Alpha Capital Group wins this comparison (8 against 3). Topstep stays relevant for traders whose priorities differ from the average.
Alpha Capital Group is a UK forex prop firm registered in 2021, running eight programs that span a $27 two-phase challenge through to accounts funded at purchase. The rulebook is permissive — news, weekend and overnight holding allowed, four platforms — but the tradable universe stops at forex, indices and metals, and Trustpilot has suspended the rating over fake reviews.
Criteria won: 8 / 33
Founded in Chicago in 2012, Topstep is the oldest futures prop firm. It charges a monthly subscription rather than a one-off ticket, with a 6 % target and a trailing drawdown that locks once the starting balance is cleared. Its 90 % profit split and first withdrawal after five winning days are among the best in the segment.
Criteria won: 3 / 33
Cheapest evaluation for a 100 K account.
Alpha Capital Group
$397
Topstep
$99
| Full comparison | Alpha Capital Group | |
|---|---|---|
| Trust | ||
| Score | 80/100 ✓ | 77/100 |
| Trustpilot | — | 3.6/5 |
| Founded | 2021 | 2012 ✓ |
| Headquarters | GB | US |
| Pricing | ||
| Entry price | $27 ✓ | $49 |
| Price for a 100 K account | $397 | $99 ✓ |
| Refundable fee | — | No |
| Reset price | — | — |
| Account sizes | 200 K ✓ | 150 K |
| Rules | ||
| Steps | 1 | 1 |
| Profit target | 6 % | 6 % |
| Max daily loss | 3 % | — |
| Max total drawdown | 4 % | 4 % |
| Drawdown type | Trailing (end of day) | Trailing (end of day) |
| Time limit | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Consistency rule | — | 50 |
| Min trading days | 1 ✓ | 2 |
| Payouts | ||
| Profit split | 80 % | 90 % ✓ |
| Max profit split | 90 % | 90 % |
| First payout | — | 5 days |
| Payout frequency | Bi-weekly or on demand (chosen at purchase); processed within 2 business days | On request: Express Funded Standard after 5 winning days at $150+; Express Funded Consistency after 3 trading days with a 40% consistency target |
| Payout methods | rise and wise | wise and bank |
| Scaling plan | Yes | Yes |
| Max allocation | 400 K ✓ | 150 K |
| Trading | ||
| Platforms and instruments | mt5, ctrader, dxtrade, tradelocker ✓ | ninjatrader, tradovate, rithmic |
| Instruments | fx, indices, metals, energy ✓ | futures |
| Leverage | Up to 1:30 on Alpha One (FX), 1:9 metals, 1:10 indices and oil | — |
| News trading | Yes | — |
| Weekend holding | Yes ✓ | No |
| Expert Advisors | — | — |
| Copy trading | Restricted | — |
| Scalping | — | — |
| Hedging | — | — |
Choose Alpha Capital Group if… Alpha Capital Group keeps 90 % of profits, then pays Bi-weekly or on demand (chosen at purchase); processed within 2 business days. Topstep keeps 90 % of profits, allows a first withdrawal after 5 days, then pays On request: Express Funded Standard after 5 winning days at $150+; Express Funded Consistency after 3 trading days with a 40% consistency target. Payout frequency deserves as much attention as the split itself: a slightly lower share paid every two weeks compounds faster than a headline percentage locked behind a monthly cycle and a long first-withdrawal delay.
Alpha Capital Group is the only one of the two to offer mt5, ctrader, dxtrade, tradelocker. Topstep covers ninjatrader, tradovate, rithmic, which its rival does not. Platform choice is not cosmetic: order execution, available order types and the reliability of your automation all depend on it, and switching mid-evaluation is rarely possible.
Topstep has been running since 2012, 9 years longer than Alpha Capital Group. Our trust pillar scores them 74/100 and 80/100, which weighs age, corporate transparency and public payout evidence. In an industry with no financial regulator overseeing these evaluations, longevity and a verifiable payout history are the closest thing to a guarantee.
Alpha Capital Group opens at $27 against $49 for Topstep, a substantial gap on the smallest account. At the reference size of 100 K the comparison is $397 for Alpha Capital Group against $99 for Topstep. The headline fee is rarely the real cost, though: what matters is the price of a reset after a failed attempt, whether the fee comes back on the first payout, and whether an activation fee appears when you move to a funded account. Compare those three lines in the table above before deciding on price alone.
Alpha Capital Group applies a trailing (end of day) drawdown capped at 4 %, with a 3 % daily limit. Topstep applies a trailing (end of day) drawdown capped at 4 %. Both use the same model, so the difference plays out on the percentages rather than on the mechanism.
No discount code is published without being checked on the firm’s own website. An unverified deal does not appear here.
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