Bulenox vs Topstep: real cost and rules compared At $50K,
side by side.
At $50K, real cost (the fee × 3 plus activation) comes to at least $525 for Bulenox’s Option 2 (EOD) and $296 for Topstep’s Trading Combine. Bulenox suits you if you’d rather pay once per attempt than every month or you want to pass in fewer trading days (none against 2 trading days); Topstep suits you if the lower cost to get funded at $50K matters most ($296 against $525+) or a smaller first payment matters ($49 a month against $175 once).
Data checked: Bulenox 30 Sep 2026 · Topstep 1 Oct 2026
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What you’d spend to get funded
Real cost is what it takes to get funded at the published prices: the evaluation fee × 3 (3 attempts, or 3 months on a monthly plan) plus the activation fee charged when you pass. Sales and discount codes aren’t counted. A “+” means the activation fee isn’t on record, so the figure is a floor.
| Account size | Bulenox | Topstep | Lower |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50K | $525+Option 2 (EOD) · $175 × 3, activation not on record | $296Trading Combine · $49 a month × 3, + $149 | Topstep |
| $100K | $645+Option 2 (EOD) · $215 × 3, activation not on record | $446Trading Combine · $99 a month × 3, + $149 | Topstep |
| $150K | $975+Option 2 (EOD) · $325 × 3, activation not on record | $746Trading Combine · $199 a month × 3, + $149 | Topstep |
At $50K: Bulenox’s Option 2 (EOD) comes to $525+ ($175 × 3, plus an activation fee we don’t have on record); Topstep’s Trading Combine comes to $296 ($49 a month × 3 + $149 activation).
Topstep costs less to get funded at every size both have on record: $50K, $100K and $150K.
Topstep bills its evaluation monthly, so its three attempts are three months; Bulenox charges once per attempt.
Only one firm has some sizes on record: Bulenox has $25K.
Bulenox vs Topstep, row by row
Each firm’s cheapest evaluation at $50K, where both have a fee on record, then the firm itself. A row goes to the side that is cheaper, looser or pays more. Each rule is as our catalog stores it, one per plan rather than one per stage, and a dash means it isn’t held as a figure in our data yet.
| Row | Bulenox | Topstep | Goes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan compared | Option 2 (EOD), $50K | Trading Combine, $50K | For reference |
| Evaluation fee | $175 once | $49 a month | Monthly vs one-time |
| Activation fee | — not on record | $149 | Not on record |
| Real cost (fee × 3 + activation) | $525+ | $296 | Topstep |
| Profit target | $3,000 | $3,000 | Level |
| Max loss | $2,500 | $2,000 | Bulenox |
| Target ÷ loss | 1.20× | 1.50× | Bulenox |
| Drawdown | End-of-day trailing | End-of-day trailing | Level |
| Daily loss limit | $1,100 | None | Topstep |
| Consistency rule | Best day ≤ 40% | Best day ≤ 55% | Topstep |
| Minimum trading days | None | 2 trading days | Bulenox |
| News trading | Allowed | Allowed | Level |
| Overnight holding | Flat by the close | Flat by the close | Level |
| Profit split | 90% | 90% | Level |
| Max contracts | 7 minis | 5 minis | Bulenox |
| Minimum payout | $1,000 | $125 | Topstep |
| Payout terms | Processed once a week, on Wednesdays; at least 10 trading days per payout | Every 5 winning days of $150+ (Consistency path: every 3 trading days) | For reference |
| Account sizes on record | $25K to $150K | $50K to $150K | For reference |
| Plans on record | Option 2 (EOD) | Trading Combine | For reference |
| Founded | 2022 | 2012 | Topstep |
| Trustpilot | 4.7 from 1,740 reviews | 3.5 from 14,000 reviews | Bulenox |
| Data checked | 30 Sep 2026 | 1 Oct 2026 | For reference |
The drawdown difference
Both plans compared use an end-of-day trailing drawdown: the max loss moves up only when a trading day closes at a new high, so an open profit you give back before the close doesn’t raise it. The difference between them is in the figures, not the kind. Our catalog stores one drawdown and one daily loss limit per plan, not one per stage, so check whether they change on Bulenox’s Option 2 (EOD) or Topstep’s Trading Combine once you’re funded.
At $50K, Bulenox allows $2,500 of loss against a $3,000 profit target (1.20×); Topstep allows $2,000 of loss against a $3,000 profit target (1.50×).
On top of the max loss, Bulenox’s Option 2 (EOD) adds a $1,100 daily loss limit, and Topstep’s Trading Combine adds no daily loss limit.
Where each comes out ahead
Row by row from the table above: cheaper, looser or paying more. A row only goes to a firm when both figures are on record and compare like for like.
