Apex Trader Funding vs Topstep: real cost and rules compared At $50K,
side by side.
At $50K, real cost (the fee × 3 plus activation) comes to $296 for Topstep’s Trading Combine; Apex Trader Funding’s fee at $50K isn’t on record, so cost can’t be set side by side. Apex Trader Funding suits you if you want a higher contract limit (6 minis against 5 minis) or a higher Trustpilot rating matters (4.3 from 19,000 reviews against 3.5 from 14,000 reviews); Topstep suits you if you want to withdraw smaller amounts (a $125 minimum against $500) or a longer track record matters (founded 2012 against 2021).
Data checked: Apex Trader Funding — not on record · Topstep 1 Oct 2026
No firm pays to be here. No affiliate links, no commissions, no paid placement.
What you’d spend to get funded$50K
EOD Evaluation · $50K
Fee/mo— not on record
Activation$99
— not on record
Real cost not on record
Fee × 3 (or 3 months) + activation
What you’d spend to get funded
Real cost is what it takes to get funded at the published prices: the evaluation fee × 3 (3 attempts, or 3 months on a monthly plan) plus the activation fee charged when you pass. Sales and discount codes aren’t counted. A “+” means the activation fee isn’t on record, so the figure is a floor.
| Account size | Apex Trader Funding | Topstep | Lower |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50K | — not on record | $296Trading Combine · $49 a month × 3, + $149 | Not called |
| $100K | — not on record | $446Trading Combine · $99 a month × 3, + $149 | Not called |
| $150K | — not on record | $746Trading Combine · $199 a month × 3, + $149 | Not called |
At $50K: Apex Trader Funding’s fee isn’t on record; Topstep’s Trading Combine comes to $296 ($49 a month × 3 + $149 activation).
Cost isn’t called at $50K, $100K and $150K: Apex Trader Funding has no fee on record at $50K, $100K and $150K.
Only one firm has some sizes on record: Apex Trader Funding has $25K.
Apex Trader Funding vs Topstep, row by row
Apex Trader Funding’s first evaluation and Topstep’s cheapest one at $50K, a size both have on record, then the firm itself. Apex Trader Funding has no fee on record at $50K, so its plan is the first of the two it has there, in our catalog’s order, and a row on which they differ isn’t called. A row goes to the side that is cheaper, looser or pays more. Each rule is as our catalog stores it, one per plan rather than one per stage, and a dash means it isn’t held as a figure in our data yet.
| Row | Apex Trader Funding | Topstep | Goes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan compared | EOD Evaluation, $50K (first of 2 at this size; neither has a fee on record) | Trading Combine, $50K | For reference |
| Evaluation fee | — not on record | $49 a month | Not on record |
| Activation fee | $99 | $149 | Plans differ |
| Real cost (fee × 3 + activation) | — not on record | $296 | Not on record |
| Profit target | $3,000 | $3,000 | Level |
| Max loss | $2,000 | $2,000 | Level |
| Target ÷ loss | 1.50× | 1.50× | Level |
| Drawdown | End-of-day trailing | End-of-day trailing | Plans differ |
| Daily loss limit | $1,000 | None | Plans differ |
| Consistency rule | Best day ≤ 50% | Best day ≤ 55% | Topstep |
| Minimum trading days | — not on record | 2 trading days | Not on record |
| News trading | Allowed | Allowed | Level |
| Overnight holding | — not on record | Flat by the close | Not on record |
| Profit split | 90% | 90% | Level |
| Max contracts | 6 minis | 5 minis | Apex Trader Funding |
| Minimum payout | $500 | $125 | Topstep |
| Payout terms | — not on record | Every 5 winning days of $150+ (Consistency path: every 3 trading days) | For reference |
| Account sizes on record | $25K to $150K | $50K to $150K | For reference |
| Plans on record | EOD Evaluation; Intraday Evaluation | Trading Combine | For reference |
| Founded | 2021 | 2012 | Topstep |
| Trustpilot | 4.3 from 19,000 reviews | 3.5 from 14,000 reviews | Apex Trader Funding |
| Data checked | — not on record | 1 Oct 2026 | For reference |
The drawdown difference
Both plans compared use an end-of-day trailing drawdown: the max loss moves up only when a trading day closes at a new high, so an open profit you give back before the close doesn’t raise it. The difference between them is in the figures, not the kind. Our catalog stores one drawdown and one daily loss limit per plan, not one per stage, so check whether they change on Apex Trader Funding’s EOD Evaluation or Topstep’s Trading Combine once you’re funded.
At $50K, Apex Trader Funding allows $2,000 of loss against a $3,000 profit target (1.50×); Topstep allows $2,000 of loss against a $3,000 profit target (1.50×).
On top of the max loss, Apex Trader Funding’s EOD Evaluation adds a $1,000 daily loss limit, and Topstep’s Trading Combine adds no daily loss limit.
Apex Trader Funding also has Intraday Evaluation, with an intraday trailing drawdown, on record.
Where each comes out ahead
Row by row from the table above: cheaper, looser or paying more. A row only goes to a firm when both figures are on record and compare like for like.
