Prop Firm Reset Fees Explained
Most traders don't pass their first evaluation, which makes the reset fee, the price of wiping a failed eval back to its starting state, one of the most-paid and least-shopped numbers in prop trading. Firms know the eval price is what gets compared, so resets are where cost structures quietly diverge.
Sometimes a reset is a bargain, sometimes it costs more than simply buying a fresh account at the current discount, and on some plans it doesn't exist at all. Here's how resets work across the firms we track, with the actual numbers, and how to budget for the attempts you'll realistically need.
What a reset actually is
A reset restores a failed (or struggling) evaluation to its original state: starting balance, full drawdown, progress wiped. You keep the same account and plan rather than purchasing a new evaluation from scratch. Functionally it's a do-over at a price the firm sets separately from the eval itself.
Resets exist because failure is the common case and firms would rather sell you a second attempt than lose you to a competitor. That's worth remembering when you shop: the eval price is the cost of your first attempt, but the reset fee is the cost of every attempt after that. For most traders, the second number gets paid more often.
Real reset prices across firms
Tradeify's Growth resets scale with size: $60 (25K), $95 (50K), $169 (100K), and $229 (150K); its Select plans run $65/$99/$155/$215. Alpha Futures' Zero plan resets for $45 (25K), $71 (50K), and $142 (100K), among the cheapest in our data relative to account size.
Lucid Trading prices resets almost identically to the eval itself: the 50K LucidPro costs $111 and resets for $110.40; the 150K costs $222 and resets for $220.50. FundedNext's futures plans put resets near the sticker too, the Futures Flex 50K resets for $77.99, and the Futures Legacy 25K for $73.99.
TradeDay's resets slightly undercut its monthly subscription: the 50K QuickPay Intraday is $62 per month with a $60 reset, and the 100K is $115 per month with a $110 reset. Topstep's resets match its monthly fee exactly, $49 on the 50K, $99 on the 100K, $199 on the 150K.
Reset vs buying new: do the math every time
Here's the trap: heavy promo discounts can make a brand-new eval cheaper than a reset. Tradeify's 50K Growth currently sells for $87 with the 40% TICKSHIFT discount, while the reset on that same account is $95, buying fresh saves you $8 and hands you a clean account besides. FundedNext's Futures Flex 50K shows the same inversion: $69.99 for a new eval against a $77.99 reset.
The comparison flips where discounts are smaller. Alpha Futures' Zero 50K sells for $89.25 while its reset is $71, there the reset is clearly the better buy. The rule is simple: before paying any reset, check the current promo price of the identical new account. Discount cycles change which side wins, so yesterday's answer may not be today's.
One practical note for monthly-billed plans: a reset restarts you immediately, mid-cycle, rather than waiting for your subscription to renew. On a plan like Topstep's, where the reset equals the monthly fee, what you're really buying is time, the ability to get back in today instead of on your billing date.
Plans where resets don't apply
Not every plan lists a reset. In our data, Apex Trader Funding, My Funded Futures, and Take Profit Trader evals show no reset fee, failing generally means starting a new account or riding the subscription cycle. That sounds worse than it is: with Apex's near-permanent 90% discounts, a fresh 50K Intraday eval is $24.90, cheaper than almost any reset fee anywhere else.
Instant funding plans sit outside the reset system entirely. Tradeify's Lightning, Alpha Futures' Direct, and Lucid's LucidDirect have no reset because there's no evaluation to reset, blowing the account means repurchasing at full price ($295, $389.25, and $312 respectively at the 50K size). That's the hidden cost of skipping the eval: your do-overs are priced at the instant-funding premium, not at a reset discount.
Budgeting for failure like a professional
Price every plan as a three-attempt package, not a single ticket. Tradeify's 50K Growth: $87 plus two $87 rebuys (cheaper than the $95 reset at current discounts) is $261. Alpha Zero 50K: $89.25 plus two $71 resets is $231.25. Apex 50K Intraday Standard: three attempts at $24.90 is $74.70, plus the $79 activation when you finally pass. The cheapest first attempt and the cheapest three-attempt package are often different plans.
This framing also settles the eval-versus-instant question with real numbers: three attempts at Tradeify Growth 50K ($261) still costs less than one Lightning 50K instant account ($295), but only just, and a fourth attempt flips it.
Finally, treat the reset budget as part of your risk plan, not an emergency expense. Decide before attempt one how many attempts the strategy deserves. A trader who pre-commits to three attempts and stops is running a business; a trader who resets indefinitely on tilt is funding the firm, not the other way around.