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Apex Trader Funding Review 2026
An Austin, Texas futures prop firm founded in 2021. On March 1, 2026 it replaced its monthly evaluations with one-time 30-day evaluations, added an end-of-day drawdown option and capped each funded account at six payouts.
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Written by SafeTrading EditorialResearch and editing
Our verdict
Mixed
Worth a look if you pass quickly and trade by hand: evaluations are one-time, you can pass in a day and approved payouts are not split. The 30-day expiry with no resets, the six-payout cap per account and the ban on automation are the catches.
- Founded
- 2021
- Company
- Apex Trader Funding Inc., a Texas corporation, Austin, Texas
- Account sizes
- $25K, $50K, $100K, $150K
- Evaluation fee
- $167 to $2,490 list, one time; coupons are frequent
- Activation fee
- $89 to $159, or free on No Activation Fee plans
- Payout split
- 100% of each approved payout
- Payouts
- After 5 qualifying days; up to 6 per account
- Drawdown
- EOD trailing or intraday trailing, chosen at purchase
- Platforms
- Rithmic, Tradovate or WealthCharts
- Consistency
- None in the evaluation; 50% for payouts
What we like
- One-time evaluation fee with no monthly rebill on new accounts
- No minimum days: you can pass in one trading day
- You keep 100% of each approved payout
- Choice of end-of-day or intraday trailing drawdown
- Up to 20 funded accounts at once
Watch out for
- Evaluations expire after 30 days and cannot be reset
- Each funded account closes after six payouts
- Automated and algorithmic trading is banned
- List prices are high; the real price depends on which coupon is running
- 50% consistency rule before each payout
How the Apex evaluation works
Apex sells an evaluation, a simulated account with a profit target. Pass it and you pay a one-time activation fee for a Performance Account (PA), a simulated funded account where you earn payouts. Strong PA traders can be invited to an Apex Live account.
Since March 1, 2026 new evaluations are one-time purchases that stay active for 30 days. There is no minimum number of trading days and no consistency rule in the evaluation, so you can pass in a day. There are no resets: if you fail or run out of time, you buy a new evaluation. You then have 7 calendar days to pay the PA activation fee.
You choose an end-of-day (EOD) or intraday trailing drawdown, and a Standard plan with an activation fee or a No Activation Fee plan that costs more up front. The table shows the list prices in Apex's product picker on 25 Oct 2026. A 90% off coupon was running that day, which brought a $25K intraday evaluation to $16.70.
| Plan | List price: EOD / intraday | Profit target | Max drawdown | Max contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25K | $490 / $167 | $1,500 | $1,000 | 4 minis or 40 micros |
| $50K | $590 / $249 | $3,000 | $2,000 | 6 minis or 60 micros |
| $100K | $1,190 / $790 | $6,000 | $3,000 | 8 minis or 80 micros |
| $150K | $2,190 / $1,190 | $9,000 | $4,000 | 12 minis or 120 micros |
Apex drawdown rules explained
On the EOD plans, the drawdown threshold is calculated once a day at market close from your end-of-day balance and then enforced during the next session. Your balance, including open profit and loss, may never touch it. EOD evaluations also have a daily loss limit of $500, $1,000, $1,500 or $2,000 by size; hitting it pauses trading for the day but does not fail the account.
On the intraday plans, the threshold follows your highest balance in real time, including unrealized gains, and never moves down. In a Performance Account it stops trailing once your balance reaches the starting balance plus $100.
Touch the threshold on either type and positions are liquidated: the evaluation fails or the PA closes.
Apex payouts
Apex pays 100% of each approved payout. To request one you need at least 5 trading days that each meet a minimum daily profit ($100, $250, $300 or $350 on EOD accounts by size), no single day can make up 50% or more of profit since your last payout, and your balance must stay above a safety net equal to the drawdown limit plus $100. The minimum payout is $500.