Where Apex Trader Funding comes out ahead
- Max contracts: 6 minis against 5 minis
- Trustpilot rating: 4.3 from 19,000 reviews against 3.5 from 14,000 reviews
Where Topstep comes out ahead
- Consistency rule: Best day ≤ 55% against Best day ≤ 50%
- Minimum payout: $125 against $500
- Founding year: 2012 against 2021
Level on profit target, max loss, target ÷ loss, news trading and profit split.
Not called: activation fee (plans differ), drawdown (plans differ) and daily loss limit (plans differ).
Not on record for one or both, so not called: evaluation fee, real cost, minimum trading days and overnight holding.
Which one suits you
Conditions, not a pick: which firm fits depends on what you trade and what you’d rather pay for.
If cost decides it, our data can’t settle it yet: a fee isn’t on record.
If the rules decide it, Apex Trader Funding is looser on max contracts, and Topstep is looser on consistency rule, as our catalog stores them: one rule per plan, not one per stage.
If payouts decide it, Topstep has the lower minimum payout ($125 against $500).
Before you buy, check what isn’t on record here: Apex Trader Funding’s evaluation fee, real cost, minimum trading days and overnight holding. A dash on this page means it isn’t held as a figure in our data yet; the plan notes below may give it.
Every plan we have on record
The tables above compare one plan from each firm. These are all of them, as our catalog holds them; a dash means a figure isn’t held in our data yet, though our notes below the table may give it in words.
| Firm and plan | Type | Drawdown | Billed | Sizes and fees | Activation | Consistency | Split | Payout terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apex Trader FundingEOD Evaluation | Evaluation | End-of-day trailing | Monthly | $25K — not on record · $50K — not on record · $100K — not on record · $150K — not on record | $99 | Best day ≤ 50% | 90% | — not on record |
| Apex Trader FundingIntraday Evaluation | Evaluation | Intraday trailing | Monthly | $25K — not on record · $50K — not on record · $100K — not on record · $150K — not on record | $79 | Best day ≤ 50% | 90% | — not on record |
| TopstepTrading Combine | Evaluation | End-of-day trailing | Monthly | $50K $49/mo · $100K $99/mo · $150K $199/mo | $149 | Best day ≤ 55% | 90% | Every 5 winning days of $150+ (Consistency path: every 3 trading days) |
- Our note on Apex Trader Funding, EOD Evaluation
- Apex's site blocks automated reading, so its current evaluation prices aren't listed here.
- Our note on Apex Trader Funding, Intraday Evaluation
- No daily loss limit; the drawdown trails the peak balance in real time, including open profit.
- Our note on Topstep, Trading Combine
- Maximum Loss Limit trails your end-of-day balance and is enforced in real time, including unrealized P&L. No daily loss limit unless you add one at checkout ($1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000 by size); once added it is fixed. Your best day must stay at or below 55% of the profit target, or the target rises. All positions must be closed by 3:10 PM CT. Each payout request is capped at 50% of the balance, up to $2,000 / $3,000 / $5,000 by size on the Standard path. A No Activation Fee path costs $95 / $149 / $229 a month and charges nothing when you pass. The Scaling Plan applies once you pass, in the Express Funded Account.
Apex Trader Funding vs Topstep: questions
- Is Apex Trader Funding cheaper than Topstep?
- We can’t say yet: Apex Trader Funding has no fee on record at $50K. Topstep’s Trading Combine costs $296 in real cost there.
- How do Apex Trader Funding and Topstep differ on drawdown?
- They don’t differ in kind: both plans compared use an end-of-day trailing drawdown. Apex Trader Funding allows $2,000 of loss against a $3,000 profit target (1.50×) at $50K; Topstep allows $2,000 of loss against a $3,000 profit target (1.50×). Our catalog stores one rule per plan, not one per stage, so check whether either plan’s drawdown changes once you’re funded.
- Do Apex Trader Funding and Topstep have a daily loss limit?
- Apex Trader Funding’s EOD Evaluation has one of $1,000 at $50K, and Topstep’s Trading Combine has none. A daily loss limit stops the account, or the day, after one bad session, even when the max loss still has room. Our catalog stores one rule per plan, not one per stage, so check whether either plan’s limit changes once you’re funded.
- Do Apex Trader Funding and Topstep have a consistency rule?
- Apex Trader Funding’s EOD Evaluation caps your best day at 50% of total profit, and Topstep’s Trading Combine caps your best day at 55% of total profit. Our catalog stores one rule per plan, not one per stage, so check whether it changes once you’re funded.
- Which pays the higher profit split, Apex Trader Funding or Topstep?
- Both plans compared pay 90% of what you make.
- Do Apex Trader Funding or Topstep charge an activation fee?
- Apex Trader Funding’s EOD Evaluation charges $99 when you pass, and Topstep’s Trading Combine charges $149 when you pass. It’s counted once in real cost, on top of the three attempts.
- How current is this Apex Trader Funding vs Topstep comparison?
- Apex Trader Funding’s figures were last checked on a date we don’t have on record, and Topstep’s on 1 Oct 2026. The page is rebuilt from our catalog every day, and a figure we don’t have shows as a dash, never a guess.