Apex Trader Funding is a US-based futures prop firm headquartered in Austin, Texas. It runs a one-step evaluation that, once passed, unlocks a PA (Sim Funded) account paying a 100% profit split — Apex takes no cut of your simulated profits. The current Apex 4.0 program (launched March 2026) sells two drawdown styles across four account sizes ($25K–$150K): an Intraday line with a real-time trailing threshold and no daily loss limit, and an End-of-Day line that trails once per day at the close and carries a fixed daily loss limit. Both are one-time purchases — not monthly subscriptions — and you can run up to 20 accounts at once.
Apex's headline pitch is speed and simplicity: pass in as little as one trading day, no evaluation consistency rule, payouts after just 5 qualifying trading days (a $500 minimum, up to weekly), and no reset fees — if you breach, you simply buy a new evaluation. Payouts require your balance to sit at the Safety Net (your max drawdown + $100) before you withdraw, and a 50% consistency rule applies on the funded PA account.
The 30-second verdict
Want maximum intraday freedom? Choose the Intraday line — a real-time trailing threshold with no daily loss limit. Prefer a daily guardrail and more room for swings? Choose the End-of-Day line, which recalculates once at the close and carries a fixed daily loss limit. Either way you pick Standard pricing (lower eval fee, PA activation paid when you get funded) or No Activation pricing (higher eval fee, $0 activation). Use code SAVENOW for 90% off the evaluation fee. Note: bots and automation are not allowed (manual trading only) and hedging is not permitted.
Lowest-price tip: Apex sells each evaluation individually or in a discounted 5-account bundle. The bundle drops the per-account cost to its lowest — a $25K Intraday eval falls from $19.90 to $17 each, and a $50K End-of-Day eval from $45 to $39 each — so if you plan to run more than one account (you can hold up to 20), the 5-pack is the cheapest way in. The prices shown throughout this review reflect the 5-pack per-account rate wherever a bundle is offered; a couple of larger No-Activation accounts have no bundle and show single pricing.
Our scoring breakdown
Apex scores well on profit split, account flexibility, and payout terms; the main trade-offs are its manual-only and no-hedging rules. (Scores below are provisional pending final editorial review.)
Tradovate
TradingView
NinjaTrader
WealthCharts
MotiveWave
Bookmap
Sierra Chart
Quantower
R | Trader
Jigsaw Trading
TickBlaze
MultiCharts
- 100% profit split — Apex takes no cut of PA profits
- One-step evaluation; pass in as little as one trading day
- No reset fees — breach simply means buying a new evaluation
- Run up to 20 PA accounts at once
- Two drawdown styles: Intraday (no daily limit) or End-of-Day
- Payouts after 5 trading days, $500 minimum, up to weekly
- Bots and automation are not allowed — manual trading only
- Hedging is not permitted (directional trades only)
- Balance must reach the Safety Net (max drawdown + $100) before any payout
- 50% consistency rule applies on the funded PA account
- Standard pricing adds a PA activation fee, paid when you get funded
Apex vs. its closest competitors
How Apex Trader Funding stacks up against Topstep and Tradeify — two firms traders most often weigh alongside it.
| Metric | Apex Trader Funding | Topstep | Tradeify |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50K EOD Eval Fee | $390$39 | $165$85 | $145$87 |
| Profit Split | 100% / 0% | 90% / 10% | 90% / 10% |
| Days to Payout | 5 winning days | 5 winning days | 5 winning days |
| Drawdown Type | Intraday or EOD | EOD Trailing | EOD Trailing |
| Max Funded Accounts | Up to 20 | 5 | 5 |
| $50K Max Payout (1st) | $1,500 | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| CPF Score | 4.5 | 4.8 | 5.0 |
💡 Bottom line: Apex wins on profit split (100%), account count (up to 20), and no reset fees; Topstep wins on brand recognition; Tradeify wins on instant-funding options. If you trade manually and want to keep all of your simulated profit, Apex is hard to beat.
