Cheapest Prop Firm Challenges

The cheapest prop firm challenge is not always the one with the lowest sticker price. Monthly rebills, activation fees and resets can double what you pay. This guide lists the lowest entry prices among the firms we review, then shows how to work out the real cost. All prices were checked against official sites on 3 November 2026.

Lowest entry prices: forex and CFD

These are one-time fees for the smallest account in each program.

• FundedNext Stellar Lite 5K: $32.99. Two phases (8% then 4%), static 8% max loss, 4% daily loss, no time limit. Official page.
• The5ers Hyper Growth: from $52 in our data. One step with a 10% target. We could not see this price on the official pages we checked today, so confirm it at checkout.
• FundedNext Stellar 2-Step 6K: $59.99. Targets of 8% and 5%, static 10% max loss.
• FundedNext Stellar 1-Step 6K: $65.99. 10% target, static 6% max loss, 3% daily loss.
• The5ers Bootcamp $20K: $72. Three steps with a 6% target each and a 5% max loss.
• FTMO 1-Step 10K: €79. 10% target, 3% daily loss, end-of-day trailing 10% max loss.
• FTMO 2-Step 10K: €89. Targets of 10% and 5%, 5% daily loss, static 10% max loss.

Lowest entry prices: futures

• Topstep 50K Standard Path: $49 a month, plus a $149 activation fee when you pass. Official pricing.
• My Funded Futures Studio 5K: $75 one-time, $0 activation, static $250 max loss, no daily loss limit.
• Topstep 50K No Activation Fee Path: $95 a month, with no activation fee.
• Tradeify Growth 25K: $99 one-time, no activation fee. Official pricing.
• Tradeify Select 25K: $109 one-time, no daily loss limit, 40% consistency rule in the evaluation.
• Take Profit Trader Test: billed every 30 days. Base prices were not listed on the official pages we checked, so see the firm's checkout.

Account sizes differ, so compare price against the rules you get. A $32.99 5K account and a $99 25K account are not the same product.

The four costs that make up the real price

1. The evaluation fee

Forex firms and several futures firms charge once. Topstep and Take Profit Trader charge every 30 days until you pass or cancel.

2. Monthly rebills

A subscription is cheap if you pass fast and expensive if you don't. Topstep's help center says there is no time limit for passing, but you must pass before your rebill date to avoid another charge.

3. Activation fees

Some firms charge again when you pass. Topstep's Standard Path charges $149 per Express Funded Account. Its No Activation Fee Path, My Funded Futures and Tradeify charge $0. Take Profit Trader's homepage lists a one-time $130 fee for PRO accounts. Its current NOFEE50 code says you never pay an activation fee.

4. Resets

If you breach a rule, a reset is often cheaper than a new account. Official reset prices we found:

• Tradeify Growth: $60 (25K), $95 (50K), $169 (100K), $229 (150K). Lightning accounts have no resets.
• Tradeify Select: $75 (25K), $109 (50K), $169 (100K), $239 (150K).
• Topstep: the same as the monthly price ($49, $99 or $199 on Standard). Each rebill also banks a Reset Credit.
• FundedNext: 10% off the challenge price.

Worked example: Topstep's two paths

Topstep's 50K comes in two versions. Here is the fee-only cost if you pass in a given month:

• Pass in month 1: Standard costs $49 + $149 = $198. No Activation Fee costs $95.
• Pass in month 2: Standard costs $98 + $149 = $247. No Activation Fee costs $190.
• Pass in month 3: Standard costs $147 + $149 = $296. No Activation Fee costs $285.
• Pass in month 4: Standard costs $196 + $149 = $345. No Activation Fee costs $380.

So the No Activation Fee Path is cheaper if you pass within three billing cycles. If you never pass, the Standard Path is cheaper, because you never pay activation. Topstep says paths can't be changed after purchase.

Worked example: one-time fee with resets

Tradeify's Growth 25K costs $99. If you need two resets, you pay $99 + $60 + $60 = $219. That is still cheaper than four months of Topstep's 50K Standard Path plus activation. But Topstep's 50K gives a $2,000 max loss, while Tradeify's 25K gives $1,000. Compare like with like.

Refunds lower the real cost

Some forex firms return the fee once you are paid. That makes the fee a deposit if you succeed.

• FTMO 2-Step: the official page lists a 100% refundable fee after success. The 1-Step fee is not refundable.
• FundedNext 2-Step: refunded with the first reward.
• FundedNext 1-Step and Lite: refunded with the third reward.
• The5ers High Stakes: our data marks the fee as refundable. The5ers' plan table says refunds start from the third payout.
• Futures firms we track: fees are non-refundable.

Current deals

These are the live public offers in our database, each taken from the firm's own site:

• My Funded Futures: code CLUB for 40% off any plan. One-time fees and $0 activation. If the code applies to the $75 Studio 5K, it would come to about $45 before tax. The site also shows a separate 50% first-evaluation offer for new traders; it doesn't say whether the two combine. Official site.
• Take Profit Trader: code NOFEE50 for 50% off for life plus no activation fee. No expiry is stated. Check which plans it covers at checkout. Official site.
• FTMO: 19% off the 100K FTMO Challenge. Applied automatically, no code needed. Official site.

All current codes, with the date we last checked them, are on our prop firm discounts page. For tips on applying them, read how to use a prop firm discount code.

Other costs to watch

• Market data: Topstep charges $38 a month for Level 2 data if you trade with DOM or Matrix tools.
• Reactivation: Topstep's Back2Funded costs $599 to $829 if you lose an Express Funded Account before your first payout.
• Add-ons: FundedNext charges extra for EAs (MT4/MT5 accounts under $50K only) and for a higher split. Tradeify's Select 50% consistency add-on raises the 25K price from $109 to $135.
• Currency: FTMO prices are in EUR. Your card may add a conversion fee.
• Tax: some firms add sales tax or VAT at checkout.

How to keep your total cost low

1. Pick the smallest account that fits your strategy. A smaller account with the same rules is a cheaper test.
2. Choose one-time pricing if you trade slowly. A subscription punishes a patient pace.
3. Choose a no-activation path if you expect to pass quickly. Run the numbers as shown above.
4. Prefer refundable fees if you plan to stay funded.
5. Avoid resets with sound risk. The cheapest challenge is the one you pass first time. Use our position size calculator before each trade.

Is the cheapest challenge the best choice?

Not always. A low fee often comes with a small account and tight loss limits in dollars. The Studio 5K's $250 max loss leaves little room for normal swings. Pick the cheapest account whose rules fit your strategy, not the cheapest account overall.

To compare fees and rules across firms in one view, use our comparison page.

Prices were checked on official sites on 3 November 2026 and change often, especially around sales. Confirm the final price at checkout on the firm's own site. FundedKings may earn a commission when you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.