Guide

Apex vs Topstep: 50K futures evaluation rules compared (EOD Evaluation vs Trading Combine)

By TradeDesk HQ editorial desk · checked 2026-10-15 against the official sources below

The short answer

Both 50K plans need a $3,000 profit target against a $2,000 maximum drawdown: Apex's 50K EOD Evaluation uses a $2,000 Max Drawdown (EOD) with a fixed $1,000 Daily Loss Limit, while Topstep's 50K Trading Combine uses a $2,000 trailing Maximum Loss Limit that locks at the starting balance, with a $1,000 Daily Loss Limit only if you add it at checkout. Apex lists Consistency as Not Applied on the Evaluation and allows 6 standard contracts or 60 micro contracts; Topstep requires your best day at or below 55% of total profit and allows 5 contracts or 50 micros. Apex is a one-time fee for 30 calendar days of access with no resets; Topstep is $49/month on the Standard path or $95/month on the No Activation Fee path with no time limit.

Side-by-side

Rule	Apex 50K EOD Evaluation	Topstep 50K Trading Combine
Profit target	$3,000	$3,000
Max drawdown / loss limit	$2,000 Max Drawdown (EOD), calculated at market close and enforced the next session	$2,000 trailing Maximum Loss Limit (locks at starting balance); updates end of day but monitored in real time on realized and unrealized P&L
Daily loss limit	$1,000 fixed on the EOD Evaluation	Optional; $1,000 fixed if added at checkout; not a rule violation (forced break until 5 PM CT)
Consistency	Not Applied on the Evaluation	Best day at or below 55% of total profit; recommended less than $1,650
Max contracts	6 standard contracts or 60 micro contracts	5 contracts or 50 micros
Minimum days and time limit	No minimum trading days (you may pass in one day); 30 calendar days of access	Can pass in as few as 2 days; no time limit
Fee model	One-time fee for 30 calendar days of access; no resets; dollar price not listed in our latest check (promotional at checkout)	$49/month (Standard path) or $95/month (No Activation Fee path); reset $49 / $95 by path
Funded account activation	One-time PA activation fee due within 7 calendar days of passing; amount not listed in our latest check	$149 one-time activation fee per XFA on the Standard path; $0 on the No Activation Fee path

FAQ

Do Apex and Topstep have the same drawdown on a 50K evaluation?

Both are $2,000 on 50K, but they work differently. Apex's 50K EOD Evaluation uses a $2,000 Max Drawdown (EOD) calculated at market close and enforced the next session. Topstep's 50K Trading Combine uses a $2,000 trailing Maximum Loss Limit that is monitored in real time on realized and unrealized P&L, rises with your end-of-day balance and locks permanently at the starting balance. (per help.topstep.com, checked 2026-10-15)

Which has a daily loss limit, the Apex 50K EOD Evaluation or the Topstep 50K Combine?

Apex's 50K EOD Evaluation has a fixed $1,000 Daily Loss Limit. Topstep's 50K Trading Combine has a $1,000 Daily Loss Limit only if you add it at checkout; hitting it flattens positions and blocks new trades until 5 PM CT, which Topstep calls a forced break, not a rule violation. (per help.topstep.com, checked 2026-10-15)

Does Apex or Topstep have a consistency rule on the 50K evaluation?

Apex lists Consistency as Not Applied on the Evaluation; a 50% consistency rule applies later on the Performance Account for payouts. Topstep's Trading Combine requires your best day to be at or below 55% of total profit, with a recommended best day of less than $1,650 on 50K. (per help.topstep.com, checked 2026-10-15)

How do Apex and Topstep differ on 50K contracts and pricing?

Apex's 50K EOD Evaluation allows 6 standard contracts or 60 micro contracts and is a one-time fee for 30 calendar days of access with no resets. Topstep's 50K Trading Combine allows 5 contracts or 50 micros and costs $49/month on the Standard path or $95/month on the No Activation Fee path, with a $149 activation fee when you pass on the Standard path. (per help.topstep.com, checked 2026-10-15)

What do Apex and Topstep pay after you pass the 50K evaluation?

Apex's Performance Account pays a 100% payout split when eligible, after 5 qualifying trading days with $250 minimum daily profit, with a Safety Net of $52,100 and 6 payouts per Performance Account. Topstep's Express Funded Account pays 90/10 with a $125 minimum payout and a cap of 50% of balance up to $2,000 Standard or $3,000 Consistency per request. (per apextraderfunding.com, checked 2026-10-15)

Key difference

The headline numbers match: a $3,000 profit target and a $2,000 maximum drawdown on both 50K plans. The mechanics do not. Apex's Max Drawdown (EOD) is calculated at market close and enforced the next session, with a fixed $1,000 Daily Loss Limit built into the EOD Evaluation and no consistency rule until the Performance Account. Topstep's Maximum Loss Limit updates at the end of each trading day but is monitored in real time on realized and unrealized P&L and liquidates immediately on a touch, the Daily Loss Limit is optional, and the Combine adds a Consistency Target that keeps your best day at or below 55% of total profit.

