Firm breakdown

Topstep

Chicago, IL · Founded 2012 · topstep.com

Rules verified against Topstep's own site on Sep 23, 2026

Topstep runs a one-step evaluation (the Trading Combine) billed monthly, followed by a simulated Express Funded Account (XFA) and, by Risk Team call-up only, a Live Funded Account on Topstep's own capital. New accounts trade exclusively on its in-house TopstepX platform. It also sells limited-quantity experimental 'Topstep Labs' drops alongside the core program.

Good fit if
You're happy trading on TopstepX and want an end-of-day floor that locks at the starting balance, no mandatory daily loss limit, and a real-capital Live Funded stage.
Look elsewhere if
You trade on NinjaTrader, Tradovate, or TradingView (new accounts are TopstepX-only), or you run your platform on a VPS, which Topstep bans.

At a glance

Programs
2
Account sizes
50K to 150K
Cheapest entry
$49/mo (50K Trading Combine (Standard Path))
Drawdown
EOD trailing, locks
Trader keeps
90%
Daily loss limit
None
Automation
Allowed, with limits
Trade copiers
Allowed, with limits
Max accounts
5 funded
NinjaTrader
No
Tradovate
No
TradingView
No

What works

  • Low entry price: the 50K Trading Combine is $49 a month on the Standard Path.
  • No daily loss limit unless you opt in, and the optional one only pauses trading for the session.
  • The Maximum Loss Limit trails end-of-day balance only and locks at the starting balance.
  • 90/10 split, and Live Funded Account payouts have no dollar cap, becoming daily after 30 winning Live days.
  • A real-capital Live Funded Account stage with at least $10,000 tradable at call-up.
  • Level 1 data included, and a built-in trade copier for your own Combine and Express Funded accounts.

What to watch

  • Monthly subscription rebills until you pass or cancel.
  • New accounts are TopstepX-only: no NinjaTrader, Tradovate, or TradingView broker connection, so tools built for those platforms won't connect.
  • $149 activation fee per Express Funded Account on the Standard Path.
  • Express Funded payouts are capped at 50% of balance, up to $2,000 per request on a Standard 50K.
  • A 55% best-day consistency target in the Combine raises your target after one big day.
  • No automation, API, or trade copier on the Live Funded Account, and VPS use is banned everywhere.

Programs and prices

List prices as shown on Topstep's site on Sep 23, 2026. Firms discount constantly, so the price you pay is often lower. The rules are what matter: they are the same at any price. The drawdown shown is for the stage you buy (the evaluation, or the funded account on straight-to-funded plans); where the funded stage locks or moves differently, the drawdown detail under each table says so.

Trading Combine (Standard Path)

Evaluation 1-step Monthly subscription

Lower monthly subscription; a $149 one-time Activation Fee is charged for each Express Funded Account earned.

Account Price Profit target Max loss Drawdown Daily loss Min days Max size Activation Reset Consistency
50K $49/mo $3,000 $2,000 EOD trailing, locks None 2 days 5 minis / 50 micros $149 $49 Best single day must stay below 55% of the profit target (under $1,650 on 50K). Exceeding it raises the target to best day / 0.55; account is not failed.
100K $99/mo Per month, rebills every 30 days until passed or cancelled. $6,000 $3,000 EOD trailing, locks None 2 days 10 minis / 100 micros $149 $99 Best single day must stay below 55% of the profit target (under $3,300 on 100K).
150K $199/mo Per month, rebills every 30 days until passed or cancelled. $9,000 $4,500 EOD trailing, locks None 2 days 15 minis / 150 micros $149 $199 Best single day must stay below 55% of the profit target (under $4,950 on 150K).
  • No time limit to pass. Daily Loss Limit is optional: it can be locked in at checkout ($1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000 for 50K / 100K / 150K); hitting it flattens positions and pauses trading until 5 PM CT without failing the account, and it carries into the XFA. Micros count 10:1 against minis. Profits do not carry into the XFA. Hitting the MLL makes the Combine ineligible until Reset; the subscription keeps rebilling and a Reset Credit is issued at rebill. Paths cannot be changed after purchase. Funded stage (XFA) uses a different drawdown: balance starts at $0, MLL starts at -$2,000 / -$3,000 / -$4,500 and trails end-of-day balance until it locks at $0; after the first payout the MLL is set to $0. XFA contract size follows a balance-based Scaling Plan.
Drawdown detail by account size
  • 50K Trails end-of-day balance (monitored intraday on realized plus unrealized P&L) and locks permanently once it reaches the $50,000 starting balance.
  • 100K Trails end-of-day balance and locks permanently at the $100,000 starting balance.
  • 150K Trails end-of-day balance and locks permanently at the $150,000 starting balance.

