A detailed breakdown of how these two firms compare across costs, drawdown rules, payout structure, and trading restrictions.
This public economics comparison uses ordinary public product/help/rule material and values derived from it. Required model inputs are unavailable from ordinary public material, so this output should not be used for ranking or scenario decisions.
E8 Markets is $48 cheaper to get started. E8 Markets charges $150 one-time. Topstep charges $49/mo (monthly subscription) plus a $149 activation fee.
E8 Markets uses EOD Trailing drawdown at 4% ($2,000 buffer once locked at initial), while Topstep uses EOD Trailing at 4% ($2,000 buffer once locked at initial).
E8 Markets gets you funded faster, with an estimated ~1 days to first payout (1d eval). E8 Markets has no consistency rule, meaning you could pass the evaluation in a single profitable day. Topstep requires your best day to be no more than 50% of total profit.
E8 Markets offers up to 80% profit split(On Demand payouts), while Topstep offers up to 90%(Daily payouts). 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.
Both firms have similar trading restrictions.
Starting at $110 · One-time fee (no subscription)
No strong style match
E8 Markets is a stronger fit for budget traders (starting at $110). 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, E8 Markets reaches break-even on day 12 while Topstep reaches it on day 12. E8 Markets costs $48 less to get started. Topstep projects $1,747/mo more in funded earnings.
Choose E8 Markets if you want:
Choose Topstep if you want:
Overall, Topstep scores higher (79 vs 73) on our trader-friendliness index. Key advantages: better profit split, more lenient consistency rules. That said, E8 Markets wins on lower starting cost, faster path to funded. See the full glossary to understand any unfamiliar terms, or explore trading styles to find the best firm for your approach.
Comparing E8 Markets or Topstep with another firm? See all comparisons