Each PA can receive at most six payouts, after which it is closed and you need to pass a new evaluation. Caps rise with each payout.
| EOD account | Payout 1 cap | Payout 6 cap | Min balance to request |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25K | $1,000 | $1,000 | $26,600 |
| $50K | $1,500 | $3,000 | $52,600 |
| $100K | $2,000 | $4,000 | $103,600 |
| $150K | $2,500 | $5,000 | $154,600 |
Fees: evaluation, activation and data
The evaluation fee is one time and does not rebill. The PA activation fee is also one time and non-refundable: $109, $129, $139 or $159 on EOD Standard plans and $89, $99, $129 or $149 on intraday Standard plans. No Activation Fee plans charge nothing to activate.
Apex's site lists free real-time data on evaluations and live data included on PAs. Legacy accounts bought before March 1, 2026 stay on monthly billing until cancelled, and Apex was selling legacy evaluations again as a limited-time promotion when we checked.
Rules that trip people up
Apex's prohibited activities page is long, and breaking it forfeits the account and its balance. The rules most likely to catch traders:
- No automation or algorithms: payouts are for human traders, not automated systems
- No hedging of any kind, including long and short on correlated instruments
- News trading is allowed for your normal strategy, but not orders on both sides to gamble on the release
- Every trade needs a stop loss, mental or placed; using the full drawdown as a stop is banned
- No tiny targets with very large stops, such as 5 ticks against 150
- No high-frequency trading or bracket orders left on both sides of the market
- All positions must be closed before the market close
- No trade copying between traders, shared devices or VPNs to disguise location
Who owns Apex and where it is registered
Apex's terms describe it as a Texas corporation headquartered in Austin, Texas. The site footer names Apex Trader Funding Inc. with a mailing address at 2028 E. Ben White Blvd, Ste 240-9873, Austin, TX 78741, which it labels as mailing only.
Its About page says the firm was founded in 2021 by its CEO, Darrell Martin, who earlier founded the education site Apex Investing. Evaluations and Performance Accounts are simulated; Apex says it watches PA traders and invites some into its live trading program.
Our verdict
The 2026 rules are simpler than Apex's old program: one-time fees, an end-of-day option, no evaluation consistency rule and no split on payouts. If you can pass inside 30 days and are happy taking six payouts per account before starting again, it can be one of the cheaper routes when a large coupon is running.
It is a poor fit for anyone running a trading bot, since automation is banned outright, and the 30-day expiry with no resets punishes slow, careful traders. Check the coupon on the day: the list price alone is not a useful guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is Apex Trader Funding legit?
Apex Trader Funding Inc. is a Texas corporation based in Austin and has operated since 2021. It publishes its rules in a help center and pays out on a set schedule. Like all futures prop firms it is not a regulated broker, so your protection is its terms.
Is Apex a monthly subscription?
Not any more for new accounts. Evaluations bought after March 1, 2026 are one-time purchases that last 30 days. Legacy accounts bought before then keep billing monthly until you cancel.
How much does Apex cost?
List prices run from $167 for a $25K intraday evaluation to $2,490 for a $150K EOD No Activation Fee plan, plus an $89 to $159 activation fee on Standard plans. Apex usually runs a coupon; on 25 Oct 2026 it was 90% off.
Does Apex use an end-of-day drawdown?
You choose. EOD plans calculate the threshold at the close; intraday plans trail your highest balance in real time. Both are enforced during the session.
Can I use a trading bot at Apex?
No. Apex's prohibited activities page bans automation and algorithm use.
How many payouts can I take from an Apex account?
Up to six per Performance Account, with caps that rise from payout one to six. After the sixth payout the account closes.
What is the Apex consistency rule?
There is none in the evaluation. In a Performance Account, no single profitable day can be 50% or more of the profit made since your last approved payout.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from the pages below, checked on Oct 25, 2026. Rules and prices change, so check the current terms before you pay.
