Bots on funded accounts: what Apex, Topstep and others allow
By InverMind · Updated June 2026
More and more people want to run automated strategies on funded accounts (prop firms). The key question is whether they allow it, and the honest answer is: it depends on the firm and it changes over time. The only reliable source is YOUR firm's current rules, not a forum post or a vendor.
We do not claim that Apex, Topstep or any other firm allows or forbids a specific bot. Their rules change frequently. Verify it on their official site and, if in doubt, ask them in writing before risking an evaluation.
What tends to vary between firms
Some distinguish between full and semi-automation; some require you to be present supervising; others forbid specific behaviors like copy trading across accounts or exploiting latency. Don't assume anything: each firm has its own rulebook and updates it.
What makes a strategy fit funded accounts better
Intraday with no overnight: avoids gap risk and overnight margins.
Clear per-trade risk management, compatible with the daily loss limit.
Controlled drawdown, so it doesn't clash with the account's trailing drawdown.
ORB fits this profile —it is intraday and closes the same day, with no overnight exposure— but that does not replace checking your firm's specific rules.
The expensive mistake
Passing the evaluation with a bot and then trading differently, or using a risk configuration that clashes with the trailing drawdown. What you test must be what you trade.
We can't speak for them and their rules change. Check their official site or ask them directly before using any automation.
It is intraday and closes the same day, which fits many rules, but verify your firm's rules and test it free for 30 days on that account before committing the evaluation.
ORB: an automated ORB strategy with public, real results
Traded on a live account, with the full trade log published and updated weekly. Try it free for 30 days before you decide.
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Risk Disclosure: Futures and forex trading involves substantial risk and is not appropriate for all investors. An investor could potentially lose all or more than the initial investment. Risk capital is money that can be lost without jeopardizing one's financial security or lifestyle. Only risk capital should be used for trading and only those with sufficient risk capital should consider trading. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results.
Hypothetical Performance Disclosure: Hypothetical performance results have many inherent limitations, some of which are described below. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those shown. In fact, there are frequently sharp differences between hypothetical performance results and the actual results subsequently achieved by any particular trading program. One of the limitations of hypothetical performance results is that they are generally prepared with the benefit of hindsight. In addition, hypothetical trading does not involve financial risk, and no hypothetical trading record can completely account for the impact of financial risk in actual trading. For example, the ability to withstand losses or to adhere to a particular trading program in spite of trading losses are material points which can also adversely affect actual trading results. There are numerous other factors related to the markets in general or to the implementation of any specific trading program which cannot be fully accounted for in the preparation of hypothetical performance results and all of which can adversely affect actual trading results.
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