Apex Trader Funding: rules card
Every Apex Trader Funding rule that decides whether a strategy fits, on one page with sources and a verification date. This is the reference; the how-to-pass guide is the walkthrough.
Apex Trader Funding rules at a glance
| Rule | Current terms |
|---|---|
| Drawdown (evaluation) | EOD trailing or intraday trailing — sold as separate products since the March 2026 (4.0) rulebook |
| Drawdown (funded) | Same model as purchased; floor locks at starting balance + $100 |
| Daily loss limit | Depends on the product: EOD evaluations carry a daily loss limit that pauses the day without ending the account ($1,000 on a 50K EOD); Intraday evaluations have none. Performance Accounts add a tier-based DLL on both products |
| Consistency | None in evaluation; 50% at payout on Performance Accounts (no single day above half of accumulated PA profit since last payout) |
| Minimum days | 1 day on evaluation (day-count minimum removed post-4.0); 5 qualifying days per payout on PA |
| Contract cap (50K) | Evaluation up to 6; PA opens at 2, tops out at 4 |
| Scaling plan | Funded tiers below evaluation caps; full tier after balance clears start + drawdown + $100 (~$52,600 on 50K) |
| Automation | Allowed in evaluation; fully automated systems prohibited on PA/Live, semi-automated with trader present permitted |
| Copy trading | Own accounts allowed on evaluation and funded; up to 20 Performance Accounts per household |
| Payout | On request, 6-request ladder, $500 minimum, 5–11 days processing; 100% of first $25,000 per account then 90/10 |
| Bracket orders | Rithmic/Tradovate reject orders without attached stop and target since March 2026 |
| Safety Net | Starting balance + trailing drawdown + $100 (about $52,600 on a 50K). Reaching it on an end-of-day balance locks the trailing floor and unlocks the full PA contract tier |
| Payout ladder | $500 minimum; 6-payout ladder per PA with rising caps (50K EOD: $1,500 on the first request, $3,000 on the sixth); each request needs 5 qualifying days, the 50% consistency check and the balance above the Safety Net |
| News | Allowed on all account types; placing opposing orders around a release to speculate on the outcome is prohibited |
| Trading hours | Flat before the 4:59 PM ET close; the EOD drawdown is recalculated once at that close |
| Inactivity | Performance Accounts closed after 30 days without trading; the closure is permanent |
| Fees | One-time evaluation fee with 30 days of access since 4.0 (list prices with near-permanent deep discounts), then a one-time PA activation fee; resets discontinued |
Source: Puravida Edge rules card for Apex Trader Funding, verified 29 September 2026 against the firm’s program pages and help center.
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Rows marked “Verify with firm” are where current rule trackers are silent or disagree; the firm's own help center is the only binding source.
What this means for a systematic strategy
Two things decide fit at Apex. First, which drawdown product is in the cart — the same strategy behaves differently under EOD and intraday floors, and Apex now sells both. Second, the funded-stage automation rule: a fully autonomous bridge that is fine in the evaluation is a violation on the PA. Alert-driven execution with the trader present is the compliant mode there. The absence of a daily loss limit on the evaluation makes Apex the usual home for strategies with rare large drawdown days.
Instrument note: Apex has kept metals (gold, silver and their micros) suspended since early 2026 — index futures strategies are unaffected, but gold-based systems need a different firm; the alternatives are ranked in best prop firm for gold trading.
Is Apex Trader Funding worth it for a systematic strategy?
Yes, in the evaluation. Conditionally once funded. No daily loss limit in the evaluation is the rule that matters most for a strategy with rare large drawdown days, and the EOD product removes the intraday floor problem entirely. A strategy can pass in a single session.
The funded stage is where it narrows: fully automated execution is prohibited on the Performance Account, so a bridge that runs unattended in the evaluation becomes a violation the day the account converts. Alert-driven execution with the trader present is the compliant mode. Add the 50% consistency check at payout, measured since the last withdrawal rather than lifetime, and the first days after each payout are the tightest window on the account.
Apex 4.0: what changed and what it means for a systematic strategy
Section merged from the former standalone article on 8 October 2026; figures as verified at that date.
