Cheapest futures prop firms for a 50K account

Ten firms ranked by what you pay up front to reach a funded 50K account, activation fees included.

Ranked: 10 firms
Lowest up-front cost: $85 (Topstep)
Listed separately: 2 firms
Paid placements: None

Rules checked on September 26, 2026 · Methodology · By helloweekends Editors

The cheapest futures prop firms, counted by what you pay before your first funded 50K account, are Topstep ($85 for the first month with a daily loss limit added), Alpha Futures ($119) and MyFundedFutures ($125). This list adds each firm's lowest confirmed 50K evaluation price and any activation fee, and shows whether the charge repeats every month. All prices are list prices before promotions.

How this list is ordered

Who is included: the 12 futures prop firms we track, all active and accepting US traders.
What we count: the first charge for the cheapest confirmed 50K evaluation (one month, if billing is monthly) plus any activation fee due before the funded account starts.
Order: lowest up-front total first. A firm is ranked only when both numbers are confirmed on its own pages. Apex Trader Funding and The5ers Futures are listed separately below.

No firm paid to appear on this list or for its position. The total assumes you pass in the first month on the first try. Each extra month or reset adds to it, and so do market data fees. Most people who buy an evaluation do not pass it.

Up-front cost to a funded 50K account

List prices from each firm's official pages, checked September 26, 2026. Target / max loss for the plan shown.
#	Firm	Plan	Billing	Price	Activation fee	Up-front total	Target / max loss	Reset price
1	Topstep	Trading Combine, No Activation Fee Path	Monthly	$95/mo; $85 with DLL added	None	$85 with DLL; $95 without	$3,000 / $2,000	Same as monthly price
2	Alpha Futures	Zero	Monthly	$119/mo	None	$119	$3,000 / $2,000	$109
3	MyFundedFutures	Builder, Add-On version	One-time (see note)	$125	None	$125	$3,000 / $1,500	Not confirmed
4	FundedNext Futures	Flex	One-time	$133.99	None	$133.99	$2,500 / $1,500	From $77.99
5	Bulenox	Momentum	One-time	$143	None; Master account activated free	$143	$3,000 / $2,250	Not confirmed
6	Tradeify	Growth	One-time	$145	None	$145	$3,000 / $2,000	Not confirmed
7	Earn2Trade	Gauntlet Mini	Monthly	$170/mo	$139, taken from your first withdrawal	$170	$3,000 / $2,000	Varies with promotions
8	Lucid Trading	LucidPro	One-time	$192	None	$192	$3,000 / $2,000	$115
9	Take Profit Trader	Test	Monthly	$170/mo	$130	$300	$3,000 / $2,000	$99
10	Phidias Propfirm	Fundamental	Monthly	$164/mo	$149	$313	$4,000 / $2,500	Not confirmed

Notes on the ranking

Topstep. The $85 price applies when you add a daily loss limit at purchase; the limit is then fixed. The Standard Path costs $49 a month, but a $149 fee is due for each Express Funded Account, so its first-month total is $198.
MyFundedFutures. The Add-On version has a $1,500 maximum loss instead of $2,000; the default Builder 50K is $153. The help center says new evaluations are one-time payments from August 25, 2026, but some plan pages still show monthly prices.
FundedNext Futures. Flex 50K has a lower target and maximum loss than the other plans here.
Earn2Trade. The $139 LiveSim activation fee is not charged up front; it is deducted from your first withdrawal.
Lucid Trading. Lucid's homepage does not say whether $192 is the price with or without the optional daily loss limit.
Phidias. The same Fundamental 50K costs $580 one-time with no activation fee. Express to Live 50K costs $278 for the evaluation plus $149 on passing.

Listed separately

Apex Trader Funding: 50K price not confirmed. The nearest size we could read is the 25K Intraday evaluation at $199, one-time with 30 days of access, plus a $69 activation fee: $268 up front for a 25K account.
The5ers Futures: no activation fee on passing, but the 50K price is not confirmed on a current official page. The $100 we had comes from an older help article that has been removed, and the futures page shows only the 25K price ($59).

Monthly or one-time: what a longer attempt costs

A monthly subscription renews until you pass or cancel. A one-time fee buys the evaluation once; resets and new purchases cost extra. Some worked examples, using the prices above:

Topstep, No Activation Fee Path, three months without a daily loss limit: 3 × $95 = $285. The Standard Path for three months: 3 × $49 + $149 = $296.
Take Profit Trader, two months plus activation: 2 × $170 + $130 = $470. Each Test reset at 50K costs $99.
Tradeify Growth 50K stays $145 however long you take, until you reset or buy again. Apex's one-time evaluations give 30 days of access and have no resets.

Other costs can apply. Topstep includes Level 1 market data and charges $38 a month for Level 2. Bulenox charges traders with professional status $116 a month for exchange data. See activation fee rules for how each firm charges on passing. To total a plan over more months or resets, use the evaluation cost calculator.

Smaller accounts cost less

If 50K is more than you need, some 25K evaluations cost less: The5ers Day Trade $59 one-time, Alpha Futures Zero $79 a month, FundedNext Legacy $79.99 one-time, Bulenox Momentum $94 one-time and Tradeify Growth $99 one-time. Each of these has a $1,000 maximum loss.

For all rules side by side, see futures prop firms. To see how the fee compares with a funded account's payout terms, read funded account.

Know the riskA prop firm evaluation is a paid service with simulated trading. A low price does not make it easier to pass, and most people who buy one do not pass. Firms change prices and rules, pause payouts and close. Not investment advice.

Questions

Which futures prop firm is cheapest?

For a funded 50K account, Topstep's No Activation Fee Path costs the least up front: $85 for the first month with a daily loss limit added, or $95 without. Alpha Futures ($119) and MyFundedFutures ($125) follow.

Is a monthly or a one-time evaluation cheaper?

It depends on how long you take. A monthly plan costs less if you pass quickly; a one-time fee does not grow with time, but resets and repurchases cost extra.

What is an activation fee?

A fee some firms charge after you pass, before the funded account starts. Here, Topstep's Standard Path, Take Profit Trader and Phidias's monthly plans charge one up front; Earn2Trade takes its fee from your first withdrawal.

Why are Apex and The5ers not ranked?

Apex's and The5ers' 50K prices could not be confirmed on their current official pages, so their up-front totals cannot be computed.

Sources

All checked on September 26, 2026.