Head-to-head
Apex Trader Funding vs LMI Trade
Apex Trader Funding vs LMI Trade covers the two firms side by side on the facts recorded in their profiles.
Profit splits, evaluation fees, payout cadence, supported assets, and trading rules for Apex Trader Funding and LMI Trade. Data pulled live from our firm listings.
Quick verdict
Apex Trader Funding is best for
news traders; copy-trading setups.
Full Apex Trader Funding profile →Cost to first payout
Cost to first payout
What it actually costs to reach payout — a normalized estimate built from each firm's lowest published evaluation cost, monthly fees, and first-payout window. Estimates, not guarantees. Each card shows the assumptions used.
Apex Trader Funding
estimateApprox. total
$167
to reach first payout eligibility
Approx. time
17days
from sign-up to first eligible request
- Start cost
- $167
- Monthly fee
- —
How we estimated this
- Evaluation path: lowest published one-time evaluation fee.
- Adds ~10 calendar days for evaluation completion (most firms require ≥5 minimum trading days).
- Source — eval fee: One-time fee per evaluation (30-day access, no rebill, no resets); Intraday from $167 (25K), EOD and No Activation Fee options cost more; frequent up-to-90%-off codes; monthly: None on current products: one-time evaluation plus a one-time PA activation fee on Standard plans ($0 on No Activation Fee plans). Monthly-billed Legacy accounts are back for a limited time.; first payout: 5 qualifying trading days meeting the daily profit minimum ($100-$350 by size on EOD PAs), $500 minimum payout, 50% consistency, safety net = drawdown + $100.
LMI Trade
estimateApprox. total
—
to reach first payout eligibility
Approx. time
—
from sign-up to first eligible request
- Start cost
- —
- Monthly fee
- $40/mo
How we estimated this
- Instant funding offered but cost not published — figure unverified.
- Source — eval fee: Standard path: subscription plus an activation fee on most sizes (Mini has $0 activation). Direct Funded is a one-time fee. See pricing notes.; monthly: Subscriptions do not auto-extend. Standard / No-activation examples captured 10 Nov 2026 (a 20% sale until 22 Nov 2026, not Mini, was applied automatically): Mini Standard $40 / 15 days; Small $40 + $109 activation (or $60 no-activation); Medium $45 + $129 (or $65); Large $89 + $139 (or $120); Max $149 + $149 (or $169); Extra $169 + $169 (or $249). Direct Funded discounted homepage prices that day: $100 / $240 / $360 / $488 / $584 / $800.; first payout: After 5 qualifying trading days; minimum $250. Safety Net = drawdown limit plus $100; only profit above it is eligible. Per-request caps rise with payout number..
Trade-offs
Where each firm is weaker
No firm wins on every axis. These are the most meaningful drawbacks of each option — derived from the same structured fields shown in the table, never invented.
Apex Trader Funding trade-offs
Slower to funded
Requires passing an evaluation before payouts. LMI Trade offers instant funding as an alternative path.
LMI Trade trade-offs
No structural disadvantages versus the other firm based on the fields we track.
Decision guide
Best for your trader type
- Highest profit share
Tie
Both pay 100%.
- Fastest to funded
Offers instant funding.
- News traders
Allows trading through news events.
- Copy & algo traders
Copy trading is permitted.
- Fastest payouts
Up to weekly: request after every 5 qualifying trading days (EOD PA: max 6 payouts per account) payouts.
| Attribute | Apex Trader Funding Evaluation · est. 2008 | LMI Trade Evaluation + Instant Funding · est. 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| Retail accessibility | Open to retail traders via evaluation | Open to retail traders via evaluation |
| Cost | ||
| Evaluation fee | One-time fee per evaluation (30-day access, no rebill, no resets); Intraday from $167 (25K), EOD and No Activation Fee options cost more; frequent up-to-90%-off codes | Standard path: subscription plus an activation fee on most sizes (Mini has $0 activation). Direct Funded is a one-time fee. See pricing notes. |
| Monthly fee | None on current products: one-time evaluation plus a one-time PA activation fee on Standard plans ($0 on No Activation Fee plans). Monthly-billed Legacy accounts are back for a limited time. | Subscriptions do not auto-extend. Standard / No-activation examples captured 10 Nov 2026 (a 20% sale until 22 Nov 2026, not Mini, was applied automatically): Mini Standard $40 / 15 days; Small $40 + $109 activation (or $60 no-activation); Medium $45 + $129 (or $65); Large $89 + $139 (or $120); Max $149 + $149 (or $169); Extra $169 + $169 (or $249). Direct Funded discounted homepage prices that day: $100 / $240 / $360 / $488 / $584 / $800. |
| Evaluation required | Yes | Yes |
| Instant funding | No | Yes |
| Capital | ||
| Profit split | 100% | 100% |
| Max allocation | $300,000 | $300,000 |
| Account sizes | $25K, $50K, $100K, $150K (limited-time Legacy accounts also offered up to $300K) | $10K–$300K (Mini $10K, Small $30K, Medium $50K, Large $100K, Max $150K, Extra $300K) |
