Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Discover Which Fits You Best

Last updated August 29, 2024

In this Earn2Trade vs TopStep duel, we stand these two trader funding firms against each other to see which is the best. From profit share to price, platforms, rules, account size, scaling, support, withdrawals, and more – discover which is the best to trade with.

NOTE: As of 8/16/24, many users have been reporting in the Topstep discord that they have unresolved service issues. Moderators have acknowledged this is happening. Some traders are reporting that they're being charged but not receiving evaluation accounts/resets. Topstep seems to be aware of this issue, which appears to be widespread. Some haven't received their payouts and have been waiting weeks. I have no way to verify the truth of this. Based on responses from Moderators in the Discord, however, it seems to be accurate. They admit they're having customer service and payout delays. That's one reason I suggest you choose a Topstep alternative for now. I have not edited the content about or ratings of Topstep below to reflect these issues.

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Details

Features

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Evaluation Acct Size & Cost

$25k - $150/mo until pass. Then you can progress to a $200k acct (or $400k acct on the $50k TCP)

Monthly until pass:

$50k - $170

$100k - $315

$150k - $350

$200k - $550

Monthly until pass:

$10k SWING

$50k - $165

$100k - $325

$150k - $375

Evaluation Reset Cost

$100

$100

$100 (free with subscription renewal if account is blown)

Profit Split to Trader

80%

80%

90%

Funding Bonus

NA

NA

100% of early profits, up to $10,000

Min Days to Qualify

10 Trading Days

10 Trading Days

2 days

Max Account Size

$400K+

$200K+

$150K

Max Active Live Accounts on One Login

1

1

5

Max Capital with Max Accounts

$400K+ (custom offers)

$200K+ (custom offers)

$750K+ (can request more)

Withdrawals

Every Tuesday (request by 2pm friday)

Every Tuesday

Mon-Fri, 2-5 business days. 

Withdrawal Restrictions

Minimum $100. No withdrawal fee if over $500. Minimum balance threshold still applies.

Minimum $100. No withdrawal fee if over $500. Minimum balance threshold still applies.

Must have 5+ days over $200 profit between withdrawals. Minimum balance threshold still applies.

Withdrawal Method

Deel, which provides the following withdrawal options: Bank Transfer (ACH or SWIFT), Revolut, PayPal, Wise, Payoneer, Coinbase (5 currencies), Binance (BUSD)

Deel, which provides the following withdrawal options: Bank Transfer (ACH or SWIFT), Revolut, PayPal, Wise, Payoneer, Coinbase (5 currencies), Binance (BUSD)

ACH Transfer, Zelle, Deel, Paypal, Crypto (ERC20, Polygon, Solana, TRC20 , Stellar

Funded Acct Cost

Funded LiveSim: Deducted from first withdrawal (one-time $139)

Live Acct: $105/mo

Funded LiveSim: Deducted from first withdrawal (one-time $139)

$105/mo on Live

Express Funded LiveSim: $149 one-time
Live Acct: $135/mo

Evaluation Commissions (NQ & MNQ as examples)

Must Request "Live Commissions" (recommended)

NQ Roundtrip: $3.88

MNQ Roundtrip: $1.76

Must Request "Live Commissions" (recommended)

NQ Roundtrip: $3.88

MNQ Roundtrip: $1.76

TopstepX:

NQ Roundtrip $2.80. MNQ Roundtrip $0.74
Rithmic:

NQ Roundtrip: $3.70

MNQ Roundtrip: $1.20

Live Commissions (NQ & MNQ as examples)

NQ Roundtrip: $3.88

MNQ Roundtrip: $1.76

NQ Roundtrip: $3.88

MNQ Roundtrip: $1.76

TopstepX:

NQ Roundtrip $2.80. MNQ Roundtrip $0.74
Rithmic:

NQ Roundtrip: $3.70

MNQ Roundtrip: $1.20
These rates are for Express Funded. Live funded is different.

Evaluation Profit Target

6%

5-6%

 6%

Evaluation Drawdown

Daily: 2.2% of starting value

Total: $1500 on 25k TCP, End of Day Trailing

Daily: 2.2% of starting value

Total: 3.5-6% of starting value, lower percentage at each higher tier. End of Day Trailing

Daily: 2% of starting value

Total: 3-4% of starting value

Funded Acct Drawdown

Daily: 2.2% of starting value

Total:

-25k level: 6% trailing EOD.

