TL;DR
Topstep and Tradeify are both futures-only firms trading CME products, so neither is for FX or CFD traders. The real choice is between an established incumbent and a fast-moving challenger.
| You prioritize… | Pick |
|---|---|
| Longest operating record | Topstep (since ~2012) |
| Fastest payouts | Tradeify (Rise, ~60 min) |
| Widest 100% window | Tradeify (first $15,000) |
| Lowest entry to a funded account | Tradeify (one-time fee, no activation) |
| Pause-and-resume subscription | Topstep (monthly Combine) |
| No-evaluation instant funding | Tradeify (Lightning) |
Full specs: Topstep / Tradeify
Figures below are point-in-time for June 2026 and change often. Always confirm current numbers on the official sites before you buy. This article is informational and is not investment advice.
1. At a glance — incumbent vs fast-rising challenger
| Topstep | Tradeify | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | ~2012 (~14 years) | newer (2026 challenger) |
| Market | CME futures only | CME futures only |
| Drawdown type | End-of-day (EOD) trailing | End-of-day (EOD) trailing |
| Fee model | Monthly subscription + activation | One-time evaluation fee |
| Funded route | Evaluation (Trading Combine) | Evaluation or instant (Lightning) |
Topstep is one of the oldest names in the space. A long record through several market cycles is its strongest single argument — it has been paying traders since long before the 2024 shakeout that closed dozens of firms.
Tradeify is the newer entrant. It has grown quickly in 2026 on the back of very fast payouts and a generous first-payout window. The trade-off is a short history: there is simply less data on how it behaves over years.
2. Drawdown models — both EOD trailing, but the numbers differ
Both firms use an end-of-day (EOD) trailing maximum drawdown. That is the trader-friendly version of trailing: your loss limit only moves up at the close of each day based on your end-of-day balance, not tick-by-tick on your highest intraday profit. In practice, that gives you more room to ride out an intraday dip without busting the account.
This is worth understanding before you pick. For the wider concept, see trailing vs static drawdown.
Where they differ is the size of the limits. Topstep’s 50K Combine uses a trailing Maximum Loss Limit of $2,000 (4%). Tradeify’s Growth 25K uses an EOD trailing drawdown of about $1,000. So the model is the same; the headroom scales with account size and plan.
3. Account sizes, profit targets, and daily loss limits
Topstep — Trading Combine objectives
| Account | Profit target | Daily loss limit | Trailing max loss | Contract cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50K | $3,000 (6%) | $1,000 (2%) | $2,000 (4%) | 5 |
| $100K | — | — | — | 10 |
| $150K | — | — | — | 15 |
The 50K numbers above are from the Topstep Help Center. The contract caps (5/10/15) scale with size. Topstep keeps a consistency target in the Combine — your best single day should stay under 50% of your profit target — which nudges you toward steady results rather than one lucky session.
Tradeify — three plans
Tradeify splits its offer into three plans, all futures-only:
- Growth — evaluation with a 1-day minimum pass and no consistency rule.
- Select — evaluation with a 3-day pass and a choice of daily or 5-day payout paths.
- Lightning — instant / straight-to-sim funding, no evaluation.
Tradeify’s Growth daily loss limits scale by size: roughly $600 (25K), $1,250 (50K), $2,500 (100K), and $3,750 (150K), per Tradeify’s homepage and proptradingvibes.
The takeaway: Topstep gives you one well-defined path with a consistency rule; Tradeify lets you pick your structure, including a no-consistency, no-daily-loss-limit funded option (Select Flex, below).
4. Pricing — monthly subscription vs one-time fee
This is where the two models diverge most.
Topstep — monthly subscription + activation
| Account | Monthly |
|---|---|
| $50K | $49 |
| $100K | $99 |
| $150K | $149 |
Topstep’s Trading Combine is a monthly subscription. On passing, a one-time activation fee (reported at $149) applies to start the funded account. The structural risk: the longer you take to pass, the more months you pay. The upside: you can pause the subscription when you are not trading.
Tradeify — one-time evaluation fee, no activation
Tradeify charges a one-time evaluation fee per plan, with no separate activation fee. Its entry fee starts around $99 (Growth 25K). The homepage has shown promotional pricing — for example Lightning around $345 at 25K, discounted with rotating monthly codes (such as a “JUNE” code) — so verify the live price before buying.
The practical difference: with Topstep your cost is a function of how long you take; with Tradeify you pay once up front. Slow passers tend to prefer one-time fees; fast passers may not care. Either way, watch the hidden costs — activation, resets, and add-ons can move the real total.
