Activation Fee
A one-time or monthly charge to switch on your funded account after passing — budget for it and it's a non-issue.
An activation fee is what some firms charge to turn on your funded account once you’ve passed the evaluation. It can be a one-time payment or a recurring monthly one, depending on the firm’s model, and it’s usually presented as the cost of provisioning your live-trading environment.
There’s nothing sinister about it — it’s a business model choice. Firms that charge activation typically run cheaper evaluations; firms with no activation fee typically charge more upfront. What matters is that you know which model you’re buying into before you pass, so you’re never surprised at the finish line.
The way to compare firms honestly is total cost to your first payout:
| Firm A model | Firm B model | |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluation fee | $100 | $175 |
| Activation fee | $130 (one-time) | $0 |
| Monthly data fees | $15 | $0 |
| Cost to first payout (month 1) | $245 | $175 |
| Cost over 6 funded months | $320 | $175 |
Cheap upfront isn’t always cheap. Add the whole stack — evaluation, activation, data, any reset fees — and compare the total against your realistic monthly profit.
Now the reassuring part: put these numbers next to the upside. A $245 all-in cost against a funded account that returns $1,800 on a modest 4% month is not a meaningful obstacle. It’s a rounding error on a single good week. The reason to know your fee stack isn’t fear — it’s so you pick the firm whose model actually fits how you’ll trade.
Two things to confirm: whether the fee is one-time or recurring, and whether it’s refunded or credited against your first payout (some firms do this).
Full breakdown in Activation and Data Fees, and compare fee structures in our directory.