What 4.0 changed on 1 March 2026
| Rule | Before 4.0 | Since 4.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | monthly subscription | one-time evaluation fee with 30 days of access; passed accounts must be activated within 7 calendar days |
| Drawdown products | one trailing model | EOD and Intraday sold as separate products |
| MAE rule | 30% of profit target per trade | removed |
| 5:1 risk-reward rule | in force | removed |
| Consistency at payout | 30% | 50% |
| Resets | available | discontinued |
| Bracket orders | recommended | mandatory on Rithmic and Tradovate |
| Legacy accounts | — | keep their original rules |
Why it matters for a coded strategy
Two removals are the point. The MAE rule (maximum adverse excursion per trade) forced stops to sit inside a fixed fraction of the profit target and disqualified most mean-reversion logic; without it, the only intraday constraint is the drawdown model itself. The 5:1 rule capped position sizes relative to the stop. With both gone, the sizing question reduces to the drawdown and, on EOD products, the soft daily loss limit.
The 50% consistency rule at payout replaces the 30% rule; it still applies to every Performance Account request. Bracket orders being mandatory is neutral for a system that already sends stop and target with every entry and a breaking change for one that manages exits by signal only: the platform rejects orders without both.
Which product to buy is on EOD vs Intraday; the payout checklist on PA payout rules; the full card at Apex rules.
Apex EOD vs Intraday drawdown: which product to buy for a systematic strategy
Section merged from the former standalone article on 8 October 2026; figures as verified at that date.
Two products, one choice at checkout
Since Apex 4.0 (1 March 2026) the drawdown model is chosen when you buy, and the two models are separate products rather than a setting. The amounts are the same; what differs is when the floor is recalculated and whether the evaluation carries a daily loss limit.
| Rule | EOD trailing | Intraday trailing |
|---|---|---|
| When the floor moves | once, at the 4:59 pm ET close, from the end-of-day balance | continuously, from the highest unrealized balance during the session |
| Drawdown on 50K | $2,500 (EOD product) | $2,500, measured tick by tick |
| Daily loss limit in the evaluation | soft DLL that pauses the day without ending the account ($1,000 on a 50K EOD) | none |
| Daily loss limit on the PA | tier-based DLL | tier-based DLL |
| Open profit given back inside the session | does not move the floor | moves the floor up and then counts as loss |
| Lock on the PA | at start + $100 once the end-of-day balance reaches the Safety Net (start + drawdown + $100) | same Safety Net, checked on the same end-of-day balance |
| Contract cap 50K | 6 in the evaluation; PA opens at 2, full 4 at the Safety Net | same |
| Fee model since 4.0 | one-time fee, 30 days of access | same |
| Fits | strategies that take heat intraday and close green: wide stops, multi-position, mean reversion | strategies that rarely give back open profit: tight stops, one position, quick exits |
Which one for a systematic strategy
Model the strategy’s worst intraday excursion, not its worst close. On EOD the floor only sees the close, so a position that is $1,200 underwater at noon and flat at the bell costs nothing against the limit; on Intraday the same position took $1,200 of the $2,500 room and, if it had first been $800 in profit, the floor is $800 higher afterwards as well. A strategy whose Monte Carlo shows intraday excursions above 40% of the drawdown belongs on EOD even though EOD adds a soft daily loss limit in the evaluation.
Intraday only wins for a strategy that almost never has open profit to give back: scalps with fixed targets, single-position systems with tight stops. For those the missing daily loss limit in the evaluation is the advantage, because one bad cluster does not pause the day.
The Performance Account behaves the same way on both: the floor locks at start + $100 once the end-of-day balance clears the Safety Net, contract caps open at half and release at the Safety Net, and the 50% consistency rule applies at every payout. Details on the PA payout ladder; the full rule set on the Apex rules card.
Apex: Rithmic vs Tradovate
Section merged from the former standalone article on 8 October 2026; figures as verified at that date.
Side by side
| Rithmic | Tradovate | |
|---|---|---|
| TradingView charting on the account | No | Yes |
| TradersPost bridge | No — TradersPost does not reach Rithmic; use PickMyTrade or TradeSyncer | Yes, native |
| Order book depth | Institutional feed, deepest | Standard |
| Broker choice | Wide | Tradovate only |
| Parent | Independent | NinjaTrader (the Alpha Futures dependency) |
| Rules (consistency, DLL, automation limit) | Identical | Identical |
For a strategy executed from TradingView alerts, Tradovate is the shorter path and the one most systematic Apex accounts use. For manual DOM trading, Rithmic. NinjaTrader access at Apex was reported in August 2026 but does not yet appear on the firm's platform list (Rithmic, Tradovate, Wealthcharts); treat it as unconfirmed. The funded-stage rule is the same on all three: fully automated execution is prohibited on the Performance Account, alert-driven execution with the trader present is permitted. Full rule set: Apex rules card.
Apex Trader Funding rules (2026): evaluation, PA, payout, every rule with a date
Section merged from the former standalone article on 8 October 2026; figures as verified at that date.
