A detailed breakdown of how these two firms compare across costs, drawdown rules, payout structure, and trading restrictions.
Plans compared: Topstep $50K vs Tradeify Growth $50K
Current public evidence favors Topstep for the balanced model.
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.
Tradeify is $53 cheaper to get started. Topstep charges $49/mo (monthly subscription) plus a $149 activation fee. Tradeify charges $145 one-time.
Tradeify has a soft daily loss limit breach type. Topstep's breach type is not stated.
Topstep uses EOD Trailing drawdown at 4% ($2,000 buffer once locked at initial), while Tradeify uses EOD Trailing drawdown at 4% ($2,000 buffer once locked at initial). Tradeify also has a $1,250 daily loss limit, while Topstep's daily loss limit is not stated.
No timing winner is declared until both selected paths have formula-ready public evidence. Topstep: Missing public evidence: Buffer Clearance Required, Min Profitable Days Before Payout, Min Trading Days, Payout Processing Time, PublicSourceUrls. Tradeify: Missing public evidence: Field Evidence Ledger, Golden Fixture Public Evidence. Tradeify's single-day consistency cap is not stated. Topstep requires your best day to be no more than 50% of total profit.
Payout details vary by tier. Check individual firm pages for full breakdown.
When comparing withdrawal frequency, the gap between payouts matters. Topstep requires 5 profitable trading days between each withdrawal, while Tradeify requires 5 profitable trading days. At 20 trading days per month, that means Topstep can request roughly 4 payouts per month versus Tradeify's 4.
Tradeify transitions funded accounts to live trading after 3 payouts on a single account or 10 total payouts since last live transition across all plan types. On live accounts, payout caps may lift and split percentages can change. Topstep's sim-to-live transition is not stated.
Between payouts, Topstep requires 5 trading days before your next request, while Tradeify requires 5 trading days.
To count as a qualifying day toward payouts, Topstep requires at least $150 in daily profit, while Tradeify requires $150.
Topstep limits each payout to 50% of accumulated profit, keeping the remainder as an account buffer. Tradeify's percentage-of-profit cap on payouts is not stated.
Tradeify requires a minimum account balance of $53,000 before you can request a payout. Topstep's minimum balance requirement is not stated.
Maximum per withdrawal request: Topstep caps at $2,000, while Tradeify caps at $3,000.
Both firms have similar trading restrictions. Both require flat-by deadlines: Topstep at 3:10 PM CT, Tradeify at 4:59 PM ET.
News trading allowed · Only 2 min trading days
News trading OK · No consistency rule
Starting at $49 · No activation fee
News trading allowed · Only 1 min trading day
Starting at $99 · One-time fee (no subscription)
Both firms work well for day traders and budget traders. 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, Topstep reaches break-even on day 12 while Tradeify reaches it on day 10. Tradeify costs $53 less to get started. Tradeify projects $2,783/mo more in funded earnings.
Choose Topstep if you want:
Overall, Tradeify scores higher (69 vs 68) on our trader-friendliness index. Key advantages: lower starting cost. That said, Topstep wins on more forgiving drawdown rules, more lenient consistency rules. See the full glossary to understand any unfamiliar terms, or explore trading styles to find the best firm for your approach.
Comparing Topstep or Tradeify with another firm? See all comparisons