The5ers vs Apex Trader Funding
Which of these two is likelier to end your account, and why — compared rule by rule from what each firm publishes.
Short answer
- The drawdown works differently, and that is the difference that matters. The5ers' loss limit is fixed to your starting balance and never moves; Apex Trader Funding's follows your equity tick by tick, unrealised profit included. Apex Trader Funding: Open profit you give back raises that floor permanently, so it can breach you at a level that did not exist an hour earlier.
- Apex Trader Funding sets no daily loss limit; The5ers caps a single day at 5%.
- Minimum trading days: The5ers 3 days, Apex Trader Funding 1 day — this sets the earliest you can finish, however fast you hit the target.
- Overnight and weekend: The5ers lets you hold; Apex Trader Funding requires you flat before the session closes, so a swing plan does not fit it.
- Entry cost: Apex Trader Funding from $33, The5ers from $39.
Figures below are what each firm publishes. Confirm them on the firm's own site before paying for an evaluation — these rules change without notice.
The5ers
Apex Trader Funding
Side-by-Side Specifications Matrix
Every figure below is taken from the firm's own published rules. Check the source and date under the table before you size a position on it — prop firm rules change without notice.
| Evaluation Parameter | The5ers | Apex Trader Funding |
|---|---|---|
| Asset Class / Market | CFD | FUTURES |
| Drawdown Calculation Type | Static Balance-Based The total-loss cap is static — a fixed percentage of the starting balance that never trails — but the daily limit is recalculated every day off the previous day's close, so it is not a fixed dollar figure. |
Trailing Intraday (HWM) |
| Max Daily Loss | 5.0% 5% on High Stakes, measured off the higher of the previous day's closing balance or equity and reset at 00:00 UTC+3; Hyper Growth and Pro Growth use 3%, and the firm's own 2-Step Plan FAQ also states 3%. |
None (No Daily Limit) |
| Max Overall Loss | 10.0% 10% of the initial balance on High Stakes, fixed when the account opens and never trailing; Hyper Growth and Pro Growth stop out at 6%, and Bootcamp uses 5% on steps 1-3 and 4% once funded. |
5.0% |
| Profit Split | 80% - 100% | 90% - 100% |
| Minimum Trading Days | 3 Days High Stakes needs 3 profitable days at Step 1, at Step 2 and again at every scaling step, where a profitable day means closed trades netting at least 0.5% of the initial balance. |
1 Days |
| News Trading Policy | ✓ New orders may not be executed from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after high-impact news on the High Stakes programme; holding existing positions through news is allowed, and any profit made inside that window is deducted from the account and does not count toward the profit target | ✓ Trading through high-impact news permitted during regular market sessions |
| Weekend & Overnight Holding | ✓ Permitted (Overnight and weekend holding allowed with no restrictions) | ✗ Flat by Close (Intraday futures only; positions must close by 4:59 PM EST daily) |
| Supported Platforms | MT5, cTrader, TradingView | NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView |
| Payout Schedule | Bi-weekly or on-demand after 14 days | Twice monthly (1st–5th and 15th–20th) |
| First Payout Eligibility | 14 days from funding First withdrawal 14 days after the funded account is activated, then every 2 weeks from the last approved one, with $150 minimum profit required to request a payout. |
After 10 qualified trading days per payout cycle |
| Consistency Rule | No restrictive lot-size or profit consistency rule | 30% single-day consistency rule on PA accounts |
| Islamic / Swap-Free Option | ✓ Native Swap-Free Option Native Swap-Free account option selectable upon registration with zero administration fee markups |
✓ Inherently Swap-Free (CME Futures) Inherently Swap-Free (CME Futures contracts are cash-settled intraday with zero overnight financing or swap charges) |
| US Residents Accepted | ✗ Restricted | ✓ Accepted |
| Maximum Capital Allocation | $500,000 | $6,000,000 |
Where these figures come from. Read from The5ers' own published rules on : High Stakes daily/total loss mechanics and 00 · High Stakes minimum profitable days table and · Platform availability by residency · MetaQuotes platforms prohibited for US residen · Full banned-strategy list and the termination, · 14-day first withdrawal, 2-week cadence therea · Bootcamp per-step max loss (5% steps 1-3, 4% f · Hyper Growth / Pro Growth 6% stop-out and 3% d · 2-Step Plan daily loss limit stated as 3% of t. Prop firm rules change without notice — confirm on the firm's own site before you pay for an evaluation.
Not independently confirmed. We could not read Apex Trader Funding's own rules pages — every request to the site was answered with HTTP 403, so the rules could not be read from here. The figures below are unconfirmed and may be out of date. Check the current rules on Apex Trader Funding's own site. Last attempted .
What can end the account even if you are profitable
These are the rules people usually find out about after a payout is refused.
- The5ers: You cannot open or close an order in the four-minute window running from two minutes before to two minutes after a high-impact news release, and if you do, the profit from it is taken off your account and does not count toward your target while the loss still counts against you. source
- The5ers: Copy trading, running an expert advisor whose source code you do not own, sharing or reselling your account, or paying someone to pass a challenge for you gets the account terminated, any profit or refund you were owed withheld, and you permanently banned from The5ers. source
- The5ers: Arbitrage, tick scalping, high-frequency trades lasting seconds, bracketing stop orders around news, hedging the same instrument across accounts, and gambling-sized or one-directional bets carry the same penalty: account closed, profit and refund forfeited, permanent ban. source
- The5ers: You must produce three separate profitable days, each closing at least 0.5% of your starting balance in profit, to clear Step 1, to clear Step 2 and again at every scaling step — hitting the profit target in one big day is not enough to pass. source
- The5ers: If you place no trades for 30 days in a row on an evaluation account, or 60 days in a row on a funded account, The5ers expires the account automatically and you lose it without breaking any trading rule. source
- The5ers: You cannot take any money out for the first 14 days after your funded account is activated, you need at least $150 of profit to request a payout, and after that each request comes two weeks after your last approved one. source
Drawdown Architecture: The5ers vs Apex Trader Funding
The fundamental differentiator between The5ers and Apex Trader Funding lies in how risk and liquidation thresholds are tracked:
The5ers: Static Balance-Based
The5ers applies a Static Balance-Based approach. Under this structure, your stop loss floor is anchored to balance intervals. This ensures that temporary floating open profits do not pull your stop loss floor higher in real-time.
Apex Trader Funding: Trailing Intraday (HWM)
Apex Trader Funding implements a Trailing Intraday (HWM) model. Open equity peaks will instantly adjust your maximum loss threshold tick-by-tick.
The Trader's Verdict: Which Firm Should You Choose?
Depending on your trading style, asset preference, and capital requirements, here is how our research team segments the two providers:
Choose The5ers if you:
- Want Static Balance-Based risk management.
- Trade primarily CFD instruments with MT5, cTrader, TradingView.
- Value Traders looking for instant funding programs, low entry fee Bootcamps, and scaling that reaches $4,000,000 on Bootcamp (High Stakes and Hyper Growth both cap at $500,000).
- Want the ability to hold swing positions over weekends and economic news releases.
- Seek up to $500,000 in maximum scaling capital.
Choose Apex Trader Funding if you:
- Prefer Trailing Intraday (HWM) execution terms.
- Trade FUTURES via NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView.
- Value High-volume futures scalpers running trade copiers across multiple accounts (up to 20 PAs) with massive discount coupons.
- Require strict intraday liquidity and same-day/daily payout options.
- Want access to starting entry fees at $33.