Earn2Trade vs Topstep: real cost and rules compared At $50K,
side by side.
At $50K, real cost (the fee × 3 plus activation) comes to $709 for Earn2Trade’s Trader Career Path and $296 for Topstep’s Trading Combine. Earn2Trade suits you if a lower activation fee matters ($139 against $149) 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 $709) or a higher profit split matters (90% against 80%).
Data checked: Earn2Trade 5 Oct 2026 · Topstep 1 Oct 2026
No firm pays to be here. No affiliate links, no commissions, no paid placement.
What you’d spend to get funded$50K
Fee × 3 (or 3 months) + activation · $413 less at Topstep
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 | Earn2Trade | Topstep | Lower |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50K | $709Trader Career Path · $190 a month × 3, + $139 | $296Trading Combine · $49 a month × 3, + $149 | Topstep, $413 less |
| $100K | $1,189Trader Career Path · $350 a month × 3, + $139 | $446Trading Combine · $99 a month × 3, + $149 | Topstep, $743 less |
At $50K: Earn2Trade’s Trader Career Path comes to $709 ($190 a month × 3 + $139 activation); 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 and $100K.
Both bill the evaluation monthly, so each figure is three months of fees.
Only one firm has some sizes on record: Earn2Trade has $25K and Topstep has $150K.
Earn2Trade 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 | Earn2Trade | Topstep | Goes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan compared | Trader Career Path, $50K | Trading Combine, $50K | For reference |
| Evaluation fee | $190 a month | $49 a month | Topstep |
| Activation fee | $139 | $149 | Earn2Trade |
| Real cost (fee × 3 + activation) | $709 | $296 | Topstep |
| Profit target | $3,000 | $3,000 | Level |
| Max loss | $2,000 | $2,000 | Level |
| Target ÷ loss | 1.50× | 1.50× | Level |
| Drawdown | End-of-day trailing | End-of-day trailing | Level |
| Daily loss limit | $1,100 | None | Topstep |
| Consistency rule | Best day ≤ 30% | Best day ≤ 55% | Topstep |
| Minimum trading days | None | 2 trading days | Earn2Trade |
| News trading | Allowed | Allowed | Level |
| Overnight holding | Flat by the close | Flat by the close | Level |
| Profit split | 80% | 90% | Topstep |
| Max contracts | 6 minis | 5 minis | Earn2Trade |
| Minimum payout | $100 | $125 | Earn2Trade |
| Payout terms | Weekly (Wednesdays) | Every 5 winning days of $150+ (Consistency path: every 3 trading days) | For reference |
| Account sizes on record | $25K to $100K | $50K to $150K | For reference |
| Plans on record | Trader Career Path | Trading Combine | For reference |
| Founded | 2016 | 2012 | Topstep |
| Trustpilot | 4.6 from 4,800 reviews | 3.5 from 14,000 reviews | Earn2Trade |
| Data checked | 5 Oct 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 Earn2Trade’s Trader Career Path or Topstep’s Trading Combine once you’re funded.
At $50K, Earn2Trade allows $2,000 of loss against a $3,000 profit target (1.50×); Topstep allows $2,000 of loss against a $3,000 profit target (1.50×).
On top of the max loss, Earn2Trade’s Trader Career Path 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 Earn2Trade comes out ahead
- Activation fee: $139 against $149
- Minimum trading days: None against 2 trading days
- Max contracts: 6 minis against 5 minis
- Minimum payout: $100 against $125
- Trustpilot rating: 4.6 from 4,800 reviews against 3.5 from 14,000 reviews
Where Topstep comes out ahead
- Evaluation fee: $49 a month against $190 a month
- Real cost: $296 against $709
- Daily loss limit: None against $1,100
- Consistency rule: Best day ≤ 55% against Best day ≤ 30%
- Profit split: 90% against 80%
- Founding year: 2012 against 2016
Level on profit target, max loss, target ÷ loss, drawdown, news trading and overnight holding.
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 $709, and at every other size both have on record.
If the rules decide it, Earn2Trade is looser on 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 higher profit split (90% against 80%) and Earn2Trade has the lower minimum payout ($100 against $125).
Every row above is on record for both firms. Rules change, so check each firm’s terms before you buy.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earn2TradeTrader Career Path | Evaluation | End-of-day trailing | Monthly | $25K $150/mo · $50K $190/mo · $100K $350/mo | $139 | Best day ≤ 30% | 80% | Weekly (Wednesdays) |
| 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 Earn2Trade, Trader Career Path
- Progression ladder to larger funded sizes. Activation fee deducted from first withdrawal.
- 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.
Earn2Trade vs Topstep: questions
- Is Earn2Trade cheaper than Topstep?
- At $50K, Earn2Trade’s Trader Career Path costs $709 in real cost ($190 a month × 3 + $139 activation) and Topstep’s Trading Combine costs $296 ($49 a month × 3 + $149 activation). Topstep costs $413 less to get funded on that formula.
- How do Earn2Trade and Topstep differ on drawdown?
- They don’t differ in kind: both plans compared use an end-of-day trailing drawdown. Earn2Trade allows $2,000 of loss against a $3,000 profit target (1.50×) 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 Earn2Trade and Topstep have a daily loss limit?
- Earn2Trade’s Trader Career Path 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 Earn2Trade and Topstep have a consistency rule?
- Earn2Trade’s Trader Career Path caps your best day at 30% 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, Earn2Trade or Topstep?
- Topstep’s Trading Combine pays 90% of what you make, against 80% at Earn2Trade.
- Do Earn2Trade or Topstep charge an activation fee?
- Earn2Trade’s Trader Career Path charges $139 when you pass, 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 Earn2Trade vs Topstep comparison?
- Earn2Trade’s figures were last checked on 5 Oct 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.