Question 1

Which prop firm has the lowest fees?

Accepted Answer

It depends on how you pay and how fast you pass. Apex Trader Funding usually has the lowest effective entry cost because it charges a one-time evaluation fee and runs near-constant promotions, so almost nobody pays list price. Subscription firms like Topstep can be cheaper if you pass in your first month, because the low monthly fee ($49 on the $50K Combine) plus activation still beats a full one-time fee elsewhere. The honest answer is that the cheapest firm is the one whose fee structure matches how many attempts and months you realistically need. Always confirm current pricing on the official site.

Question 2

What is a prop firm activation fee?

Accepted Answer

An activation fee is a one-time charge some firms apply when you pass the evaluation and convert to a funded account. Topstep charges $149 on its Standard path, and Take Profit Trader charges $130 for the PRO account, though both are sometimes waived by promotions or an alternate pricing path. MyFundedFutures charges $0 activation on every plan. It is a real cost that is easy to overlook because you only hit it after you have already succeeded, so factor it into your total budget.

Question 3

What is the futures prop firm activation fee comparison for 2026?

Accepted Answer

The four main futures prop firms sit at very different activation fee price points. MyFundedFutures charges $0 activation on every plan — the cheapest structurally. Apex Trader Funding charges a separate funded-account activation around $85–$99. Take Profit Trader charges $130 for PRO activation, often waived by promo. Topstep charges $149 on its Standard path (waived on the higher-monthly No Activation Fee path). Activation is where a cheap eval can quietly become an expensive account, so budget for it before you pay.

Question 4

Do prop firms charge monthly fees or one-time fees?

Accepted Answer

Both models exist. Subscription firms such as Topstep and Take Profit Trader bill a recurring monthly fee for the evaluation phase until you pass or cancel. One-time-fee firms such as Apex charge once per attempt, with cheaper resets to retry. Neither is automatically cheaper — a fast passer usually saves on a subscription, while someone who needs several attempts is often better off with a one-time fee plus cheap resets. Judge cost by total spend from sign-up to first payout.

Question 5

Are prop firm reset fees worth paying?

Accepted Answer

A reset lets you restart a failed evaluation for less than buying a fresh account, often around $100 at firms that offer it. That can be good value if you were close to passing. Note that some firms have changed their reset policy — Apex's newer program does not offer evaluation resets and instead requires a new purchase, while Take Profit Trader's funded (PRO) account resets can run into the hundreds. Budget for resets upfront if you expect more than one attempt, and confirm the current policy before buying.

Question 6

Do prop firms charge CME data fees on top of the evaluation fee?

Accepted Answer

Futures firms may pass through CME market data or platform fees on top of the evaluation. Some firms include data in the monthly subscription; others charge separately, usually $10–$100+ per month depending on the data feed and whether you're professional vs non-professional. This is easy to overlook because you never see it on the sales page. Ask the firm directly (or read their pricing FAQ) whether data fees are included, and add them to your monthly total when comparing subscription vs one-time-fee firms.

Question 7

What is a payout minimum and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

A payout minimum is the smallest amount of profit you're allowed to withdraw. Below the minimum your money stays locked in the funded account until you hit the threshold. MyFundedFutures uses a low $100 minimum, which lets small profitable traders cash out weekly. Apex uses a $500 minimum, so you need to build up more profit before withdrawing. Take Profit Trader has no fixed minimum above the buffer. A high payout minimum isn't a fee, but it changes when your profit actually becomes your money — factor it into your comparison.

Question 8

What other hidden costs should I check before buying a prop firm challenge?

Accepted Answer

Beyond the headline fee, check five things: the activation fee when you get funded, whether the evaluation fee recurs monthly, the reset fee to retry, platform or CME market data fees (common with futures), and the payout minimum that locks up small profits. Add these into a single number — your total cost from sign-up to first payout — and compare firms on that, not the advertised entry price.

Firm	Evaluation fee model	Activation fee	Reset fee	Data / platform	Payout minimum
Topstep (futures)	Monthly subscription — around $49/mo on the $50K Standard path	$149 one-time (Standard); waived on higher-monthly No-Activation-Fee path	Via Reset Credits accrued on renewal	CME data included on funded path	Set per payout path
Apex (futures)	One-time fee per attempt, near-constant 50–90% promos	Separate one-time activation when funded (recently ~$85–$99)	Newer program: no eval resets — rebuy instead	Monthly platform/data pass-through	$500 minimum
MyFundedFutures (futures)	One-time / monthly eval fee by plan	$0 on every plan	Rebuy on breach	Data included on most plans	$100 minimum
Take Profit Trader (futures)	Monthly test fee (from ~$170 on $50K)	$130 one-time PRO activation, often waived by promo	Test reset ~$100; funded PRO reset far higher	Data included on Test	No fixed minimum above buffer
FTMO (forex/CFD)	One-time challenge fee per account size	None separate	Rebuy the challenge	N/A (forex, no CME data)	Set per payout cycle

Firm	Activation fee	Notes
MyFundedFutures	$0	Structurally zero on every plan
Apex Trader Funding	~$85–$99	Newer 2026 program, one-time; often bundled in promos
Take Profit Trader	$130 (PRO)	Often waived by promo
Topstep	$149 (Standard)	$0 on the No-Activation-Fee path in exchange for a higher monthly
FTMO	—	No separate activation; challenge fee is refunded on first payout instead

Prop Firm Fees Comparison

How prop firm fees actually work

Fee structure by firm (as of July 2026)

Activation fee comparison, at a glance

The two fee models, and who each suits

One-time fee firms (Apex, MyFundedFutures, FTMO)

Subscription firms (Topstep, Take Profit Trader)

The fees people forget

How to calculate your real cost

Compare specific firms head to head