We're experienced futures traders who've traded funded accounts — we rank prop firms, brokers and tools on what actually holds up, not the marketing.
Ranked by our weighted verdict score, payout reliability counts more than the headline split.
The most established futures prop firm — clean rules, proven payouts.
Cheap one-step evals, steep discounts and a generous profit split.
Fast payouts and a no-daily-drawdown option that traders love.
A fast-rising futures firm with flexible, no-daily-drawdown plans.
A newer futures firm with clean rules and flexible evaluations.
A futures firm built around trader-friendly payouts and PRO scaling.
Cheap entry and huge model choice — balanced by a sim payout cap and a strict consistency rule.
The benchmark forex/CFD prop firm — strict rules, proven payouts.
A large, popular forex/CFD prop firm that pays you during the challenge.
An established forex/CFD firm with instant funding and aggressive scaling.
A forex/CFD prop firm with high splits and fast payouts.
Static drawdown, splits up to 95% and a $5 entry — balanced by a short track record.
We have run evaluations and held funded accounts with both firms, so here is the practical, no-hype breakdown of Topstep vs Apex Trader Funding.
| Feature | Topstep | Apex Trader Funding |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluation model | Trading Combine — single-phase evaluation with a profit target, then funded | One-step evaluation — hit the profit target with no minimum days, then funded |
| Headline pricing | Monthly subscription per account size; occasional discounts | Monthly subscription, but very frequent deep discounts (often 50%+ off) |
| Discount frequency | Promotions exist but are less aggressive | Heavy, near-constant coupon promotions — rarely pay full price |
| Profit split | Keep 100% of the first portion, then 90% thereafter | Keep up to 100% on early payouts, then 90% thereafter |
A prop firm funds you, but you still need a broker and platform to place the trade. These are the ones we've tested ourselves.
Low day-trading margins and a free charting tier built for futures.
A cloud-based futures broker with a flat-fee subscription and modern apps.
A deep-discount futures broker with rock-bottom margins and huge platform choice.
A discount futures broker with broad platform choice and standout support.
The multi-asset heavyweight with rock-bottom costs and a steep learning curve.
A charting and automation powerhouse for active futures and stock traders.
Passing the evaluation is one thing; staying funded is another. These are the journals and trade copiers we actually use.
A subscription trading journal with backtesting, analytics and playbooks.
The de-facto standard for web-based charting, analysis and alerts.
A multi-platform trade copier built for running several prop-firm accounts at once.
A cross-platform trade copier for mirroring one account to many in real time.
No firm can buy a better score. Here is exactly how every verdict on TradingVerdict is earned.
Every firm is assessed hands-on — we trade the evaluations and funded accounts ourselves and dig into the rules, not just the marketing.
Rules and drawdown, payout reliability, pricing, platform and data, and support. Each is scored 0–10, then weighted into the verdict.
A high split means nothing if you cannot withdraw. We dig into the payout rules, processing times and what real funded traders report — not marketing claims.
Rules and discounts change fast in this space. Verdicts are revisited every month, and the test date is shown on every review.
Compare every futures prop firm side by side, tested, scored and refreshed monthly by traders who've actually traded funded accounts.
Affiliate disclosure: TradingVerdict earns commissions from some links; this never affects our rankings. We rank firms on tested results, not commissions.
