The rules, side by side
| Rule | Topstep | Apex |
|---|---|---|
| Drawdown type | End-of-day trailing | Intraday trailing |
| Daily loss limit | $1,000 | not in the preset |
| Consistency rule | 50% | 30% |
| Minimum trading days | 5 | 1 |
| Account sizes | $50K · $100K · $150K | $25K · $50K · $100K · $150K · $250K · $300K |
Typical values for each firm's standard accounts. "Not in the preset" means Propbook's default account for that firm carries no such limit — other plans from the same firm may, and firms change their terms, so check your own contract.
Account by account
| Account | Topstep max loss | Topstep target | Apex max loss | Apex target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25K | not offered | not offered | $1,500 | $1,500 |
| $50K | $2,000 | $3,000 | $2,500 | $3,000 |
| $100K | $3,000 | $6,000 | $3,000 | $6,000 |
| $150K | $4,500 | $9,000 | $5,000 | $9,000 |
| $250K | not offered | not offered | $6,500 | $15,000 |
| $300K | not offered | not offered | $7,500 | $20,000 |
What actually separates them
The headline numbers look similar. A $50K account, a few thousand dollars of room, a profit target in the same range. The mechanics underneath are not similar at all.
Apex trails intraday. If your position runs $900 in your favour and you close the day flat, Apex has still moved your loss line up by $900. Scalpers who let winners breathe and then give part back pay for that movement twice: once in the P&L, once in the cushion.
Topstep trails end of day. Whatever happens inside the session is invisible to the rule — only the closing balance counts. In exchange, Topstep adds a daily loss limit, so a single bad session ends your day whether you like it or not, and a 50% consistency rule that delays payouts built on one big day.
So the trade-off is plain: Apex gives you a free hand inside the day and charges you for unrealised spikes; Topstep ignores your spikes and puts a hard floor under each day.
Which one suits you
Topstep fits you if…
You hold trades through noise, take partial profits late, and do not want a daily loss limit deciding when you stop. You accept that open profit permanently moves your line.
Apex fits you if…
You give back open profit regularly, want your intraday swings ignored, and would rather have a hard daily stop than an invisible line that moves while you are in a trade.
Not sure? Run your last twenty days through the drawdown calculator under both rule sets — the same P&L can pass one and fail the other.
Trading both? Track both.
Propbook keeps each account on its own rule set — Topstep, Apex or seventeen others — with the room left on every one of them live. Free, no card.
Open Propbook →FAQ
Is Apex or Topstep easier to pass?
Neither is systematically easier — they are hard in different places. Apex's intraday trailing punishes traders who let winners run and give them back; Topstep's daily loss limit punishes traders who size up to recover a red morning. Look at your own last twenty days and see which mistake you actually make.
Does Apex have a daily loss limit?
Apex's standard evaluation is built around the trailing threshold rather than a daily loss cap, which is why the preset carries none. Topstep's accounts do carry one. Always check your own plan — firms add and remove these limits regularly.
When does each trailing drawdown stop moving?
Both lock once the line reaches a fixed level: your starting balance on Topstep, your starting balance plus $100 on Apex. Past that point you are only ever risking profit you already banked.
Can I run a Topstep and an Apex account at the same time?
Yes, and plenty of traders do. The risk is mental: the two accounts do not fail the same way, so the number you have to watch changes depending on which platform you are looking at. Propbook keeps both rule sets live side by side, free.