Apex Trader Funding: are bots allowed? 2026 rules

Last verified: October 12, 2026

The short answer

Prohibited. The "Prohibited Activities" page of the Apex Trader Funding help center (now referred to simply as Apex) contains a rule titled "No Automation or Algorithm Usage allowed". It explains that rewards are intended for human traders who are actively engaged in their own learning, not for automated systems that execute preprogrammed logic. It refers to the user agreement for further details.

The user agreement goes further: every order must be initiated manually by the trader, through a separate and deliberate action for each order (section "Manual Order Submission Requirement"). The Apex Live program FAQ repeats the rule: "Automation and algorithm usage are not allowed in the live program." These pages were read online on October 12, 2026 (links at the bottom of the article). Since rules can change, always confirm with Apex support for a specific tool.

What the official texts say

The Prohibited Activities page sums up the rule in two sentences, with no technical definition. It is Apex's user agreement that sets out the framework. It requires that the order be entered and confirmed personally by the trader, and prohibits the use of any tool, script, macro or system that preprograms, batch-submits, preloads, auto-executes or modifies orders, in whole or in part. The following are cited as prohibited:

• the use of automation devices that execute or mimic manual order entry;
• the use of preconfigured bots, scripts or strategies that place, modify or cancel orders based on predefined conditions, signals or market events;
• the submission or modification of orders by a system without your personal review and approval, in real time, at the moment of the action.

The same text limits permitted automation to four cases: tools that generate alerts or signals without placing, modifying or canceling orders; the platform's native orders (stop-loss, take-profit) that you configure manually at entry; charting or analysis software that doesn't interact with the order entry interface; and automated copy trading under conditions (see below).

Around the automation rule, the Prohibited Activities page also prohibits:

• high-frequency trading (HFT) and any exploitation of the simulated environment: erroneous fills, exceeding the allowed number of contracts, orders open on both sides of the market in the hope of a chance gain;
• copying trades with other traders, as well as sharing MAC addresses, computers, IPs or bank cards;
• hedging in all its forms: simultaneous long and short positions on the same instrument or a correlated instrument;
• creating multiple user accounts and having someone other than the account holder access the account;
• VPNs, proxies and cloud servers used to hide your identity, your device or your location in order to evade the rules.

The same page specifies that trading during news remains permitted for your usual strategy, but prohibits "news trading" strategies that chase the market or place orders on both sides to bet on the outcome of a news release.

What's allowed, what isn't

Prohibited:

• Any bot, script, macro or preconfigured strategy that places, modifies or cancels orders based on conditions, signals or market events (user agreement). In our reading of this text, a tool that turns an alert into an order (webhook, script, EA) falls into this category.
• HFT and trading that exploits the simulator.
• Copying trades from, to or between another person's or a third party's accounts, directly or indirectly (user agreement).

Permitted:

• Manual trading, with stops (pending or mental orders) and defined risk management.
• Alert or signal tools, as long as they don't place, modify or cancel any order.
• The platform's native stop-loss and take-profit orders, configured manually at entry, and charting or analysis software that doesn't interact with order entry.
• Automated copy trading between your own accounts, under the conditions below.

The copier between your own accounts: the conditions

The user agreement only allows automated copy trading if all of these conditions are met:

• you manually enter every order in a single originating account ("Originating Account"), which you actively control during the session;
• that originating account uses no automation, bot, script or preprogrammed logic;
• the copying applies only to accounts of which you are the sole owner and controller;
• you don't share your activity, your signals, or your bot, algorithm or copying tool with another user or a third party;
• the copied accounts replicate the originating account's orders exactly, without being separately automated or modified.

Apex documents the copier built into Tradovate (Group Trade): it is activated automatically as soon as you have several active Tradovate accounts, doesn't accept bracket orders (ATM) and can't be used in TradingView. For bracket orders, Apex points to NinjaTrader. In the live program FAQ, "group trading" appears among the practices that aren't permitted, with no definition: ask support before using a group copier on a live account.

Penalties

The user agreement states that any violation of this section can result in immediate termination of the account and the loss of pending or unpaid rewards, at the discretion of Apex, which may monitor all trading activity. The live program FAQ states that a rule violation can result in the closure, termination and loss of the live account and all balances, including the simulated balances tracked in the Bonus Vault. For copying trades with other traders, the Prohibited Activities page mentions account closure, loss of funds and additional checks or audits.

An undated help center page titled "Legacy Performance Account (PA) Compliance" repeats the prohibition (AI, autobots, algorithms, fully automated systems, HFT) and states that Apex strongly encourages submitting the software for approval before use. It specifies that the results of a copier or an external program are the trader's sole responsibility.

What the pages read don't document

The pages read set no numerical limit for bots (number of trades, minimum holding time, latency) and define no HFT threshold: the rule is a manual-entry requirement, not a numerical framework. Apex's Terms of Use don't mention automation. The pages read document neither a trading API nor a VPS provided by Apex. Apex does, however, document the Tradovate API request limit: logging in, opening modules, placing, modifying or canceling an order count as requests, and in group trading each action on each account may count separately. Apex specifies that this limit is set and enforced by Tradovate.

As for platforms, the help center states that Tradovate accounts are accessible via NinjaTrader, Tradovate (web, desktop, mobile) and TradingView (web, desktop, mobile), and also mentions Rithmic and WealthCharts. The user agreement specifies that the accounts are simulated and provided through a third-party trading platform.

To compare with other firms, see our comparison of futures prop firms, the case of Tradeify and the algo account survey.

Are there differences depending on the account type?

Apex offers evaluations, simulated Performance Accounts (PA), then an Apex Live program accessible by invitation, at Apex's discretion (user agreement). The rule appears in the general list of prohibited activities, with no distinction by account type. The user agreement applies it to all trading activity carried out under the services, including on third-party platforms, and the live program FAQ repeats it. The EOD evaluations page states that all trading must follow Apex's risk and conduct rules. None of the pages read allows automation on any particular account type.

Frequently asked questions

Sources read on October 12, 2026

• Prohibited Activities (Apex help center)
• User Agreement (Apex Trader Funding Inc.)
• Apex Live Prop Trading Program FAQ
• Tradovate Group Copier
• Tradovate API Request Limit
• Tradovate Frequently Asked Questions
• Legacy Performance Account (PA) Compliance
• How Many Paid/Funded Accounts Am I Allowed to Have?
• EOD Evaluations
• Terms of Use

Written by the Firmup team · Information on other prop firms gathered from their official sites in October 2026 and subject to change: always verify current terms before purchasing · Last updated: October 2026