Apex Trader Funding vs Tradeify – Prop Firm Comparison
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Introduction
Apex Trader and Tradeify are both US futures prop firms, but they take different routes to a funded account. Apex Trader, founded in Austin in 2021, is an evaluation-first firm built for intraday traders, with accounts up to $250,000, 100% of your first $25,000 in profits, EAs permitted, and frequent deep discounts. Tradeify, founded in 2022 by professional trader Brett Simba, stands out for its Lightning Funded instant accounts (live from day one with no evaluation), a class-leading 100% of your first $15,000, daily payouts on the Select plan, and an unusually broad market list that even includes BTC and ETH futures. Both are CME-centric futures firms. The choice is between Apex’s larger accounts, EA support and discounts, and Tradeify’s instant funding, top profit terms and platform breadth.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Apex Trader Funding | Tradeify |
|---|---|---|
|  | |
| Founded | 2021 | 2022 |
| Profit Split | 100% Profit Split - With Six Payouts: 100% | 90/10 Sim Funded; 80/20 Elite Live; Legacy Live terms vary |
| Maximum Account Size | Current EOD/Intraday: $150K nominal account size; larger Legacy tiers have separate terms | — |
| Evaluation Phases | 1 | 1-step Growth/Select; no evaluation for Lightning |
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.4 | 4.7 |
| Expert Grade | 8.8 | 7.4 |
Program Types
| Program | Apex Trader Funding | Tradeify |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Level Program | Yes | Growth |
| Advanced Program | Yes | Select |
| Scaling Options | Yes | Lightning Funded |
| Demo Account | — | — |
Rules & Assessment
| Criteria | Apex Trader Funding | Tradeify |
|---|---|---|
| Profit Target | Current EOD/Intraday: 6% ($1,500/$3,000/$6,000/$9,000 by size) | — |
| Maximum Drawdown | The Product Line — EOD Trail: End-of-day trailing The Product Line — Intraday Trail: Real-time intraday trailing | EOD trailing, enforced in real time against net liquidation value |
| Minimum Trading Days | Current EOD/Intraday evaluations can pass in one trading day; payout eligibility requires 5 qualifying profit days | Growth evaluation: 1; Select: 3 (2 with eligible 50% add-on); Lightning: no evaluation |
| News Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Daily Loss Limit | The Product Line — EOD Trail: Yes ($1,000 on 50K) The Product Line — Intraday Trail: None | — |
Fees & Pricing
| Option | Apex Trader Funding | Tradeify |
|---|---|---|
| Futures $25K Account | Intraday Trail / USD 167 / One-time Official Standard one-pack list price. Activation fee after passing: USD 69. Source Checked 2026-08-10 EOD Trail / USD 390 / One-time Official Standard one-pack list price. Activation fee after passing: USD 99. Source Checked 2026-08-10 | Growth Evaluation / USD 99 / One-time Official help-center Growth Evaluation one-time purchase price. Source Checked 2026-08-10 |
| Futures $50K Account | Intraday Trail / USD 249 / One-time Official Standard one-pack list price. Activation fee after passing: USD 79. Source Checked 2026-08-10 EOD Trail / USD 490 / One-time Official Standard one-pack list price. Activation fee after passing: USD 129. Source Checked 2026-08-10 | Growth Evaluation / USD 145 / One-time Official help-center Growth Evaluation one-time purchase price. Source Checked 2026-08-10 |
| Futures $100K Account | Intraday Trail / USD 399 / One-time Official Standard one-pack list price. Activation fee after passing: USD 99. Source Checked 2026-08-10 EOD Trail / USD 790 / One-time Official Standard one-pack list price. Activation fee after passing: USD 139. Source Checked 2026-08-10 | Growth Evaluation / USD 255 / One-time Official help-center Growth Evaluation one-time purchase price. Source Checked 2026-08-10 |
| Futures $150K Account | Intraday Trail / USD 599 / One-time Official Standard one-pack list price. Activation fee after passing: USD 129. Source Checked 2026-08-10 EOD Trail / USD 1490 / One-time Official Standard one-pack list price. Activation fee after passing: USD 159. Source Checked 2026-08-10 | Growth Evaluation / USD 369 / One-time Official help-center Growth Evaluation one-time purchase price. Source Checked 2026-08-10 |
| Refund Policy | — | Non-refundable evaluation fees |
| Coupons / Discount | Apex Trader Funding discount | Tradeify discount |
Platforms & Markets
| Feature | Apex Trader Funding | Tradeify |
|---|---|---|
| Trading Platforms | Rithmic, Tradovate, WealthCharts, NinjaTrader, TradingView, Quantower, and 8 more | Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView, Tradesea, Quantower, Sierra Chart, R|Trader, WealthCharts |
| Forex | Currency futures, not spot Forex | No |
| Stocks | No individual shares; equity-index futures only | No |
| Indices | Yes | Yes |
| Commodities | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrencies | — | Yes |
