Apex Trader Funding Review
Apex Trader Funding are committed to changing lives through a funding program with simple rules that has paid out millions to traders and is backed by great customer service. Funded accounts have a 100% profit share on the first $25k.
Apex Trader Funding are a group of traders who are devoted to assisting traders in making profitable trades. Darrell Martin, a rancher and day trader, created the prop firm way back in 2008. Since then, he has attracted over 30,000 traders from over 150 nations to his successful trading community. Traders Helping Traders is the motto. They set out to develop a better model based on experience after exploring and testing every fundraising firm they could find. Darrell Martin set out to create a better trading model where he was not capped after achieving success in trading models and receiving $300,000 in rewards from only one funding business.
To enable you to advance to a performance account and receive payment, Apex Trader Funding provide you with one of the most straightforward to pass, least expensive, highest contract plans available. They don’t impose restrictions on traders during special days, holding positions throught breaking news, or other onerous regulations. 23 hours a day, from 6 p.m. one day to 4:59 p.m. the next day ET, are your trading hours. The prop firm don’t have plans that scale you back or put restrictions like daily drawdowns to get you out. The funding programmes limit your contracts to a maximum number without penalising you for exceeding your permitted number. They allow you the freedom to conduct business as you see fit.
Apex Trader Funding have done everything they can to remove as many of the challenges off your path to success. The criteria are straightforward: reach your profit target without hitting your drawdown while day trading for up to 23 hours a day. No regulations are buried deep in the terms. You are allowed to have multiple accounts, to spread risk and potentially increase profits.
With sincere care and concern for your success, they strive to be a valuable resource for you. They invite you to join them and stick around for the long haul because they are there to help you.
Traders receive financing after completing one of the evaluation programmes successfully. Apex Trader Funding work hard to give you the best chance to get finance through their company. It is in their own interest that traders are successful as they get a share of the profits.
This is for traders who don’t have the necessary funds or don’t want to put their investments at risk. You can achieve your profit objective without a lot of pointless regulations thanks to the ease with which the funding programmes are evaluated. This increases your chances of receiving money compared to some other prop firms with a stricter set of rules such as Fidelcrest.
Trading Plans
Apex Trader Funding have a great selection of trading plans, with 8 options to cater for all different types of traders. Regardless of your trading strategy and money management, there is likely to be a plan for everyone.
Starting capital for an Apex Funded account ranges from $25,000 to $300,000. This is the balance at the beginning of your simulated trading environment using live data. You would want around that much money in your online brokerage account to cover the initial margin for the largest position size permitted by the programme. You have the chance to turn a modest sum of money into a highly leveraged real money trading account if you are a good trader.
| Plan | 25K Full | 50K Full | 75K Full | 100K Full | 150K Full | 250K Full | 300K Full | 100k Static |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contracts | 4 (20 micros) | 10 (20 micros) | 12 (24 micros) | 14 (28 micros) | 17 (34 micros) | 27 (54 micros) | 35 (70 micros) | 2 (20 micros) |
| Profit Target | $1,500 | $3,000 | $4,250 | $6,000 | $9,000 | $15,000 | $20,000 | $2,000 |
| Trailing Treshold | $1,500 | $2,500 | $2,750 | $3,000 | $5,000 | $6,500 | $7,500 | None |
| Scaling Penalty | None | None | None | None | None | Non | Non | $625 |
| Daily Drawdown | None | None | None | None | None | None | None | None |
| Monthly Price | $147 | $167 | $187 | $207 | $297 | $517 | $657 | $137 |
| Price with SAVE50 Coupon | $73.50 | $83.50 | $93.50 | $103.50 | $148.50 | $258.50 | $328.50 | $68.50 |
Contracts: Number of futures contracts that can be traded in your trading exam account, or the maximum position size. You can exchange one at a time rather than having to trade full size all at once. Additionally, you can now trade micro contracts (for instance, MES/MNQ, which are ten times smaller than ES/NQ) if the market becomes too irrational. Next to the full contract size is a list of the maximum number of futures micro contracts.
Profit Goal: Quite simple, achieve the profit goal, and as soon as you place a trade during 7 distinct trading days and have an account balance that is funded above your starting balance plus your profit goal, you will advance to the funded money account to engage in real-money trading.
Daily Drawdown: No daily drawdown occurs. There are some competitors who force you to abide by daily and perhaps weekly account withdrawals. You have all the breathing room necessary to trade with just one drawdown or trailing Threshold thanks to Apex Trader Funding.
Trailing Threshold: Maximum drawdown permitted for a trading exam account, often known as a trailing threshold. The amount behind your maximum obtained balance is known as the drawdown. Consider a 300k account with a 7.5k drawdown, for instance. The balance cannot drop below 292.5K while beginning out. The drawdown increases in tandem with your gains. The maximum level to which you can drawdown is 295.5K if the balance reaches 303K.
