Topstep vs Trade Day

Trade Day is $136 cheaper to get started. Topstep charges $49/mo (monthly subscription) plus a $149 activation fee. Trade Day charges $62/mo (monthly subscription). Trade Day currently has an active promotion which may further reduce cost.

Topstep uses EOD Trailing drawdown at 4% ($2,000 buffer once locked at initial), while Trade Day uses Intraday Trailing at 4% ($2,000 buffer once locked at initial). Trade Day uses intraday trailing, the strictest type — your floor moves in real time with every tick of profit. Topstep's EOD trailing only adjusts at market close, giving intraday profits a safer cushion.

Topstep gets you funded faster, with an estimated ~2 days to first payout (2d eval). Consistency rules also affect pacing: Topstep caps your best day at 50% of total profit, while Trade Day caps at 30% — a looser rule means you may need fewer trading days in practice.

Topstep offers up to 90% profit split(Daily payouts), while Trade Day offers up to 80%(On Demand 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.

Trade Day is a stronger fit for budget traders (starting at $62). 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, Topstep reaches break-even on day 12 while Trade Day reaches it on day 10. Trade Day costs $136 less to get started. Trade Day projects $3,367/mo more in funded earnings.

Overall, Topstep scores higher (79 vs 72) on our trader-friendliness index. Key advantages: more forgiving drawdown rules, faster path to funded, better profit split, more lenient consistency rules. That said, Trade Day wins on lower starting cost. See the full glossary to understand any unfamiliar terms, or explore trading styles to find the best firm for your approach.