BrightFunded vs Topstep: which prop firm is better in 2026?
Neither firm dominates this comparison. The decision comes down to which constraint matters most to you: entry cost, drawdown model, or payout terms.
BrightFunded
Forex / CFD · Crypto
Set up in 2023 by a Dutch team and operated out of Dubai, BrightFunded keeps its rulebook short: no consistency rule, no time limit, static drawdown on both 2-Step plans. The model leans instead on paid add-ons — fee refund, 90% split, waived minimum days — and the first payout only lands 30 days after the first trade.
Criteria won : 8 / 33
Topstep
Futures · Trustpilot 3.6/5
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 : 8 / 33
Pricing at equal account size
Cheapest evaluation for a 100 K account.
BrightFunded
€477
Topstep
$99
Full comparison
| Criterion | BrightFunded | Topstep |
|---|---|---|
| Trust | ||
| Score | 76/100 | 77/100 ✓ |
| Trustpilot | — | 3.6/5 |
| Founded | 2023 | 2012 ✓ |
| Headquarters | AE | US |
| Pricing | ||
| Entry price | €47 ✓ | $49 |
| Price for a 100 K account | €477 | $99 ✓ |
| Refundable fee | No | No |
| Reset price | — | — |
| Account sizes | 200 K ✓ | 150 K |
| Rules | ||
| Steps | 2 | 1 ✓ |
| Profit target | 8 % | 6 % ✓ |
| Max daily loss | 4 % | — |
| Max total drawdown | 8 % ✓ | 4 % |
| Drawdown type | Static ✓ | Trailing (end of day) |
| Time limit | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Consistency rule | No ✓ | 50 |
| Min trading days | 5 | 2 ✓ |
| Payouts | ||
| Profit split | 80 % | 90 % ✓ |
| Max profit split | 100 % ✓ | 90 % |
| First payout | 30 days | 5 days ✓ |
| Payout frequency | Premier paiement 30 jours apres le premier trade, puis toutes les 2 semaines ; add-ons hebdomadaire et bi-hebdomadaire disponibles | Sur demande : Express Funded Standard après 5 journées gagnantes à 150 $+ ; Express Funded Consistency après 3 journées de trading avec cible de consistance 40 % |
| Payout methods | — | wise and bank |
| Scaling plan | Yes | Yes |
| Max allocation | 400 K ✓ | 150 K |
| Trading | ||
| Platforms and instruments | mt5, ctrader, dxtrade | ninjatrader, tradovate, rithmic |
| Instruments | fx, indices, metals, energy, crypto ✓ | futures |
| Leverage | Forex 1:100, or et matieres premieres 1:40, indices 1:20, crypto 1:5 (identique en evaluation et en compte finance) | — |
| News trading | Yes | — |
| Weekend holding | — | No |
| Expert Advisors | — | — |
| Copy trading | Restricted | — |
| Scalping | — | — |
| Hedging | — | — |
Choose BrightFunded if…
- Your results concentrate on a few strong sessions: no consistency rule caps a single day's share of total profit.
- You need a platform Topstep does not offer: mt5, ctrader, dxtrade.
- You are aiming for size: allocation scales up to 400 K.
- Your budget is the binding constraint: the entry ticket starts at €47, below Topstep.
Choose Topstep if…
- You need a platform BrightFunded does not offer: ninjatrader, tradovate, rithmic.
- Cash flow matters to you: the first withdrawal comes after 5 days rather than 30.
- You want the shortest path to funding: 1 evaluation phase against 2 at BrightFunded.
Our analysis
Entry cost
BrightFunded opens at €47 against $49 for Topstep, a moderate gap on the smallest account. At the reference size of 100 K the comparison is €477 for BrightFunded 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.
Risk rules side by side
BrightFunded applies a static drawdown capped at 8 %, with a 4 % daily limit. Topstep applies a trailing (end of day) drawdown capped at 4 %. This is the single most consequential difference between the two. A static drawdown is measured once, from the starting balance, and never moves; a trailing drawdown follows your equity upward, so a winning streak raises the floor you can no longer fall below. Intraday trailing is stricter still, because it tracks unrealised peaks reached inside the session — profit you never actually banked can permanently raise your loss threshold.
Payout terms compared
BrightFunded keeps 100 % of profits, allows a first withdrawal after 30 days, then pays Premier paiement 30 jours apres le premier trade, puis toutes les 2 semaines ; add-ons hebdomadaire et bi-hebdomadaire disponibles. Topstep keeps 90 % of profits, allows a first withdrawal after 5 days, then pays Sur demande : Express Funded Standard après 5 journées gagnantes à 150 $+ ; Express Funded Consistency après 3 journées de trading avec cible de consistance 40 %. 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.
Platforms and instruments
BrightFunded is the only one of the two to offer mt5, ctrader, dxtrade. 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.
Trust and longevity
Topstep has been running since 2012, 11 years longer than BrightFunded. Our trust pillar scores them 66/100 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.