Apex vs TopStep rules, side by side
The drawdown, lock point, daily loss, consistency, payout split and evaluation price each firm publishes — 48 Apex plans and 30 TopStep plans, read from the firms’ own documentation and dated. Written A–Z, described, not ranked: which rules suit you depends on how you trade.
At a glance
- Plans published
- Apex: 48 plans · 8 programs
- TopStep: 30 plans · 12 programs
- Account sizes
- Apex: $25K–$300K
- TopStep: $1.5K–$250K
- Evaluation drawdown
- Apex: Static, End-of-day trailing, Intraday trailing
- TopStep: Static, End-of-day trailing
- Funded drawdown
- Apex: Static, End-of-day trailing, Intraday trailing
- TopStep: Static, End-of-day trailing
- Where a trailing floor stops
- Apex: At start + $100 (23 plans) · never — trails for good (23 plans)
- TopStep: At the starting balance (12 plans) · never — trails for good (2 plans)
- Daily loss limit
- Apex: Stated on 24 of 48 plans — all soft (pauses the day)
- TopStep: Stated on 24 of 30 plans — 21 soft
- Consistency rule
- Apex: Funded: 30%, 50%
- TopStep: Evaluation: 55% · Funded: 40%
- Funded profit split
- Apex: 100%
- TopStep: 90%–100%
- Evaluation price
- Apex: One-time fee, $167–$2,490 · Monthly, $177/mo–$797/mo
- TopStep: One-time fee, $39–$499 · Monthly, $49/mo–$229/mo
- Rules checked
- Apex: October 6, 2026 · 7 sources
- TopStep: October 6, 2026 · 7 sources
Where the published rules differ
- Apex lists plans with an intraday trailing drawdown; none of TopStep’s published plans state one.
- TopStep’s locking floors freeze at exactly the starting balance; Apex’s freeze at start + $100.
- TopStep states an evaluation consistency rule (55%); Apex states none for its evaluations on the pages we read.
- Funded profit split: Apex 100%, TopStep 90%–100%.
New to the vocabulary? The guide to reading prop firm rules explains static, end-of-day and intraday floors and why the lock point matters, and the trailing drawdown calculator shows any of these floors moving day by day.
Every plan at $50K
Both firms publish $25K, $50K, $100K, $150K, $250K accounts; this lines them up at $50K. A dash means the firm did not state that rule on the pages we read — not that the rule does not exist. “Locks at” is the balance where a trailing floor stops; “(start)” means exactly the starting balance.
Apex at $50,000
| Plan | Stage | Drawdown | Type | Locks at | Daily loss | Target | Consistency | Split | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EOD Trail | Evaluation | $2,000 | End-of-day | Never | $1,000 soft | $3,000 | — | — | $590 once |
| EOD Trail — No Activation Fee | Evaluation | $2,000 | End-of-day | Never | $1,000 soft | $3,000 | — | — | $1,190 once |
| Full Account — Intraday Trailing | Evaluation | $2,500 | Intraday | Never | — | $3,000 | — | — | $197/mo |
| Intraday Trail | Evaluation | $2,000 | Intraday | Never | — | $3,000 | — | — | $249 once |
| Intraday Trail — No Activation Fee | Evaluation | $2,000 | Intraday | Never | — | $3,000 | — | — | $799 once |
| EOD Trail | Funded | $2,000 | End-of-day | $50,100 | $1,000 soft | — | 50% | 100% | — |
| EOD Trail — No Activation Fee | Funded | $2,000 | End-of-day | $50,100 | $1,000 soft | — | 50% | 100% | — |
| Intraday Trail | Funded | $2,000 | Intraday | $50,100 | $1,000 soft | — | 50% | 100% | — |
| Intraday Trail — No Activation Fee | Funded | $2,000 | Intraday | $50,100 | $1,000 soft | — | 50% | 100% | — |
| Performance Account (PA) | Funded | $2,500 | Intraday | $50,100 | — | — | 30% | 100% | — |
TopStep at $50,000
| Plan | Stage | Drawdown | Type | Locks at | Daily loss | Target | Consistency | Split | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labs $50K Static Trading Combine | Evaluation | $2,000 | Static | Fixed | $1,000 soft | $4,000 | 55% | — | $149 once |
| Trading Combine | Evaluation | $2,000 | End-of-day | $50,000 (start) | $1,000 soft | $3,000 | 55% | — | $49/mo |
| Trading Combine (No Activation Fee) | Evaluation | $2,000 | End-of-day | $50,000 (start) | $1,000 soft | $3,000 | 55% | — | $95/mo |
| Express Funded Account | Funded | $2,000 | End-of-day | $50,000 (start) | $1,000 soft | — | — | 90% | — |
