Guides / Prop Firms With No Activation Fee
Guide · updated September 2026

Prop Firms With No Activation Fee

The evaluation price is what firms advertise. The activation fee is what many of them charge after you pass, and it can be bigger than the evaluation itself.

Short answer
21 of the 25 firms we track charge no activation fee on their 50K plan, so the evaluation price is the whole cost to get funded. The cheapest is The5ers Futures at $100. At the other 4, activation fees go up to $149.

Firms with no activation fee

Live from our data, cheapest first. Prices are for a 50K account at list price.

FirmPricingTotal to funded
The5ers FuturesFutures
One-time
$100
AquaFunded FuturesFutures
One-time
$113
Funded Futures FamilyFutures
Monthly
$125per month until you pass
Alpha FuturesFutures
Monthly
$129per month until you pass
TradeDayFutures
Monthly
$131per month until you pass
FundedNext FuturesFutures
One-time
$133.99
AquaFundedForex & CFD
One-time
$143
BulenoxFutures
One-time
$143
TradeifyFutures
One-time
$145
Futures EliteFutures
One-time
$152
My Funded FuturesFutures
One-time
$153
Lucid TradingFutures
One-time
$156
E8 MarketsForex & CFD
One-time
$160
E8 FuturesFutures
One-time
$160
FundedSeatFutures
One-time
$190
TopOne FuturesFutures
Monthly
$218per month until you pass
FundedNextForex & CFD
One-time
$229.99
FundingPipsForex & CFD
One-time
$244
The5ersForex & CFD
One-time
$249
FTMOForex & CFD
One-time
$364
PhidiasFutures
One-time
$580

How much activation fees add elsewhere

Sorted by the size of the fee. The last column shows how much more you pay in total than the evaluation price suggests.

FirmEvaluationActivation feeTotal to fundedExtra vs advertised
TopstepFutures
$49per month
$149
$198
+304%
Take Profit TraderFutures
$170per month
$130Waived with NOFEE40
$300
+76%
Legends TradingFutures
$59per month
$59
$118
+100%
Apex Trader FundingFutures
$249
$59
$308
+24%

For monthly plans we count one month plus the activation fee. If it takes you longer to pass, add another month for each extra month.

Why activation fees exist

Activation fees let a firm advertise a lower evaluation price. They only charge the rest to traders who pass, which is a small share of everyone who buys an evaluation. That makes the headline price look cheap, but for anyone who passes it isn't the real cost.

That's why PropKoala ranks every firm on the total cost to get funded. The main table on our homepage already includes activation fees, so you can compare firms like for like.

Watch for deals that waive it

Some firms run promotions that waive the activation fee instead of discounting the evaluation. These can be the better deal. Our deals page shows the real total with any waiver applied.

Questions

What is a prop firm activation fee?

A one-off charge you pay after passing the evaluation, before the firm gives you the funded account. It is not included in the evaluation price most firms advertise.

Is a firm with no activation fee always cheaper?

No. Some firms without an activation fee charge more for the evaluation. That is why we compare the total cost to get funded, which adds the two together.

Do monthly evaluations have activation fees?

Often, yes. Monthly plans usually look cheap per month and add an activation fee at the end. If it takes you two or three months to pass, the monthly fees add up as well.

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