| Bonds | Yes | Yes |
| EA/Algo Trading | Manual order entry required; own-account copying and native risk orders permitted only under the User Agreement | Conditional: exclusively owned personal strategy; no shared or HFT bots; verification required |
Payout
| Feature | Apex Trader Funding | Tradeify |
|---|---|---|
| Payout Terms | Current EOD/Intraday PAs: $500 minimum, 5 qualifying profit days, below-50% best-day consistency, lifetime safety net and size/type-specific caps; maximum 6 payouts. Legacy rules differ. | Select Daily: conditional daily eligibility; Flex/Growth: 5 qualifying days; Lightning: profit goals and consistency. Plan-specific minimums and caps. |
| See all prop firm payouts → | ||
Verdict
| Key Element | Apex Trader Funding | Tradeify |
|---|---|---|
| Strengths | Choice of EOD or Intraday evaluation; up to 20 PAs subject to household limits; 100% of approved current simulated-PA payouts. EOD has a daily loss limit; Intraday evaluation does not. | 90/10 Sim Funded split, Lightning instant simulated access, Select Daily or Flex payout choice, One-time purchases, News trading allowed |
| Weaknesses | 30-day current evaluations with no resets; funded scaling tiers; 50% PA consistency threshold; lifetime payout safety net; six-payout PA limit; no holding through market close | Payout caps and date-specific rules, Real-time enforcement of EOD floor, No overnight holding, 35% Growth funded consistency, Personal algorithms subject to ownership restrictions |
| Best For | Serious futures day traders seeking scalability and capital protection | Active intraday futures traders seeking fast payouts and platform flexibility |
Conclusion and Final Recommendation
Choose Apex Trader Funding if you want coverage of forex and stocks that the other does not offer. Choose Tradeify if a cheaper entry, from USD 99 matters more to you. Neither firm is better in the abstract. The right choice depends on your strategy, your budget and the instruments you trade, so read both full reviews before you commit. Verify current rules and pricing on each firm’s own site before purchasing.
Frequently asked questions
What should I know about Apex Trader’s programs?
Apex separates EOD Performance Accounts from other and legacy account types. Its current EOD payout policy should not be applied indiscriminately to older accounts. Apex Trader official rules.
What should I know about Tradeify’s programs?
Tradeify has Growth, Select and Lightning funded-account arrangements. Select offers a permanent choice between Flex and Daily payout policies. Tradeify official rules; Tradeify official program information.
How do payouts differ between Apex Trader and Tradeify?
Current EOD approved requests have a 100% split and a $500 minimum. Eligibility requires five qualifying profitable days, account-size balance thresholds and the consistency condition. Apex Trader official rules.
Growth pays the trader 90% of approved requests and requires five qualifying profitable days, a 35% consistency rule and the account-size balance threshold. Select Daily also lists a 90% share, with separate buffers and payout caps. Tradeify official rules; Tradeify official program information.
Which account rules matter when comparing Apex Trader and Tradeify?
No single winning day may represent 50% or more of cycle profit. Only profit above the safety net can be requested, per-request caps apply, and the Performance Account closes after six payouts. Apex Trader official rules.
A minimum balance needed to qualify is not the same as the amount available to withdraw. Growth has per-request caps; Select Daily has additional rules for new profit and account purchase dates. Tradeify official rules; Tradeify official program information.
Is Apex Trader or Tradeify automatically the better choice?
No, neither is the default pick. Apex Trader Funding has market access the other lacks, namely forex and stocks, and Tradeify has the cheaper entry at USD 99. Which of those matters more depends on how you actually trade, so compare how each firm measures drawdown, the total fee once add-ons and resets are included and platform availability, rather than the headline numbers. If you fail an evaluation, do not assume either firm offers a fixed reset discount: check the reset terms for the specific account you bought.
How We Compared Apex Trader and Tradeify
Both firms carry a JoinProp Rating out of 10, scored on the same nine weighted factors, led by payout reliability at 20%, then fee structure, drawdown rules and profit split at 15% each. The scores come from our own firm reviews, built from each firm’s current terms rather than its marketing pages and re-checked at least every 90 days. Affiliate relationships have no effect on any rating, and ratings are never sold. The tables above are the evidence behind those scores. Read our full ranking methodology.
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