Every Apex rule, with its source and date
The rules in force on Apex Trader Funding evaluations and Performance Accounts as of September 2026, each with where it is published and when it changed. Most dates read 1 March 2026 because the 4.0 rulebook rewrote the funded stage; the rules card is the one-screen summary.
| Rule | Current value | Source | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drawdown model | EOD trailing or Intraday trailing, sold as separate products; same amounts ($2,500 on 50K); same model on the Performance Account | apextraderfunding.com, help center | 1 Mar 2026 (4.0) |
| Daily loss limit | EOD evaluations: soft, pauses the day without ending the account; Intraday evaluations: none; PA: tiered | help center | 1 Mar 2026 |
| Maximum adverse excursion rule | removed | 4.0 rulebook | 1 Mar 2026 |
| 5:1 risk-reward rule | removed | 4.0 rulebook | 1 Mar 2026 |
| Minimum days | none in the evaluation (one-day pass possible); 5 qualifying days per PA payout request | help center | standing |
| Consistency | 50% at every PA payout: the largest day may not exceed half of the amount requested (was 30%) | help center | 1 Mar 2026 |
| Safety Net | starting balance + trailing drawdown + $100 (about $52,600 on 50K); reaching it on an end-of-day balance locks the floor at start + $100 and unlocks the full contract tier | help center | standing |
| Contract caps | evaluation 6 on 50K; PA opens at 2, full 4 at the Safety Net; 100K: card says 8, one source 16, verify | help center, trackers | standing |
| Payout ladder | 6 payouts per PA with rising caps ($1,500 first request on a 50K EOD, $3,000 on the sixth); $500 minimum; balance must stay above the Safety Net | help center | standing |
| Split | 100% of the first $25,000 per account, then 90/10 | help center | standing |
| Bracket orders | mandatory on Rithmic and Tradovate: every order needs a stop and a target | 4.0 rulebook | 1 Mar 2026 |
| Resets | discontinued; a breached PA is closed | 4.0 rulebook | 1 Mar 2026 |
| Fees | one-time evaluation fee with 30 days of access; passed accounts activated within 7 calendar days | 4.0 rulebook | 1 Mar 2026 |
| Automation | fully automated trading prohibited on the PA; semi-automated with a human in the loop allowed | help center | standing |
| News | allowed | help center | standing |
| Hours and inactivity | flat before the 4:59 pm ET close; a PA with no trades for 30 days is closed permanently | help center | standing |
| Legacy accounts | accounts bought before 1 March 2026 keep their original rules | 4.0 announcement | 1 Mar 2026 |
What changed in 2026
One date, eight changes: on 1 March 2026 Apex 4.0 replaced the subscription with a one-time fee, split EOD and Intraday into separate products, removed the MAE and 5:1 rules, loosened PA consistency from 30% to 50%, discontinued resets, made bracket orders mandatory and gave legacy accounts their old rules. Detail: Apex 4.0, what changed.
Apex 50K eval rules vs Apex PA rules: where each rule bites
Evaluation: the trailing drawdown is the only hard rule on Intraday products; EOD products add a soft daily limit. Performance Account: half the contract tier until the Safety Net, a tiered daily loss limit, bracket orders, no bots, 30-day inactivity. Payout: 5 qualifying days, 50% consistency, the Safety Net and the six-payout ladder, all at once. Deeper: EOD vs Intraday, PA payout rules; head-to-head with Topstep and MFF; all 40 firms on the comparison table.
Guides for this firm
- Apex payout rules: what a Performance Account must satisfy before every request
- How to pass Apex
- Best strategy: Apex 50K
- Best strategy: Apex 100K
- Best strategy: Apex 150K
- Apex vs Topstep
- Apex vs MyFundedFutures
- Apex vs Tradeify
- TradingView compatibility across firms
Every rule in the table is defined in the glossary and explained by mechanism in the rules hub.
FAQ
What are the Apex Trader Funding evaluation rules in 2026?
Hit the profit target without breaching the trailing drawdown, with no consistency rule and no minimum number of days, so a one-day pass is possible. You choose EOD or Intraday drawdown at purchase and the two are separate products: EOD updates the floor once at the 4:59 PM ET close and adds a daily loss limit, Intraday trails unrealized peaks in real time with no DLL. The evaluation is a one-time fee with 30 days of access, and a passed account must be activated within 7 calendar days.
What are the Apex trailing drawdown rules?
Two models since March 2026. EOD trailing recalculates the floor from the end-of-day balance; Intraday trailing follows the highest unrealized balance during the session. On the Performance Account the floor keeps trailing until the end-of-day balance reaches the Safety Net (start + drawdown + $100), where it locks. The MAE rule and the 5:1 risk-reward rule were removed in the 4.0 rulebook.
