Apex Trader Funding vs Topstep

A detailed breakdown of how these two firms compare across costs, drawdown rules, payout structure, and trading restrictions.

Apex Trader FundingUnavailableTopstepUnavailable

At a Glance

Apex Trader Funding

61/100Good

Starting Cost: $318
Min Days: 1 day
Max Drawdown: 4%
Best Split: 100%
Payout Freq: Weekly

Topstep

69/100Good

Starting Cost: $198
Min Days: 2 days
Max Drawdown: 4%
Best Split: 90%
Payout Freq: Daily

Public Economics

Current public evidence favors Apex Trader Funding for the balanced model.

Partial

Apex Trader Funding

25K EOD Trail Evaluation -> 25K EOD PA

Partial

Score

Cost

—

First payout

—

Topstep

50K Evaluation

Partial

Score

Cost

—

First payout

Cost BreakdownTopstep

Apex Trader Funding

Eval Fee: $249
Activation: $69
Total: $318

Topstep

Eval Fee: $49
Activation: $149
Total: $198

Topstep is $120 cheaper to get started. Apex Trader Funding charges $249 one-time plus a $69 activation fee. Topstep charges $49/mo (monthly subscription) plus a $149 activation fee.

Drawdown & RiskTopstep

Apex Trader Funding

Type: Intraday Trailing
Max Drawdown: 4% ($2,000)
Lock: Trails indefinitely
Strictness: Strict

Topstep

Type: EOD Trailing
Max Drawdown: 4% ($2,000)
Daily Limit: $1,000Soft
Lock: Locks at $50,000 after $2,000 profit
Strictness: Moderate

Topstep's daily loss limit is a soft breach — the account pauses rather than fails. Apex Trader Funding's daily loss limit is a hard breach — hitting it immediately disqualifies the account.

Path to FundedTopstep

Apex Trader Funding

Min Days: 1
Minimum days note: 1 min trading days
To First Payout: ~11 days
First payout timeline: 1d eval + 5d winning + 5d processing

Topstep

Min Days: 2
Minimum days note: 50% consistency → need 2+ profitable days
To First Payout: ~10 days
First payout timeline: 2d eval + 5d winning + 3d processing

Topstep gets you funded faster, with an estimated ~10 days to first payout (2d eval + 5d winning + 3d processing). Apex Trader Funding has no consistency rule, meaning you could pass the evaluation in a single profitable day. Topstep requires your best day to be no more than 50% of total profit.

Payout & Profit SplitApex Trader Funding

Apex Trader Funding

Best Split: 100%
Frequency: Weekly
Min Payout: $500

Topstep

Best Split: 90%
Frequency: Daily
Min Payout: $125

Apex Trader Funding offers up to 100% profit split(Weekly payouts, $500 min), while Topstep offers up to 90%(Daily payouts, $125 min). The 10 percentage point difference in profit split can add up significantly over time — on a $10,000 profit, that's $1,000 more in your pocket.

When comparing withdrawal frequency, the gap between payouts matters. Apex Trader Funding requires 5 profitable trading days between each withdrawal, while Topstep requires 5 profitable trading days. At 20 trading days per month, that means Apex Trader Funding can request roughly 4 payouts per month versus Topstep's 4.

Between payouts, Apex Trader Funding requires 5 trading days before your next request, while requires .

Trading RulesTopstep

Apex Trader Funding

News Trading: Allowed
Overnight: Restricted
Automation: Restricted
Copy Trading: Restricted
Flat By: 4:59 PM ET
Overall: Strict

Topstep

News Trading: Allowed
Overnight: Restricted
Automation: Allowed
Copy Trading: Restricted
Flat By: 3:10 PM CT
Overall: Moderate

Topstep is more flexible overall. Automation: Topstep allows bots and algo trading while Apex Trader Funding prohibits it — a critical difference for systematic traders.

Best For

Apex Trader Funding

☀️Day Trader

News trading allowed · Only 1 min trading days

💰Budget Trader

Starting at $199 · One-time fee (no subscription)

Topstep

☀️Day Trader

News trading allowed · Only 2 min trading days

⚡Scalper

News trading OK · No consistency rule

Both firms work well for day traders. Apex Trader Funding is a stronger fit for budget traders (starting at $199). Topstep is a stronger fit for scalpers (news trading ok). Explore all trading styles to see which firms match your approach.