| Scaling | Up to 20 Performance Accounts; tier-based contract and daily-loss-limit scaling inside PAs; trade copier allowed across accounts. | A scaling plan is listed among the Funded Session Rules (docs.lmitrade.com, checked 10 Nov 2026). |
| Payouts | ||
| Frequency | Up to weekly: request after every 5 qualifying trading days (EOD PA: max 6 payouts per account) | Processed every Monday and Thursday (current withdrawal article, updated 22 Jul 2026). Methods described as SWIFT/SEPA, PayPal, or crypto where those are unavailable. |
| First payout | 5 qualifying trading days meeting the daily profit minimum ($100‑$350 by size on EOD PAs), $500 minimum payout, 50% consistency, safety net = drawdown + $100 | After 5 qualifying trading days; minimum $250. Safety Net = drawdown limit plus $100; only profit above it is eligible. Per-request caps rise with payout number. |
| Assets | ||
| Futures | Yes | Yes |
| Stocks | No | No |
| Options | No | No |
| Forex | No | No |
| Crypto | No | No |
| Trading rules | ||
| News trading | Yes | — |
| Overnight holding | No | — |
| Weekend holding | No | — |
| Copy trading | Yes | — |
| Technology | ||
| Platforms | Rithmic, Tradovate, WealthCharts, NinjaTrader, TradingView, Quantower | VolFix |
| Data feed | Rithmic / Tradovate (CME real-time) | — |
| Company | ||
| Headquarters | Austin, USA | Ipswich, England |
About Apex Trader Funding
Futures-focused funded trader program using NinjaTrader and Rithmic. Popular for low-cost evaluations and frequent discount promotions. Evaluations and funded Performance Accounts (PA) are simulated; a separate live program is invitation-only.
Full Apex Trader Funding profile →About LMI Trade
UK futures prop firm (Liberty Market Investment Ltd) with a one-step Qualifying Session on VolFix, accounts from $10K to $300K, Standard and No Activation Fee subscriptions plus a Direct Funded path, and 100% of withdrawals up to $30,000 then 90/10.
Full LMI Trade profile →Trust & stability
Reputation and rule‑change activity
Two added decision signals: a weighted reputation score from independent review sources, and a 90-day view of structural rule‑change activity where monitored sources are available.
Reputation
Not enough independent rating sources to compute a canonical score yet.
Rule Stability
last 90d- Last change
- —
- Type
- —
- Sources monitored
- —
- Status
- No changes detected in monitored sources
Weekly diff of the firm's published rule pages (terms, rules, FAQ, legal). "No changes detected" only means none of the monitored monitored sources changed — other surfaces (Discord, email, dashboards) are not covered. "Limited" or "unavailable" means our monitor cannot reach enough sources to make an honest call.
Reputation
Not enough independent rating sources to compute a canonical score yet.
Rule Stability
last 90d- Last change
- —
- Type
- —
- Sources monitored
- —
- Status
- No changes detected in monitored sources
Weekly diff of the firm's published rule pages (terms, rules, FAQ, legal). "No changes detected" only means none of the monitored monitored sources changed — other surfaces (Discord, email, dashboards) are not covered. "Limited" or "unavailable" means our monitor cannot reach enough sources to make an honest call.
Frequently asked
Common questions
- Which has a higher profit split — Apex Trader Funding or LMI Trade?
- Apex Trader Funding pays 100%; LMI Trade pays 100% of trader profits once funded. Both firms offer the same profit share.
- Is Apex Trader Funding cheaper to start than LMI Trade?
- Apex Trader Funding: evaluation from One‑time fee per evaluation (30‑day access, no rebill, no resets); Intraday from $167 (25K), EOD and No Activation Fee options cost more; frequent up‑to‑90%-off codes. LMI Trade: offers instant funding (no evaluation).
- Which pays out faster — Apex Trader Funding or LMI Trade?
- Apex Trader Funding payouts: Up to weekly: request after every 5 qualifying trading days (EOD PA: max 6 payouts per account). LMI Trade payouts: Processed every Monday and Thursday (current withdrawal article, updated 22 Jul 2026). Methods described as SWIFT/SEPA, PayPal, or crypto where those are unavailable.. First‑payout eligibility: Apex Trader Funding — 5 qualifying trading days meeting the daily profit minimum ($100-$350 by size on EOD PAs), $500 minimum payout, 50% consistency, safety net = drawdown + $100; LMI Trade — After 5 qualifying trading days; minimum $250. Safety Net = drawdown limit plus $100; only profit above it is eligible. Per‑request caps rise with payout number..
- What's the maximum allocation at Apex Trader Funding vs LMI Trade?
- Apex Trader Funding scales up to $300,000. LMI Trade scales up to $300,000.
- Can I trade news at Apex Trader Funding or LMI Trade?
- Apex Trader Funding: permits news trading. LMI Trade: policy unconfirmed.
- Can I hold positions overnight at Apex Trader Funding or LMI Trade?
- Apex Trader Funding: does not allow overnight holds. LMI Trade: policy unconfirmed.
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