Fees are the quiet drain on a prop trader’s returns. You can take winning trades all month and still see very little hit your bank account if you haven’t accounted for what the firm, the platform, and the exchange take along the way. The headline challenge price is rarely the whole story. Before you commit to any prop firm, it’s worth knowing the full list of charges you might face, so you can budget for the real cost rather than the advertised one.
Here’s a rundown of the fees to watch, what they typically run, and when they apply. Some are universal, some show up mainly in futures, and some are specific to forex and CFD firms.
| Fee | Typical range | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluation / challenge fee | A few hundred to a few thousand dollars | To start the evaluation |
| Reset / retry fee | Around $60 to $80 | After failing a challenge |
| Live account activation fee | $0 to around $800 | One-time, at funding |
| Monthly subscription / maintenance | Varies | Recurring, while active |
| Profit split | Firm keeps roughly 10% to 50% | On every payout |
| Trading commissions | About $3 to $4 per contract per side (futures) | Every trade |
| Data feed / exchange fees | Around $130 per month per exchange (futures) | Funded stage |
| Platform fees | Varies (often free in challenge) | Mainly live trading |
| Withdrawal fees | Often waived above a minimum | On payout |
| Spread markups | Varies (forex/CFD) | Every trade |
The Entry Fees
Evaluation or challenge fee. This is the cost to start. Prop firms require you to pass a challenge or evaluation before they fund you, and that entry fee usually scales with the size of the account you’re after, running anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. One detail that catches people out: in the futures space the challenge fee is often a recurring monthly charge, not a one-time payment, and the subscription does not cancel itself. If you don’t want to be billed for another month, you have to cancel it yourself.
Reset or retry fee. If you fail a challenge, most firms let you reset and try again rather than buying a whole new one. Resets typically run around $60 to $80. There’s a small strategic angle here: if you’re on a pricier monthly challenge, paying a cheaper reset can be the more economical way to start fresh rather than waiting for and paying the next full monthly bill.
Live account activation fee. Increased competition has pushed challenge prices down, and one way firms recoup costs is a one-time activation fee charged once you pass and move to a funded account. The range is wide, from $0 up to around $800, depending on the firm and account size.
The Ongoing Costs
Monthly subscription or maintenance fee. Some firms charge a recurring fee that grants access to their platform, real-time data, and support tools. The amount varies with the services and account type, and it keeps draining whether or not you’re trading well.
Profit split. This isn’t labeled a fee, but it functions as one. On a funded account you share your profits with the firm, so a 90/10 split means you keep 90% and the firm takes 10% of everything you withdraw. The higher your share, the less this costs you, but it’s a real ongoing deduction from your earnings.
Trading commissions. Often glossed over, but every buy and sell costs you. In futures, standard contracts typically run about $3 to $4 per contract per side, so a full round turn (in and out) is roughly $6 to $8 per contract. Micro futures are cheaper, around $1 per contract. On top of that sit small clearing and regulatory fees charged per trade and contract by other institutions. These apply during challenges and on funded accounts alike.
Data feed and exchange fees. During the evaluation, the data feed is usually free. Once you’re funded and trading a real-money account, the exchange treats you as a professional trader, which triggers high real-time market data fees, roughly $130 per month per futures exchange such as the CME, CBOT, or NYMEX. Note that this money goes to the exchange, not the prop firm.
Platform fees. Many firms offer a proprietary or white-labeled platform free of charge, and third-party platforms are often free during the challenge. The catch comes at the live stage: a platform like NinjaTrader is free to use during evaluation but can require a monthly subscription or a license purchase once you’re trading real money.
The Costs That Hide
Withdrawal fees. Getting your profits to your bank can carry a cost, and it varies by firm. Many waive the fee once you withdraw above a certain minimum, often around $250, but you should confirm the exact threshold and any per-method charges with your firm.
Spread markups. In forex and CFD trading especially, a firm might advertise no upfront fee but widen the spreads on your trades. That markup is a hidden cost that adds up fast and quietly erodes your net profit, so it’s worth checking the spreads behind the platform, not just the listed fees.
Think in Total Cost, Not Headline Price
The single biggest mistake is judging a firm by its evaluation fee alone. A cheap challenge can become expensive once you stack monthly maintenance, platform fees, higher commissions, and a low profit split, while a pricier-looking challenge with an achievable target, a generous split, and a fee that’s refunded on passing can be the better deal overall.
A practical approach is to add up every potential charge and amortize it monthly, which gives you a realistic picture of the true cost of trading with that firm. It’s also worth noting that failed challenges compound the cost: every reset or fresh evaluation fee you pay along the way is money out the door before you ever reach a payout. A firm that refunds the evaluation fee on success is one way that risk gets reduced.
The Bottom Line
As a prop trader, the fees to budget for include the evaluation or challenge fee, reset fees, a live account activation fee, any monthly subscription, the profit split, trading commissions, exchange data feeds, platform fees, withdrawal fees, and, in forex and CFD trading, spread markups. Individually many of them look small. Together they’re the difference between a strategy that looks profitable on the chart and one that actually puts money in your pocket. Read the full fee schedule before you pay, and calculate your real costs rather than the advertised ones.