Topstep vs Tradeify: real cost and rules compared At $50K,
side by side.
At $50K, real cost (the fee × 3 plus activation) comes to $296 for Topstep’s Trading Combine and $435 for Tradeify’s Growth. Topstep suits you if the lower cost to get funded at $50K matters most ($296 against $435) or a smaller first payment matters ($49 a month against $145 once); Tradeify suits you if you’d rather pay once per attempt than every month or you’d rather pay no activation fee when you pass.
Data checked: Topstep 1 Oct 2026 · Tradeify 30 Sep 2026
No firm pays to be here. No affiliate links, no commissions, no paid placement.
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 | Topstep | Tradeify | Lower |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50K | $296Trading Combine · $49 a month × 3, + $149 | $435Growth · $145 × 3, no activation fee | Topstep, $139 less |
| $100K | $446Trading Combine · $99 a month × 3, + $149 | $765Growth · $255 × 3, no activation fee | Topstep, $319 less |
| $150K | $746Trading Combine · $199 a month × 3, + $149 | $1,107Growth · $369 × 3, no activation fee | Topstep, $361 less |
At $50K: Topstep’s Trading Combine comes to $296 ($49 a month × 3 + $149 activation); Tradeify’s Growth comes to $435 ($145 × 3, no activation fee).
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; Tradeify charges once per attempt.
Only one firm has some sizes on record: Tradeify has $25K.
Topstep vs Tradeify, 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 | Topstep | Tradeify | Goes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan compared | Trading Combine, $50K | Growth, $50K | For reference |
| Evaluation fee | $49 a month | $145 once | Monthly vs one-time |
| Activation fee | $149 | None | Tradeify |
| Real cost (fee × 3 + activation) | $296 | $435 | 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 | None | $1,250 | Topstep |
| Consistency rule | Best day ≤ 55% | Best day ≤ 35% | Topstep |
| Minimum trading days | 2 trading days | 1 trading day | Tradeify |
| News trading | Allowed | Allowed | Level |
| Overnight holding | Flat by the close | Allowed | Tradeify |
| Profit split | 90% | 90% | Level |
| Max contracts | 5 minis | — not on record | Not on record |
| Minimum payout | $125 | $250 | Topstep |
| Payout terms | Every 5 winning days of $150+ (Consistency path: every 3 trading days) | 5 day payouts | For reference |
| Account sizes on record | $50K to $150K | $25K to $150K | For reference |
| Plans on record | Trading Combine | Growth; Lightning (Instant Funding) (instant funding) | For reference |
| Founded | 2012 | 2023 | Topstep |
| Trustpilot | 3.5 from 14,000 reviews | 4.6 from 3,901 reviews | Tradeify |
| Data checked | 1 Oct 2026 | 30 Sep 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 Topstep’s Trading Combine or Tradeify’s Growth once you’re funded.
At $50K, Topstep allows $2,000 of loss against a $3,000 profit target (1.50×); Tradeify allows $2,000 of loss against a $3,000 profit target (1.50×).
On top of the max loss, Topstep’s Trading Combine adds no daily loss limit, and Tradeify’s Growth adds a $1,250 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 Topstep comes out ahead
- Real cost: $296 against $435
- Daily loss limit: None against $1,250
- Consistency rule: Best day ≤ 55% against Best day ≤ 35%
- Minimum payout: $125 against $250
- Founding year: 2012 against 2023
Where Tradeify comes out ahead
- Activation fee: None against $149
- Minimum trading days: 1 trading day against 2 trading days
- Overnight holding: Allowed against Flat by the close
- Trustpilot rating: 4.6 from 3,901 reviews against 3.5 from 14,000 reviews
Level on profit target, max loss, target ÷ loss, drawdown, news trading and profit split.
Not called: evaluation fee (monthly vs one-time).
Not on record for one or both, so not called: max contracts.
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 $435, and at every other size both have on record.
If the rules decide it, Topstep is looser on daily loss limit and consistency rule, and Tradeify is looser on minimum trading days and overnight holding, 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 $250).
Before you buy, check what isn’t on record here: Tradeify’s max contracts. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
| TradeifyGrowth | Evaluation | End-of-day trailing | One-time | $25K $99 · $50K $145 · $100K $255 · $150K $369 | None | Best day ≤ 35% | 90% | 5 day payouts |
| TradeifyLightning (Instant Funding) | Instant funding | End-of-day trailing | One-time | $25K $345 · $50K $492 · $100K $660 · $150K $796 | None | Best day ≤ 20% | 90% | 5 day payouts |
- 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.
- Our note on Tradeify, Growth
- Soft daily loss (pauses, doesn't fail). EOD trailing. 35% consistency on funded.
- Our note on Tradeify, Lightning (Instant Funding)
- No evaluation. Dynamic loss limit converts to trailing once profitable.
Topstep vs Tradeify: questions
- Is Topstep cheaper than Tradeify?
- At $50K, Topstep’s Trading Combine costs $296 in real cost ($49 a month × 3 + $149 activation) and Tradeify’s Growth costs $435 ($145 × 3, no activation fee). Topstep costs $139 less to get funded on that formula.
- How do Topstep and Tradeify differ on drawdown?
- They don’t differ in kind: both plans compared use an end-of-day trailing drawdown. Topstep allows $2,000 of loss against a $3,000 profit target (1.50×) at $50K; Tradeify 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 Topstep and Tradeify have a daily loss limit?
- Topstep’s Trading Combine has none, and Tradeify’s Growth has one of $1,250 at $50K. 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 Topstep and Tradeify have a consistency rule?
- Topstep’s Trading Combine caps your best day at 55% of total profit, and Tradeify’s Growth caps your best day at 35% 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, Topstep or Tradeify?
- Both plans compared pay 90% of what you make.
- Do Topstep or Tradeify charge an activation fee?
- Topstep’s Trading Combine charges $149 when you pass, and Tradeify’s Growth charges no activation fee. It’s counted once in real cost, on top of the three attempts.
- How current is this Topstep vs Tradeify comparison?
- Topstep’s figures were last checked on 1 Oct 2026, and Tradeify’s on 30 Sep 2026. The page is rebuilt from our catalog every day, and a figure we don’t have shows as a dash, never a guess.