Trading Combine (No Activation Fee Path)

Evaluation 1-step Monthly subscription

Higher monthly subscription with no fee when you pass and activate the Express Funded Account.

Account Price Profit target Max loss Drawdown Daily loss Min days Max size Activation Reset
50K $95/mo Per month. $10/month off if a Daily Loss Limit is added at checkout (Responsible Trading Discount). $3,000 $2,000 EOD trailing, locks None 2 days 5 minis / 50 micros $0 $95
100K $149/mo Per month. $20/month off with a Daily Loss Limit added at checkout. $6,000 $3,000 EOD trailing, locks None 2 days 10 minis / 100 micros $0 $149
150K $229/mo Per month. $30/month off with a Daily Loss Limit added at checkout. $9,000 $4,500 EOD trailing, locks None 2 days 15 minis / 150 micros $0 $229
  • Consistency: Best single day must stay below 55% of the profit target.
  • Same rules and objectives as the Standard Path; only pricing and the activation fee differ. Optional checkout DLL works the same way (soft pause, carried into the XFA).
Drawdown detail by account size
  • 50K Trails end-of-day balance and locks permanently at the $50,000 starting balance.
  • 100K Trails end-of-day balance and locks permanently at the $100,000 starting balance.
  • 150K Trails end-of-day balance and locks permanently at the $150,000 starting balance.

Funded stage and payouts

What funded means here
Express Funded Account (XFA): simulated, balance starts at $0, trader picks a Standard or Consistency payout path at activation (permanent). Live Funded Account (LFA): real Topstep capital (TopstepFunded LLC), by discretionary Risk Team call-up only; all XFAs close on call-up. Traders in some countries are XFA-only and may be considered for a 'Pro Account' track instead of Live.
Profit split
90/10 in the XFA and LFA from the first dollar. Traders who joined the new Topstep dashboard before January 12, 2026 keep 100% of their first $10,000 in lifetime profits.
How often you can withdraw
XFA Standard: after 5 winning days of $150+ net (non-consecutive). XFA Consistency: after 3 trading days with at least 1 trade each. LFA: 5 winning days of $150+ per cycle; daily payouts unlock after 30 winning LFA days.
Minimum payout
$125
Payout cap
XFA per request: 50% of balance, capped at $2,000 / $3,000 / $5,000 (Standard) or $3,000 / $4,000 / $6,000 (Consistency) for 50K / 100K / 150K. A limited-time offer starting June 2, 2026 doubles these caps for new Combines bought with a DLL at checkout. LFA: 50% of balance with no dollar cap; after 30 winning days, up to the full unlocked balance once per day.
What you must do first
Standard: 5 winning days of $150+ and net profit above $0 since the last payout (first payout exempt). Consistency: 3 trading days and largest winning day no more than 40% of net profit in the window; resets after each payout. The payout request day does not count toward the next cycle. MLL is set to $0 after the first payout.
Path to a live account
Discretionary call-up from the XFA. LFA size is the average of eligible XFAs rounded up to 50K/100K/150K. 20% of the transferred balance (minimum $10,000) is tradable immediately; the other 80% is held in reserve and released in 25% steps each time the LFA earns $3,000 / $6,000 / $9,000. LFA has a Daily Loss Limit of $2,000 / $3,000 / $4,500 that tightens at low balances, and closes if the balance falls below $1,000. Only one LFA at a time.
Ongoing fees
No monthly fee after passing. Activation Fee $149 per XFA on the Standard Path, $0 on the No Activation Fee Path. Back2Funded reactivation (within 30 days, XFA lost before first payout): $599 / $699 / $829, up to 2 times. Level 2 data $38/month; LFA traders pay professional data fees (amount not published). Commissions deducted per fill (e.g., ES $3.78 and MES $1.22 round turn on TopstepX). Payout method fees: ACH or wire $30; Aeropay, Wise and prop-to-brokerage transfers have no Topstep fee.