50k level: 4% trailing EOD

-100k level: 3.5% trailing EOD

-200k account: Fixed drawdown at $194,000

Daily: 2.2% of starting value

Total: 3.5-6% of starting value, trailing EOD - stops trailing when threshold reaches starting value

Daily: 2% of starting value

Total: 3-4% of starting value, trailing EOD - stops trailing when threshold reaches starting value

Evaluation Rules

-Don't hit drawdowns with net loss (including commissions)

-Don't exceed max contract size (progression ladder, see below).

-Consistency: No single day is more than 30% of total profit. Does not fail the account, just have to meet this to pass.

-See overnight, weekend, holiday, news trading (below)

-Don't hit drawdowns with net loss (including commissions)

-Don't exceed max contract size (progression ladder, see below).

-Consistency: No single day is more than 30% of total profit. Does not fail the account, just have to meet this to pass.

-See overnight, weekend, holiday, news trading (below)

Both Phases:

-Don't hit drawdowns with net loss (including commissions)

-Don't exceed max contract size

-See overnight, weekend, holiday, news trading (below)

-Simulation gaming (tight stops, etc, see below)

Phase 1:

-Trade 4 days minimum

-Consistency target - best day below 50% of total profits (doesn't fail account, just have to meet it to pass)

Funded Acct Rules

-Don't hit drawdowns with net loss (including commissions)

-Don't exceed max contract size (progression ladder, see below).

-See overnight, weekend, holiday, news trading (below)

-Don't hit drawdowns with net loss (including commissions)

-Don't exceed max contract size (progression ladder, see below).

-See overnight, weekend, holiday, news trading (below)

-Don't hit drawdowns with net loss (including commissions)

-Don't exceed max contract size

-See overnight, weekend, holiday, news trading (below)

Hold Overnight

-All positions and working orders must be closed by 3:10pm CT until 5pm CT.
-HE/LE must be closed by 1:05pm CT until 5pm CT.
-ZC/ZW/ZS/ZM/ZL must be closed between 7:45am-8:30am CT and then again between 1:20pm-5pm CT.

-All positions and working orders must be closed by 3:10pm CT until 5pm CT.
-HE/LE must be closed by 1:05pm CT until 5pm CT.
-ZC/ZW/ZS/ZM/ZL must be closed between 7:45am-8:30am CT and then again between 1:20pm-5pm CT.

-All positions and working orders must be closed by 3:10pm CT until 5pm CT.

-For products that close before 3:10pm CT, all positions and working orders must be closed before that product's daily close.

Hold over Weekends/Holidays

Same as overnight

Same as overnight

Same as overnight

Holiday Trading

When markets are open. Adjust cutoff for early closes.

When markets are open. Adjust cutoff for early closes.

They will email you before holidays to tell you when you can trade. Generally not allowed during Thanksgiving week & Christmas - New Years. More restrictions on funded accounts than evaluation accounts.

News Trading

No restrictions

No restrictions

Trading your normal day to day system during a news announcement is allowed. News trading strategies themselves, directional, multi directional, pre news entries for windfalls of any kind are prohibited. (TopStep has changed this policy before, so be sure to read your emails)

Markets Traded

Futures (CME, NYMEX, COMEX & CBOT)

Futures (CME, NYMEX, COMEX & CBOT)

Futures (CME, NYMEX, COMEX & CBOT)

Micro Contracts

Treated as 1/10 of mini (when applicable)

Treated as 1/10 of mini (when applicable)

Treated as 1/10 of mini (when applicable)

Free Trial

No

No

14 days (cannot qualify you for a funded account)

TrustPilot Score

4.7/5 (1,124 reviews)

4.7/5 (1,124 reviews)

4.4/5 (1,455 reviews)

Offer

Cell

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Evaluation Price

Evaluation pricing isn't a major differentiator between the two.

First we're looking at the E2T Gauntlet Mini, most comparable to TST's Trader Combine. Here, Earn2Trade's lowest tier is slightly higher ($170 vs $165), while the rest are slightly less (like $350 for the $150k vs $375 at TopStep).

Earn2Trade also sets themselves apart with their Trader Career Path, which starts cheaper with a $25k account but lets you work your way up to a $200k account without paying another evaluation subscription. If you wanted to do that with TopStep you'd have to start a different evaluation (and they don't even offer a $200k tier, as of now).

The $50k TCP lets you work up to a $400k account.

TopStep also got rid of their swing account, so that won't help them here.

Based on this, Earn2Trade is the clear winner, offering better prices and a lower-tier option that can turn into a bigger account at no extra cost.

