Apex Trader Funding vs Topstep
Apex Trader Funding
Computed verdict
Topstep costs less per unit of risk: $47.5 vs $51.57 per $1,000 of drawdown. On the overall score, Topstep comes out ahead (87 vs 78).
The verdict is computed from verified data and recomputes when the data changes. It is not an opinion and no commercial arrangement alters it. Methodology
Rule by rule
Trailing drawdown of $1,000–$4,000 by size (EOD or intraday line) that locks at starting balance + $100 in the PA, with unrealized P&L counting toward a breach even on the EOD line.
The Maximum Loss Limit trails end-of-day ($2,000–$4,500 by size), is monitored in real time including unrealized P&L, and locks once it reaches your starting balance; in the XFA every payout re-arms the floor at $0.
Soft daily limit of $500–$2,000 by size that pauses your session without failing the account; intraday evaluations have no daily loss limit at all.
Soft daily limit of $1,000–$3,000 by size, optional in the Combine and XFA (automatic only in the Live account), which pauses the session without disqualifying the account.
No consistency rule in the evaluation; in the PA no single day may account for 50% or more of total profit since your last approved payout, checked when you request one.
In the Combine your best day can't exceed 55% of the profit target (exceeding it raises the target); on the XFA Consistency path no day may exceed 40% of total profit to be payout-eligible.
50K: $3,000 profit target against a $2,500 drawdown, no minimum days.
50K: $3,000 profit target, no minimum days (can pass in 2), with a consistency rule (best day < 50% of target). Single phase.
On the Legacy account we rank: payouts from 8 trading days, of which 5 must close with $50 or more of profit, $500 minimum, and 8 trading days between requests. The split is 100% of the first $25,000 paid out per account and 90% of anything after that. The first five payouts are capped by size ($2,500 on the $100,000) and from the sixth the cap disappears. A 30% consistency rule also applies: no single day may account for more than 30% of profit, through the fifth payout. The 4.0 Sim-Funded account is a different product and works differently: a 100% split, 5 qualifying days, and a hard cap of 6 payouts after which the account closes.
Payouts from $125 after 5 winning days of $150+ Net P&L (or 3 days on the 40% Consistency path). The split is a dated cutoff, not a conflict: accounts opened before Jan 12, 2026 keep 100% of the first $10,000 in lifetime profits then 90/10; accounts opened on or after that date are a flat 90/10.
50K: we publish no verified list price. Apex's checkout sits behind script and login, and our second-hand figures disagree by more than double. Apex's own homepage runs "Any Size Evals up to 90% Off | Use code: SAVENOW". A one-time PA activation fee exists and falls due within 7 calendar days of passing, and promo codes do not apply to it; we hold no verified amount for it. There are no reset fees: "If an Evaluation fails, the only way to continue is by purchasing a new one."
50K Combine: $49/month (Standard, plus a one-time $149 activation when funded) or $95/month (No Activation). Reset costs the same as the monthly sub. Frequent first-month promos.