Topstep vs Funding Traders – Elite Prop Firms Comparison

Introduction

Topstep and Funding Traders operate in adjacent corners of the prop industry. Topstep, founded in Chicago in 2012, is the original CME-futures specialist – more than $1 billion paid out to funded traders, single-phase Trading Combine®, mandatory TopstepX platform for new accounts since July 2025. Funding Traders, founded in 2019 with London headquarters and FCA regulation, runs a two-phase challenge model across multi-asset markets – forex, indices, commodities, and crypto – with up to $200,000 in initial funding scaling to $1 million for consistent performers. The two firms differ on instruments (futures-only vs multi-asset), evaluation structure (single-phase vs two-phase), and pricing model (monthly subscription vs one-time challenge fee), so the right pick depends on which trade-offs match your style.

Quick Facts

Feature	Topstep	Funding Traders - Elite Firm Review
Founded	2012	2019
Profit Split	100% first $10,000, then 90/10	80-90%
Maximum Account Size	$150,000	$1,000,000
Evaluation Phases	1	2
Trustpilot Rating	3.4	—
Expert Grade	9	8.5

Program Types

Rules & Assessment

Fees & Pricing

Platforms & Markets

Payout

Verdict

FAQ

Do Topstep and Funding Traders offer the same instruments?

No. Topstep is CME Group futures only – index, energy, metals, and currency futures (ES, NQ, CL, GC and similar). Funding Traders covers forex, indices, commodities, metals, and cryptocurrency CFDs across a single multi-asset platform. The two firms barely overlap on tradable products, so the choice mostly depends on what you actually trade.

What is the difference between Funding Traders Pro and Next Gen?

Pro uses an 8% / 5% profit-target structure across a 30-day challenge and 60-day verification, with 5% daily drawdown and 10% maximum drawdown. Next Gen tightens the rules: 12% / 8% targets, 4% daily drawdown, 8% maximum drawdown, and 45 days for each phase with 15 minimum trading days. Topstep, in contrast, uses a single-phase Trading Combine® with a 6% target and a trailing maximum loss limit.

How fast are payouts at each firm?

At Topstep, the first payout is available after a minimum holding period in the funded account (around 8–10 trading days), then every 14 days; daily payouts unlock after 30 consecutive winning days. At Funding Traders, payouts are bi-weekly with multiple rails – bank wire (3–5 days), PayPal (1–2 days), Skrill (24–48 hours), crypto (1–24 hours), or Wise (2–3 days).

Which firm has the more permissive rules?

Topstep. There is no intraday daily loss limit on Topstep funded accounts, EAs are fully permitted, and there is no time limit on the Combine. Funding Traders enforces a 4–5% daily drawdown, requires stop-losses on all positions, caps position size at 5% of account equity, restricts EAs, and imposes per-phase time limits.

Are there scaling options?

Funding Traders offers explicit scaling – accounts grow 25% after every 3 months of consistent profitability, scaling up to $1,000,000. Topstep does not publish a comparable scaling programme beyond its largest Combine size.

How was this 2 companies Comparison Created?

1. We Collect

We pull each firm’s public-facing rules, fees, drawdown parameters, profit splits, platforms, and supported markets from their official documentation and our own JoinProp reviews.

2. We Examine

Each criterion is normalised so the two firms are compared on the same axis – for example, “drawdown” is broken down into trailing vs static, intraday vs end-of-day, and any reset conditions.

3. We Score

Where one firm offers a meaningfully better term – lower fees, broader markets, more permissive rules – we identify it and explain the trade-off.

4. You Choose

The conclusion is written so you can match a firm to your trading style: instrument coverage, evaluation tolerance, and payout cadence are the three filters most traders should care about.

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