Apex vs Topstep: rules and payouts side by side

How the two largest US futures prop firms differ on billing, drawdown, consistency and payouts.

Apex billing: One-time, 30 days
Topstep billing: Monthly
Apex PA split: 100%
Topstep split: 90/10

Rules checked on September 26, 2026 · By helloweekends Editors

Apex vs Topstep comes down to how you pay and how you get paid. Apex sells a one-time evaluation with 30 days of access, lets you choose an end-of-day or intraday drawdown, and pays 100% of up to six capped payouts per Performance Account. Topstep sells a monthly Trading Combine with an end-of-day drawdown and pays 90/10 on two payout paths. Both are paid evaluations traded in simulation.

Apex vs Topstep at a glance

Figures are for the 50K account, the size both firms sell most widely. Other sizes are on each firm's rules page.

Apex: accounts sold since March 1, 2026. Topstep: traders who joined on or after January 12, 2026. Source: each firm's help center, checked September 26, 2026.
Rule	Apex Trader Funding	Topstep
Billing	One-time fee, 30 days of access, no resets	Monthly subscription, resets available
50K price	Not confirmed (only the 25K Intraday price, $199, was readable)	$49/mo Standard path; $95/mo No Activation Fee path
Activation fee	Standard evaluations: yes ($69 on 25K Intraday; 50K not confirmed). No Activation Fee versions: none	Standard path: $149 per XFA. No Activation Fee path: none
Profit target	$3,000	$3,000
Drawdown	$2,000, EOD or intraday trailing, chosen at purchase	$2,000, trails end-of-day highs, enforced in real time
Daily loss limit	EOD evaluation: $1,000 (soft). Intraday evaluation: none. PA: tiered	Optional, $1,000, added at purchase (soft)
Evaluation consistency	None	Best day at or below 55% of profit (50% on the parameters page)
Minimum days to pass	None	2
Must be flat by	4:59 p.m. ET	3:10 p.m. CT (4:10 p.m. ET)
Funded account	Performance Account (PA), simulated	Express Funded Account (XFA), simulated
Split	100% of approved PA payouts	90/10
Payout eligibility	5 qualifying days ($250+ EOD, $200+ intraday) and a 50% consistency check	Standard: 5 winning days of $150+. Consistency: 3 days, best day at or below 40%
Minimum payout	$500	$125
Cap per payout	$1,500 to $3,000 by payout number (EOD PA)	Standard $2,000; Consistency $3,000; at most 50% of balance
Payouts per account	6, then the PA closes	No stated limit
Accounts at once	Up to 20 PAs	Up to 5 XFAs
Platforms	Several, chosen at purchase	TopstepX only (Quantower can connect)
Automated trading	Prohibited	Not covered here; check Topstep's rules

Cost: one payment or a subscription

An Apex evaluation is paid once and lasts 30 calendar days. If you fail or run out of time, you buy a new one. A Topstep Combine renews every month until you pass or cancel, and each renewal adds a reset credit. At 50K on the Standard path, a trader who passes in the first month pays $49 plus the $149 activation fee, $198 in total. Each extra month adds $49. We could not confirm Apex's 50K price from its checkout, so we do not put a number on that side. The evaluation cost calculator works through the arithmetic for any number of attempts.

Drawdown: the choice Apex gives you

Topstep has one model. Its maximum loss limit follows your highest end-of-day balance, but a dip during the session can still breach it, and it stops trailing at your starting balance. Apex lets you pick. Its EOD accounts work much like Topstep's and add a $1,000 daily loss limit in the evaluation. Its intraday accounts trail your peak balance as you trade, open profit included, with no daily loss limit in the evaluation. The difference is explained in EOD vs intraday drawdown.

Consistency: when it applies

The two firms put the consistency rule at opposite ends. Topstep applies it to pass the Combine, where no day may bring more than 55% of your profit, and then offers an XFA path with no consistency rule at all. Apex has no consistency rule in the evaluation, so one good day can pass it, but every PA payout needs your best day under 50% of the profit since the last payout. The general idea is on the consistency rule page.

Payouts: 100% capped vs 90/10

Apex pays 100% of each approved PA payout, but each of the six payouts has a cap and the PA closes after the sixth. On a 50K EOD PA the six caps add up to $13,000. Topstep keeps 10% of every payout. On the XFA a request is capped at $2,000 or $3,000 depending on the path and at half your balance, but the account does not close after a set number of payouts, and a Live Funded Account has no dollar cap. Apex's minimum request is $500; Topstep's is $125.

Worked example: $3,000 of profit on a 50K funded account

Apex, first payout on an EOD PA. Your balance is $53,000, above the $52,600 you need. The first-payout cap is $1,500, you need five qualifying days of $250 or more, and your best day must be under $1,500. You receive the full $1,500.
Topstep, either XFA path. An XFA's balance counts from $0, so $3,000 of profit is a $3,000 balance, and a request can be at most half of it: $1,500, below both path caps. At 90/10 you receive $1,350. On the Consistency path you need three trading days with no day above $1,200; on the Standard path, five winning days of $150 or more.

With larger profits the picture changes: Topstep's Consistency path allows up to $3,000 per request once your balance reaches $6,000, while Apex's caps rise to $3,000 only by the sixth payout.

Who each firm suits

Apex fits a trader who wants one fixed payment, a choice of drawdown model, room to pass fast without a consistency rule, and many accounts at once. The trade-offs: a 30-day clock, no automation, six payouts per PA and a consistency check on every payout.
Topstep fits a trader who prefers an end-of-day drawdown, a small minimum payout and an account with no payout count limit, and who is fine on one platform. The trade-offs: a monthly bill until you pass, a 10% share, a consistency rule to pass, and an earlier close.

Firm by firm, the full rules are on Apex Trader Funding rules, Apex payout rules, Topstep rules and Topstep payout rules. Changes to either firm are logged in the rule change log, and the wider field is in futures prop firms compared.

Know the riskBoth firms sell paid evaluations traded in simulation. Most people who buy one do not pass, payouts come from each firm's own funds under its terms, and firms change rules, pause payouts and close. Not investment advice.

Questions

Is Apex or Topstep cheaper?

It depends on how long you take to pass. Topstep's 50K Standard path costs $49 a month plus $149 at activation. Apex charges once for 30 days; we could not confirm its 50K price. A slow pass costs more at Topstep, a failed attempt costs a full new purchase at Apex.

Which has the better profit split?

Apex pays 100% of approved PA payouts, capped per payout and six payouts per PA. Topstep pays 90/10 with no limit on the number of payouts.

Do Apex and Topstep use the same drawdown?

Topstep uses one end-of-day trailing loss limit. Apex offers end-of-day or intraday trailing drawdown, chosen when you buy.

Can you hold trades overnight at Apex or Topstep?

No. Apex accounts must be flat by 4:59 p.m. ET and Topstep accounts by 3:10 p.m. CT.

Which firm has a consistency rule?

Both, at different stages. Topstep applies one to pass the Combine (55%, or 50% on its parameters page) and on its XFA Consistency path (40%). Apex has none in the evaluation and a 50% rule on every PA payout.

Sources

All checked on September 26, 2026.