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Apex No Activation Fee accounts: what they actually cost.
Apex now offers two ways to pay for a Performance Account: the Standard path with a separate activation fee after passing, or a No Activation Fee bundle with the cost folded into the evaluation price. Here is the real cost across all eight combinations, and the sizes where No Activation Fee is not actually the cheaper choice.
Two ways to pay for the same Performance Account.
Apex evaluations have always required two payments to reach a funded account: the evaluation fee upfront, and a separate activation fee after passing. Since mid-2026, Apex added a second option. On the No Activation Fee tier, that second payment is removed entirely. The activation cost is instead built into a higher evaluation price paid at the very start.
This is not a discount and not a different product. The Performance Account you end up with is identical either way. What changes is only when and how you pay, and in some cases, the total amount.
Two payments
- Lower evaluation fee upfront
- Separate activation fee after passing
- Activation fee: $89–$149 by size (Intraday), $109–$159 by size (EOD)
- 7-day window to pay activation after passing
One payment
- Higher evaluation fee upfront
- Activation fee: $0
- Still a 7-day window to activate, just at no cost
- Same profit target, drawdown, and rules as Standard
Both paths use code ONKAGNVZ. Both are one-time fee purchases with 30 calendar days of evaluation access, no resets, and no rebilling. The only variable is the fee structure and, as the next section shows, the total cost.
What the separate activation fee actually costs, by size.
Before comparing totals, it helps to see the Standard activation fee on its own. It is not a flat number across the board the way it is sometimes described. Both Intraday and EOD scale with account size.
| Account size | Standard Intraday activation | Standard EOD activation |
|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | $89 | $109 |
| $50,000 | $99 | $129 |
| $100,000 | $129 | $129 |
| $150,000 | $149 | $159 |
All eight combinations, side by side.
The table below shows the discounted evaluation price with ONKAGNVZ for both paths, the activation fee added on the Standard path, and the resulting total cost to a funded account. The cheaper total for each row is highlighted.
| Size / Type | Standard eval | + Activation | Standard total | No-Fee eval | No-Fee total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25K Intraday | $16.70 | $89 | $105.70 | $69.00 | $69.00 |
| 50K Intraday | $24.90 | $99 | $123.90 | $79.90 | $79.90 |
| 100K Intraday | $79.00 | $129 | $208.00 | $99.90 | $99.90 |
| 150K Intraday | $119.00 | $149 | $268.00 | $189.00 | $189.00 |
| 25K EOD | $49.00 | $109 | $158.00 | $109.00 | $109.00 |
| 50K EOD | $59.00 | $129 | $188.00 | $119.00 | $119.00 |
| 100K EOD | $119.00 | $129 | $248.00 | $159.00 | $159.00 |
| 150K EOD | $219.00 | $159 | $378.00 | $249.00 | $249.00 |
With code ONKAGNVZ, and assuming you pass on the first attempt, No Activation Fee is the cheaper total on all eight combinations. The result flips at list price: without a coupon, the Standard evaluation plus its activation fee is cheaper on every size (for example $256 against $690 on the 25K Intraday). The reason is that the 90% discount applies only to the evaluation, so a bundle that folds the activation fee into the evaluation price gets discounted too. If a sale is not running, check both prices before buying. If you expect to need several attempts, Standard's lower evaluation price can win again, which the Apex cost calculator works out for your pass rate.
Every trading rule is identical between the two paths.
The fee structure is the only thing that changes. Confirmed directly from the account rules cards on both versions of every size:
| Rule | Standard | No Activation Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Profit target, drawdown, contracts | Identical by size | Identical by size |
| Consistency rule | 50% | 50% |
| Payout split | 100% | 100% |
| Max payout requests | 6 | 6 |
| Max accounts | 20 | 20 |
| Activation deadline | 7 days from eval pass | 7 days from eval pass |
| Payout frequency | 5 trading days | 5 trading days |
A common assumption is that "no activation fee" means no activation step at all. That is not the case. You still have exactly 7 calendar days from when your evaluation is marked Passed to activate your Performance Account. The only difference is that step costs $0 instead of a fixed fee. Missing the 7-day window still closes the opportunity permanently, whether you chose Standard or No Activation Fee. The full mechanics of that deadline, including how the clock starts after market close rather than when you hit your target, are covered in the Apex activation fee guide.
5-pack pricing on No Activation Fee evaluations.
Apex offers a 5-pack bundle checkout on most No Activation Fee sizes, letting you purchase five evaluations in a single transaction at a lower per-unit price than buying one at a time. This is useful for traders planning a multi-account strategy from the start, since it avoids five separate checkout flows.
The 5-pack option is available on every No Activation Fee size and drawdown type except 100K and 150K EOD, which are single-purchase only on the public checkout as of this writing. If you are planning to scale using larger EOD accounts specifically, factor in that each purchase will be a separate transaction. The rules governing how many accounts you can run and the household 20-account ceiling are covered in the Apex copy trading and multiple accounts guide.
Does the platform you choose affect the No Activation Fee tier?
Apex offers three selectable platforms at checkout: Rithmic, Tradovate, and WealthCharts. NinjaTrader is not a separate purchase option, it is a charting front-end that connects through the Rithmic data feed, the same relationship covered in the Apex NinjaTrader setup guide.
Based on the structure of the checkout flow, where fee tier and account size are selected before platform choice as a separate step, No Activation Fee accounts are available across all three platforms rather than restricted to one. The fee tier and the platform are independent selections.
Whichever platform you select, Rithmic, Tradovate, or WealthCharts, it cannot be changed after purchase on either fee tier. Converting between platforms is not possible due to differences in account setup, data routing, and fee structures. If you are undecided between platforms, the Apex EOD vs Intraday guide and the individual Tradovate and WealthCharts setup guides cover the practical differences before you commit to either fee tier.
Picking the right path for your account size.
While the 90% sale runs, No Activation Fee is the clear pick
Both the total cost and the simplicity favor No Activation Fee at every size with the coupon applied. One payment, no need to remember a second charge after passing, and it is the cheaper option outright: $69 against $105.70 on the 25K Intraday, $249 against $378 on the 150K EOD.
Outside a sale, check the math before buying
At list price the intuitive choice is wrong. The Standard evaluation plus its activation fee beats the No Activation Fee bundle on every size (for example $919 against $999 on the 100K Intraday). Do not assume "no fee" means "cheaper" without checking whether a discount is live.
If you are not confident you will pass, Standard reduces capital at risk
Standard's lower evaluation price means less money committed before you know whether you will pass. If your strategy is unproven or you are testing a new approach, that lower upfront exposure may matter more than the eventual total cost.
On EOD accounts the gap is widest
With the coupon, No Activation Fee saves $49 on the 25K EOD ($109 against $158) and $129 on the 150K EOD ($249 against $378).
Both the Standard and No Activation Fee paths are available across all four account sizes and both drawdown types. Code ONKAGNVZ applies to either option during the current active sale.
Compare current pricing →