A detailed breakdown of how these two firms compare across costs, drawdown rules, payout structure, and trading restrictions.
Current public evidence favors Take Profit Trader for the balanced model.
Topstep is $34 cheaper to get started. Take Profit Trader charges $102/mo (monthly subscription) plus a $130 activation fee. Topstep charges $49/mo (monthly subscription) plus a $149 activation fee. Take Profit Trader currently has an active promotion which may further reduce cost.
Topstep's daily loss limit is a — the account pauses rather than fails. Take Profit Trader's daily loss limit is a — hitting it immediately disqualifies the account.
Take Profit Trader gets you funded faster, with an estimated ~6 days to first payout (5d eval + 1d processing).
Take Profit Trader offers up to 80% profit split(Daily payouts), while Topstep offers up to 90%(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. Take Profit Trader 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.
Take Profit Trader requires clearing a buffer zone before your first payout — you must earn above your starting balance plus the drawdown amount before any withdrawal is allowed. Topstep has no buffer requirement, meaning payouts are available from day one.
Topstep is more flexible overall. Automation: Topstep allows bots and algo trading while Take Profit Trader prohibits it — a critical difference for systematic traders.
Only 5 min trading days · EOD trailing (intraday profits safe)
Starting at $90 · Active promo code available
News trading allowed · Only 2 min trading days
News trading OK · No consistency rule
Both firms work well for day traders. Take Profit Trader is a stronger fit for budget traders (starting at $90). Topstep is a stronger fit for scalpers (news trading ok). 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, Take Profit Trader reaches break-even on day 12 while Topstep reaches it on day 12. Topstep costs $34 less to get started. Take Profit Trader projects $620/mo more in funded earnings.
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Comparing Take Profit Trader or Topstep with another firm? See all comparisons
This public economics comparison uses ordinary public product/help/rule material and values derived from it. Some model inputs are visible in ordinary public material, but one or more public fields are missing or unavailable.
Take Profit Trader 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). Both have daily loss limits: Take Profit Trader at $1,100, Topstep at $1,000. Topstep's daily loss limit is a soft mechanism (pause until next day), while Take Profit Trader has no such soft protection.
Topstep requires a minimum of $150 daily profit for a day to count toward payout eligibility. Take Profit Trader has no qualifying day minimum.
Topstep limits each payout to 50% of accumulated profit, keeping the remainder as an account buffer. Take Profit Trader has no percentage-of-profit cap on payouts.
Take Profit Trader requires a $2,000 safety net buffer before your first payout — you must earn above starting balance plus this amount. Topstep has no safety net requirement.
Take Profit Trader's buffer never clears — withdrawals from the buffer zone earn a reduced 50%/50% split permanently.
Topstep caps each withdrawal at $5,000 per request. Take Profit Trader has no per-request cap.
Overall, Topstep scores higher (69 vs 56) on our trader-friendliness index. Key advantages: lower starting cost, better profit split, fewer trading restrictions. That said, Take Profit Trader wins on 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.