Topstep might be the OG futures prop firm, but sometimes the original firms can’t keep up with the competition. Is Topstep the best futures prop firm? Short answer: no. There are plenty of firms that have come along in the last 4 years that are better than Topstep.
So if you are asking “is Topstep the best futures prop firm”, keep reading because there are great other options.
What Happened To Make Topstep Fall Off?
Where to start. Topstep definintely had a rough few years circa 2022-2023. Michael Patek the founder left, and the investors who bought Topstep lost touch with what futures traders want in a prop firm. Fast forward a few years, Michael Patek comes back on board and rights the ship.
To be clear, Topstep isn’t a non player completely these days, just not the best anymore. In fact far from the top 5. But they still have their niche.
Back to the story, Topstep changes things up ever 6 months it seems. Add new account types, get rid of some. Introduce new platform, fire their influencers. Rules change non stop regarding withdrawls and the criteria to do so. How many accounts you can have changes as well year to year. Good luck staying up to date on all the latest Topstep changes.
Pricing is another issue for Topstep. They don’t run sales, the prices are what they are (technically they display it as if accounts are on sale, but the prices haven’t changed in over 2 years). In this competitive space, deep discounts rule all, and there’s a reason firms that run 90% off flash sales dominate. As Topstep accounts cost relatively more than competitors, it’s a tougher sale.
Topstep launched TopstepTV in 2024, a live YouTube stream where their coaches would trade live, and with plenty of guest appearances. The big problem is, they all suck at trading. Daily losses accumulate, and it’s hard to take them as professional traders when they are more or less horrible at trading. As well they lack any entertainment value. Old dudes trading futures and losing would be a better name.
Topstep fired affiliates in 2024 also. Fair enough, they were doling out 20%+ commissions to affiliates, myself included. But in an industry with 20+ firms out there that is only growing, getting rid of your primary marketing arm (affiliates) wasn’t the best move. So a firm that used to have a dominate customer facing army out there, now relies only on their own efforts. I suspect sales have fallen because of this.
Payouts to traders aren’t that exciting. Whenever Topstep posts how much traders are withdrawing, it’s not great. Compare to firms like Apex who are paying out actual millions each month to traders, it’s hard to be excited about a $20K Topstep payout.
Recommended Alternatives to Topstep
Below are my Top 4 alternatives to Topstep. You can find all my recommended companies on my Deals and Promos page where you’ll find exclusive discount codes and sales brought to you by me, CFT!
What makes the firms below better? In general:
- Lower evaluation costs with sales up to 90% off
- Lower or often $0 activation fees
- Far lower reset fees
- Less rules on your trading
- Multiple accounts – up to 20 at some firms
Apex Trader Funding – code: CFTPROMO – up to 90% off
DayTraders – code: CFT – up to 90% off
Take Profit Trader – code: CFT – up to 50% off
Tradeify – code: CFT – up to 50% off
My Funded Futures – code: CFT – up to 50% off
I encourage you to check out my Deals and Discounts Page for all the companies I endorse currently. Of course my long term #1 firm has always been Apex Trader Funding, and code CFTPROMO always gets you the best discount, up to 90% off!
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My Top Rated Funded Futures Programs
- Apex Trader Funding Review and Discount
- DayTraders.com Review and Discount
- Take Profit Trader Review and Discount
- My Funded Futures Review and Discount
- Tradeify Review and Discount
Topstep Additional Articles
Note several of these articles are older and the information may have changed. Please Visit Topstep and their faqs section for the very latest.
- Topstep Changes (older article)
- How to Pass The Topstep Combine
- Top 10 Topstep Questions Answered
- Topstep For Canadians
- How To Pass A Topstep Combine
- Topstep New Rules: 50% and 20 seconds (older)
- Using NinjaTrader in Canada
Risk Disclosure:
Futures and forex trading contains substantial risk and is not for every investor. An investor could potentially lose all or more than the initial investment. Risk capital is money that can be lost without jeopardizing ones’ financial security or life style. Only risk capital should be used for trading and only those with sufficient risk capital should consider trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.
Hypothetical Performance Disclosure:
Hypothetical performance results have many inherent limitations, some of which are described below. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those shown; in fact, there are frequently sharp differences between hypothetical performance results and the actual results subsequently achieved by any particular trading program. One of the limitations of hypothetical performance results is that they are generally prepared with the benefit of hindsight.
In addition, hypothetical trading does not involve financial risk, and no hypothetical trading record can completely account for the impact of financial risk of actual trading. for example, the ability to withstand losses or to adhere to a particular trading program in spite of trading losses are material points which can also adversely affect actual trading results. There are numerous other factors related to the markets in general or to the implementation of any specific trading program which cannot be fully accounted for in the preparation of hypothetical performance results and all which can adversely affect trading results.
You can read more here: Risk Disclosure
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The external links on my site and in my video descriptions to trader evaluation companies and software companies are primarily affiliate links. I earn a commission from these companies on any sale made from people visiting these links. That said, I only recommend companies and software I personally use and actually do recommend. Believe me, I turn down a lot of companies who approach me. You can read my full Affiliate Disclosure here.
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