Topstep vs Apex Trader Funding: which prop firm is better?

Cost: Topstep vs Apex

The two firms charge in different ways. Topstep's Trading Combine is a monthly subscription that runs until you pass, while Apex sells one-time evaluations that expire after 30 days. Both charge an activation fee when you pass, unless you buy the more expensive "No Activation Fee" version.

Comparing list prices alone would be misleading here. Apex sells almost all of its evaluations with a sitewide coupon, and its help center tells traders without another code to enter SAVENOW at checkout. On October 25, 2026 it took 90% off every evaluation. Topstep's discounts are smaller: codes from its affiliate creators take 20% off the first month. So we show both.

With current codes, Apex's Intraday Trail costs less than Topstep's Standard path, and its EOD Trail about the same. The activation fee is now most of what you pay at Apex, because the coupon only applies to the evaluation. If you pass on the first try, though, Topstep's No Activation Fee path is the cheapest of all: $95 a month with nothing to pay after passing.

Retries are where Apex wins while the coupon runs: a new 50K evaluation was $24.90 (Intraday) or $59 (EOD). Two Intraday attempts plus activation came to $148.80, against $190 for two months on Topstep's No Activation Fee path. Topstep's advantages are elsewhere: its price does not depend on a sale, and the Combine has no deadline, while every Apex evaluation expires after 30 days.

Discounts change from sale to sale, so check the price on the checkout page before you pay. Neither firm refunds evaluations, and Apex does not refund activation fees.

Rules and drawdown

The profit target and drawdown are the same, so the difference is in the details. Topstep gives you unlimited time but needs at least two days because of its 55% consistency target. Apex lets you pass in one day but gives you only 30 calendar days, with no resets or extensions.

Apex is also the only one of the two that lets you choose an intraday trailing drawdown, which follows open profit in real time. It is cheaper but less forgiving; our trailing drawdown guide explains the difference.

Once funded, both firms limit your size until you build a cushion. Topstep's 50K Express Funded Account starts at 2 lots and reaches 5 at $2,000 of profit. Apex's 50K Performance Account starts at 2 contracts and reaches 4 at $3,000.

Payouts: Topstep vs Apex

Apex keeps nothing from approved payouts, but the six-payout limit means one 50K Performance Account can pay at most $13,000 before it closes ($14,500 on an Intraday account). Topstep takes 10% and caps each payout, but the Risk Team can call consistent traders up to a Live Funded Account with no dollar cap and daily payouts after 30 winning days.

Apex also has a live program, Apex Live, by invitation, with a 90/10 split and daily payout requests. Both live programs close your simulated accounts when you move up.

Platforms and trading rules

This is often the deciding factor. Topstep runs on TopstepX, its own platform, with Quantower as the only alternative. Apex supports NinjaTrader, Tradovate and WealthCharts, with Rithmic or Tradovate data. If your strategy lives in NinjaTrader, Apex is the only option of the two.

• Automation: Topstep allows automated strategies in the Combine and Express Funded Account. Apex does not allow automation or algorithms.
• Overnight positions: neither allows them. Close by 3:10 PM CT at Topstep and 4:59 PM ET at Apex.
• News trading: allowed at both, within limits. Topstep bans trading your full maximum size into major scheduled news; Apex bans news strategies that place orders on both sides to gamble on the release.
• Trade copiers: both allow copying trades across your own accounts, never with other traders.
• Inactivity: Apex closes a Performance Account without at least two days of $50+ profit in every 30 days.

Trust and track record

Topstep has run its Trading Combine since 2012 in Chicago and says it has paid more than $1.5 billion to traders. It owns Topstep Brokerage, a separate introducing broker and NFA member. Apex Trader Funding was founded in 2021 in Austin, Texas, and reports more than $692 million paid to traders since 2022.

Both firms publish their rules in detailed public help centers, which we used for this comparison. Apex relaunched its program on March 1, 2026, so older reviews and videos about Apex's monthly subscriptions describe rules that no longer apply to new accounts.

Bottom line

Pick Apex Trader Funding if you want cheap evaluations and retries with its sitewide coupon, pass quickly, need NinjaTrader or Tradovate and want to scale across many accounts. Pick Topstep if you want no deadline, a price that doesn't depend on a sale, automation and a real path to uncapped live payouts, and you are happy on TopstepX. For every rule in detail, read our full Topstep review and Apex Trader Funding review.