Minimum Trading Days: Seven trading days are the minimum required to qualify. Trade days are characterised as having trading times that vary from 6 p.m. to 5 p.m. on one day. Half-day trading holidays are applied to the next day.
Tracking Threshold: You won’t need to be concerned about daily drawdown if you use their live trailing threshold. Instead, you can use the trading software to see this in real time.
Trade Any Day: 23 Hours A Day: From 6:59 ET to 4:59 ET on holidays and throughout the news, trades may be executed. The closing time for trades is 4:59 PM ET. Additionally, all active orders must be revoked.
Maximum Position Size: In funded or test accounts, you are not restricted from trading more contracts. You can increase your position size to the maximum allowed.
News Trading: Trading your regular system while the news is being announced won’t make you fail. Unfortunately, profits cannot be produced by news trading strategies, including multi-directional and directional news entries.
One-step Assessment: If your profit target is reached before your maximum drawdown of seven trading days, you will be qualified.
Evaluation Accounts
The profit goal on the evaluation account is pretty simple. You just need to make the desired profit, and as soon as you place a deal during 7 separate trading days and have a funded account balance over starting balance plus profit target, you advance to funded money account and can trade for real money gains.
- Trade full size contracts
- Only 1 evaluation step of 7 trading days
- No scaling requirements
- If you trade too many contracts it simply rejects the trade it does not fail you
- No daily drawdowns
- Trade on holidays
- Trade during the news
- A simple rule manage risk with a large live trailing threshold
- Trade any strategy that best suits you
- Include free real time data
- Get multiple accounts to spread risk and increase profits
- Least expensive reset fee
- Available globally where allowed by law
- Free Ninja License
Paid Performance Accounts
Successful traders are provided a funded trader contract and asked to pay a set up and data charge after the system determines that the Profit Target and Min Day Traded requirements have been satisfied. Contracts generally follow payout instructions and funded account rules. There is no need for extremely intrusive questions and disclosures, as with certain rivals.
- Once you pass your evaluation you get a paid performance account
- Free Ninja License save $75 month included free
- Free live data save $55 a month
- Start with full size account with no size restrictions like scaling
- Get paid 100% of your first $25,000 profit
- Then get paid 90% of your profits thereafter
Minimum Trading Days
You can qualify after just seven trading days. A trade day is defined as 6 PM on one day and 5 PM on the following. Holidays with half a trade day count toward the following day.
Daily Drawdown
No daily drawdown occurs. Competitors force you to abide by daily and perhaps weekly account withdrawals. You have all the breathing room necessary to trade with just one drawdown or trailing
Trailing Drawdown
Threshold thanks to Apex Trader Funding. Daily drawdown is never a concern because of the live trailing threshold. The Rithmic RTrader software they provide you with allows you to view this in real time.
Trading Hours
From 6 p.m. ET to 4:59 p.m. ET on holidays and throughout the news, you can trade. The deadline for closing trades and cancelling pending orders is 4:59 PM ET.
Maximum Position Size
Trading up to the maximum position size is acceptable. Your positions are limited by the system, so you will never be barred from trading additional contracts in funded or evaluation accounts.
News Trading
You won’t fail because you switched from your regular daily routine during a news announcement. News trading strategies, as well as directional, multidirectional, and pre-news entries for any form of windfalls, are not allowed. News trading in any way, shape or form, of any kind, directional or straddles, strangles, riding the initial news “burst” , getting in right before or after news to ride a potential wave is strictly prohibited.
Automated Trading
On the PA or Prop Accounts, AI, Auto Bots, Algos, Fully Automated Trading Bots or software, HFTs, or any other automated trading is not allowed. The use of “Semi Automated” software is permitted when accompanied with constant trader oversight.
This means that the trader must be physically present while managing the entries, settings, and trades on a semi-automated software that assists in the placement of a trade based on a set of rules. The trader must also manually and physically monitor and adjust the software for market movements, longs, shorts, pausing, news awareness, market conditions, etc. Fully comprehending the system’s entry, stop, take profit, and trail rules, as well as manually modifying for each while keeping an eye on the market as a whole.
The semi-automation is merely there to speed up entry; it is in no way intended to function as an automated trading system. Take Markers Plus for NinjaTrader 8, as an example. Any type of hands-off, set-and-forget, set-and-walk-away, continuous trading throughout the day and night, full automated trading bot or software, algo, HFT, system, or other similar automation is strictly prohibited and will result in the closure of a PA or Prop account and the forfeiture of all funds and balances.
Simple Target
You can qualify if you reach your profit goal before you experience your maximum drawdown after seven trading days.
Scaling
Again, obtaining a real funded account with withdrawable funds is a major benefit of dealing with Apex Trader. Many rivals urge you to scale your positions, size up when you turn a profit, and they’ll try to catch you if the balance is in the wrong position sizing bracket for breaking the contract sizing restrictions. You are free to trade as many contracts as are permitted starting with the first trade with this prop firm.
