Apex Trader Funding at a glance
- What it is: a futures prop firm. The company is Apex Trader Funding Inc., with a mailing address in Austin, Texas, and it names Darrell Martin, "a rancher turned day trader", as its founder. Apex says it has more than 100,000 traders in over 100 countries.
- Simulated accounts: evaluations and Performance Accounts (PAs) are simulated. A live programme is by invitation only.
- Platforms: Rithmic, Tradovate and WealthCharts, and Apex has a guide to using NinjaTrader through Rithmic. Each platform has its own plan, and Apex says charges for an account set up on the wrong one aren't refunded, so choose carefully at checkout.
- Fees: one-time, with no subscription and no resets. If an evaluation fails, you buy a new one.
- Markets: CME Group futures: equity indices, currencies, energy, metals, micros, crypto, grains and livestock. Apex's home page also mentions some Eurex products, such as the DAX.
- India: Apex Trader Funding isn't on RBI's Alert List as updated on 19 November 2025, and India isn't on its list of restricted countries. RBI says an entity not on the list should not be assumed to be authorised, and we're not aware of any ruling by an Indian regulator on prop firm fees; the guide to forex trading in India explains where prop firms sit, and prop firm taxes covers payouts.
What changed on 1 March 2026
Apex stopped selling its old monthly-subscription accounts on 1 March 2026 and renamed them Legacy accounts. Legacy accounts bought before then keep their old rules, and only Legacy evaluations can be reset; they can't be converted to the new types. This page covers the two new types, EOD and Intraday. You can hold up to 20 PAs at once, Legacy, EOD and Intraday combined.
EOD and Intraday compared ($50,000 account)
| Rule | EOD account | Intraday account |
|---|---|---|
| Profit target | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Drawdown | $2,000, set once a day from your closing balance | $2,000, follows your highest balance including open profit |
| Daily loss limit in the evaluation | $1,000 (pauses the day) | None |
| Contracts in the evaluation | 6 | 6 |
| Time limit and minimum days | 30 calendar days to pass; no minimum days | 30 calendar days to pass; no minimum days |
| Consistency rule in the evaluation | None | None |
| Funded (PA) contracts | Up to 4, by scaling level | Up to 4, by scaling level |
| Payout: qualifying day | $250 profit or more | $200 profit or more |
| Most a PA can pay over its 6 payouts | $13,000 | $14,500 |
After you pass, you have 7 calendar days to activate the matching PA. Miss that window and Apex says the chance can't be reinstated.
Account sizes, targets and contract limits
| Account | Profit target | Drawdown (both types) | EOD evaluation daily loss limit | Evaluation contracts | Most PA contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | $1,500 | $1,000 | $500 | 4 | 2 |
| $50,000 | $3,000 | $2,000 | $1,000 | 6 | 4 |
| $100,000 | $6,000 | $3,000 | $1,500 | 8 | 6 |
| $150,000 | $9,000 | $4,000 | $2,000 | 12 | 10 |
What the accounts cost
Apex doesn't list prices in its help centre; they're shown at checkout and change with coupons, which Apex runs most of the time. On 11 October 2026 its home page advertised up to 92% off evaluations. Each evaluation comes two ways, and checkout shows the price of both:
- Standard: the evaluation price, then a one-time PA activation fee when you pass.
- No Activation Fee: the PA fee is $0 at checkout. Apex says the rules are otherwise identical.
Discounted 5-packs exist for some sizes. Apex takes Visa, Mastercard and Discover cards, credit or debit, in your own name. It doesn't take American Express, crypto or gift cards, and Apex notes that some banks block international transactions by default.
How the EOD drawdown works
Apex recalculates the EOD threshold once a day, at 4:59:59 p.m. New York time, as your highest closing balance minus the drawdown. The new level applies from the next session and is enforced in real time, open profit and loss included, so touching it intraday still ends the account.
| $50,000 account | Closing balance | Highest closing balance | Threshold for the next session |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | $50,000 | $50,000 | $48,000 |
| Day 1 | $50,800 | $50,800 | $48,800 |
| Day 2 | $51,600 | $51,600 | $49,600 |
| Day 3 | $50,900 | $51,600 | $49,600 |
| Day 4 | $52,000 | $52,000 | $50,000 |
When it stops trailing: in a PA, it locks at the starting balance plus $100, $50,100 on $50,000, once your highest closing balance reaches $52,100. In an evaluation it doesn't lock before you reach the target, so treat it as trailing all the way.
How the Intraday drawdown works
The Intraday threshold follows your peak balance during the day, open profit included. It only moves up, never resets, and is enforced at every moment. In a PA it stops trailing at the starting balance plus $100, $50,100 on $50,000, which it reaches once your peak balance hits $52,100.
The difference in one day: on $50,000, a trade runs to $900 open profit and you close the day $200 up. On an Intraday account the threshold is now $48,900, leaving you $1,300 of room. On an EOD account it's $48,200, leaving $2,000. If you let winners run and give some back, the EOD account gives you more room; futures prop firms compared explains the two types in more detail.