5. Profit splits and the first-payout window
Both firms end up at a 90/10 split, but the early window — the part that matters most for your first withdrawals — is different.
| Topstep | Tradeify | |
|---|---|---|
| Split after window | 90/10 | 90/10 |
| 100% window | First $5,000, then 90/10 | First $15,000 cumulative (Growth & Lightning) |
This is a real gap. A Topstep funded account keeps 100% of the first $5,000 in profits, then moves to 90/10. Tradeify, by contrast, lets new Growth and Lightning accounts keep 100% of the first $15,000 in cumulative payouts before moving to 90/10. Topstep has changed these terms before, so confirm the current window on its official page rather than relying on any single figure.
If maximizing early cash flow is your priority, Tradeify’s window is the more generous one. For the wider topic of how firms disclose these terms, see payout transparency.
6. Payout speed and frequency — who actually pays faster
This is Tradeify’s headline pitch.
Topstep — fast on its best method, standard otherwise
Topstep’s first payout has a gate: you need either 5 winning days of $150+ net (the Standard path) or 3 days meeting a 40% consistency target (the Consistency path). The minimum payout is $125. After that, processing depends on the method:
- Prop Payout to Brokerage — same day if requested by 12 PM CT
- Aeropay — near-instant
- ACH / Wise — 1-3 business days
- Wire — 5-10 business days
So Topstep can be same-day on its fastest rails, but the common methods take a few business days.
Tradeify — built for speed via Rise
Tradeify processes approved funds through Rise in as little as about 60 minutes, often within minutes by crypto/USDC, and reportedly including weekends. On the Select Daily path, payouts can be requested daily. Growth and Select Flex run a roughly 5-7 day cycle (the help center cites a 7-day Growth cycle — verify on the official source).
On raw speed and weekend availability, Tradeify leads. Topstep is competitive only when you use its same-day brokerage or Aeropay options; its standard bank methods are slower.
7. Rules and trader freedom — the funded experience
The day-to-day feel of a funded account comes down to which rules follow you after you pass.
Topstep keeps a consistency target in the Combine (best day under 50% of the profit target), which rewards steady trading but can frustrate traders who hit one big day. It also keeps a daily loss limit.
Tradeify’s Select Flex removes both the consistency rule and the daily loss limit once funded, with milestone payouts up to $5,000 per cycle. For traders who dislike the consistency constraint, that freedom is a real draw — but fewer guardrails also means more responsibility on your own risk management.
If you trade an automated strategy or want fewer behavioral rules, Tradeify’s Select Flex is the more permissive choice. If you value a structured, well-documented rulebook from a long-running firm, Topstep’s framework is the steadier one. For more on reading a firm’s stability, see how to spot a failing prop firm.
8. Trust, track record, and reputation
| Topstep | Tradeify | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating history | ~14 years (since ~2012) | New (2026 challenger) |
| Trustpilot (point-in-time) | ~3.4/5 on ~13,981 reviews | ~4.6/5 on ~2,767 reviews |
Read these two signals together. Topstep’s history is the longer and harder-won one — it has paid traders through multiple shakeouts, which is the single best evidence that a firm can keep paying. Tradeify’s Trustpilot score is higher, but on far fewer reviews and a much shorter track record. A high rating on a young firm is a good early sign, not proof it will still be paying in five years.
Trustpilot scores drift over time, so treat the numbers above as a 2026-06-22 snapshot, not a fixed fact. In an industry where the biggest practical risk is a firm disappearing, longevity carries real weight — see prop firm shutdowns history for why.
9. Which firm pays more, faster — verdict by trader type
Topstep fits you if
- You weight a long operating record above everything else
- You want a low entry price and the option to pause the subscription
- You like a structured, staged path with a clear rulebook
- You can use Topstep’s same-day brokerage or Aeropay payout rails
Tradeify fits you if
- You want the fastest possible payouts, including weekends, via Rise
- You want to keep 100% of your first $15,000 in payouts
- You prefer a one-time fee over a recurring subscription
- You want a funded account with no consistency rule or daily loss limit (Select Flex)
- You want a no-evaluation instant-funding option (Lightning)
Caveats common to both
- Futures only — no FX or CFDs. FX traders should look at FTMO instead
- Both use EOD trailing drawdown, which differs from intraday trailing — know the difference
- Numbers, fees, and promo codes change frequently; confirm on the official sites
Bottom line
Topstep wins on track record and the option to pause costs. Tradeify wins on payout speed, the wider 100% window, and post-funding freedom. For a 2026 sign-up focused on getting paid more and faster, Tradeify’s structure is the more aggressive one — but you are trading a long, proven history for a short one. Match the firm to what you weight most, and verify every figure on the official site first.
Figures and terms change; always make your final decisions yourself. This site does not provide investment advice.
Recommended firms
FTMO — the reassurance of a long-running leader
11 years in operation (since 2015). Publishes one of the industry’s largest cumulative payout records. A fit for FX/CFD traders that neither Topstep nor Tradeify serves.
The5%ers — for those who want to skip the evaluation
10 years in operation (since 2016). An instant-funding pioneer, with profit splits scaling up to 100%.
→ Visit The5%ers official site