Elite Trader Funding wins this comparison (7 against 6). Topstep remains the cheaper way in, so the choice is not automatic.
At Elite Trader Funding the funded account stays simulated: the headline split is 100%, but payouts are capped at $25,000 per trader, after which moving to the LIVE ELITE program on an 80/20 split becomes mandatory. Six futures evaluation models, $47 resets, but activation fees of $177 to $307 and $87 a month once funded.
Criteria won: 7 / 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: 6 / 33
Cheapest evaluation for a 100 K account.
Elite Trader Funding
$205
Topstep
$99
| Full comparison | Elite Trader Funding | |
|---|---|---|
| Trust | ||
| Score | 77/100 | 77/100 |
| Trustpilot | 3.8/5 ✓ | 3.6/5 |
| Founded | 2022 | 2012 ✓ |
| Headquarters | US | US |
| Pricing | ||
| Entry price | $99 | $49 ✓ |
| Price for a 100 K account | $205 | $99 ✓ |
| Refundable fee | — | No |
| Reset price | $47 | — |
| Account sizes | 250 K ✓ | 150 K |
| Rules | ||
| Steps | 1 | 1 |
| Profit target | — | 6 % |
| Max daily loss | — | — |
| Max total drawdown | — | 4 % |
| Drawdown type | Trailing intraday | Trailing (end of day) ✓ |
| Time limit | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Consistency rule | — | 50 |
| Min trading days | 5 | 2 ✓ |
| Payouts | ||
| Profit split | 100 % ✓ | 90 % |
| Max profit split | 100 % ✓ | 90 % |
| First payout | 8 days | 5 days ✓ |
| Payout frequency | On demand, approved the same day | 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 | — | wise and bank |
| Scaling plan | — | Yes |
| Max allocation | 250 K ✓ | 150 K |
| Trading | ||
| Platforms and instruments | ninjatrader, tradingview, rithmic, tradovate ✓ | ninjatrader, tradovate, rithmic |
| Instruments | futures | futures |
| Leverage | — | — |
| News trading | — | — |
| Weekend holding | Yes ✓ | No |
| Expert Advisors | No | — |
| Copy trading | Restricted | — |
| Scalping | Yes | — |
| Hedging | — | — |
Choose Elite Trader Funding if… Elite Trader Funding keeps 100 % of profits, allows a first withdrawal after 8 days, then pays On demand, approved the same day. 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.
Elite Trader Funding is the only one of the two to offer tradingview. 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, 10 years longer than Elite Trader Funding. On Trustpilot they sit at 3.8/5 and 3.6/5 respectively. Our trust pillar scores them 67/100 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.
Topstep opens at $49 against $99 for Elite Trader Funding, a substantial gap on the smallest account. At the reference size of 100 K the comparison is $205 for Elite Trader Funding 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.
Elite Trader Funding applies a trailing intraday drawdown. 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.
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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