Head-to-head
Apex Trader Funding vs Tower Research Capital
A direct, side-by-side comparison of Apex Trader Funding and Tower Research Capital — profit splits, evaluation fees, payout cadence, supported assets, and trading rules. Data pulled live from our firm directory.
Quick verdict
Apex Trader Funding is best for
traders prioritizing profit share (100% vs 50%); copy-trading setups.
Full Apex Trader Funding profile →Quick verdict
Tower Research Capital is best for
traders avoiding evaluation hurdles; swing traders holding overnight.
Full Tower Research Capital profile →Cost & compensation
Cost and compensation path
Published fees and payout timing apply to trader-paid funding programs. Firm-capital and institutional paths are shown separately because their economics usually depend on hiring, allocation, salary, bonus, or profit-sharing terms.
Apex Trader Funding
estimateApprox. total
$34
to reach first payout eligibility
Approx. time
18days
from sign-up to first eligible request
- Start cost
- $17
- Monthly fee
- $17/mo
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).
- Monthly fee ($17) × 1 month added to startup cost.
- Source — eval fee: $17–$300/month (frequent 80–90% off promos); monthly: Eval $17–$300; PA option one-time $130 or $85/mo; first payout: 8 days after first PA trade, 5 winning days $50+.
Tower Research Capital
Firm CapitalNot applicable for this model
This is a firm-capital or hiring-based trading path, not a trader-paid funding program. Compensation is typically handled through salary, bonus, draw, allocation, or profit-sharing arrangements rather than a published evaluation fee and payout schedule.
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
No overnight holds
Closes positions intraday. Tower Research Capital allows overnight holds.
Tower Research Capital trade-offs
Lower profit split
Pays 50% versus 100% — 50 points less of every funded dollar.
No copy trading
Forbids copy / algo bridges. Apex Trader Funding permits them.
Decision guide
Best for your trader type
- Highest profit share
100% vs 50%
- Fastest to funded
No mandatory evaluation.
- Biggest scaling ceiling
Up to $300,000.
- Swing & overnight
Permits holding positions overnight.
- Copy & algo traders
Copy trading is permitted.
- Fastest payouts
Bi-weekly (up to 2 per month, every 8 days) payouts.
| Attribute | Apex Trader Funding Evaluation Based · est. 2008 | Tower Research Capital Firm Capital · est. 1998 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | ||
| Evaluation fee | $17–$300/month (frequent 80–90% off promos) | — |
| Monthly fee | Eval $17–$300; PA option one-time $130 or $85/mo | — |
| Evaluation required | Yes | No |
| Instant funding | No | No |
| Capital | ||
| Profit split | 100% | 50% |
| Max allocation | $300,000 | Institutional only |
| Account sizes | $25K, $50K, $75K, $100K, $150K, $250K, $300K | Institutional only |
| Scaling | Stack up to 20 funded accounts; copy trade across all with Trade Copier. | — |
| Payouts | ||
| Frequency | Bi-weekly (up to 2 per month, every 8 days) | Annual bonus |
| First payout | 8 days after first PA trade, 5 winning days $50+ | — |
| Assets | ||
| Futures | Yes | Yes |
| Stocks | No | Yes |
| Options | No | Yes |
| Forex | No | Yes |
| Crypto | No | No |
| Trading rules | ||
| News trading | Yes | Yes |
| Overnight holding | No | Yes |
| Weekend holding | No | Yes |
| Copy trading | Yes | No |
| Technology | ||
| Platforms | Rithmic, Tradovate, NinjaTrader, TradingView, Quantower | Proprietary |
| Data feed | Rithmic / Tradovate (CME real-time) | — |
| Company | ||
| Headquarters | Austin, USA | New York, USA |
About Apex Trader Funding
Futures-focused funded trader program using NinjaTrader and Rithmic. Popular for low-cost evaluations and frequent discount promotions.
Full Apex Trader Funding profile →About Tower Research Capital
Quantitative proprietary trading firm and global market maker founded by Mark Gorton. Operates high-frequency strategies across equities, futures, options, and currencies from offices in New York, London, and across Asia.
Full Tower Research Capital 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
canonical- Sources used
- 1
- Confidence
- medium
Weighted blend of independent trader-review sources. See methodology.
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
canonical- Sources used
- 1
- Confidence
- low
Weighted blend of independent trader-review sources. See methodology.
Rule Stability
last 90dWe do not currently have enough monitored public rule sources for this firm to report rule-change activity honestly.
Frequently asked
Common questions
- Which has a higher profit split — Apex Trader Funding or Tower Research Capital?
- Apex Trader Funding pays 100%; Tower Research Capital pays 50% of trader profits once funded. Apex Trader Funding pays a higher share to the trader.
- Is Apex Trader Funding cheaper to start than Tower Research Capital?
- Apex Trader Funding: evaluation from $17–$300/month (frequent 80–90% off promos). Tower Research Capital: evaluation pricing varies.
- Which pays out faster — Apex Trader Funding or Tower Research Capital?
- Apex Trader Funding payouts: Bi-weekly (up to 2 per month, every 8 days). Tower Research Capital payouts: Annual bonus. First-payout eligibility: Apex Trader Funding — 8 days after first PA trade, 5 winning days $50+; Tower Research Capital — n/a.
- What's the maximum allocation at Apex Trader Funding vs Tower Research Capital?
- Apex Trader Funding scales up to $300,000. Tower Research Capital scales up to Institutional only.
- Can I trade news at Apex Trader Funding or Tower Research Capital?
- Apex Trader Funding: permits news trading. Tower Research Capital: permits news trading.
- Can I hold positions overnight at Apex Trader Funding or Tower Research Capital?
- Apex Trader Funding: does not allow overnight holds. Tower Research Capital: allows overnight holds.
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