Topstep is the longest-running futures prop firm (since 2012) with $102M+ paid, EOD trailing drawdown, and a structured educational ecosystem. Take Profit Trader offers daily payouts from day one, 15+ platform integrations, no daily loss limit during evaluation, and a 50% consistency rule. The biggest structural difference: TPT switches from EOD drawdown in evaluation to intraday trailing on funded PRO accounts, while Topstep keeps EOD throughout. Topstep is the safer long-term pick. TPT is the faster-cash-flow pick.
Topstep and Take Profit Trader are both established futures prop firms targeting NinjaTrader day traders. Topstep has been around since 2012 and emphasises education, discipline, and structured risk management. TPT differentiates on payout speed — daily withdrawals from day one — and platform variety. The core decision between them comes down to what you value more: Topstep's consistency and reliability, or TPT's cash flow speed and flexibility.
| Category | Topstep | Take Profit Trader |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 (Chicago, IL) | US-based, established |
| Trustpilot | 3.4/5 (recent reviews) | 4.4/5 (8,750+ reviews) |
| Total paid out | $102M+ | Substantial (undisclosed total) |
| Evaluation type | One-step (Trading Combine) | One-step (Test) |
| Account sizes | $50K, $100K, $150K | $25K, $50K, $75K, $100K, $150K |
| 50K eval cost | $49/mo (Standard) / $109/mo (No Fee) | $170/mo |
| Activation fee | $149 (Standard) / $0 (No Fee path) | $130 (often waived with promo) |
| Total min cost to fund (50K) | $198 (Standard, 1-month pass) | $300 (1-month pass, full price) |
| Profit target (50K) | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Max drawdown (50K) | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Drawdown type (eval) | Trailing (locks at threshold) | EOD trailing |
| Drawdown type (funded) | EOD trailing | Intraday trailing (PRO) / EOD (PRO+) |
| Daily loss limit | Yes (~4% of account) | None (removed 2025) |
| Min trading days | No minimum | 5 |
| Consistency rule | 40% | 50% |
| Profit split | 90/10 | 80/20 (PRO) / 90/10 (PRO+) |
| Day-one payouts | ✗ No | ✓ Yes (with buffer) |
| Payout frequency | Structured schedule | Daily |
| Data feeds | TopstepX proprietary | CQG and Rithmic |
| Platforms | TopstepX, NinjaTrader, Tradovate | NinjaTrader, TradingView, Tradovate, 15+ total |
| Copier allowed | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| News trading | Restricted | Allowed during eval |
| Overnight positions | Not allowed | Check current terms by account type |
| Education | TopstepTV, coaching, 600K+ community | Basic resources |
Topstep is cheaper to start. The Standard Path $50K evaluation costs just $49/month — the lowest entry point among all major futures prop firms. The trade-off is a $149 activation fee when you pass. Total cost for a one-month pass: $198. The No Activation Fee Path costs $109/month with zero activation, totalling $109 for a one-month pass.
TPT's $50K evaluation costs $170/month with a $130 activation fee. Total cost for a one-month pass: $300. That is $102 more than Topstep's Standard Path or $191 more than the No Fee Path for the same outcome — a funded $50K account. If you expect to need multiple months to pass, the monthly cost gap compounds.
| Scenario | Topstep Standard | Topstep No Fee | TPT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass in 1 month | $49 + $149 = $198 | $109 + $0 = $109 | $170 + $130 = $300 |
| Pass in 2 months | $98 + $149 = $247 | $218 + $0 = $218 | $340 + $130 = $470 |
| Pass in 3 months | $147 + $149 = $296 | $327 + $0 = $327 | $510 + $130 = $640 |
| Pass in 6 months | $294 + $149 = $443 | $654 + $0 = $654 | $1,020 + $130 = $1,150 |
The pricing math is clear: Topstep is cheaper at every duration. TPT's pricing premium must be justified by its funded-account advantages — namely daily payouts and broader platform support. If those features do not matter to your workflow, Topstep is the more economical path to a funded account.
