TradeDay vs Topstep

TradeDay suits futures traders who want a wide choice of third party platforms, no activation fee and, on its Quick Pay path, access to profit from the first funded day, and who do not trade scheduled Tier 1 releases. Topstep suits traders who expect to pass quickly and want the lowest monthly entry price, a 90/10 split from the first payout and freedom to trade news with normal size. Both Chicago firms bill monthly and keep an end of day drawdown on their comparable plans, so the choice turns on price, payout caps, news rules and platforms.

All prices are list prices at the time of review in September 2026. Both firms run frequent discounts, and TradeDay was showing 55% off at the time of review.

TradeDay vs Topstep at a glance

The table compares the TradeDay Fast Pass 50K with the Topstep 50K Trading Combine on the Standard path. Both keep an end of day trailing drawdown from the evaluation into the funded account.

Rules and drawdown

On these plans the drawdown works in a similar way. TradeDay’s $2,000 limit on Fast Pass trails the end of day balance in the evaluation and the Funded Sim account, is enforced in real time and freezes once it reaches the starting balance, and the first payout moves it up to the starting balance. Topstep’s $2,000 Maximum Loss Limit trails the end of day balance, never moves down and locks at the starting balance in the Combine. Its Express Funded Account starts at a $0 balance, and the limit locks at $0 once the balance reaches $2,000 or after any payout. The end of day drawdown guide covers the mechanics, and the drawdown calculator tracks the floor day by day.

TradeDay’s Quick Pay path is different. The evaluation can use intraday or end of day trailing, but every Quick Pay Funded Sim account uses an intraday trailing limit calculated on gross profit, so it keeps trailing after payouts until it reaches the starting balance.

Daily limits are light at both firms. TradeDay lists no daily loss limit on its pricing cards or rules pages. Topstep offers an optional one of $1,000 on 50K that flattens positions for the session without breaking a rule.

Consistency rules are tighter at TradeDay. Fast Pass requires the best day to stay at or below 45% of profit in the evaluation, and accounts opened from 26 July 2026 keep a 45% rule on gross profit once funded. Topstep’s Combine uses 55%, and its funded account applies a 40% rule only on the Consistency payout path. The consistency rule calculator checks a run of daily results against each limit. Fast Pass needs at least three days in the evaluation and Topstep two.

News, holding and automation

News is the clearest rule difference. TradeDay does not allow trading of Tier 1 releases, including FOMC statements and minutes, US CPI, the employment report, EIA inventories for energy contracts and crop reports for grains. Open positions are liquidated two minutes before and trading reopens two minutes after. Topstep allows news trading and only prohibits placing the full maximum position size directly into a scheduled major release. The news trading rules guide compares approaches across firms.

Neither firm allows holding through the close. TradeDay liquidates positions 10 minutes before the daily close, and Topstep requires positions to be flat by 3:10 pm Central time. Position limits on 50K are five minis or 50 micros at both firms in the evaluation. Funded Fast Pass accounts start at two contracts and add one for each $2,000 of end of day profit.

TradeDay allows automated systems built by the trader on NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView, Jigsaw or Quantower, but bans bots bought from third parties, direct API connections and strategies above 200 trades a day. Topstep allows custom automation only through the TopstepX API, at $29 a month with a 50% discount for Topstep traders, and not on Live Funded Accounts.

Pricing, resets and activation fees

Both firms bill monthly until the trader passes or cancels. TradeDay’s Fast Pass 50K costs $189 a month, and Quick Pay 50K costs $131 with intraday drawdown or $175 with end of day drawdown in the evaluation. There is no activation fee, the subscription stops on the day the trader is funded, and resets cost the same as the discounted monthly price. Funded Sim accounts carry no data fee, but Funded Live traders pay CME professional data of $156 a month per exchange plus a $2 Tradovate card fee.

Topstep’s Standard 50K costs $49 a month plus $149 on passing, so a pass in the first month costs $198 and each further month adds $49. The No Activation Fee path costs $95 a month, or $85 with a daily loss limit added at checkout, which also doubles payout caps. Each rebill includes a free reset. Level 1 data is included, and TopstepX commissions are $3.78 per round turn on ES and NQ. At list price Topstep is cheaper each month on both of its paths.

Payouts

Fast Pass pays 80/20 from the first payout. Each cycle needs five profitable days of at least $150 on 50K and net profit since the previous request, and each request is limited to half the balance and $1,500 for accounts opened from 26 July 2026. The minimum is $250, and payouts go through Riseworks by bank wire, free for US banks and $15 internationally, or by crypto. Funded Live accounts pay 90/10.

Quick Pay works differently. Once funded, a trader can request from any positive balance with no buffer, and requests before 5:30 pm ET are aimed to be processed by the next business day. The split is 50/50 while account profit is below $4,000 and 80/20 above it, and the account is paused for a Funded Live review at $10,000 gross profit, with profit above that level forfeited.

Topstep pays 90/10 from the first qualifying payout with a $125 minimum. Each Express Funded request can take half the balance, capped at $2,000 on the Standard path or $3,000 on the Consistency path for 50K, and US traders on Aeropay can be paid instantly after approval where their bank supports real time payments. ACH and wire transfers cost $30.

Both firms publish results. TradeDay reports a 36% evaluation pass rate for January to June 2026. Topstep reports that 16.8% of Trading Combines were completed in 2025 and that 33.3% of traders who reached the funded level received a payout. The payout calculator compares take home pay at each split.

Platforms and markets

TradeDay offers Tradovate and NinjaTrader through CQG, with a free NinjaTrader licence, and TradingView and Jigsaw with the trader’s own licence. Through Rithmic it adds R Trader Pro, Quantower, ATAS, MotiveWave, Bookmap, Sierra Chart, WealthCharts, MultiCharts and several more. Markets cover CME Group equity index, FX, metals, energy and agricultural futures. The restricted list is long and includes South Africa, Nigeria, the Philippines and Puerto Rico.

Topstep centres on TopstepX, which runs in a web or mobile browser with TradingView charts, and its help centre covers a Quantower connection. Markets span CME Group equity index, currency, energy, metals, interest rate, agricultural and micro crypto futures. Its ineligible countries include Nigeria, Pakistan, Kenya and Turkey.

Who should choose each firm

Choose TradeDay if

• You trade on NinjaTrader, Sierra Chart, Bookmap, ATAS or another Rithmic platform.
• You want access to profit from the first funded day on Quick Pay, or no activation fee on Fast Pass.
• You do not trade scheduled Tier 1 releases.

Choose Topstep if

• You expect to pass within a month and want the lowest monthly price.
• You want a 90/10 split and higher payout caps from the first request.
• You trade around scheduled news and want to keep doing so once funded.

Read the Topstep review, see TradeDay alternatives and Topstep alternatives, or compare Topstep with Tradeify and My Funded Futures. Filter every firm in the comparison table, browse more comparisons or visit the futures prop firms hub.