FTMO Futures rules and payout rules

Yes, with limits. FTMO's Forbidden Trading Practices page for futures says automated trading is permitted, and that copy trading across your own accounts is permitted as long as each account meets every rule on its own. FTMO prohibits automated systems that manipulate or exploit the simulated environment, including high-frequency strategies and latency arbitrage, and you are responsible for any errors your software makes. Copying another trader is prohibited, whether through a signal service, a master account, or a trade copier. FTMO also warns that a third-party strategy other traders already run can cost you the Sim-Funded account, and that the platform limits how many orders you can send in a short period. Rules can change, so check FTMO's current rules before going live.

Either NinjaTrader 8 or Tradovate. FTMO lists NinjaTrader, Tradovate, and TradingView for its futures accounts, all on one set of credentials from the Client Area. Use NinjaTrader 8 with the CrossTrade NT8 Add-On, or link your FTMO Tradovate login to CrossTrade (under Demo, since FTMO accounts are simulated) for direct cloud routing with destination=tradovate and no Add-On. Your alerts come from TradingView either way. FTMO's CFD Challenge is a separate product on separate platforms, and CrossTrade doesn't place orders on it.

On NinjaTrader routes, average alert-to-execution time is approximately 30 milliseconds end-to-end through the CrossTrade NT8 Add-On. Direct Tradovate uses cloud routing, and timing varies with network and Tradovate API conditions.

Yes. CrossTrade's Account Manager lets you configure drawdown thresholds, daily loss limits, profit targets, and end-of-day flatten times for each account independently. Set them tighter than FTMO's, and when one triggers, CrossTrade flattens open positions and locks the account from new orders for the rest of the session. That matters most on Pro, where touching FTMO's daily loss limit ends the account. On linked Tradovate accounts, these monitors run on CrossTrade's servers even with your browser closed. On NinjaTrader routes, they run while the CrossTrade NT8 Add-On is connected.

Yes, across your own accounts. FTMO allows unlimited evaluations and up to 3 Sim-Funded accounts at once, shared across Growth and Pro, and it permits copying between your own accounts. CrossTrade's Trade Copier mirrors one master account to followers with independent sizing, so size each follower within its contract limit: 5, 10, or 15 contracts on a 50K, 100K, or 150K evaluation, and from 2, 4, or 6 on a new Sim-Funded account. Copy in the same direction only: FTMO prohibits trades across accounts that offset each other, including in correlated contracts. FTMO also does not allow holding more accounts through separate registrations.

Yes. The Account Manager includes a configurable end-of-day flatten time per account, and the flatten cancels working orders as well as closing positions. FTMO's trading day ends at 4:10 PM ET, and any position or resting order still open then is liquidated or cancelled. FTMO also prohibits strategies that rely on exposure past the close. Set CrossTrade to flatten 5 to 10 minutes earlier so you choose the exit instead of FTMO. On linked Tradovate accounts, a scheduled flatten runs only in the five minutes after its set time, so keep that time inside the trading day.

FTMO says automated trading is permitted and that copying across your own accounts is allowed, so routing your own TradingView signals to your own FTMO accounts is not the problem. What FTMO prohibits is in the trading itself: high-frequency strategies and latency arbitrage, hedging across accounts, copying another trader, opening positions within 2% of a CME daily price limit, holding positions or orders past 4:10 PM ET, relying on the platform's drawdown protection as your only exit, and trading that couldn't be repeated with real money, such as overleveraging. Check FTMO's current rules before going live.

Yes. FTMO allows a VPN or VPS as long as you don't live in a country FTMO doesn't serve and you keep sole control of your account. On the Tradovate route you don't need one: CrossTrade's cloud routing and Account Manager run with your computer off. On the NinjaTrader route, your automation and monitors run wherever NinjaTrader 8 runs, so a VPS keeps them online.

Mostly. FTMO bases eligibility on where you live, not your nationality, and it accepts U.S. residents except in Arkansas, Delaware, Louisiana, Montana, and South Carolina. U.S. clients must submit a W-9 before their first payout request. Check FTMO's current eligibility rules before you buy an evaluation.

CrossTrade starts at $29 per month for the Standard plan with unlimited webhook alerts and unlimited NT8 accounts. The Pro plan is $49 per month and adds Trade Copier, Account Manager, and REST API access. Both plans include a free 7-day trial. CrossTrade billing is independent of any prop firm fees.

Both, subject to account eligibility. FTMO's rules on automation and copying apply to every futures account in every phase, and CrossTrade supports evaluation and Sim-Funded accounts the same way. FTMO moves some Sim-Funded traders to a Live Funded account at its own discretion, so confirm the live terms with FTMO before automating one. FTMO closes a Sim-Funded account after 30 days in a row with no trading, so keep an eye on accounts your strategy isn't trading.