- 1-step evaluation
- Pass in as little as 1 day
- No consistency rule during eval
- No daily loss limit (Intraday)
- Payouts after 5 trading days
- Traders new to prop firms
- Those who want lowest entry cost
- Traders who prefer a DLL safety net
- Traders who prefer a fixed end-of-day threshold (use End-of-Day)
- Bot or fully automated traders (not allowed)
- High-frequency scalpers
Apex Trader Funding has built one of the largest trader communities in the futures-prop space, and the appeal is easy to see: a 100% profit split, a one-step evaluation you can pass in a single day, no reset fees, and the ability to run up to 20 accounts. The current Apex 4.0 program splits the offering into two clean drawdown styles, and choosing between them is the most important decision you'll make.
Intraday: maximum freedom, no daily limit
The Intraday line uses a real-time trailing threshold that follows your account's peak — including unrealized profit — and never moves down once set. Crucially, there is no daily loss limit. For active scalpers who want to press a good day without a mid-session cap pulling them out, this is the closest thing to unrestricted intraday trading Apex offers. The trade-off is that the trailing threshold can creep up quickly on a strong run, so giving back open profit hurts more.
End-of-Day: a daily guardrail and more room
The End-of-Day line recalculates your trailing threshold once per day at the close rather than in real time, and it carries a fixed daily loss limit. In practice that gives intraday swings more breathing room than the Intraday line, at the cost of a hard daily stop. Traders who want a guardrail — or who hold positions across more of the session — tend to prefer it.
Payouts and the Safety Net
Both lines pay a 100% split with no profit target. To withdraw you need five qualifying trading days (non-consecutive is fine) and your balance must sit at the Safety Net — your max drawdown plus $100. The minimum payout is just $500 and you can withdraw up to weekly. A 50% consistency rule applies on the funded PA account, and the per-payout cap rises through the cycle.
Where Apex isn't for everyone
The biggest limitation is automation: bots, EAs, algorithms, and full automation are not allowed — Apex is a manual-trading firm. Hedging is not permitted either, which closes off some strategies other firms allow. Fees are one-time rather than monthly; on Standard pricing you defer a PA activation fee until you're funded, while No-Activation pricing charges a higher eval fee for $0 activation.
But for a manual trader who wants to pass once, keep 100% of their profits, and scale across multiple accounts without reset fees, Apex is one of the most trader-friendly one-step firms on the market — provided you pick the drawdown style that matches how you actually trade.
What you need to know
Four key rules that govern how eligibility works in practice.
Is Apex Trader Funding legit?
Yes. Apex Trader Funding is a US-based futures prop firm headquartered in Austin, Texas, operating since around 2021. It has one of the largest trader communities in the space, a long public payout history, a 100% profit split on funded accounts, and a Trustpilot rating around 4.3/5 across roughly 20,000 reviews.
What's the difference between the Intraday and End-of-Day lines?
The Intraday line uses a real-time trailing threshold that follows your account's peak (including unrealized profit) and has no daily loss limit. The End-of-Day line recalculates your trailing threshold once per day at the close and carries a fixed daily loss limit. Everything else — sizes, profit targets, 100% split — is the same.
How fast can I get a payout, and what's the split?
Funded PA accounts pay a 100% profit split. You can request a payout after 5 qualifying trading days (non-consecutive is fine), provided your balance is at the Safety Net (max drawdown + $100). The minimum payout is $500 and you can withdraw up to weekly; the per-payout cap is set by account size and rises through the cycle.
Can I use bots or automated trading?
No. Apex requires manual trading. Bots, EAs, algorithms, and full automation are not allowed, and hedging is not permitted. News trading is allowed for normal strategy, and there is no ±2-minute news rule.
What platforms does Apex support?
You can trade on Rithmic, Tradovate, and WealthCharts, plus NinjaTrader via the Rithmic data feed. EUREX products are available on Tradovate only. Third-party platform/data fees, where they apply, are billed by the vendor.
Is there a consistency rule?
There is no consistency rule during the evaluation — you can pass in as little as one trading day. A 50% consistency rule applies on the funded PA account, limiting how much of your total profit can come from a single day.
How many accounts can I have, and is there a reset fee?
You can run up to 20 PA accounts at once. Apex does not charge a reset fee — if you breach an evaluation, you simply purchase a new one to try again.
What's the difference between Standard and No-Activation pricing?
Standard has a lower one-time evaluation fee, but you pay a PA activation fee (from $177, by size) when you get funded. No Activation charges a higher evaluation fee up front in exchange for a $0 activation fee. Both are one-time purchases, not monthly subscriptions. Use code SAVENOW for 90% off the evaluation fee.