to the member.

The model is also designed to scale with assets under management. If an account is approved for larger AUM, the same percentage return can produce a larger dollar result, although actual returns, drawdowns, scaling decisions, and payouts vary. AUM scaling is not leverage-free certainty, and the $100K account is not a guaranteed income stream.

FTMO and Topstep Compared

The current comparison page lists FTMO challenges at $155–$1,080, with $10K–$200K account sizes after evaluation. Topstep lists a $49–$149 monthly subscription and $50K–$150K post-evaluation account sizes. FTMO uses a two-phase challenge; Topstep uses a Trading Combine. Both require the trader to trade manually during the evaluation, and both expose the trader to daily and overall drawdown rules.

The Practical Tradeoffs

The challenge route has a lower initial price and a higher-control experience: you choose the trades, build the track record, and may keep 80–90% at FTMO or 90% at Topstep after the relevant milestones. The cost is time, evaluation risk, recurring or reset costs, and rules that can end the attempt. A cheaper entry fee is not the same as a cheaper path if you need multiple attempts.

POW costs more upfront, but removes the evaluation workflow and delegates execution. You give up direct trading control, pay the ongoing management fee, and accept an 80/20 split plus market risk. No model guarantees returns or payouts; profitable months are not assured, and fees remain possible even when markets do not cooperate.

Which Fits You?

FTMO or Topstep may fit a trader who wants to trade manually, accepts challenge mechanics, and values a lower-cost way to test personal execution. POW may fit someone who has capital for the access fee, wants a live managed account, and prefers delegated trading over another evaluation. Review the full comparison, see the pricing details, and read the current terms before deciding. The right choice is the structure whose control, cost, risk, and time commitment match your actual goals—not the one with the most impressive account-size number.