Where Bulenox comes out ahead
- Max loss: $2,500 against $2,000
- Target ÷ loss: 1.20× against 1.50×
- Minimum trading days: None against 2 trading days
- Max contracts: 7 minis against 5 minis
- Trustpilot rating: 4.7 from 1,740 reviews against 3.5 from 14,000 reviews
Where Topstep comes out ahead
- Real cost: $296 against $525+
- Daily loss limit: None against $1,100
- Consistency rule: Best day ≤ 55% against Best day ≤ 40%
- Minimum payout: $125 against $1,000
- Founding year: 2012 against 2022
Level on profit target, drawdown, news trading, overnight holding and profit split.
Not called: evaluation fee (monthly vs one-time).
Not on record for one or both, so not called: activation fee.
Which one suits you
Conditions, not a pick: which firm fits depends on what you trade and what you’d rather pay for.
If cost decides it, Topstep costs less to get funded at $50K: $296 against $525+, and at every other size both have on record.
If the rules decide it, Bulenox is looser on target ÷ loss, max loss, minimum trading days and max contracts, and Topstep is looser on daily loss limit and consistency rule, as our catalog stores them: one rule per plan, not one per stage.
If payouts decide it, Topstep has the lower minimum payout ($125 against $1,000).
Before you buy, check what isn’t on record here: Bulenox’s activation fee. A dash on this page means it isn’t held as a figure in our data yet; the plan notes below may give it.
Every plan we have on record
The tables above compare one plan from each firm. These are all of them, as our catalog holds them; a dash means a figure isn’t held in our data yet, though our notes below the table may give it in words.
| Firm and plan | Type | Drawdown | Billed | Sizes and fees | Activation | Consistency | Split | Payout terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BulenoxOption 2 (EOD) | Evaluation | End-of-day trailing | One-time | $25K $145 · $50K $175 · $100K $215 · $150K $325 | — not on record | Best day ≤ 40% | 90% | Processed once a week, on Wednesdays; at least 10 trading days per payout |
| TopstepTrading Combine | Evaluation | End-of-day trailing | Monthly | $50K $49/mo · $100K $99/mo · $150K $199/mo | $149 | Best day ≤ 55% | 90% | Every 5 winning days of $150+ (Consistency path: every 3 trading days) |
- Our note on Bulenox, Option 2 (EOD)
- Qualification is a one-time purchase with 30-day access. EOD drawdown with a dynamic scaling plan; the daily loss limit pauses trading for the day and does not close the account. One-time Master activation fee: $143 (25K) / $148 (50K) / $248 (100K) / $498 (150K). Master payouts need 10 trading days and the 40% consistency rule; the first three payouts are capped at $1,000 / $1,500 / $1,750 / $2,000.
- Our note on Topstep, Trading Combine
- Maximum Loss Limit trails your end-of-day balance and is enforced in real time, including unrealized P&L. No daily loss limit unless you add one at checkout ($1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000 by size); once added it is fixed. Your best day must stay at or below 55% of the profit target, or the target rises. All positions must be closed by 3:10 PM CT. Each payout request is capped at 50% of the balance, up to $2,000 / $3,000 / $5,000 by size on the Standard path. A No Activation Fee path costs $95 / $149 / $229 a month and charges nothing when you pass. The Scaling Plan applies once you pass, in the Express Funded Account.
Bulenox vs Topstep: questions
- Is Bulenox cheaper than Topstep?
- At $50K, Bulenox’s Option 2 (EOD) costs at least $525 in real cost ($175 × 3, plus an activation fee we don’t have on record) and Topstep’s Trading Combine costs $296 ($49 a month × 3 + $149 activation). Topstep costs less to get funded on that formula.
- How do Bulenox and Topstep differ on drawdown?
- They don’t differ in kind: both plans compared use an end-of-day trailing drawdown. Bulenox allows $2,500 of loss against a $3,000 profit target (1.20×) at $50K; Topstep allows $2,000 of loss against a $3,000 profit target (1.50×). Our catalog stores one rule per plan, not one per stage, so check whether either plan’s drawdown changes once you’re funded.
- Do Bulenox and Topstep have a daily loss limit?
- Bulenox’s Option 2 (EOD) has one of $1,100 at $50K, and Topstep’s Trading Combine has none. A daily loss limit stops the account, or the day, after one bad session, even when the max loss still has room. Our catalog stores one rule per plan, not one per stage, so check whether either plan’s limit changes once you’re funded.
- Do Bulenox and Topstep have a consistency rule?
- Bulenox’s Option 2 (EOD) caps your best day at 40% of total profit, and Topstep’s Trading Combine caps your best day at 55% of total profit. Our catalog stores one rule per plan, not one per stage, so check whether it changes once you’re funded.
- Which pays the higher profit split, Bulenox or Topstep?
- Both plans compared pay 90% of what you make.
- Do Bulenox or Topstep charge an activation fee?
- Bulenox’s activation fee isn’t on record, and Topstep’s Trading Combine charges $149 when you pass. It’s counted once in real cost, on top of the three attempts.
- How current is this Bulenox vs Topstep comparison?
- Bulenox’s figures were last checked on 30 Sep 2026, and Topstep’s on 1 Oct 2026. The page is rebuilt from our catalog every day, and a figure we don’t have shows as a dash, never a guess.