Funded Account LifecycleTie

Based on $500/day profit, 20 trading days/month, 55% win rate

Apex Trader Funding

Total Cost: $318
Break-Even: Day 12
Monthly Earnings: $1,000
First Payout: Day 26 ($1,500)
Live Transition: Month 2
Pass Rate: 10%

Topstep

Total Cost: $198
Break-Even: Day 12
Monthly Earnings: $4,380
First Payout: Day 18 ($2,220)
Live Transition: Month 1
Pass Rate: 10%

At $500/day profit, Apex Trader Funding reaches break-even on day 12 while Topstep reaches it on day 12. Topstep costs $120 less to get started. Topstep projects $3,380/mo more in funded earnings.

The Verdict

Apex Trader Funding

61/100Good

Choose Apex Trader Funding if you want:

+Better profit split

Visit Apex Trader Funding

Topstep

69/100Good

Choose Topstep if you want:

+Lower starting cost
+More forgiving drawdown rules
+Faster path to funded
+Fewer trading restrictions

Visit Topstep

Related Comparisons

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Comparing Apex Trader Funding or Topstep with another firm? See all comparisons

Why this comparison

PartialPartial

This public economics comparison uses ordinary public product/help/rule material and values derived from it. Some model inputs are visible in ordinary public material, but one or more public fields are missing or unavailable.

Apex Trader Funding

25K EOD Trail Evaluation -> 25K EOD PA

Partial

Partial public dataPartial

Side blockers

activation_feefee_monthly|fee_onetimefunded_monthly_feemin_trading_dayspayout_processing_time

Topstep

50K Evaluation

Partial

Partial public dataPartial

Side blockers

activation_feebuffer_clearance_requiredfunded_monthly_feemax_payout_per_requestmin_payout_amount

Comparison reasons

Apex Trader Funding has the stronger Balanced unit in the current public evidence graph.

Tradeoffs

Apex Trader Funding is labeled partial, so compare the blockers before treating it as final.Topstep is labeled partial, which limits direct ranking confidence.

Blocking public fields

activation_feebuffer_clearance_requiredfee_monthly|fee_onetimefunded_monthly_feemax_payout_per_request

Why

Apex Trader Funding has the stronger Balanced unit in the current public evidence graph.

Tradeoffs

Apex Trader Funding is labeled partial, so compare the blockers before treating it as final.

Topstep is labeled partial, which limits direct ranking confidence.

Blockers

activation_fee

buffer_clearance_required

fee_monthly|fee_onetime

Apex Trader Funding uses Intraday Trailing drawdown at 4%, while Topstep uses EOD Trailing at 4% ($2,000 buffer once locked at initial). Apex Trader Funding uses intraday trailing, the strictest type — your floor moves in real time with every tick of profit. Topstep's EOD trailing only adjusts at market close, giving intraday profits a safer cushion. Lock behavior differs: Apex Trader Funding — trails indefinitely, while Topstep — locks at $50,000 after $2,000 profit. Topstep also has a $1,000 daily loss limit, while Apex Trader Funding does not. Topstep's daily loss limit is a soft mechanism (pause until next day), while Apex Trader Funding has no such soft protection.

To count as a qualifying day toward payouts, Apex Trader Funding requires at least $200 in daily profit, while Topstep requires $150. The lower bar at Topstep is easier to meet on choppy trading days.

Topstep limits each payout to 50% of accumulated profit, keeping the remainder as an account buffer. Apex Trader Funding has no percentage-of-profit cap on payouts.

Apex Trader Funding requires a minimum account balance of $52,600 before you can request a payout. Topstep has no minimum balance requirement.

Apex Trader Funding requires at least $52,100 to remain in the account after each withdrawal, limiting how much you can take out at once. Topstep has no post-withdrawal balance floor.

Apex Trader Funding caps funded accounts at 6 payouts before requiring a transition to a live account. Topstep has no maximum payout count.

Apex Trader Funding requires a $2,100 safety net buffer before your first payout — you must earn above starting balance plus this amount. Topstep has no safety net requirement.

Maximum per withdrawal request: Apex Trader Funding caps at $3,000, while Topstep caps at $5,000.

Both require flat-by deadlines: Apex Trader Funding at 4:59 PM ET, Topstep at 3:10 PM CT.

Overall, Topstep scores higher (69 vs 61) on our trader-friendliness index. Key advantages: lower starting cost, more forgiving drawdown rules, faster path to funded, fewer trading restrictions. That said, Apex Trader Funding wins on better profit split. See the full glossary to understand any unfamiliar terms, or explore trading styles to find the best firm for your approach.