Take Profit Trader vs Topstep: which prop firm is better in 2026?
Across pricing, rules and payout terms, Topstep takes the lead (7 against 3). Take Profit Trader stays relevant for traders whose priorities differ from the average.
Take Profit Trader
Futures · Trustpilot 4.3/5
Founded in Florida in late 2021, Take Profit Trader runs a three-tier path — Test, then PRO, then PRO+ on the live market — with withdrawals available from day one on a funded account. It excludes no countries, which is rare. The point to watch is the drawdown type changing between tiers, which catches many traders out.
Criteria won : 3 / 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.
Take Profit Trader
$330
Topstep
$99
Full comparison
| Criterion | Take Profit Trader | Topstep |
|---|---|---|
| Trust | ||
| Score | 76/100 | 77/100 ✓ |
| Trustpilot | 4.3/5 ✓ | 3.6/5 |
| Founded | 2021 | 2012 ✓ |
| Headquarters | US | US |
| Pricing | ||
| Entry price | $150 | $49 ✓ |
| Price for a 100 K account | $330 | $99 ✓ |
| Refundable fee | No | No |
| Reset price | — | — |
| Account sizes | 150 K | 150 K |
| Rules | ||
| Steps | 1 | 1 |
| Profit target | 6 % | 6 % |
| Max daily loss | — | — |
| Max total drawdown | — | 4 % |
| Drawdown type | Trailing (end of day) | Trailing (end of day) |
| Time limit | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Consistency rule | 50 | 50 |
| Min trading days | 3 | 2 ✓ |
| Payouts | ||
| Profit split | 80 % | 90 % ✓ |
| Max profit split | 90 % | 90 % |
| First payout | 0 days ✓ | 5 days |
| Payout frequency | quotidien, a la demande des le premier jour | 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 | No | Yes ✓ |
| Max allocation | 150 K | 150 K |
| Trading | ||
| Platforms and instruments | ninjatrader, tradingview, tradovate, rithmic, quantower ✓ | ninjatrader, tradovate, rithmic |
| Instruments | futures | futures |
| Leverage | — | — |
| News trading | Yes | — |
| Weekend holding | No | No |
| Expert Advisors | — | — |
| Copy trading | — | — |
| Scalping | Yes | — |
| Hedging | — | — |
Choose Take Profit Trader if…
- Cash flow matters to you: the first withdrawal comes after 0 days rather than 5.
- You need a platform Topstep does not offer: tradingview, quantower.
Choose Topstep if…
- Your budget is the binding constraint: the entry ticket starts at $49, below Take Profit Trader.
Our analysis
Where you actually trade
Take Profit Trader is the only one of the two to offer tradingview, quantower. 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, 9 years longer than Take Profit Trader. On Trustpilot they sit at 4.3/5 and 3.6/5 respectively. Our trust pillar scores them 83/100 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 $150 for Take Profit Trader, a substantial gap on the smallest account. At the reference size of 100 K the comparison is $330 for Take Profit 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.
Drawdown: the rule that decides
Take Profit Trader applies a trailing (end of day) drawdown. Topstep applies a trailing (end of day) drawdown capped at 4 %. Both use the same model, so the difference plays out on the percentages rather than on the mechanism.
What reaches your account
Take Profit Trader keeps 90 % of profits, allows a first withdrawal after 0 days, then pays quotidien, a la demande des le premier jour. 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.