Winner: Earn2Trade

Earn2Trade vs TopStep" Evaluation Reset Price

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Evaluation Reset Cost

$100

$100

$100 (Free reset automatically on subscription renewal if account is blown)

Evaluation Reset Cost is something I hope you won't have to worry about, but stuff happens. It's nice knowing that you can start over for a reasonable fee, which both Earn2Trade and TopStep offer as an option.

The big difference here is that TopStep offers an automatic free reset (if the account is blown up) each time your subscription renews. So, if you blow up in week three and don't want to pay for the extra reset, you don't have to. You can wait a week and start fresh on your renewal date.

Earn2Trade's renewals are priced the same at $100, same as TopStep.

Because of TopStep's complimentary monthly reset, they win this battle.

Winner: TopStep

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Profit Split to Trader

Feature

Trader Profit Split

80%

80%

90%

Earn2Trade pays traders 80% of their profits, which isn't bad. But it's no 90%, which is what TopStep pays. Over time that can add up to significant amounts of money.

In the short term, many people focus on costs, and that's important. But long term, payout percentages are more important, especially as the numbers get bigger.

Based on TopStep's 90% trader profit share, they win this battle.

Winner: TopStep

Earn2Trade vs Topstep: Minimum Days to Qualify For Funding

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Min Days to Qualify

10 Trading Days

10 Trading Days

4 days minimum (just to meet consistency rule)

Both companies have a relatively low minimum for trading days in their evaluations. Earn2Trade has a 10-day minimum, and TopStep has a theoretical minimum of 4 days, because no day can account for more than 30% of total profits.

This doesn't mean you have to pass in 4 days, and it doesn't mean you should try. But, it's a shorter minimum than E2T's 10.

Based on that, TopStep wins here.

Winner: TopStep

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Max Account Size

Feature

Max Account Size

$400K+ (custom offers made)

$200K+ (custom offers made)

$150K + ability to request more capital.

Earn2Trade offers starting account sizes up to $200k+. The "+" comes from the stipulation that their prop firm partners could make you a custom offer greater than 200k, if they look at your trading history and like what they see. 

The $50k TCP account allows you to work up to a $400k account as part of the progression.

Topstep offers accounts starting at up to $150k. 

Based on this, Earn2Trade wins this round.

Winner: Earn2Trade

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Max Funded Accounts on One Login

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Max Active Live Accounts on One Login

1

1

3

The ability to have multiple live accounts won't matter as much for new traders who just want to get started. But as you scale, multiple accounts can give you some advantages. Duplicating trades across multiple accounts can help you make more money while staying further away from your max drawdown limits.

TopStep allows up to 3 Express Funded accounts, and Earn2Trade allows 1 live account at a time. You can have multiple live accounts, but you can only be trading one at any given time, and the other will be held open in case you need it later.

Winner: Topstep

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Max Capital With Max Accounts

Feature

Max Capital With Max Accounts

$400K+ (custom offers made)

$200K+ (custom offers made)

$450k + ability to request more capital.

With three accounts, Topstep's max would be $450k+, and Earn2Trade would once again be $400k+

What's the + sign for? Both of these prop firms allow you to request more capital once you've shown discipline and consistency. Discuss it with your risk manager after being funded.

Since these numbers are negotiable and quite close, and Earn2trade's max can be reached with just one account, I'm calling this a tie.

Winner: TIE

Multiple Accounts

This is a bigger deal for some traders than others. If you're curious why some traders love having multiple accounts, whether it's 3 or 20, check out this overview of the benefits of multiple funded trading accounts.

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Withdrawals

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Withdrawals

Every Tuesday (request by 2pm friday)

Every Tuesday

Mon-Fri, 2-5 business days.

They're your profits, so when do you get to withdraw them?

Earn2Trade processes withdrawals every Tuesday. If you want a withdrawal, you need to request it by 2pm the friday before.

TopStep processes withdrawals Monday - Friday and takes 2-5 days for processing. But, you must have 5+ trading days, with over $100 profit each, between withdrawals. So while at first glance it looks better, it's actually not as simple as a weekly withdrawal schedule.

Based on that, Earn2Trade takes the cake here.

Winner: Earn2Trade

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Withdrawal Restrictions

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Withdrawal Restrictions

Minimum $100. No withdrawal fee if over $500. Minimum balance threshold still applies.

Minimum $100. No withdrawal fee if over $500. Minimum balance threshold still applies.

Must have 5+ days over $200 profit between withdrawals. Minimum balance threshold still applies.