Drawdown: Max Drawdown (EOD) vs trailing Maximum Loss Limit

Apex's 50K EOD Evaluation has a $2,000 Max Drawdown (EOD). It is calculated at market close and enforced the next session, so intraday swings do not move it. Where the EOD trailing stops depends on the platform: Rithmic and Wealthcharts Evaluations stop at the profit-target balance ($53,000 on a 50K Evaluation), Tradovate Evaluations trail indefinitely, and Performance Accounts stop at Starting Balance + $100 ($50,100 on a 50K PA). Topstep's 50K Trading Combine has a $2,000 trailing Maximum Loss Limit (MLL) that cannot be adjusted. It rises as your end-of-day balance grows, never moves down, and locks permanently once it reaches your starting balance; Topstep's example starts at $50,000 with an MLL of $48,000, trails to $48,500 after a $500 day and stays there after a $500 loss. It is monitored in real time on realized and unrealized P&L, so an open trade that touches the limit is liquidated by market order even if slippage leaves the final balance above it. In the Combine a breach liquidates you for the rest of the day and makes the account ineligible for funding until you Reset. In the Express Funded Account (XFA) the balance starts at $0, so the MLL starts at -$2,000 and locks at $0 once the balance reaches $2,000.

Daily loss limit: fixed on Apex, optional on Topstep

Apex's 50K EOD Evaluation carries a fixed $1,000 Daily Loss Limit (DLL). Apex also sells an Intraday Trailing Evaluation with the same $3,000 target and $2,000 max drawdown but No Daily Loss Limit on the Intraday Evaluation; this guide uses the EOD Evaluation as the comparison baseline. Topstep's 50K Trading Combine has no DLL unless you add it at checkout: $1,000 fixed, no later changes, and it carries into your XFA when you pass. When net P&L hits it during the trading day, open positions are flattened, pending orders are cancelled and no new trades are allowed until 5 PM CT the next session. Topstep calls this a forced break, not a rule violation, and the account stays eligible for funding.

Consistency: Not Applied on the Apex Evaluation, 55% best day on the Topstep Combine

Apex lists Consistency as Not Applied on the Evaluation, and there are no minimum trading days, so you may pass in one day once the $3,000 target is reached. A 50% consistency rule applies later on the Performance Account: your largest profitable day must account for less than 50% of total profit since your last approved payout, and being above 50% does not fail the account but keeps the payout request unavailable until the percentage falls below 50%. Topstep's Trading Combine requires your single best day to be at or below 55% of total profit, with a recommended best day of less than $1,650 on 50K. Exceeding 55% does not fail the account; instead the Profit Target rises to Best Day divided by 0.55, and Topstep's example is a $1,800 best day that makes the target $3,273. Topstep also says you cannot pass in one day but can pass in as few as 2 days, with no time limit.

Contracts and pricing

Apex allows 6 standard contracts or 60 micro contracts on the 50K Evaluation (10 micro contracts equal 1 standard contract). Topstep allows 5 contracts or 50 micros on the 50K Combine, with micros and minis counted at a 10:1 ratio. On price the models differ more than the figures. Apex's new Evaluation plans are a one-time fee for 30 calendar days of access, not a subscription, with no reset fees; a failed or expired Evaluation requires purchasing a new one. Apex does not publish a fixed Evaluation price table in its help center, so we list no dollar fee; confirm at checkout. Topstep's 50K Combine is a monthly subscription at $49/month on the Standard path or $95/month on the No Activation Fee path, rebilling every 30 days with no time limit to pass. A Reset costs the same as a month, $49 or $95 by path. The Standard path adds a $149 one-time activation fee per XFA when you pass; the No Activation Fee path charges $0.

After you pass: Apex Performance Account vs Topstep Express Funded Account

Apex: passing lets you activate a Performance Account (PA) of the same size within 7 calendar days, with a one-time activation fee whose amount is promotional and not listed here. The 50K PA keeps the $2,000 max drawdown and adds tier-based scaling: Level 1 is 2 contracts and a $1,000 DLL, the top level is 4 contracts and a $3,000 DLL. Payouts use a 100% payout split when eligible. On a 50K EOD PA you need 5 qualifying trading days with $250 minimum daily profit, Safety Net $52,100, minimum balance to request $52,600, minimum payout $500, 50% consistency and 6 payouts per Performance Account; maximum payout per request by payout number 1 to 6 is $1,500 / $1,500 / $2,000 / $2,500 / $2,500 / $3,000. Topstep: the XFA pays 90/10, you keep 90%, and you choose Standard or Consistency at activation. Standard needs 5 winning days of $150+; Consistency needs 3 trading days with at least 1 trade and largest day at or below 40% of total net profit. Each request is 50% of balance up to $2,000 Standard or $3,000 Consistency, doubled to $4,000 or $6,000 with a DLL added at Combine checkout (limited time; the article gives no year or end date). Minimum payout is $125. After the first payout the MLL is set to $0 permanently.

Where the pages differ or stay silent

Topstep's two help pages word the Consistency Target differently: the parameters page says below 55%, the consistency page says at or below 55%; the recommendations say less than $1,650. Apex's help center publishes no frozen Evaluation price matrix and no PA activation fee by size, so this guide lists neither; its homepage promotions change. Topstep's doubled payout cap article gives no year for its start date and no expiry. Apex's EOD drawdown stop differs by platform (Rithmic and Wealthcharts stop at the profit-target balance, Tradovate trails indefinitely), while Topstep's lock at the starting balance applies to every Combine. Where a firm does not state something, ask its support rather than assume.

Sources

Rules change; confirm on the firm's site before buying.

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