Topstep vs Take Profit Trader (2026): costs, drawdown and payouts compared

Topstep and Take Profit Trader (TPT) both use a one-step evaluation, both use an end-of-day drawdown on the 50K account, and both pay out from a simulated funded account. The differences are in what you pay and how soon you can withdraw.

Numbers below are for the 50K account as of October 2026. Prices and promotions change often: the live comparison always shows today’s data.

Side by side (50K)

	Topstep	Take Profit Trader
Evaluation	Trading Combine, monthly	Trading Test, monthly
Profit target	$3,000	$3,000
Max drawdown	$2,000, end of day	$2,000, end of day
Daily loss limit	None	None
Contracts	5 minis	6 minis
Minimum days	2	3
Consistency in evaluation	best day ≤ 55% of profit	best day ≤ 50% of profit
Activation fee	$149 (or a pricier no-activation path)	$130, often waived in promotions
Profit split	90%	80% (PRO)
Payouts	every 5 winning days	daily, from day one
Profit buffer before payouts	none	equal to the drawdown ($2,000)

Cost to get funded

Topstep offers two paths: a cheaper monthly Combine plus a $149 activation fee, or a more expensive Combine with no activation fee. If you usually pass in the first month, the no-activation path is often cheaper; if you need several months, the cheaper monthly price plus one activation fee can win.

Take Profit Trader runs frequent discounts on the Test and often waives the activation fee, which can make it one of the cheapest ways to a funded account in a given month. Check the deals page for current offers.

Getting paid

This is the biggest difference.

• Topstep pays every 5 winning days with no buffer, a 90% split and a cap per payout in the Express Funded Account. Traders who reach the Live account get uncapped payouts.
• TPT lets you withdraw daily from the first day of a PRO account, but only the profit above the buffer (starting balance + drawdown). Withdrawing inside the buffer closes the account. The split is 80%.

In practice: with TPT you must first make about $2,000 before anything is withdrawable, then you can take money out every day. With Topstep you can take smaller amounts sooner, but only every five winning days.

Which one fits you?

• You want the cheapest start and fast, frequent withdrawals once you are ahead: Take Profit Trader.
• You want a higher split and smaller, earlier payouts without building a buffer first: Topstep.
• Not sure? Put your own numbers in the calculator, or take the quiz.

Read each firm’s full rules on Topstep and Take Profit Trader.