Topstep Review 2026: Futures Funded Accounts, Trading Combine & Is It Worth It?

If you’re looking for a reliable futures proprietary trading firm, Topstep is one of the most recognized and longest-running prop firms in the industry. Founded in 2012, Topstep specializes exclusively in futures trading and provides traders with access to funded trading accounts without risking their own capital.

Topstep operates through its well-known Trading Combine®, a structured 1-step evaluation program designed to assess a trader’s consistency, discipline, and risk management. Traders must achieve a defined profit target while staying within strict drawdown limits and trading rules. Those who successfully pass the evaluation can qualify for a funded account and earn a share of the profits generated from their trades.

The firm offers account sizes ranging from $50,000 to $150,000, making it an attractive option for traders focused on the futures market. With its long-standing reputation, transparent rules, and clear funding pathway, Topstep has become a go-to platform for traders seeking funded futures trading accounts.

In this Topstep review, we’ll break down everything you need to know before joining the platform, including the Trading Combine evaluation, account sizes, rules, pricing, payout structure, and overall pros and cons. Whether you’re a beginner exploring futures prop firms or an experienced trader looking for a reputable funding opportunity, this guide will help you decide if Topstep is the right choice.

Trust and Reputation

Topstep has built a strong reputation in the futures prop trading industry, operating since 2012 and attracting thousands of traders worldwide, with over 14,000 reviews on Trustpilot and an established track record of funding traders through its evaluation programs.

Pros of Top Step

A clear roadmap to sustainable funding
An easy-to-use built-in copy trading feature
A strong reputation built over more than a decade, as one of the earliest retail prop firms since 2012
Offers the option to pay a lower evaluation price with an activation fee after passing

Cons of Top Step

Not may deposit options
Only Futures Available
Low Trustpilot Score – Topstep has a 3.4 rating, with some users reporting support or payout issues.
USD only payout currency option
Limited Platform Choice – Traders can only use TopstepX, with no alternative platforms supported
No VPN or VPS allowed
Upon transitioning to a live account, you will start with 20% of the allocated balance, with the opportunity to scale it up progressively
No overnight or weekend positions allowed
No discounts are currently available
Evaluation fees are all charged monthly

Top Step Review

Category	Details
Firm Name	Top Step
Founder/ CEO	Michael Patak
Country/ Headquarters	USA
Founded/ Years in Operation	2012
Trustpilot Rating	3.4
Platforms Supported	TopstepX is the only supported platform
Payment Methods (Entry/ Subscription)	Debit/Credit Cards
Payout/ Withdrawal Methods	Wise, Bank Transfer
Tradeable Assets	You can trade products across these exchanges: CME (equity index futures, foreign exchange futures, agriculture futures) NYMEX (energy futures) COMEX (metals futures) CBOT (agricultural futures and interest rate futures)
Commission	On TopstepX, trading is commission-free.
Scaling Potential	Not Available
Discount/ Promo	None currently available.
Payout Frequency	For the Express Funded Account (Standard), you can request a payout after achieving five winning trading days, where a winning day is defined as a Net P&L of $150 or more, and you must be profitable since your last payout, even by $0.01. For the Express Funded Account (Consistency), payouts can be requested after three days that meet the 40% Consistency Target. In the Live Funded Account, payouts can be requested after five winning trading days per request, and once you reach 30 winning trading days, you unlock daily payouts of up to 100% of your balance, with a minimum request of $125.
Demo Accounts	Offers practice accounts, but you must have an active account to access them.
Account Currency Options	USD only
US Traders Allowed	Allowed
Restricted Countries	Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Burkina Faso (Upper Volta), Burma Myanmar, Burundi, Chinese Military Companies, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Crimea (Region of Ukraine - North of Black Sea - Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia), Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Darfur, Syria, Turkey (Turkiye), Ukraine, Venezuela, and Yemen.

Funding Programs Offered

Standard (Activation Fee) – Available in $50,000, $100,000, and $150,000 account sizes.
No Activation Fee – Also available in $50,000, $100,000, and $150,000 account sizes.
Flexibility – Both options provide flexible choices suited to different trading experience levels and styles.

Standard

Standard Account – A one-step evaluation program where traders complete the Trading Combine to qualify for funding.
Evaluation Process – Traders must successfully pass the Trading Combine before receiving access to a funded account.
Activation Fee – After passing the evaluation, an activation fee is required to unlock the funded account.
Account Sizes – Funded accounts are available in $50,000, $100,000, and $150,000.

