Goat Funded Trader wins this comparison (10 against 6). Topstep stays relevant for traders whose priorities differ from the average.
Goat Funded Trader launched in 2023 out of Hong Kong. It publishes a full price grid, runs static drawdown across its three evaluation models, and pays every 14 days with a profit split from 80 % up to 100 %. The counterweight: its Trustpilot score is suspended over fake reviews, rules tightened in summer 2026, and 29 countries are excluded.
Criteria won: 10 / 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.
Goat Funded Trader
$478
Topstep
$99
| Full comparison | Goat Funded Trader | |
|---|---|---|
| Trust | ||
| Score | 78/100 ✓ | 77/100 |
| Trustpilot | — | 3.6/5 |
| Founded | 2023 | 2012 ✓ |
| Headquarters | HK | US |
| Pricing | ||
| Entry price | $36 ✓ | $49 |
| Price for a 100 K account | $478 | $99 ✓ |
| Refundable fee | — | No |
| Reset price | — | — |
| Account sizes | 400 K ✓ | 150 K |
| Rules | ||
| Steps | 2 | 1 ✓ |
| Profit target | 8 % | 6 % ✓ |
| Max daily loss | 4 % | — |
| Max total drawdown | 10 % ✓ | 4 % |
| Drawdown type | Static ✓ | Trailing (end of day) |
| Time limit | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Consistency rule | — | 50 |
| Min trading days | 3 | 2 ✓ |
| Payouts | ||
| Profit split | 80 % | 90 % ✓ |
| Max profit split | 100 % ✓ | 90 % |
| First payout | — | 5 days |
| Payout frequency | Every 2 weeks (14 days); processed within 2 business days, 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, crypto, and paypal ✓ | wise and bank |
| Scaling plan | Yes | Yes |
| Max allocation | 400 K ✓ | 150 K |
| Trading | ||
| Platforms and instruments | mt5, tradelocker, ctrader | ninjatrader, tradovate, rithmic |
| Instruments | fx, indices, metals, energy, stocks, crypto ✓ | futures |
| Leverage | Evaluation: forex 1:100, indices/commodities 1:20, crypto 1:2 — Funded: forex 1:50, indices/commodities 1:10, crypto 1:2 | — |
| News trading | Yes | — |
| Weekend holding | Yes ✓ | No |
| Expert Advisors | Yes | — |
| Copy trading | Restricted | — |
| Scalping | — | — |
| Hedging | — | — |
Choose Goat Funded Trader if… Topstep has been running since 2012, 11 years longer than Goat Funded Trader. 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.
Goat Funded Trader opens at $36 against $49 for Topstep, a moderate gap on the smallest account. At the reference size of 100 K the comparison is $478 for Goat Funded Trader 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.
Goat Funded Trader applies a static drawdown capped at 10 %, 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.
Goat Funded Trader keeps 100 % of profits, then pays Every 2 weeks (14 days); processed within 2 business days, 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.
Goat Funded Trader is the only one of the two to offer mt5, tradelocker, ctrader. 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.
No discount code is published without being checked on the firm’s own website. An unverified deal does not appear here.
See the discounts
