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Side-by-side: drawdown, payouts, pricing, platforms. Apex Trader Funding uses EOD-trailing + lock, Topstep uses Intraday trailing — these are different beasts.
| Dimension | Apex Trader Funding | Topstep |
|---|---|---|
| Drawdown mechanic | EOD-trailing + lock | Intraday trailing |
| Cheapest eval | $100 | $49 |
| Profit split | 100% | 90% |
| Payout frequency | 24-48 Hours | Next Trading Day |
| Max funding | $3,000,000 | $150,000 |
| Max payout | $3,000,000 | $150,000 |
| Assets | Futures | Futures |
| Platforms | Rithmic, Tradovate, WealthCharts | TopstepX, NinjaTrader, Tradovate |
| Payout methods | ACH, Plane | Wise, Wire / SWIFT, ACH, Aeropay |
| Promo code | — | — |
| Paul-tested | Research-based | Research-based |
Apex Trader Funding uses EOD-trailing + lock while Topstep uses Intraday trailing. Your risk approach needs to adjust when switching.
MLL trails up at end-of-day until it reaches starting balance, then locks permanently. Intraday drops don't reset. Most-protective futures mechanic.
MLL tracks intraday equity-high tick by tick. Most aggressive mechanic.
Apex Trader Funding offers 4 plans. Topstep offers 4 plans.
Apex Trader Funding's cheapest evaluation is $100. Topstep's cheapest is $49. Topstep wins on entry price by $51.
Apex Trader Funding uses EOD-trailing + lock. Topstep uses Intraday trailing. These are fundamentally different — your risk model needs to change when switching between them.
Apex Trader Funding: 100%. Topstep: 90%.
Apex Trader Funding is research-based on this site — Paul has not yet completed a full evaluation cycle there. Topstep is research-based — see the main review for the data sourcing methodology.
Yes. Different prop firms have no shared compliance — running them in parallel is the standard playbook for funded traders looking to diversify firm-risk. Track each firm's rule changes independently.
Apex Trader Funding payout cadence: 24-48 Hours. Topstep: Next Trading Day. Method matters too — Wise and Plaid typically beat ACH and wire by 1-2 days.
No cross-firm compliance overlap. Each firm 1099s independently for US residents. Cross-firm copy-trading rules only matter inside a single firm's account family.
Drawdown mechanic comes first. Apex Trader Funding offers lock-protection on first profits — favors traders who scale slow. After mechanic, evaluate payout speed and your strategy's drawdown profile.