Both firms use EOD trailing drawdown during evaluation. The divergence happens at the funded stage.
Topstep funded (Express account): EOD trailing drawdown. The floor adjusts only at session close based on your closing balance. Intraday equity swings do not move the floor. If you are up $500 during the session but close flat, the floor has not changed. This is the same drawdown type as the evaluation, creating a consistent experience from evaluation through funded trading.
TPT funded (PRO account): Intraday trailing drawdown. The floor moves up in real time with your highest intraday equity, including unrealized profits. If you are up $500 at 10:30 AM and give it all back by 11:00 AM, the floor has already moved $500 higher and your available drawdown has shrunk by $500. This is fundamentally different from the EOD drawdown used in the evaluation.
TPT offers an upgrade path to PRO+, which restores EOD drawdown and improves the profit split to 90/10. But PRO+ is invitation-only, based on consistent performance during the PRO phase. You must first survive the intraday trailing drawdown environment to earn the EOD upgrade. Many traders who pass the TPT evaluation comfortably blow their PRO account precisely because of this drawdown shift.
This is TPT's primary advantage. TPT offers daily payouts from day one on PRO accounts. Once your balance exceeds the buffer zone (starting balance + max drawdown — $52,000 for a $50K account), you can request a withdrawal every single day. Payouts process to your TPT wallet within 24 hours, then transfer to your bank.
Topstep uses a structured payout schedule with defined milestones. The payout timing is less frequent than TPT's daily model, but the process is straightforward and well-documented. Topstep's 90/10 split from day one (no buffer zone concept) means every dollar of profit is split favourably from the start.
| Payout feature | Topstep | TPT (PRO) | TPT (PRO+) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profit split | 90/10 | 80/20 | 90/10 |
| Payout frequency | Structured schedule | Daily | Daily |
| Buffer zone | No buffer concept | Must exceed $52K on $50K account | No buffer |
| Drawdown type | EOD trailing | Intraday trailing | EOD trailing |
| Day-one payouts | No | Yes (if buffer cleared) | Yes |
| PRO reset fee | N/A | $399–$999 | N/A |
If you blow a TPT PRO account, the reset fee ranges from $399 to $999 depending on account size. This is significantly more expensive than a Topstep evaluation restart. Factor in the PRO reset cost when calculating the total risk of trading at TPT — especially given the intraday trailing drawdown that makes funded accounts harder than evaluations.
Topstep has the strongest educational ecosystem of any futures prop firm. TopstepTV provides daily market commentary and coaching sessions. The community has over 600,000 members across Discord, forums, and social channels. Coaching staff and moderators are active and accessible. For developing traders, this educational layer is a genuine product differentiator — not marketing fluff.
TPT's educational resources are more limited. The firm focuses on the trading product rather than education. If you are an experienced trader who already has a proven strategy, TPT's leaner approach is fine. If you are still developing consistency and need structured mentorship, Topstep's ecosystem provides meaningfully more support.
$49/month for a $50K account is the lowest evaluation entry in the industry. If you expect to need 2–3 months to pass, Topstep saves hundreds of dollars compared to TPT.
EOD trailing drawdown from evaluation through the funded Express account. No surprises when you activate. What you practise is what you trade.
TopstepTV, coaching, community, and daily market analysis. For traders still refining their edge, Topstep's educational infrastructure is unmatched.
No other major prop firm matches TPT's daily withdrawal speed. Pull profits every session, reduce risk exposure, and compound into new accounts on a daily cycle.
CQG and Rithmic data feeds across NinjaTrader, TradingView, Tradovate, Quantower, Sierra Chart, MotiveWave, and more. If your platform is niche, TPT likely supports it.
TPT removed the daily loss limit on evaluations. You manage your own intraday risk against the drawdown floor only. No arbitrary session-ending cap cutting your day short.
The most efficient approach for many prop firm traders is running funded accounts at both Topstep and TPT simultaneously. Topstep provides consistent EOD drawdown and a 90/10 split. TPT provides daily cash flow. A trade copier lets you execute once on your lead NinjaTrader account and replicate every trade to all followers at both firms.
