Futures prop firm with a monthly-subscription Trading Combine, simulated funded accounts and a path to live capital
Checked 8 October 2026
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Topstep is a futures prop firm. Traders pay a monthly subscription for a Trading Combine, a simulated evaluation sold in $50K, $100K and $150K sizes. Passing it leads to an Express Funded Account (XFA), which is also simulated but pays real payouts. Topstep's Risk Team may later call a trader up to a Live Funded Account, which trades the firm's capital. Traders keep 90% of the profits they take as payouts. All trading runs on Topstep's own platform, TopstepX, and the tradeable products are futures contracts: equity indices, currencies, energies, metals, agricultural products, interest rates and two micro crypto futures.
Topstep's marketing figures are its own claims, which we have not verified: one page says "$1.5B+ Paid out to traders", others say "$1.4B+", and the firm says it has "15+ Years in the industry". The site also publishes its 2025 statistics: 16.8% of Trading Combines started in 2025 were passed, and 0.71% of traders in an XFA were called up to a Live Funded Account.
Everything in this review comes from Topstep's own web pages, saved on 7–8 October 2026. Rules and prices change, so check the firm's site before you buy.
| Highest profit split | Up to 90% 1 Firm's wording: “90/10 profit split — you keep 90%” |
|---|---|
| Cheapest account | Not confirmed: advertised “from $49”, but the plan cards show $85–$95 a month for $50K 12 |
| Markets | Futures only (contracts on forex, crypto, indices, commodities, metals) 1 |
| Platforms | ProjectX 1 |
| Allowed / offered on at least one account type | Rules can differ between account types — check the linked page for the account you want. |
| US traders | Accepted (check any conditions on the linked page) 12 |
| Restricted countries named | Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cuba, Côte d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Türkiye, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen 1 Countries the firm names. Its list may also refer to sanctions lists or other countries — check the linked page. |
Topstep sells one core evaluation, the Trading Combine, in three sizes. It is a monthly subscription: the fee "rebills monthly until you pass the Trading Combine® or cancel the subscription." Each size has one rule (do not let the balance hit the Maximum Loss Limit) and two objectives (reach the profit target and meet a 55% consistency target).
| Trading Combine | Monthly price | With DLL discount | Profit target | Max Loss Limit | Max contracts | DLL (if added) | Reset fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50K | $95 | $85 | $3,000 | $2,000 | 5 mini / 50 micro | $1,000 | $85 |
| $100K | $149 | $129 | $6,000 | $3,000 | 10 mini / 100 micro | $2,000 | $129 |
| $150K | $229 | $199 | $9,000 | $4,500 | 15 mini / 150 micro | $3,000 | $199 |
Prices are from the plan cards on Topstep's prop-firm page. Each card showed two monthly prices. The gap matches the Responsible Trading Advantage discount listed on each card ($10, $20 and $30), which you get by adding a Daily Loss Limit (DLL). The cards we saved list the Express Funded activation fee as free, which matches the No Activation Fee plan. The page also offers a Standard plan, whose one-time activation fee is "only paid after you pass", but our saved copy does not show the Standard prices or the fee. Each subscription rebill comes with a free reset credit.
The same page also says "Start trading a $50K account today for just $49", and the support page says accounts start "at just $49". Neither page explains how the $49 relates to the $85 and $95 monthly prices shown for the $50K plan.
You can hold any number of Trading Combines, but all accounts must sit under one Topstep profile. You cannot change an account's size after purchase. Profits made in the Combine do not carry over to the XFA.
Refunds. The Terms of Use say all fees are "final, non-cancelable, and non-refundable". The Trading Combine help article gives one exception: if you bought the wrong account size within the last 28 days and have not traded on it, Trader Support can review the account for a refund so you can buy the correct size.
The trading day runs from 5:00 PM CT to 3:10 PM CT the next day. Topstep's Terms of Use say all positions must be closed before 3:10 PM CT, or before the product's market close if that is sooner, and positions are flattened automatically about ten seconds before 3:10 PM CT. Positions therefore cannot be carried from one trading day to the next.
