Apex Trader Funding vs TopStep
This is the most searched prop firm comparison in futures, and the two firms are close to opposites. Apex Trader Funding is cheap, loose on rules, and has the bigger review count. TopStep is more expensive, stricter, and has been running since 2012 with over $1.4 billion paid to traders.
The interesting part is that the public sentiment runs the opposite way to our scoring. Apex holds 4.3 out of 5 on Trustpilot from more than 19,000 reviews. TopStep holds 3.4 from around 13,800. On those numbers you would expect Apex to win comfortably. It does not, and the reason is worth understanding before you spend money with either.
Pick Apex Trader Funding if
You want the cheapest possible entry, you trade in short bursts and want no daily loss limit or consistency rule getting in the way, and you are comfortable managing the risk that a payout gets questioned.
Pick TopStep if
You want the longest verifiable track record in futures, clearer rules published up front, and better support if something goes wrong. You are willing to pay more and trade inside a daily loss limit to get it.
TopStep scores 7.2. Apex Trader Funding scores 6.8. Apex wins on cost, platform choice and evaluation rules. TopStep wins on support and transparency by wide margins, and edges payout reliability. Both use the same six dimensions at the same weights, so these numbers are directly comparable.
Score breakdown
Rules side by side
| Apex Trader Funding | TopStep | |
| Account sizes | $25K to $150K (4 confirmed tiers) | $50K to $150K (3 tiers available) |
| Entry price | From $19.90/mo (Intraday, no activation fee) | Not published |
| Evaluation type | Single-phase Performance Account model | One-step Trading Combine (simulated) |
| Profit target | $1,500 (25K) up to $9,000 (150K) | $3,000 ($50K) / $6,000 ($100K) / $9,000 ($150K) |
| Max drawdown | $1,000 to $4,000 by tier, EOD or intraday trailing | $2,000 ($50K) / $3,000 ($100K) / $4,500 ($150K) |
| Daily loss limit | Not published | $1,000 ($50K) / $2,000 ($100K) / $3,000 ($150K) |
| Time limit | Not published | None |
| Min. trading days | None – pass in one session if the target is hit cleanly | None to pass the Combine |
| Consistency rule | None during evaluation | Best single day under 50% of profit target |
| Profit split | Not published | 90/10 in the trader’s favour |
| Payout frequency | Weekly, once eligible | Weekly |
| Scaling | Not published | Position limits based on account balance (Scaling Plan) |
| Markets covered | Not published | Futures only: CME, COMEX, NYMEX, CBOT |
| Platforms | NinjaTrader, Rithmic, TradingView, Tradovate, Wealthcharts | TopstepX, NinjaTrader, TradingView, Quantower |
Cost: Apex wins, and it is not close
Apex starts at $19.90 a month and frequently discounts below that. TopStep’s Trading Combine costs meaningfully more and, like Apex, bills monthly until you pass. On a pure cost-per-attempt basis Apex is the cheapest serious futures evaluation available, which is a large part of why it has 19,000 Trustpilot reviews. Volume of customers is not the same as quality of outcome, but cheap access is a real advantage if you want to test a strategy without committing much.
One caveat that applies to both: a monthly subscription means the cost of failing slowly is open ended. Two months at TopStep can easily cost more than four at Apex, and neither firm charges once and leaves you alone.
Rules: Apex is looser, TopStep is clearer
Neither firm imposes a minimum number of trading days, so both let a fast trader pass quickly. From there they diverge.
Apex has no consistency rule during the evaluation and no daily loss limit, which means one very good day can carry you to the target. TopStep runs a daily loss limit of $1,000 to $3,000 depending on account size, and a consistency rule requiring your best single day to stay under 50% of the profit target. That is materially more restrictive.
TopStep’s end-of-day trailing drawdown is the rule most traders complain about, because it follows your equity high and tightens as you profit. Apex offers end-of-day or intraday trailing depending on the account, which gives more choice but also means you need to check which one you bought.
If you only read the rules, Apex looks like the easier firm to pass. That is accurate. Passing is not the part that goes wrong.
Payouts: where the comparison actually turns
Both pay weekly, and both have paid out at real scale. Apex reports more than $660 million since 2022. TopStep reports over $1.4 billion and says more than 7,000 traders are paid each week.
The difference is what traders report when a payout is questioned. Apex carries a recurring pattern of complaints about payout denials tied to a disputed MAE rule, meaning maximum adverse excursion, alongside marketing that suggests no such restriction applies. Apex also caps payouts at six per account, after which that account is finished for withdrawals. Support is repeatedly described as slow or unresponsive specifically during payout disputes, which is the worst possible time for that.