Both firms support NinjaTrader and allow trade copiers. The key difference for copier setup is the data feed: Topstep uses TopstepX (or NinjaTrader via their platform), while TPT supports both CQG and Rithmic. Ensure your copier handles both data feed types. Tradecovex operates as a local NinjaTrader add-on and works with all Rithmic and CQG connections natively.
Running accounts across multiple firms also creates a unified journaling challenge. Manually tracking P&L, drawdown proximity, and consistency compliance across 5–10 accounts at different firms is impractical. An AI journal that captures every copied trade automatically, flags accounts approaching drawdown limits, and surfaces performance patterns across all firms turns what would be hours of manual tracking into an automated feedback loop.
TPT offers five account sizes: $25K, $50K, $75K, $100K, and $150K. The $75K option is unique among major prop firms. Maximum contracts scale with account size — the $50K account allows up to 6 mini ES contracts, and the $150K allows up to 15. The $25K account at $150/month is one of the cheapest entry points for traders who want to test a strategy with minimal commitment.
Topstep offers three sizes: $50K, $100K, and $150K. There is no $25K or $75K option. Contract limits are enforced through the platform's built-in risk management. For the $50K Trading Combine, the profit target is $3,000 and the max loss is $2,000 — identical to TPT's $50K evaluation. The lack of a $25K option means Topstep's absolute cheapest entry is $49/month, which is still highly competitive.
Topstep enforces news and time restrictions. Positions must be flat by 3:10 PM CT. Trading during prohibited hours or through major economic releases can result in rule violations. For traders who hold positions through the close or who trade CPI/NFP/FOMC volatility, Topstep's restrictions are a material constraint.
TPT has no daily loss limit and allows news trading during the evaluation phase. The funded PRO account terms should be verified for any specific restrictions, but the evaluation phase is explicitly unrestricted. For traders who generate profits during high-impact news events, TPT's permissive evaluation rules are an advantage. The caveat: news-driven strategies that work during EOD-drawdown evaluation may fail during the intraday-drawdown funded phase, where a fast reversal after a news spike can breach the trailing floor.
Topstep's 14-year operating history is its strongest differentiator. The firm has survived multiple market cycles, industry shifts, and competitive pressure from dozens of newer prop firms. The Chicago Board of Trade address, established infrastructure, and documented $102M+ in payouts provide a level of institutional credibility that younger firms cannot match. For traders making long-term career decisions about which prop firms to build their business around, Topstep's longevity is a significant factor.
TPT is established and well-reviewed (4.4/5 Trustpilot from 8,750+ reviews) but has a shorter history. The firm's focus on daily payouts and platform diversity has attracted a loyal user base. The risk with any newer firm is rule changes, pricing shifts, or operational challenges that have not yet been stress-tested across a full decade of operation. TPT's current trajectory is positive, but Topstep's proven track record over 14 years is a qualitatively different kind of assurance.
Choose Topstep if you value the cheapest evaluation entry ($49/month), a 14-year track record of reliability, consistent EOD drawdown from evaluation through funding, a 90/10 profit split from day one, and the strongest educational ecosystem in the industry. Accept the trade-offs: news and time restrictions, no daily payout option, and fewer platform options.
Choose Take Profit Trader if daily payouts are your top priority, you need broad platform compatibility (15+ integrations including CQG and Rithmic), and you can handle the structural shift from EOD evaluation drawdown to intraday trailing funded drawdown. Accept the trade-offs: higher evaluation cost ($170/month for $50K), the PRO drawdown shift, expensive PRO reset fees ($399–$999), and an 80/20 initial split that only improves to 90/10 at PRO+ invitation.
The pragmatic approach is running funded accounts at both firms. Topstep gives you consistent EOD drawdown and a 90/10 split. TPT gives you daily cash flow. A trade copier replicating every trade from your single lead NinjaTrader account to all followers at both firms, combined with an AI journal tracking every trade and flagging drawdown proximity across all accounts, makes this dual-firm strategy operationally simple and analytically powerful.