Topstep's Prohibited Conduct and Prohibited Trading Strategies articles list, among others:
Penalties range from a warning to deletion of the trading day, an account reset, permanent closure, or a delayed or denied payout. Topstep also checks every trader's identity.
Automation and copying. The Trading Combine article says automated strategies are allowed "with conditions": Topstep will not help set them up and makes no exceptions for malfunctions. The same article says you can use a trade copier to copy trades across your own accounts. Copy trading is switched off while a payout is processing and must be switched back on by hand.
Profit split. Topstep's payout policy states a 90/10 split: you keep 90%. Traders who joined the new Topstep dashboard before 12 January 2026 receive 100% of their first $10,000 in lifetime profits, then 90%.
| Account | To request a payout | Cap per request ($50K / $100K / $150K) | Cap with DLL bought with the Combine |
|---|---|---|---|
| XFA Standard | 5 winning days of $150+ net P&L, and profit since the last payout | $2,000 / $3,000 / $5,000 | $4,000 / $6,000 / $10,000 |
| XFA Consistency | 3 trading days, with the largest day at or below 40% of total net profit | $3,000 / $4,000 / $6,000 | $6,000 / $8,000 / $12,000 |
| Live Funded | 5 winning days of $150+ per cycle | Up to 50% of the balance, no dollar cap | n/a |
Each XFA request is limited to 50% of the account balance, up to the cap. The doubled caps are a "Limited Time Offering" for traders who add a DLL when buying a new Trading Combine; adding one later does not qualify. The minimum payout is $125, and requests can be made during CME market hours, Sunday 5 PM CT to Friday 5 PM CT.
Live payouts. After 30 winning days of $150+ in the Live account (XFA days do not count), you can request payouts daily. The Live rules say payouts are limited to 50% of your share of profits until then, and that Topstep monitors total payouts so they do not exceed 90% of the starting balance plus net trading profits.
Methods and timing.
| Method | Availability | Processing time | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prop-to-Brokerage | US only | Same day (if requested by 12 PM CT) | No fee |
| Aeropay | US banks only | Instant after approval | No Topstep fee |
| Wise | China, Canada, UK | 1–3 business days | No Topstep fee |
| ACH | US banks only | 1–3 business days | $30 |
| Wire/SWIFT | International | 5–10 business days | $30 |
The payout policy adds that internal approval can take 1–3 business days. Topstep advertises a "9 Seconds" average instant payout time ("Under 9 Seconds" elsewhere on the page); its footnote says this applies only to auto-approved requests from US traders paid by real-time payment through Aeropay, and that funds may take 1–3 business days if your bank does not support real-time payments. The firm also says it approves 99.26% of payout requests. Payouts cannot be sent to a third-party bank account; a bank account must be in your own name.
Live bonuses. Every active Live account is entered into the Topstep Octagon, a monthly leaderboard where the top 100 traders by net P&L share a $250,000 bonus pool, according to the firm.
Platform. Trading is on TopstepX, which Topstep calls its proprietary platform. The site's disclosures say it is developed and owned by ProjectX Trading LLC. It has TradingView charts built in and risk tools such as a personal daily loss limit, a personal daily profit target, trade limits and an account lock-out. Level 1 market data is included at no extra cost; Level 2 is a paid upgrade.
Markets. The TopstepX product list includes:
Topstep says the product list can change with market volatility and availability.
Companies. The Terms of Use are issued by Topstep LLC, which they describe as a Delaware limited liability company, with a Chicago mailing address (130 S Jefferson St). The site footer says the simulated programme (Trading Combine, XFA and Labs) is run by TopstepTrader, LLC, and live funded accounts by TopstepFunded LLC, which the Terms describe as an Illinois company. A separate affiliate, Topstep Brokerage LLC, is described as a registered introducing broker and NFA member (NFA ID 0567079); that registration relates to the brokerage, not to the prop programme. The Terms are governed by Delaware law.