What are the Apex payout rules?
On a Performance Account: 5 qualifying days per request, the largest day no more than 50% of the profit being requested, balance above the Safety Net, $500 minimum. Requests run through a 6-payout ladder with rising caps ($1,500 on the first request of a 50K EOD, $3,000 on the sixth). Split: 100% of the first $25,000 per account, then 90/10. Processing 5 to 11 days.
Does Apex have minimum trading days?
Not in the evaluation since 4.0. On the Performance Account, 5 qualifying days are required before each payout request.
What changed in Apex 4.0 (March 2026)?
One-time evaluation fees replaced monthly subscriptions, EOD trailing became a purchasable option next to Intraday, the MAE and 5:1 risk-reward rules were removed, the payout consistency threshold loosened from 30% to 50%, resets were discontinued, bracket orders became mandatory at the platform level on Rithmic and Tradovate, and legacy accounts kept their original rules.
Does Apex allow automated trading?
In the evaluation, yes. On funded Performance and Live accounts fully automated systems are prohibited since the March 2026 rulebook; semi-automated execution with the trader actively present is permitted.
Is Apex EOD or intraday drawdown?
Both — sold as separate products since March 2026. Check which one is in the cart; the rules differ materially.
Does Apex have a consistency rule?
Not during the evaluation. On the Performance Account a 50% cap applies at payout: no single day above half of accumulated profit since the last payout.
When did Apex 4.0 start?
1 March 2026. Accounts bought before that date keep their original rules.
Did Apex remove the MAE rule?
Yes. The maximum adverse excursion rule and the 5:1 risk-reward rule were both removed in the 4.0 rulebook.
Is the Apex consistency rule 30% or 50%?
50% since 4.0, applied at every Performance Account payout: the largest day may not exceed half of the amount requested.
Is Apex drawdown EOD or intraday?
Both are sold: EOD trailing recalculates the floor once at the 4:59 pm ET close, Intraday trailing follows the highest unrealized balance during the session. You choose at purchase.
Does Apex have a daily loss limit?
On EOD evaluations a soft daily loss limit pauses the day without ending the account; Intraday evaluations have none. Performance Accounts carry a tier-based daily loss limit on both products.
Which Apex product is better for a systematic strategy?
EOD for any strategy whose intraday excursions exceed roughly 40% of the drawdown amount; Intraday only for single-position systems with tight stops that rarely give back open profit.
Should I choose Rithmic or Tradovate at Apex?
Tradovate for TradingView-alert execution and charting on the account; Rithmic for the deepest order book. The rules are identical on both.
Does the platform choice affect Apex rules?
No. Consistency at payout, the automation limit on PA and the bracket-order requirement apply regardless of platform.
Can I switch platforms at Apex?
Platform is chosen per account at purchase; verify with Apex whether an existing account can move.
What are the Apex trading rules in 2026?
A trailing drawdown (EOD or Intraday, chosen at purchase), a soft daily limit on EOD evaluations only, no minimum days to pass, and on the Performance Account: 5 qualifying days and 50% consistency per payout, the Safety Net at start + drawdown + $100, a six-payout ladder, mandatory bracket orders and no fully automated trading.
What did Apex 4.0 change?
On 1 March 2026: one-time fees, EOD and Intraday as separate products, MAE and 5:1 rules removed, PA consistency 30% → 50%, resets discontinued, bracket orders mandatory; legacy accounts keep old rules.
What are the Apex news trading rules?
News trading is allowed on every Apex account type, evaluation and Performance Account alike. The one restriction is placing opposing orders around a release to speculate on the outcome, which is prohibited. On EOD evaluations the soft daily loss limit still pauses the day if a news spike takes the account through it, and every order on Rithmic and Tradovate must carry a stop and a target.
What are the Apex 50K evaluation rules?
A $3,000 profit target against a $2,500 trailing drawdown, bought as either the EOD or the Intraday product, with up to 6 contracts, no consistency rule and no minimum number of days, so a one-day pass is possible. The EOD product adds a soft $1,000 daily loss limit that pauses the day without ending the account; the Intraday product has none. The fee is one-time with 30 days of access, and a passed account must be activated within 7 calendar days.
Sources: firm documentation and current rule trackers (Prop Firm Pine Scripts rules database June 2026, DamnPropFirms July 2026, proptradingvibes and tradetanto June–August 2026, Finance Magnates), cross-checked September 2026. Rules change quarterly; the firm's help center is the binding source.