Trading rules that end accounts

Automation

Allowed, with limits

Allowed in the Trading Combine and XFA at the trader's own risk (no support, no exceptions for errant trades), including custom bots through the TopstepX/ProjectX API. HFT is prohibited, as is 'unfair technology' (software, AI, ultra-high-speed systems) and scalping algorithms that exploit simulated fills. All order flow must originate from the trader's personal device: VPS, VPN and remote servers are prohibited. The API is not available on the Live Funded Account, so automation is not possible there.

"Custom automated strategies and bots are allowed via the TopstepX / ProjectX API" Source

Trade copiers

Allowed, with limits

TopstepX has a built-in Trade Copier (lead/follower) for the trader's own Trading Combine and XFA accounts; the lead must be the account with the lowest position size. Topstep says XFAs can be traded together up to $750K buying power with a copier. Not available on Live Funded Accounts. Followers are unlinked when a payout is requested and may disconnect when Scaling Plan tiers differ. Coordinated trading with others, trading on behalf of others and cross-account hedging are prohibited. No official page found on external copiers or copying across firms.

"Trade copying is only available for Trading Combine® and Express Funded Account® accounts." Source
Account limit
No limit on Trading Combines. Up to 5 active XFAs (Shoulder Tap holders: 1); a passed Combine waits on hold if at the limit. Only 1 Live Funded Account, and all XFAs close on call-up. All accounts must sit under a single Topstep profile. Traders placed in the Focused Trader Program are limited to one $50K account at a time.
News trading
Allowed. Topstep does not require flattening for economic releases, but 'Trading Maximum Position Size into Major News Events' is listed as a prohibited strategy, and slippage from releases is not eligible for exceptions or reset credits.
Overnight and weekends
Not allowed. Topstep is a day trading program: all positions must be flat by 3:10 PM CT each weekday (risk managers start flattening at 3:08 PM CT); trading resumes at 5:00 PM CT. No weekend holds.
Other rules
  • Cross-account hedging (long and short the same or correlated product, e.g., ES/MES, across any of your accounts) is prohibited and detected in real time; repeat violations lead to immediate liquidation, temporary violations and possible permanent closure without payout.
  • Prohibited strategies include account stacking, trading outside the best bid/offer, intentionally depleting an LFA, and exploiting SIM fills (hundreds of rapid trades, tight brackets or auto-breakeven for favorable fills, trading gapped markets).
  • No minimum hold time is published, but Topstep flags systematic high-count trading with average durations measured in seconds.
  • Holding a position within 2% of a product's price limit is prohibited; VPNs, VPS, proxies and TOR are not permitted; identity verification (IDV) is required.
  • Ineligible countries include Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Nigeria, Kenya, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Venezuela and others; some countries (e.g., Germany, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Iceland) are XFA-only, capped at $200,000 total payouts with no Live access.
  • XFAs and LFAs with no trading for more than 30 days may be closed.

Platforms and data

TopstepXQuantower (via ProjectX/TopstepX connection)TopstepX API (ProjectX)
How you connect
Topstep's program page advertises 'Exclusive access to TopstepX' and its blog calls TopstepX its exclusive platform. TopstepX (web, desktop, mobile browser) is owned by ProjectX Trading LLC and uses a ProjectX direct CME feed. Quantower connects through the ProjectX connection with TopstepX credentials, for Trading Combine and XFA only; Topstep accounts get Quantower's Premium Feature Bundle free (no Market Replay, Strategy Manager/Runner). API access is sold by ProjectX at $29/month, works on simulated accounts only and is not available on the Live Funded Account. Level 1 data included; Level 2 (DOM) $38/month. One concurrent session per user across devices. TopstepX embeds TradingView-style charts, but no official page describes routing orders from TradingView.com. The old Trade Navigator connection help article now returns 'page doesn't exist'.
Data and execution
ProjectX (direct CME feed)
What you can trade
CME Group futures only (no Forex, no spot). Equity index: ES, NQ, RTY, NKD, YM and micros (MES, MNQ, M2K, MYM). FX: 6A, 6B, 6C, 6E, 6J, 6S, E7, 6M, 6N, M6E, M6A, M6B. Energy: CL, QM, MCL, NG, QG, MNG, RB, HO, PL. Metals: GC, SI, HG, MGC, SIL, MHG. Grains: ZC, ZW, ZS, ZM, ZL. Livestock: HE, LE. Rates: ZT, ZF, ZN, TN, ZB, UB. Crypto: Micro Bitcoin (MBT), Micro Ether (MET). Temporary volatility restrictions currently apply to energies and metals (for example SI, HG and PL are set to 0 contracts, and CL/GC are capped at 3/6/9 minis for 50K/100K/150K). Grains and livestock close earlier than the 3:10 PM CT flat time.