No Activation Fee Account

No Activation Fee Account – Follows the same Trading Combine evaluation process as the Standard Account.
Account Sizes – Available in $50,000, $100,000, and $150,000.
Same Trading Rules – Maintains identical rules and requirements as the Standard Account.
Key Difference – No activation fee is required after passing the evaluation.

Funding Programs Costs and Details

Category	Standard	No Activation Fee Account
Structure / Steps	1-step (evaluation → funded)	1-step (evaluation → funded)
Entry Fee	$49–$99-$149 (All per month until funded)	$109-$159-$209 (All per month until funded)
Activation Fee	$149 (all account sizes)	NA
Account Sizes	$50K, $100K, $150K	$50K, $100K, $150K
Profit Target	6%	6%
Max Loss / Drawdown	$50K - 4%, $100K - 3%, $150K - 3%	$50K - 4%, $100K - 3%, $150K - 3%
Leverage	$50K - 5 Contracts, $100K - $150K - 15 Contracts	$50K - 5 Contracts, $100K - $150K - 15 Contracts
Profit Split	90%	90%
Scaling Plan / Growth	Not Available	Not Available
News Trading	Allowed	Allowed

Program	Account Size	Cost	Profit Target	Max Loss (Trailing EOD)	Daily Drawdown	Leverage	Profit Split	Scaling Plan / Growth
1-Step Standard	$50,000	$49 - Standard, $109 - No activation	6%	4%	NA	Max 5 Contracts	90%	Not Available
1-Step Standard	$100,000	$99 - Standard, $159 - No activation	6%	3%	NA	Max 10 Contracts	90%	Not Available
1-Step Standard	$150,000	$149 - Standard, $209 - No activation	6%	3%	NA	Max 15 Contracts	60 → 100%	Not Available

What Is Process Of Getting A Funded Account

Topstep funding process (simplified):

Pass the Trading Combine
- Hit the profit target
- Stay within drawdown rules
- Trade the minimum number of days
Get an Express Funded Account (XFA)
- Simulated funded account
- You can have up to 5 accounts
Build consistency
- Usually requires multiple payouts and winning days
- Topstep reviews your performance
Move to a Live Funded Account
- Account size based on the average of your funded accounts
Start with 20% tradable balance
- Example: $100k account → $20k usable initially
- The rest stays locked in reserve
Why only 20% at the start
- To limit risk while you adjust to live markets
- It proves you can trade real capital consistently and responsibly
Unlock more capital over time
- As you reach profit milestones
- Eventually you can trade the full balance
Profit split
- Keep 90% of profits (can reach 100% after enough winning days)

Trading Rules & Policies

Rule	Details
Account Types Available	1-Step
Expert Advisers (EAs)	Expert Advisors are not permitted on TopstepX, as bots and algorithmic trading are not currently supported on that platform. Automated strategies may be used in the Trading Combine and Funded Accounts, provided they comply with our rules — including restrictions on automated scalping and any software that manipulates the market or creates an unfair advantage.
Copy Trading	Copy trading is permitted when using a Trade Copier within the same trading environment—for example, copying trades between a Trading Combine and an Express Funded Account, or vice versa. There is no limit to the number of accounts you can copy trade; however, Trade Copiers cannot be used on Live Funded Accounts
Account Merging	Not allowed
Maximum Account Capital	The maximum account capital per tier—Trading Combine, Express Funded Account, and Live Funded Account—is $150,000. You can hold up to five Express Funded Accounts, for a total maximum capital of $750,000.
VPS Usage	The use of a VPS is not permitted. All trading activity must be conducted from your personal device, and the use of VPS services, VPNs, or remote servers is strictly prohibited under our Terms of Use.
VPN usage	Not allowed
News Trading	Allowed
Overnight/ Weekend Holding	You must close all positions by 3:10 PM CT each weekday and cannot hold overnight—except trades opened after 5:00 PM CT on Sunday, which may be held into Monday until that market closes.
Leverage	The maximum contracts allowed depend on your account size: for standard accounts, a $50K account permits 5 contracts, a $100K account permits 10 contracts, and a $150K account permits 15 contracts; for TopstepX Micro/Mini Trading, you can trade up to 10 times more micro contracts, allowing up to 50 for a $50K account, 100 for a $100K account, and 150 for a $150K account.
Max Risk Per Trade	There isn’t a fixed dollar limit for risk per trade; you decide how much to risk, as long as it stays within your account’s overall limits. The main restriction is your maximum position size, which depends on your account: a 50K account can hold up to 5 contracts, a 100K account up to 10 contracts, and a 150K account up to 15 contracts.
Profit Split	The profit split for payouts is 90/10 on all accounts.
Minimum Payout	The minimum payout request is $125.00
Consistency Rule	In the Trading Combine, there is a Consistency Target: your best trading day must be below 50% of your profit target—$1,500 for a 50K account, $3,000 for a 100K account, and $4,500 for a 150K account. If your best day reaches 50% or more of your profit target, you must continue trading until it falls below 50%. For Express Funded Accounts, the rules depend on the path you choose: the Standard path has no Consistency Target, while the Consistency path requires three trading days with a 40% consistency target for payout eligibility, calculated as your largest winning day divided by your current total net profit.
Number of Accounts Allowed	You can hold up to five funded accounts and unlimited evaluations.
Scaling Plan	Not Available
Refund Policy	Not available
Martingale	Not Allowed
Scaling Into Trades	Yes, scaling into trades is permitted, but you must stay within the maximum allowed contracts.
Stop Loss required	No
Prohibited Strategies	The following strategies and behaviors are strictly prohibited: account stacking (trading aggressively until hitting the Maximum Loss Limit and then switching accounts), intentionally depleting a Live Funded Account to force failure, trading outside the best bid or offer, scaling your Maximum Position Size into major news events, using software, AI, ultra-high-speed tools, or mass data entry to manipulate the market or gain an unfair advantage, hedging in any form—including within the same account or across multiple Express Funded Accounts—exploiting simulator fills through rapid scalping, excessive trades, or unrealistic stop/auto-breakeven settings, and holding positions within 2% of a product’s lock limit.

