Last updated: 2 October 2026 Is a prop firm cheaper than trading your own account? This calculator compares a futures prop evaluation (fees, activation and profit split, quoted from each firm) with funding the same risk yourself (your deposit and the interest it could earn, from FRED). Every assumption is labelled A1–A7 below.
Passing first time, the prop route is cheaper unless you make roughly $1,050–$1,690 over 6 months. The own account pulls ahead above $1,047 of gross profit (Tradeify Growth 50K), $1,577 (Topstep 50K) or $1,687 (MyFundedFutures Rapid 50K). Below those amounts, the prop firm’s profit share costs you less than its fees. Assumptions A1–A7 apply.
At each firm’s own average pass rate, those break-even points rise to $4,003 (Topstep, 5.95 attempts) and $8,022 (Tradeify, 5.81 attempts). Assumption A5: this treats the firm’s reported average as your odds.
Holding $2,000 in your own account gives up only about $40.30 of interest over 6 months, at the 3-month T-bill rate of 4.03% (FRED DTB3, 2026-09-30). That is small next to prop fees, which run from $145 to $441.
The bigger difference is downside. On the prop route you can lose no more than the fees. In your own account you can lose the whole deposit. And a 10% profit share costs more the more you earn.
Calculator
The presets use list prices quoted below. Change any field to match your plan, promo code or broker.
Break-even table (6 months, $2,000 deposit)
| Firm and plan | Scenario | Prop fees | Interest given up (own account) | Own account wins above this gross profit | Downside |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topstep Trading Combine 50K (Standard Path) | pass first time | $198.00 | $40.30 | $1,577 | $2,000 of your money vs $198.00 in fees |
| Topstep Trading Combine 50K (Standard Path) | firm average pass rate (5.95 attempts) | $440.55 | $40.30 | $4,003 | $2,000 of your money vs $440.55 in fees |
| MyFundedFutures Rapid 50K | pass first time | $209.00 | $40.30 | $1,687 | $2,000 of your money vs $209.00 in fees |
| Tradeify Growth 50K | pass first time | $145.00 | $40.30 | $1,047 | $2,000 of your money vs $145.00 in fees |
| Tradeify Growth 50K | firm average pass rate (5.81 attempts) | $842.45 | $40.30 | $8,022 | $2,000 of your money vs $842.45 in fees |
Break-even profit = (prop fees − interest given up) ÷ (1 − profit split). Above it, the profit share you’d hand the firm costs more than the fees and interest. Apex and Take Profit Trader aren’t preset: Apex doesn’t publish its activation fee, and we couldn’t find Take Profit Trader’s monthly test price in today’s saved pages. You can still enter either by hand.
Assumptions (labelled)
- A1: Own-account deposit = $2,000, the same as the $2,000 max drawdown on all three preset 50K plans. The idea is that you’d risk the same amount of your own money. Real futures margin for the same position size may require more.
- A2: Opportunity cost = deposit × the 3-month T-bill rate (4.03% on 2026-09-30, FRED series DTB3) × months / 12. This is simple interest and ignores taxes.
- A3: Time period = 6 months.
- A4: Commissions, exchange and data fees are left out on both sides. They vary by broker and platform.
- A5: “Attempts” = 1 (pass first time) or 1 ÷ the firm’s own reported pass rate. The second case treats the firm’s average as your odds. For Topstep’s monthly billing, each attempt is counted as one $49 month.
- A6: Profit = the same gross trading profit on both sides, and the prop payout = profit × the stated split. We ignore payout buffers, minimums and caps (see the Payout Friction Index), and that prop accounts are simulated.
- A7: List prices only. Promo codes would lower prop costs.
Sources
| Firm | Firm’s wording | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Topstep | “50K $49/month” | Firm page |
| Topstep | “$149 Activation Fee charged once per Express Funded Account (XFA) earned” | Firm page |
| Topstep | “90/10 profit split — you keep 90%” | Firm page |
| Topstep | “16.8% of all Trading Combines initiated were successfully completed” | Firm page |
| MyFundedFutures | “$209” | Firm page |
| MyFundedFutures | “No activation fee. No renewals.” | Firm page |
| MyFundedFutures | “Earn 90% for Rapid sim funded plans” | Firm page |
| Tradeify | “price: 145” | Firm page |
| Tradeify | “['Activation Fee', 'None'” | Firm page |
| Tradeify | “['Trailing Max Drawdown (EOD)', '$2,000'” | Firm page |
| Tradeify | “Traders receive 90% of the payout amount requested.” | Archived firm page |
| Tradeify | “17.2% of evaluation accounts initiated were successfully completed” | Firm page |
| FRED | 3-Month Treasury Bill Secondary Market Rate, Discount Basis: 4.03% (2026-09-30). For reference, the Federal Funds Effective Rate was 3.88% (2026-09-30). | FRED DTB3 |
Related: True Cost Index, Payout Friction Index, Drawdown vs Volatility. This is arithmetic on stated prices, not financial advice.
How to cite this
Prop Data Lab, “Prop Firm vs Own Account Cost Calculator”, updated 2 October 2026, https://propdatalab.com/prop-firm-vs-own-account-cost-calculator/
The table and the CSV are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: copy, chart or republish them, commercial use included, as long as you link back to this page.
Common questions
Is a prop firm cheaper than trading my own futures account?
It depends on how much you make. With our labelled assumptions ($2,000 deposit, 6 months, list prices, passing first time), your own account comes out ahead only above about $1,047-$1,687 of gross profit. Below that, the prop route costs less. On the prop route you can lose no more than the fees, while your own account can lose the whole deposit.
What does it cost to keep $2,000 in a trading account?
At the 3-month T-bill rate of 4.03% (FRED DTB3, 2026-09-30), about $40.30 of interest given up over 6 months.
Why do pass rates matter for the comparison?
Failed attempts add fees. At Topstep's reported 16.8% pass rate, the average works out to 5.95 attempts, which raises the break-even profit to about $4,003.