At a glance
- Separate one-time charges from recurring charges.
- Model resets and activation explicitly instead of assuming they are included.
- Keep prices in one currency and compare the same time horizon.
Build a small cost ledger
Start with the amount charged today. Then list recurring evaluation subscriptions, data or platform fees, reset charges, activation after passing, add-ons and checkout taxes. Mark a charge as unknown when the published offer does not settle it. Do not substitute zero for missing information.
Use the same account size, account stage, coupon status and currency on both sides. If you convert currencies, record the conversion rate and date separately. A monthly charge is not directly comparable with a one-time fee until you select a number of billing periods.
Worked example: two hypothetical offers
Offer A costs $80 per month plus $120 activation. Offer B costs $290 once and includes activation. Ignore taxes, resets and platform costs for this example.
| Evaluation duration | Offer A, including activation | Offer B |
|---|---|---|
| 1 billing period | $200 | $290 |
| 2 billing periods | $280 | $290 |
| 3 billing periods | $360 | $290 |
The spending order changes between the second and third periods. That does not predict which offer you will pass or whether either fits your strategy. It only exposes what the stated billing assumptions imply.
Read the rebill and cancellation rules
A failed evaluation and a canceled subscription are not necessarily the same event. Check whether a failed account keeps renewing, what a reset changes, and whether multiple purchased accounts have separate billing entries.
As a concrete example of a recurring product, Topstep describes its Trading Combine as a subscription with a rebill schedule and dashboard cancellation. Its pricing documentation distinguishes payment paths and activation charges. Use the current product terms for the precise offer.1, 2
Use a reproducible formula
Total scenario cost = one-time entry + monthly charge × billing periods + reset fee × resets + activation + other charges. Only include activation if that event is part of your scenario. A failed or canceled scenario may have a different ledger.
The cost calculator makes these assumptions visible. It does not estimate passing probabilities, future profits, currency conversion or taxes. Save the scenario alongside the source URLs so another person can reproduce it.
Sources & dates
Primary pages accessed on . A source can change after publication. The examples above are not a claim about a program’s current price.
Promoted · QATSCompare QATS monthly and one-time options
Compare QATS monthly and one-time evaluation plans. Standard fees in our reference start at $69 per month.
- One-step evaluation
- 80% profit split
- Monthly or one-time fees
Put this guide to work
Keep monthly and one-time scenarios in the same currency and time horizon.
Model a cost scenario →Follow the compare costs and payouts reading path for the next guide and its context.
Continue your comparison
- Topstep: programs, rules and source links
- QATS: programs, rules and source links
- FTMO: programs, rules and source links
PropFirmMatcher is affiliated with QATS. This is not an independent rating or a recommendation to purchase an evaluation. Read our methodology.