| Express Funded Account (Consistency) | Funded | $2,000 | End-of-day | $50,000 (start) | $1,000 soft | — | 40% | 90% | — |
| Labs $50K Static Trading Combine | Funded | $2,000 | Static | Fixed | $1,000 soft | — | — | 90% | — |
| Live Funded Account | Funded | — | Static | Fixed | $2,000 soft | — | — | 90% | — |
| Pro Account | Funded | $2,000 | — | — | $1,000 | — | — | 90% | — |
Trading Apex or TopStep? Journal it against its own rules
MAV is a trading journal for futures and prop-firm traders. Add your evaluation or funded account, and your firm’s published rules prefill — drawdown, lock point, daily loss — then every trade you sync or import is measured against them, so you can see the room you have left before you size up. Read-only: MAV never places a trade.
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Journaling your Apex or TopStep account
Each firm issues its own login and platforms, so the way trades reach a journal differs. The connect guides walk through it step by step:
Apex vs TopStep: common questions
What is the difference between Apex and TopStep drawdown rules?
Apex: evaluations static, end-of-day trailing or intraday trailing; funded accounts static, end-of-day trailing or intraday trailing. Trailing floors stop at start + $100 (23 plans) · never — trails for good (23 plans). TopStep: evaluations static or end-of-day trailing; funded accounts static or end-of-day trailing. Trailing floors stop at the starting balance (12 plans) · never — trails for good (2 plans). An end-of-day floor recalculates once after the close; an intraday floor follows your highest balance while a trade is still open. Which suits you is your call — MAV describes the rules and does not rank firms.
Do Apex and TopStep have a daily loss limit?
Apex — Stated on 24 of 48 plans — all soft (pauses the day). TopStep — Stated on 24 of 30 plans — 21 soft. A soft limit stops trading for the day; a hard one ends the account. A plan with no limit stated may still have one in its agreement — check yours.
Do Apex and TopStep have a consistency rule?
Apex — Funded: 30%, 50%. TopStep — Evaluation: 55% · Funded: 40%. A consistency rule caps how much of your total profit one day may be; it differs by program and by stage, so read the row for your plan.
Are Apex and TopStep evaluations a monthly subscription or a one-time fee?
Apex — One-time fee, $167–$2,490 · Monthly, $177/mo–$797/mo. TopStep — One-time fee, $39–$499 · Monthly, $49/mo–$229/mo. Prices change often and promotions are not included — the date each was checked is on the page.
Where do these numbers come from?
Every rule is read from each firm’s own published documentation and dated: Apex checked October 6, 2026, TopStep checked October 6, 2026. MAV is an independent trading journal, not affiliated with either firm, and does not rank them. Confirm anything decision-critical with the firm before you buy.
Can I journal Apex and TopStep accounts in one place?
Yes. MAV is a trading journal: add each evaluation or funded account to The Stack, connect or import its trades, and the firm’s published rules prefill so you can see the room left against them. It is read-only and never places a trade.
More side-by-side comparisons
Firms by rule
Not affiliated. MAV by Market Mavericks is an independent journaling and analytics tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or partnered with any firm named on this page. Company and product names are the property of their respective owners and are used here only to identify whose published rules are being described.
Check the date. Every plan links to the page it was read from, with the date it was checked — here, October 6, 2026. Prop firm rules change frequently and often without notice, and firms may apply different terms to accounts opened before a change. Treat the date as part of the number and confirm anything decision-critical with the firm directly before you rely on it.
Not advice. Nothing on this page is financial, investment or trading advice, a recommendation of any firm or plan, or a statement about whether you would pass an evaluation or receive a payout. MAV does not rank these firms. Trading futures carries substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor.