FundedNext vs Topstep: which prop firm is better in 2026?
Across pricing, rules and payout terms, FundedNext takes the lead (11 against 7). Topstep remains the cheaper way in, so the choice is not automatic.
FundedNext
Forex / CFD · Futures · Crypto · Trustpilot 4.5/5
On the forex and CFD side, FundedNext runs just two routes: Stellar 1-Step (10% target, 6% max loss) and Stellar 2-Step (8% then 5%, 10% max loss). Both use static drawdown, carry no deadline and come with refundable fees. Pricing is on the high side, and the headline 95% split needs a paid option — the contractual base is 80%.
Criteria won : 11 / 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 : 7 / 33
Pricing at equal account size
Cheapest evaluation for a 100 K account.
FundedNext
$549.99
Topstep
$99
Full comparison
| Criterion | FundedNext | Topstep |
|---|---|---|
| Trust | ||
| Score | 85/100 ✓ | 77/100 |
| Trustpilot | 4.5/5 ✓ | 3.6/5 |
| Founded | 2022 | 2012 ✓ |
| Headquarters | AE | US |
| Pricing | ||
| Entry price | $59.99 | $49 ✓ |
| Price for a 100 K account | $549.99 | $99 ✓ |
| Refundable fee | Yes ✓ | No |
| Reset price | — | — |
| Account sizes | 200 K ✓ | 150 K |
| Rules | ||
| Steps | 2 | 1 ✓ |
| Profit target | 8 % | 6 % ✓ |
| Max daily loss | 5 % | — |
| Max total drawdown | 10 % ✓ | 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 | 95 % ✓ | 90 % |
| First payout | 5 days | 5 days |
| Payout frequency | Stellar 1-Step : premier retrait apres 5 jours ouvres puis tous les 5 jours ouvres. Stellar 2-Step : premier retrait a 21 jours puis tous les 14 jours | 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 | 300 K ✓ | 150 K |
| Trading | ||
| Platforms and instruments | mt4, mt5, ctrader, match-trader ✓ | ninjatrader, tradovate, rithmic |
| Instruments | fx, indices, metals, energy, crypto ✓ | futures |
| Leverage | 1:30 forex sur Stellar 1-Step (verifie sur le site officiel) ; 1:100 forex annonce sur Stellar 2-Step | — |
| News trading | — | — |
| Weekend holding | — | No |
| Expert Advisors | Yes | — |
| Copy trading | Restricted | — |
| Scalping | — | — |
| Hedging | — | — |
Choose FundedNext if…
- You are aiming for size: allocation scales up to 300 K.
- You want a drawdown you can compute in your head: the limit is fixed on the starting balance and never moves as the account grows.
- You expect to stay funded long enough for the split to matter: 95 % against 90 % at Topstep.
- Your results concentrate on a few strong sessions: no consistency rule caps a single day's share of total profit.
Choose Topstep if…
- Your budget is the binding constraint: the entry ticket starts at $49, below FundedNext.
- You want the shortest path to funding: 1 evaluation phase against 2 at FundedNext.
- You need a platform FundedNext does not offer: ninjatrader, tradovate, rithmic.
Our analysis
Where you actually trade
FundedNext is the only one of the two to offer mt4, mt5, ctrader, 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.
Track record
Topstep has been running since 2012, 10 years longer than FundedNext. On Trustpilot they sit at 4.5/5 and 3.6/5 respectively. Our trust pillar scores them 81/100 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.
What you pay to start
Topstep opens at $49 against $59.99 for FundedNext, a moderate gap on the smallest account. At the reference size of 100 K the comparison is $549.99 for FundedNext 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.
Drawdown: the rule that decides
FundedNext applies a static drawdown capped at 10 %, with a 5 % 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.
What reaches your account
FundedNext keeps 95 % of profits, allows a first withdrawal after 5 days, then pays Stellar 1-Step : premier retrait apres 5 jours ouvres puis tous les 5 jours ouvres. Stellar 2-Step : premier retrait a 21 jours puis tous les 14 jours. 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.