Payouts
The first $25K will be handed out to traders in whole, without having to share it with the Apex Trader Funding prop business. Many businesses assert that they allow traders to keep the first specific amount of money entirely to themselves, but they should emphasise that this is per trader.
Once you reach that sum total across all of the accounts, if you have numerous accounts funded with those prop firms, you will need to start splitting the gains. However, for each funded account you have with Apex Trader Funding, you will receive 100% of the first $25K in payments. As a result, if you have four accounts and they are all profitable to the tune of $25K, Apex will pay you $100K without requesting a portion. You can do the math since Apex policy allows for a maximum of 20 PA accounts to be open at once.
There is a monthly limit of two payouts. You can request two payments in a month because of the requirement for a 10-day trading period between payouts. The process goes as follows:
- You qualify for a PA account
- You trade under the PA account for at least 10 days (if you have requested before, you must have 10 days in between requests)
- You reach a minimum balance to request a withdrawal
- You submit a request
- Apex receives the request
- Apex reviews the request
- Apex approves the request
- You receive the payout
Reset
If you reach the drawdown and the assessment is unsuccessful. For only $80, you may start afresh and reset it. Similar to that, you can restart for just $80 and get aggressive with big accounts. It’s not the best course of action for a disciplined trading path, but you can use this programme to try it.
Why should you choose Apex Trader Funding?
- Receive 100% of the first $25,000 per Account and 90% Beyond That
- Two Payouts per Month
- Qualify in as Little as 7 Days
- Trade Full-Sized Contracts in Evaluations or Funded Accounts
- No Scaling or Failing by Going Over Contract Size
- No Daily Drawdowns
- Trade on Holidays
- Trade Your Normal Day to Day Strategy or System During the News
- No Total Cap on Maximum Payout
- One-Step Evaluation Process
- Real-Time Data Included
- Simple Risk Management Rules
- Trade with Multiple Accounts up to a maximum of 20
Platforms
The recommended trading platform for this prop firm is NinjaTrader although you can also use Rithmic RTrader Pro and 14 platform that your Rithmic login can work with.
NinjaTrader
The NinjaTrader platform is ideal for active traders who want lots of technical analysis tools. The platform boasts excellent charting, real-time analysis, customizable technical indicators, Chart Trader (a chart-based order entry tool), and thousands of apps and add-ons from 3rd-party developers. NinjaTrader’s lease for just the platform is $225 quarterly. So here, you get a chance to get funding for the cost of software alone.
Rithmic RTrader Pro
R | Trader Pro™ is Rithmic’s own front-end trading and real-time risk management screen. With R | Trader Pro™ you can view quotes, trades, market depth and option strikes in real-time. You can place, modify and cancel orders, and view order history, performance, positions and risk limits.
Instruments
In the Apex funding program, you get immediate access to all the live data, including the most popular products from CBOT, CME, COMEX, NYMEX. You can trade a reasonable selection of financial instruments with Apex Trader including Equity Futures, Interest Rate Futures, Currency Futures, Agricultural Futures, Energy Futures, Metal Futures, Micro Futures and Cryptocurrencies. However, they are lacking in stocks. If that is an asset class that you are interested in then you might want to consider SurgeTrader as an alternative option.
Commissions
Apex Trader excels in this area as well because its commissions are competitive with those offered by online brokers. Some of their competitors’ overcharge for commissions, particularly when it comes to disciplining scalpers. For trading while using the Apex evaluation account, commissions are assessed, just like in actual trading. Round-trip commissions are as follows:
- Equity Index Futures: $3.98 bet round turn
- Interest Rate futures: $3.12-4.02 / RT
- Currency Futures are $4.72 per round turn trade
- AG Futures: $5.58 RT
- Energy Futures: $3.96
- Metals: $4.62 for full contracts and $3.02 for the minis
- Micro Futures: $1.02/RT or less
| Maximum capital | $300,000 |
| Profit split | Up to 100% |
| Scaling | N/A |
| News trading | No |
| Weekend trading | No |
| Automated trading | No |
| Free trial | No |
| Maximum leverage | N/A |
Overall, there is a lot to like about Apex Trader Funding. This prop firm has been active in the trader development and education market for over a decade which shows they are certainly doing something right. They have a sizable trading network that spans the majority of the globe with over 30,000 aspiring traders. The company’s founder, Darrell Martin, has worked with other prop trading firms and therefore has learned what works so that you may get simple funded account rules without having to clear too many hurdles.
There is a great choice of evaluation accounts and a generous profit share once you qualify for a funded account by following some basic trading conditions that are certainly achievable for the skilled traders amongst you. This is backed by evidence of trader payouts and excellent customer support. However, it would be great if they could support the MetaTrader platform and add some individual stock instruments. Other than that, they are currently one of the top prop firms in the industry.
