Alpha Futures vs Topstep

Topstep is $30 cheaper to get started. Alpha Futures charges $79/mo (monthly subscription) plus a $149 activation fee. Topstep charges $49/mo (monthly subscription) plus a $149 activation fee.

Alpha Futures uses EOD Trailing drawdown at 4% ($2,000 buffer once locked at initial), while Topstep uses .

Topstep gets you funded faster, with an estimated ~10 days to first payout (2d eval + 5d winning + 3d processing).

Alpha Futures offers up to 90% profit split(Bi-weekly payouts, $200 min), while Topstep offers up to 100%(Daily payouts, $125 min). The 10 percentage point difference in profit split can add up significantly over time — on a $10,000 profit, that's $1,000 more in your pocket.

When comparing withdrawal frequency, the gap between payouts matters. Alpha Futures has no minimum profitable days requirement between withdrawals. Topstep requires 5 profitable trading days between each withdrawal — at 20 trading days per month, that works out to roughly 4 payouts per month.

Topstep requires between payout requests. has no minimum trading day gap between payouts.

Both firms work well for day traders. Alpha Futures is a stronger fit for budget traders (starting at $79). Topstep is a stronger fit for scalpers (automation & bots allowed). Explore all trading styles to see which firms match your approach.

Based on $500/day profit, 20 trading days/month, 55% win rate

At $500/day profit, Alpha Futures reaches break-even on day 11 while Topstep reaches it on day 12. Topstep costs $30 less to get started. Alpha Futures projects $3,870/mo more in funded earnings.