Lucid Trading vs Topstep: real cost and rules compared At $150K,
side by side.
At $150K, real cost (the fee × 3 plus activation) comes to $1,110 for Lucid Trading’s LucidPro and $746 for Topstep’s Trading Combine. Lucid Trading suits you if you’d rather pay once per attempt than every month or you’d rather pay no activation fee when you pass; Topstep suits you if the lower cost to get funded at $150K matters most ($746 against $1,110) or a smaller first payment matters ($199 a month against $370 once).
Data checked: Lucid Trading — not on record · 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$150K
Fee × 3 (or 3 months) + activation · $364 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 | Lucid Trading | Topstep | Lower |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50K | — not on record | $296Trading Combine · $49 a month × 3, + $149 | Not called |
| $100K | — not on record | $446Trading Combine · $99 a month × 3, + $149 | Not called |
| $150K | $1,110LucidPro · $370 × 3, no activation fee | $746Trading Combine · $199 a month × 3, + $149 | Topstep, $364 less |
At $150K: Lucid Trading’s LucidPro comes to $1,110 ($370 × 3, no activation fee); Topstep’s Trading Combine comes to $746 ($199 a month × 3 + $149 activation).
Topstep costs less at $150K.
Cost isn’t called at $50K and $100K: Lucid Trading has no fee on record at $50K and $100K.
Topstep bills its evaluation monthly, so its three attempts are three months; Lucid Trading charges once per attempt.
Only one firm has some sizes on record: Lucid Trading has $25K.
Lucid Trading vs Topstep, row by row
Each firm’s cheapest evaluation at $150K, the size nearest $50K at which 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 | Lucid Trading | Topstep | Goes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan compared | LucidPro, $150K | Trading Combine, $150K | For reference |
| Evaluation fee | $370 once | $199 a month | Monthly vs one-time |
| Activation fee | None | $149 | Lucid Trading |
| Real cost (fee × 3 + activation) | $1,110 | $746 | Topstep |
| Profit target | $9,000 | $9,000 | Level |
| Max loss | $4,500 | $4,500 | Level |
| Target ÷ loss | 2.00× | 2.00× | Level |
| Drawdown | End-of-day trailing | End-of-day trailing | Level |
| Daily loss limit | $2,700 | None | Topstep |
| Consistency rule | Best day ≤ 40% | Best day ≤ 55% | Topstep |
| Minimum trading days | 1 trading day | 2 trading days | Lucid Trading |
| News trading | Allowed | Allowed | Level |
| Overnight holding | Flat by the close | Flat by the close | Level |
| Profit split | 90% | 90% | Level |
| Max contracts | 10 minis | 15 minis | Topstep |
| Minimum payout | $500 | $125 | Topstep |
| Payout terms | Any day once eligible (no fixed window) | 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 | LucidPro | Trading Combine | For reference |
| Founded | 2025 | 2012 | Topstep |
| Trustpilot | 4.7 from 3,200 reviews | 3.5 from 14,000 reviews | Lucid Trading |
| Data checked | — not on record | 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 Lucid Trading’s LucidPro or Topstep’s Trading Combine once you’re funded.
At $150K, Lucid Trading allows $4,500 of loss against a $9,000 profit target (2.00×); Topstep allows $4,500 of loss against a $9,000 profit target (2.00×).
On top of the max loss, Lucid Trading’s LucidPro adds a $2,700 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 Lucid Trading comes out ahead
- Activation fee: None against $149
- Minimum trading days: 1 trading day against 2 trading days
- Trustpilot rating: 4.7 from 3,200 reviews against 3.5 from 14,000 reviews
Where Topstep comes out ahead
- Real cost: $746 against $1,110
- Daily loss limit: None against $2,700
- Consistency rule: Best day ≤ 55% against Best day ≤ 40%
- Max contracts: 15 minis against 10 minis
- Minimum payout: $125 against $500
- Founding year: 2012 against 2025
Level on profit target, max loss, target ÷ loss, drawdown, news trading, overnight holding and profit split.
Not called: evaluation fee (monthly vs one-time).
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 $150K: $746 against $1,110.
If the rules decide it, Lucid Trading is looser on minimum trading days, and Topstep is looser on daily loss limit, consistency rule and max contracts, 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 $500).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid TradingLucidPro | Evaluation | End-of-day trailing | One-time | $25K $135 · $50K — not on record · $100K — not on record · $150K $370 | None | Best day ≤ 40% | 90% | Any day once eligible (no fixed window) |
| 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 Lucid Trading, LucidPro
- Trails highest closing balance; intraday moves don't move the floor. Flat by 4:45pm ET.
- 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.
Lucid Trading vs Topstep: questions
- Is Lucid Trading cheaper than Topstep?
- At $150K, Lucid Trading’s LucidPro costs $1,110 in real cost ($370 × 3, no activation fee) and Topstep’s Trading Combine costs $746 ($199 a month × 3 + $149 activation). Topstep costs $364 less to get funded on that formula.
- How do Lucid Trading and Topstep differ on drawdown?
- They don’t differ in kind: both plans compared use an end-of-day trailing drawdown. Lucid Trading allows $4,500 of loss against a $9,000 profit target (2.00×) at $150K; Topstep allows $4,500 of loss against a $9,000 profit target (2.00×). Our catalog stores one rule per plan, not one per stage, so check whether either plan’s drawdown changes once you’re funded.
- Do Lucid Trading and Topstep have a daily loss limit?
- Lucid Trading’s LucidPro has one of $2,700 at $150K, 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 Lucid Trading and Topstep have a consistency rule?
- Lucid Trading’s LucidPro 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, Lucid Trading or Topstep?
- Both plans compared pay 90% of what you make.
- Do Lucid Trading or Topstep charge an activation fee?
- Lucid Trading’s LucidPro charges no activation fee, 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 Lucid Trading vs Topstep comparison?
- Lucid Trading’s figures were last checked on a date we don’t have on record, 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.