Daily loss limits and PA scaling levels
EOD evaluations have a daily loss limit; Intraday evaluations don't. Every PA has one, and it rises with your scaling level. Hitting it closes your open positions and stops trading for the rest of the session, but the account stays active. It resets at 6:00 p.m. New York time.
| PA | Profit in the account | Most contracts | Daily loss limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | $0 to $999 | 1 | $500 |
| $1,000 to $1,999 | 2 | $500 | |
| $2,000 and up | 2 | $1,250 | |
| $50,000 | $0 to $1,499 | 2 | $1,000 |
| $1,500 to $2,999 | 3 | $1,000 | |
| $3,000 to $5,999 | 4 | $2,000 | |
| $6,000 and up | 4 | $3,000 | |
| $100,000 | $0 to $1,999 | 3 | $1,750 |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 4 | $1,750 | |
| $3,000 to $4,999 | 5 | $1,750 | |
| $5,000 to $9,999 | 6 | $2,500 | |
| $10,000 and up | 6 | $3,500 | |
| $150,000 | $0 to $1,999 | 4 | $2,500 |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 5 | $2,500 | |
| $3,000 to $4,999 | 7 | $2,500 | |
| $5,000 to $9,999 | 10 | $3,000 | |
| $10,000 and up | 10 | $4,000 |
PA payouts
| Account | Qualifying day: EOD / Intraday | Safety net | Balance needed to ask for a payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | $100 / $100 | $26,100 | $26,600 |
| $50,000 | $250 / $200 | $52,100 | $52,600 |
| $100,000 | $300 / $250 | $103,100 | $103,600 |
| $150,000 | $350 / $300 | $154,100 | $154,600 |
| Account and type | Payout 1 | Payout 2 | Payout 3 | Payout 4 | Payout 5 | Payout 6 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 both types | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $6,000 |
| $50,000 EOD | $1,500 | $1,500 | $2,000 | $2,500 | $2,500 | $3,000 | $13,000 |
| $50,000 Intraday | $1,500 | $2,000 | $2,500 | $2,500 | $3,000 | $3,000 | $14,500 |
| $100,000 EOD | $2,000 | $2,500 | $2,500 | $3,000 | $4,000 | $4,000 | $18,000 |
| $100,000 Intraday | $2,000 | $2,500 | $3,000 | $3,000 | $4,000 | $4,000 | $18,500 |
| $150,000 EOD | $2,500 | $3,000 | $3,000 | $3,000 | $4,000 | $5,000 | $20,500 |
| $150,000 Intraday | $2,500 | $3,000 | $3,000 | $4,000 | $4,000 | $5,000 | $21,500 |
- Split and minimum: 100% of the approved amount, with a $500 minimum request.
- Consistency, 50%: no single profitable day since your last approved payout can be 50% or more of the profit in that period. Until it isn't, the payout button stays off.
- Example: your $50,000 EOD PA has a $54,000 balance. Above the $52,100 safety net that's $1,900, and the first payout cap is $1,500, so you can ask for $1,500.
- After you ask: you can keep trading, but if the balance drops below what's needed, the request is turned down automatically.
- Inactivity: a PA needs at least two days of $50 or more net profit in any 30 calendar days, or it's closed, with any payout eligibility lost.
- Outside the US: payouts go through Plane, which emails an invitation 1 to 4 business days after your first approved payout. You need a government ID and a bank account in your country of residence, in the same name as your Apex profile. Apex doesn't issue tax forms to non-US traders.
The live programme
Apex picks traders for live accounts; you can't apply. A live account starts at a $0 balance with a $3,000 end-of-day drawdown and 3 minis or 30 micros, and it locks at +$100 once you're $3,100 up. The split is 90/10, you can ask for a payout daily ($500 minimum) from profit above $3,100, trades must be closed by 4:50 p.m. New York time, and automated trading isn't allowed. Your open PAs are deactivated when you move up.
Trading hours in IST
| Rule | New York time | IST, US summer time (to 31 October 2026) | IST, US winter time (from 1 November 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All trades closed | Before 4:59 p.m. | 02:29 | 03:29 |
| New trading day opens; daily loss limit resets | 6:00 p.m. | 03:30 | 04:30 |
| US stock market opens | 9:30 a.m. | 19:00 | 20:00 |
Banned strategies, bots and news
- Bots: not allowed. Apex says its rewards are for human traders, not automated systems running preset logic. Its rules don't allow EAs or strategy scripts to trade for you.
- News: trading during news is fine as part of a normal strategy. Chasing the market on the release, or orders on both sides to gamble on the outcome, isn't.
- Hedging: banned "of any kind": no long and short at the same time in the same or a correlated contract, and no passing evaluations by hedging one against another.
- Risk rules: Apex bans trading without stop losses or a risk plan, using the whole drawdown as your stop, tiny targets with large stops, and holding positions through the market close.
- Also banned: high-frequency trading, copying trades with other traders, sharing accounts, several accounts in one household to get round limits, and VPNs or cloud servers used to hide who or where you are.
Apex Trader Funding for traders in India
- Eligibility: India isn't on Apex's list of 87 restricted countries, as shown on 11 October 2026, which does include Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Maldives.
- Hours: the US open is at 19:00 or 20:00 IST and trades must be closed before 02:29 or 03:29 IST, after midnight.
- Payouts and tax: payouts go through Plane to an Indian bank account and are taxable income in India. See prop firm taxes, and prop firms in India for where prop firm fees sit under RBI's rules.
Which account fits which trader
- If you hold winners and give some back: EOD, where only the closing balance moves the drawdown, at the cost of a daily loss limit in the evaluation.
- If you scalp and take profits quickly: Intraday has no daily loss limit in the evaluation, and its payout days need a little less profit.
- If you'd pay one way or the other: compare Standard and No Activation Fee at checkout, with the coupon applied, against the chance you'll pass.
Whatever the firm, the rules come down to how much you can lose today and in total. Work out today's room with the drawdown calculator, size each trade from its stop with the prop firm lot size calculator, and check your odds of reaching the target first with the risk of ruin calculator.
Apex changes its rules from time to time. If a rule matters to your plan, read it on Apex's help centre the day you buy. For other futures firms, see futures prop firms compared, or the full rules for Topstep, Tradeify and Lucid Trading.