PROP FIRM COMPARISON • UPDATED NOVEMBER 2026

Topstep vs Tradeify — Which Should You Pick in 2026?

Live codes at similar futures firms

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Two US futures firms, both 1-step, both trailing your drawdown at the end of the day — the split is speed versus track record. Tradeify sells 1-day, 3-day and instant paths, runs no minimum trading days on Lightning and no consistency rule on the Growth evaluation; Topstep requires a minimum of 2 trading days and caps your best day at 55% of the profit target. Topstep is the older and far larger operation, while Tradeify is newer, rates 4.6 on Trustpilot against Topstep's 3.6, and is one of the few futures firms with an explicit bot allowance.

Quick verdict

Pick Topstep if: futures · disciplined day traders · long term careers · ninjatrader traders.

Pick Tradeify if: Futures traders wanting flexible eval lengths (1-day/3-day/instant) with explicit bot allowance via ownership proof + live setup video.

Highest Trustpilot rating goes to Tradeify.

Read the Topstep review →  ·  Read the Tradeify review →

Side-by-side comparison

TopstepTradeify
Cheapest challenge$95/mo$99
Account model1-step Trading Combine1-step (futures)
Profit targetSee full rule summary below$1.5K / $3K / $6K / $9K / $14K (25K/50K/100K/150K/Select 300K)
Max drawdownStandard Path $2,000 / $3,000 / $4,500 END-OF-DAY trailing MLL - it rises with your end-of-day balance, never falls, and locks permanently once it reaches your starting balance. Breach is monitored in real time on realized AND unrealized P&L: touch it intraday and you are liquidated immediately. In the Trading Combine that liquidates you for the rest of the day and blocks funding until you Reset; in the XFA the account is closed for good.; No Activation Fee Path $2,000 / $3,000 / $4,500 END-OF-DAY trailing MLL - it rises with your end-of-day balance, never falls, and locks permanently once it reaches your starting balance. Breach is monitored in real time on realized AND unrealized P&L: touch it intraday and you are liquidated immediately. In the Trading Combine that liquidates you for the rest of the day and blocks funding until you Reset; in the XFA the account is closed for good.$1K/$2K/$3.5K/$5K EOD trailing (Growth) / $1K/$2K/$3K/$4.5K EOD (Select) / $8K EOD (Select 300K) / $1K/$2K/$4K/$5.25K trailing (Lightning) - 2.7-4% range
Daily drawdownSee full rule summary below$600/$1.25K/$2.5K/$3.75K (Growth - DLL upgrades to trailing at 6% profit) / None during Select Eval ($4K on Select 300K) / None (25K) / $1,250 / $2,500 / $3,000 (Lightning)
Consistency ruleConsistency Target: best single day should stay at or below 55% of the PROFIT TARGET - $1,650 / $3,300 / $4,950 (raised from 50% in September 2026; the old undisclosed buffer on top of the 50% was removed at the same time). Exceeding it is not an instant fail: your Profit Target is recalculated upward - the firm's own worked example divides by 0.55 - a $1,800 best day on the 50K raises the target to $3,273 - so you simply have to earn more to pass. Losses never reset your best day, and each days value locks at 3:10 PM CT. (The separate 40% figure is the XFA Consistency payout objective, measured against total net profit, and also requires a minimum of 3 trading days with at least 1 trade per day.)None Growth Eval, 35% Funded / 40% Select Eval (50% with the paid add-on), None Funded / 20% progressive Lightning (up to 30%)
Profit split90% (100% first $10K for pre-Jan-2026 accounts)90%
Payout schedule1-3 business days approval; $125 minimum payout request. Every request is capped at 50% of your account balance, up to the dollar cap for your size. · XFA Standard: 5 winning days of $150+. XFA Consistency: 3 days at the 40% consistency target. Live Funded: 5 winning days of $150+ per cycle, daily payouts unlocked after 30 winning days.Daily (7-day-a-week processing via Rise) · Every 5 profitable trading days (5 per payout cycle)
EA / botsAutomated strategies ALLOWED with conditions — Topstep gives no setup/troubleshooting support and makes no exceptions for errant trades. Trade copiers across multiple accounts are explicitly permitted. TopstepX API Access (powered by ProjectX) is a live paid product, $29/mo. HARD BLOCK: all trading must originate from your personal device — VPS, VPNs and remote servers are prohibited by the Terms of Use and running automation on a VPS can get you suspended or removed. Scalping algos built to exploit SIM fills are separately banned.Allowed with conditions: personal trading bots and algos are permitted only if you can prove you are the sole owner of the bot or strategy and nobody else has access to or uses it, you run it only on your own Tradeify accounts (running the same bot across multiple firms is against policy), and it is not a high-frequency trading (HFT) bot. Tradeify can ask for information or documentation if its risk checks flag the account. Copying or mirroring trades with any other person, team or group trading, and third-party account management are strictly prohibited; copying your own trades across your own Tradeify accounts is allowed through Tradovate's built-in Group Trading (up to 5 accounts). Trading off an external or delayed data feed is not allowed. Separate microscalping rule: over 50% of trades and over 50% of profit must come from trades held longer than 10 seconds.
Trustpilot3.7 (15,044)4.6 (6,832)
Best discount code—NOV (30% off (40% off Growth accounts))
PropfirmDeals tierTier ATier C
Full rule summary1-step Trading Combine. Standard Path $49/$99/$199 per month + $149 activation per funded account, or No Activation Fee Path $95/$149/$229 per month. 6% profit target ($3,000/$6,000/$9,000), Maximum Loss Limit $2,000/$3,000/$4,500 that trails your END-OF-DAY balance (not intraday peaks) and locks static once it reaches your starting balance, plus an optional Daily Loss Limit $1,000/$2,000/$3,000. Breaches are still detected intraday on unrealized P&L. Minimum 2 trading days - a one-day pass is not possible. Consistency Target: best single day at or below 55% of the PROFIT TARGET ($1,650/$3,300/$4,950) - raised from 50% in September 2026, and the old undisclosed buffer was removed at the same time; go over and your profit target is raised rather than the account failed (the 40% figure is the separate XFA payout objective, measured against total net profit, and needs 3 trading days). All positions must be flat by 3:10 PM CT. 90/10 split (pre-Jan-2026 traders grandfathered at 100% of the first $10K). Each XFA payout request is 50% of balance up to a per-size cap ($2K/$3K/$5K Standard, $3K/$4K/$6K Consistency) - Live Funded payouts are uncapped. Since June 2, 2026 a Daily Loss Limit added at Combine purchase doubles those caps.—