This is why Apex scores 5.5 on support and 5.0 on transparency against TopStep’s 7.0 and 7.5. It is also why Apex’s stronger Trustpilot rating does not translate into a stronger score here. A 4.3 average built largely on the buying and evaluation experience tells you less than a consistent complaint pattern at the point money leaves the firm.
Why TopStep’s Trustpilot score is so low
A 3.4 from 13,800 reviews looks alarming next to Apex’s 4.3, and it deserves an honest explanation rather than being quietly ignored.
TopStep has been operating since 2012 and runs a genuinely difficult evaluation with a tight end-of-day trailing drawdown, a daily loss limit and a consistency rule. Firms that fail more traders collect more angry reviews, and a 14 year old firm has accumulated far more of them than a 2021 firm has had time to. We are not treating a low rating as automatically unfair, and TopStep’s drawdown really is punishing. But the complaint volume is weighted toward difficulty of passing rather than toward not being paid, and those are very different failures.
Our scoring separates them deliberately. Difficulty shows up in challenge rules, where both firms score 7.5. Getting paid shows up in payout reliability, where TopStep leads 6.5 to 6.0.
Platforms
Apex supports NinjaTrader, Rithmic, TradingView, Tradovate and Wealthcharts, which is one of the widest platform lists in futures and scores 8.0. TopStep pushes its own TopstepX platform alongside NinjaTrader, TradingView and Quantower, and scores 7.5. If you have an existing setup you do not want to change, check Apex first.
Both are futures only. Neither offers forex, stocks, options or crypto, so if you want to trade anything else you are looking at the wrong pair entirely.
Pros and cons
Apex Trader Funding pros
- No minimum trading days, pass whenever you hit the target
- Cheapest entry in the futures category, from $19.90 a month
- $660M+ paid out since 2022, a real track record at scale
- Wide platform support: NinjaTrader, Rithmic, Tradovate, TradingView
Apex Trader Funding cons
- Traders report payout denials tied to a disputed MAE rule, despite marketing that says there is none
- Payouts cap at 6 withdrawals per account, then that account’s payouts are done
- Support described as slow or unresponsive during payout disputes
- 50% consistency rule at payout can catch a trader with one strong session
TopStep pros
- 15-year track record, one of the oldest futures prop firms
- Over $1.4 billion paid to traders
- Weekly payouts, with 7,000+ traders paid each week
- 90/10 profit split on funded accounts
TopStep cons
- End-of-day trailing drawdown is tight and moves against you
- Futures only: no forex, stocks, options, or crypto
- Monthly subscription cost repeats until you pass
- Activation fee on the standard path after passing
Frequently asked questions
Is Apex Trader Funding or TopStep better?
TopStep scores higher on our methodology, 7.2 against 6.8, mainly on transparency and support. Apex is better on cost, platform choice and how easy the evaluation is to pass. If your main risk is running out of money before you pass, Apex is the better bet. If your main concern is being paid reliably and getting a straight answer when something goes wrong, TopStep is.
Why does Apex have a better Trustpilot score but a lower rating here?
Apex holds 4.3 from over 19,000 reviews against TopStep’s 3.4 from around 13,800, but most reviews reflect signing up and trading an evaluation rather than the payout stage. Apex carries a documented pattern of payout denials tied to a disputed MAE rule and caps withdrawals at six per account, and its support is widely described as slow during disputes. Our score weights payout reliability, support and transparency at 45% combined, so those issues outweigh a higher average star rating.
Which one is cheaper, Apex or TopStep?
Apex, clearly. It starts around $19.90 a month and discounts frequently, which is the cheapest serious futures evaluation available. TopStep’s Trading Combine costs substantially more. Both bill monthly until you pass, so the real cost depends on how many months you take.
Does Apex have a daily loss limit?
No, and it has no consistency rule during the evaluation either. TopStep runs a daily loss limit of $1,000 to $3,000 depending on account size, plus a rule that your best single day must stay under 50% of the profit target. Apex is the looser ruleset by a clear margin.
What is the Apex six payout cap?
Each Apex account allows a maximum of six withdrawals. Once you have taken six, that account can no longer pay out. It is a structural limit rather than a rule you can trade around, and it is worth factoring in if you plan to hold an account long term. TopStep does not impose an equivalent cap.
Can you compare Apex or TopStep against a forex prop firm?
Not usefully. Both are futures only, and futures rules do not map onto CFD or forex rules. A drawdown figure in futures is a dollar amount tied to contract sizes, while in forex it is a percentage of a notional balance. Our comparison tool deliberately only lets you compare firms within the same category for this reason.
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