Recent rule changes

  1. Aug 2026 Wise restored as a payout method for traders in China, Canada and the United Kingdom only. Source
  2. Jun 2, 2026 Limited-time offer: new Trading Combines bought with a Daily Loss Limit at checkout get double the XFA per-request payout caps (e.g., 50K Standard $2,000 to $4,000). Source
  3. Jun 2026 Topstep Labs launched limited 'drops': #001 $25K Static Drawdown Combine ($75 one-time, June 2026), #002 $250K Freedom Combine ($499 one-time, July 2026), #003 $3K Challenge ($49, August 2026), #004 $1.5K Challenge ($39, September 2026), #005 $6K Challenge ($149, 10,000 units, September 2026). Challenges pay a fixed one-time amount with no split and no path to Live. Source
  4. Jan 12, 2026 100% of the first $10,000 in lifetime profits now applies only to traders who joined the new Topstep dashboard before January 12, 2026; everyone else is on a 90/10 split from the first dollar. Source

Every firm's rule changes in one log

Topstep FAQ

Does Topstep allow trade copiers?
Allowed, with limits. TopstepX has a built-in Trade Copier (lead/follower) for the trader's own Trading Combine and XFA accounts; the lead must be the account with the lowest position size. Topstep says XFAs can be traded together up to $750K buying power with a copier. Not available on Live Funded Accounts. Followers are unlinked when a payout is requested and may disconnect when Scaling Plan tiers differ. Coordinated trading with others, trading on behalf of others and cross-account hedging are prohibited. No official page found on external copiers or copying across firms.
Can you use automated trading or bots at Topstep?
Allowed, with limits. Allowed in the Trading Combine and XFA at the trader's own risk (no support, no exceptions for errant trades), including custom bots through the TopstepX/ProjectX API. HFT is prohibited, as is 'unfair technology' (software, AI, ultra-high-speed systems) and scalping algorithms that exploit simulated fills. All order flow must originate from the trader's personal device: VPS, VPN and remote servers are prohibited. The API is not available on the Live Funded Account, so automation is not possible there.
What drawdown does Topstep use?
End-of-day trailing, locks: The floor moves up only when a session closes at a new high balance. Open profit during the day does not drag it up. Once the floor reaches the starting balance (at some firms, plus a small buffer), it stops rising and stays there.
Which platforms can you use with Topstep?
TopstepX, Quantower (via ProjectX/TopstepX connection), TopstepX API (ProjectX). Topstep's program page advertises 'Exclusive access to TopstepX' and its blog calls TopstepX its exclusive platform. TopstepX (web, desktop, mobile browser) is owned by ProjectX Trading LLC and uses a ProjectX direct CME feed. Quantower connects through the ProjectX connection with TopstepX credentials, for Trading Combine and XFA only; Topstep accounts get Quantower's Premium Feature Bundle free (no Market Replay, Strategy Manager/Runner). API access is sold by ProjectX at $29/month, works on simulated accounts only and is not available on the Live Funded Account. Level 1 data included; Level 2 (DOM) $38/month. One concurrent session per user across devices. TopstepX embeds TradingView-style charts, but no official page describes routing orders from TradingView.com. The old Trade Navigator connection help article now returns 'page doesn't exist'.
How many Topstep accounts can you have at once?
No limit on Trading Combines. Up to 5 active XFAs (Shoulder Tap holders: 1); a passed Combine waits on hold if at the limit. Only 1 Live Funded Account, and all XFAs close on call-up. All accounts must sit under a single Topstep profile. Traders placed in the Focused Trader Program are limited to one $50K account at a time.
What is the Topstep profit split?
90/10 in the XFA and LFA from the first dollar. Traders who joined the new Topstep dashboard before January 12, 2026 keep 100% of their first $10,000 in lifetime profits.. XFA Standard: after 5 winning days of $150+ net (non-consecutive). XFA Consistency: after 3 trading days with at least 1 trade each. LFA: 5 winning days of $150+ per cycle; daily payouts unlock after 30 winning LFA days.

Sources and gaps

Every number above comes from Topstep's own pages, read on Sep 23, 2026. If a field says "Not published", we could not confirm it from an official source and chose a blank over a guess. Spot something out of date? Tell us.

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