Price ladder — cheapest challenge per account size

Lowest price across every futures plan each firm sells at that size, including any fee charged on passing; discontinued plans are left out and '/mo' marks a monthly fee. Green marks the cheaper firm; discount codes lower both further.

Account sizeTopstepTradeify
$50K$95/mo$145
$100K$149/mo$255
$150K$229/mo$369

Social proof tilts to Tradeify (4.6/5 vs 3.7/5 on our Trustpilot estimates).

Discount codes

Lower your entry cost with a current verified code (see the full prop firm discount codes list):

Topstep vs Tradeify — FAQ

Which is cheaper, Topstep or Tradeify?

It depends on how long you take to pass. Topstep's cheapest challenge is a monthly subscription at $95/mo, billed until you pass; Tradeify's cheapest is a one-time $99. Compare the monthly fee times the months you expect to need with the one-time price, before discount codes.

Which pays out faster, Topstep or Tradeify?

Topstep: 1-3 business days approval; $125 minimum payout request. Every request is capped at 50% of your account balance, up to the dollar cap for your size. · XFA Standard: 5 winning days of $150+. XFA Consistency: 3 days at the 40% consistency target. Live Funded: 5 winning days of $150+ per cycle, daily payouts unlocked after 30 winning days. — Tradeify: Daily (7-day-a-week processing via Rise) · Every 5 profitable trading days (5 per payout cycle). Always confirm the current payout policy on the firm's official terms before buying.

Does Topstep or Tradeify have a consistency rule?

Topstep: Consistency Target: best single day should stay at or below 55% of the PROFIT TARGET - $1,650 / $3,300 / $4,950 (raised from 50% in September 2026; the old undisclosed buffer on top of the 50% was removed at the same time). Exceeding it is not an instant fail: your Profit Target is recalculated upward - the firm's own worked example divides by 0.55 - a $1,800 best day on the 50K raises the target to $3,273 - so you simply have to earn more to pass. Losses never reset your best day, and each days value locks at 3:10 PM CT. (The separate 40% figure is the XFA Consistency payout objective, measured against total net profit, and also requires a minimum of 3 trading days with at least 1 trade per day.). Tradeify: None Growth Eval, 35% Funded / 40% Select Eval (50% with the paid add-on), None Funded / 20% progressive Lightning (up to 30%). A consistency rule caps how much of your total profit one day may contribute — a real constraint if your profit comes in bursts.

What discount codes work for Topstep and Tradeify?

Tradeify: code NOV (30% off (40% off Growth accounts)). Codes rotate — every code on this site is re-checked against the firm's own site on a rolling cycle, and a code checked in the last 30 days shows that date.

Can you use EAs or bots on Topstep and Tradeify?

Topstep: Automated strategies ALLOWED with conditions — Topstep gives no setup/troubleshooting support and makes no exceptions for errant trades. Trade copiers across multiple accounts are explicitly permitted. TopstepX API Access (powered by ProjectX) is a live paid product, $29/mo. HARD BLOCK: all trading must originate from your personal device — VPS, VPNs and remote servers are prohibited by the Terms of Use and running automation on a VPS can get you suspended or removed. Scalping algos built to exploit SIM fills are separately banned. Tradeify: Allowed with conditions: personal trading bots and algos are permitted only if you can prove you are the sole owner of the bot or strategy and nobody else has access to or uses it, you run it only on your own Tradeify accounts (running the same bot across multiple firms is against policy), and it is not a high-frequency trading (HFT) bot. Tradeify can ask for information or documentation if its risk checks flag the account. Copying or mirroring trades with any other person, team or group trading, and third-party account management are strictly prohibited; copying your own trades across your own Tradeify accounts is allowed through Tradovate's built-in Group Trading (up to 5 accounts). Trading off an external or delayed data feed is not allowed. Separate microscalping rule: over 50% of trades and over 50% of profit must come from trades held longer than 10 seconds. Automation rules change more often than prices — confirm the current policy in the firm's terms before you deploy a bot on a paid account.

Bottom line

Both Topstep and Tradeify are reputable choices in 2026 — the right pick depends on your strategy, drawdown tolerance and budget. Use the table above to match each firm's rules to how you actually trade, then grab the current code before checkout.

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