Top Step vs Apex Trader Funding vs Tradeiify

Prop Firm	Evaluation Type	Account Sizes	Cost	Profit Target	Max Loss	Scaling Max	Discount
Top Step	1-Step	$50k-$150k	$49-$209	6%	3-4%	None	None
Apex Trader Funding	1-Step	$25k-$150k	$118-$397	6%	2.67-4%	None	85% off (SAVENOW)
Tradeify	Instant, 1-Step	$25k-$150k	$139-$759	5-6%	3-4%	None	30% off (MAR)

Top Step Pro's

One of the longest-running prop firms, founded in 2012
Provides an option to pay a lower upfront activation fee, with the remainder due after passing

Top Step Con's

Low Trustpilot rating
Offers just one trading platform

Apex Trader Funding Pro's

(Read Full Review)

Affordable evaluation fees after discounts are applied
Control up to 20 funded accounts with integrated copy trading between them

Apex Trader Funding Con's

A maximum of 6 payouts is permitted per funded account
Traders must place at least 2 trades per 30-day cycle

Tradeify Pro's

(Read Full Review)

Very competitive account fees after discounts, with no activation fees required
Supports the use of Expert Advisors (EAs

Tradeify Con's

Requires at least 1 trade per week
Trailing drawdown is the only option available

Final Verdict: Is Topstep Worth It?

Topstep is one of the oldest and most established retail proprietary trading firms in the futures market, known for its structured approach and strong emphasis on risk management. Its 1-step Trading Combine offers a straightforward path to funded accounts, with sizes of $50K, $100K, and $150K, making it an accessible option for traders at different experience levels.

One of Topstep’s key advantages is its beginner-friendly environment, including a built-in and easy-to-use copy trader, as well as relatively reasonable evaluation costs compared to other futures prop firms. With clear rules and a long-standing reputation in the industry, it provides a reliable framework for traders looking to gain experience and access funded capital.

However, there are several limitations to consider. All accounts operate on a trailing drawdown system, accounts cannot be scaled beyond their initial size, and only one trading platform is supported. Additionally, its relatively low Trustpilot score may raise concerns for traders who rely on public reviews when assessing a firm’s credibility.

Bottom line: Topstep is a solid choice for traders—especially beginners—seeking a structured and reputable entry into futures prop trading. It is best suited for those comfortable with trailing drawdowns and fixed account sizes, while traders looking for scaling opportunities or more platform flexibility may want to explore alternative prop trading firms.

Otherwise, explore these strong alternatives:

Apex Trader Funding Review: Scale funded accounts up to $6M with multiple account opportunities.
Tradeify Review: Straightforward futures funding with flexible rules.
E8 Markets Review: Up to 100% splits, stackable accounts

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