Topstep wins this comparison (8 against 6). and it pays out a larger share of profits, so the choice is not automatic.
Every E8 Markets product is now single-phase: a 6% target, withdrawals available from day three, and a split running from 80% to 100%. The trade-offs are a 35-40% consistency rule, no scaling plan, and a Trustpilot rating suspended in August 2026 for a breach of the platform's guidelines.
Criteria won: 6 / 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: 8 / 33
Cheapest evaluation for a 100 K account.
E8 Markets
$260
Topstep
$99
| Full comparison | E8 Markets | |
|---|---|---|
| Trust | ||
| Score | 76/100 | 77/100 ✓ |
| Trustpilot | — | 3.6/5 |
| Founded | 2021 | 2012 ✓ |
| Headquarters | US | US |
| Pricing | ||
| Entry price | $110 | $49 ✓ |
| Price for a 100 K account | $260 | $99 ✓ |
| Refundable fee | No | No |
| Reset price | — | — |
| Account sizes | 500 K ✓ | 150 K |
| Rules | ||
| Steps | 1 | 1 |
| Profit target | 6 % | 6 % |
| Max daily loss | — | — |
| Max total drawdown | — | 4 % |
| Drawdown type | — | Trailing (end of day) |
| Time limit | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Consistency rule | 35 | 50 ✓ |
| Min trading days | — | 2 |
| Payouts | ||
| Profit split | 80 % | 90 % ✓ |
| Max profit split | 100 % ✓ | 90 % |
| First payout | — | 5 days |
| Payout frequency | On demand (daily on E8 Pro; minimum $100) | 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 | wise and bank ✓ |
| Scaling plan | No | Yes ✓ |
| Max allocation | 500 K ✓ | 150 K |
| Trading | ||
| Platforms and instruments | mt5, ctrader, tradelocker, match-trader ✓ | ninjatrader, tradovate, rithmic |
| Instruments | fx, indices, metals, energy, crypto, futures ✓ | futures |
| Leverage | Forex 1:30, indices 1:15, metals 1:15, crypto 1:1 | — |
| News trading | Yes | — |
| Weekend holding | Yes ✓ | No |
| Expert Advisors | — | — |
| Copy trading | Restricted | — |
| Scalping | — | — |
| Hedging | — | — |
Choose E8 Markets if… Topstep opens at $49 against $110 for E8 Markets, a substantial gap on the smallest account. At the reference size of 100 K the comparison is $260 for E8 Markets 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.
E8 Markets does not publish a clear drawdown model. 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.
E8 Markets keeps 100 % of profits, then pays On demand (daily on E8 Pro; minimum $100). 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.
E8 Markets is the only one of the two to offer mt5, ctrader, tradelocker, match-trader. 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 E8 Markets. 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.
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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