Firms advertise a single number: the challenge fee. Almost nobody pays it once. Activation fees on funding, monthly platform charges and exchange data fees on futures accounts are all real money that leaves your account and none of them appear on the pricing page.
True cost
Costs
The full cost of reaching one funded account, rather than the price of one evaluation. Fee × attempts, less any discount, plus activation, data and platform fees that appear after you pass.
How firms apply it
What it means for your trading
Compare firms on cost per funded account, not on the headline fee. A $29 futures evaluation with a $130 monthly data bill is not cheaper than a $155 forex evaluation with no ongoing fees if you hold the account for a year.
Work this out for your account
What a funded account really costs after failed attempts and fees.
Related terms