The true cost of an evaluation

The number in the big green button is the best-case cost — one attempt, passed first try, no extras. Most traders pay more than that. Here’s the full picture so you can budget honestly.

The costs beyond the sticker price

1. The evaluation fee (often heavily discounted)

The headline fee is usually shown after a promo code. Discounts of 50–90% are routine and more or less permanent, so the “original” price is mostly a reference point. Use the post-code price as your real number — and only codes from the firm’s own site (see our offers policy; we don’t list third-party coupon codes).

2. Reset fees — the big hidden one

Fail a rule and you usually pay again to retry — either the full fee or a discounted “reset.” Since most traders don’t pass on the first attempt, your realistic cost is:

fee × expected number of attempts

If a $50 evaluation takes you three tries, it’s a $150 evaluation. Plan for it.

3. Activation / funded-account fees

Some firms (common among futures firms) charge a one-time activation fee or a monthly fee to keep the funded account live — sometimes including platform/market data fees. A “cheap” evaluation can carry an ongoing cost once you pass.

4. Add-ons

Optional upgrades that cost extra: a higher profit split, faster/larger payouts, a relaxed drawdown, or news-trading permission. Useful sometimes — but they’re real money, not features included in the base price.

5. Payout timing as a cost

Slow or infrequent payouts tie up money you’ve earned. A firm with a 14-day-minimum cycle and a first-payout waiting period has a real, if hidden, cost versus an on-demand firm. We track payout speed as a first-class metric for this reason.

A simple budgeting formula

True cost ≈ (post-code fee × expected attempts)
          + activation / monthly / data fees
          + any add-ons you'll actually buy

Run that for two or three firms and the “cheapest” one often changes.

Before you pay

1. Find the reset fee — is it full price or discounted?
2. Check for activation/monthly/data fees on the funded account.
3. Confirm which “features” are add-ons with a price tag.
4. Use the firm’s own discount code, and screenshot the terms.

Compare real all-in cost, not sticker price, on the compare page.

Bottom line: Budget for resets and post-pass fees from day one. The honest price of getting funded is rarely the price on the button.