Simulated accounts. The Terms define the XFA as an account using simulated data, and say its trades "are not made in live markets and do not incur actual profits or losses." Only the Live Funded Account trades real capital.
History. On its About page, Topstep dates its origins to the founding of Patak Trading Partners in 2010 and the launch of Topstep Trader in 2012. Another page names Michael Patak as Founder and CEO.
Eligibility. You must be at least 18. Eligibility depends on both citizenship and residence. Topstep publishes a list of countries whose citizens cannot trade or receive payouts, including Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Nigeria, Pakistan, Kenya, Morocco and Venezuela. Traders from a second group of countries, including Germany, Hong Kong and Vietnam, can trade the Combine and XFA and take up to $200,000 in total payouts but cannot get a Live Funded Account. US traders are accepted and have US-only payout options.
Topstep fits futures day traders who are happy to trade on TopstepX, close every position by 3:10 PM CT and pay a monthly fee until they pass. Adding the optional Daily Loss Limit when you buy a Trading Combine lowers the price of No Activation Fee plans and, while the offer runs, doubles XFA payout caps. It suits traders aiming for live capital, but the call-up is at the Risk Team's discretion, and the firm's own 2025 figure for XFA traders called up to Live is 0.71%.
It is a poor fit for traders who hold positions overnight, who want CFDs rather than futures, or who want fully automated trading in the Live account. Residents of countries on Topstep's ineligible list cannot join.
MyPropGenius Rating:
The rating measures how openly Topstep discloses its rules, pricing, payouts and ownership (our Transparency Index methodology). It does not measure how likely you are to pass or be paid.
The footer names each entity and its role, all wholly owned by Topstep LLC, and says the Combine and Express accounts are simulations. The Our Team page names the founder and CEO and an executive team. We did not find a separate refund page, but its Terms of Use state clearly and consistently that fees are final and non-refundable, with examples (cancelling, failing the Combine, suspension). Its own pages give all-time payout totals ($1.4B+ / $1.5B+), a 99.26% payout approval rate and 2025 statistics (33.3% of funded participants received a payout). Its About page dates the business to 2010 and the launch of Topstep Trader to 2012, so it has operated for well over three years.
Its Transparency Index score is 67/100 (Good). We do not verify payouts or test accounts; this is what the firm’s own pages show.
Check the current rules and prices on the firm's own website before you buy.
We have no commercial relationship with Topstep. Links to its website are not affiliate links.
Topstep sells a monthly-subscription futures evaluation in three sizes, a simulated funded stage with a 90/10 split and per-request payout caps, and a discretionary path to live capital. Its rules are published in detail, but every position must be closed by 3:10 PM CT, and by the firm's own 2025 figures few XFA traders reach the Live stage. The site showed both a $49 offer and monthly prices from $85 to $229, so confirm the price at checkout.
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Find my matchThe Trading Combine is a monthly subscription. The plan cards we saved showed $95, $149 and $229 a month for $50K, $100K and $150K, or $85, $129 and $199 with the Daily Loss Limit discount. The site also advertised a $50K account "for just $49".
The Trading Combine and Express Funded Account are simulated, though XFA payouts are real. The Live Funded Account, run by TopstepFunded LLC, trades real capital.
90/10: you keep 90%. Traders who joined the new dashboard before 12 January 2026 get 100% of their first $10,000 in lifetime profits.
No. Topstep's rules say all positions must be closed before 3:10 PM CT, or before the product's market close if sooner, and open positions are flattened automatically.
In the Trading Combine, automated strategies are allowed with conditions, and Topstep gives no help or exceptions for malfunctions. In the Live Funded Account, automated strategies are not possible.
Yes. Traders must be 18 or over, and US traders have US-only payout options such as Aeropay and Prop-to-Brokerage payouts.