Earn2Trade requires a minimum withdrawal of $100, and minimum withdrawal of $500 to avoid a transfer fee. They still require you to maintain your minimum balance after withdrawals, so you should keep a cushion even if they don't force you to keep one. The first withdrawal also pays for your activation fee of $139, so the first withdrawal would need to be $239 or higher.

Topstep doesn't have any minimum requirement and doesn't charge fees on withdrawals, but they require you to have five profitable days of $200+ in between each withdrawal. They don't have to be consecutive. They also require you to maintain your minimum trailing balance, so you should keep a cushion there as well.

Based on this, Earn2Trade wins this round.

Winner: Earn2Trade

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Withdrawal Methods

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Withdrawal Methods

Deel, which provides the following withdrawal options: Bank Transfer (ACH or SWIFT), Revolut, PayPal, Wise, Payoneer, Coinbase (5 currencies), Binance (BUSD)

Deel, which provides the following withdrawal options: Bank Transfer (ACH or SWIFT), Revolut, PayPal, Wise, Payoneer, Coinbase (5 currencies), Binance (BUSD)

ACH Transfer, Zelle, Deel, Paypal, Crypto (ERC20, Polygon, Solana, TRC20 , Stellar

Earn2Trade and TopStep both offer many options for withdrawals. As you can see in the chart above, they're all digital, but that shouldn't be a problem. I don't think there are any trading firms that send out bags of cash, in case you were wondering.

Both of them use Deel, which gives you many additional options for electronic transfers including ACH, Paypal, Crypto, and more. They're both doing an equally great job of helping you get your money out.

Winner: It's a draw!

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Funded Account Costs

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Funded Account Costs

Funded LiveSim: Deducted from first withdrawal (one-time $139)
Live Acct: $105/mo

Funded LiveSim: Deducted from first withdrawal (one-time $139)

$105/mo on Live

Express Funded LiveSim: $149 one-time
Live Acct: Covered by Express Funded Feee

Both Earn2Trade and TopStep have "LiveSim" accounts which complicate this comparison a bit. These LiveSim accounts let you trade a simulation account, but the company pays you your profits out of their own revenue. They both have one thing in common - you can be on a livesim for a little while, but past a certain level, you'll get moved to a Live account trading real money.

The LiveSim account with Earn2Trade has, only if you withdraw profits, a one-time activation fee of $139. Topstep charges $149 upon funding, whether you earn a withdrawal or not.

Once you move to a Live account, you pay data fees with each company.

TopStep moves most people to a real-money account after they've made 10% profit in their LiveSim. Earn2Trade is similar, but the TCP program does it a little differently as you progress through the program, and it's based on some options you get to choose.

Long story short, regardless of the program, you'll be moved to a live account with fees once you've made a decent chunk of money ($5k-10k).

Earn2Trade charges $105/mo if/when you get upgraded to a Live account.

TopStep charges $135/mo/exchange if/when you get upgraded to a Live account. 

Earn2Trade wins this one for not charging an activation fee unless you earn and take a withdrawal, and for having lower overall fees.

Winner: Earn2Trade

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Evaluation Commissions

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Evaluation Commissions (NQ & MNQ as examples)

Must Request "Live Commissions" (recommended)
NQ Roundtrip: $3.88
MNQ Roundtrip: $1.76

Must Request "Live Commissions" (recommended)
NQ Roundtrip: $3.88
MNQ Roundtrip: $1.76

NQ Roundtrip: $3.70
MNQ Roundtrip: $1.20

Sometimes prop firms charge different commissions in evaluation accounts versus live accounts, so it's good to look at both. First we'll look at the evaluation commissions for Earn2Trade and TopStep.

Since commissions across different futures contracts can vary, we'll run this round using Nasdaq 100 futures as the example. Why Nasdaq? Because it's a popular favorite for futures traders.

Earn2Trade's default setting is to charge $4.04 per roundtrip for every contract, but I recommend requesting live commissions. That way, your evaluation commissions accurately reflect what you'll see when you're funded. Those live commissions are $3.88 per roundtrip on Nasdaq 100 e-mini (NQ), and $1.76 per roundtrip on the micro version (MNQ).

TopStep charges $3.70 per NQ roundtrip and $1.20 per MNQ roundtrip in their evaluation.

Based on the evaluation alone, TopStep wins this round (but you definitely want to scroll to the next round for live account commissions).

Winner:  TopStep

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Live Commissions

Feature

Live Commissions (NQ & MNQ as examples)

NQ Roundtrip: $3.88

MNQ Roundtrip: $1.76

NQ Roundtrip: $3.88

MNQ Roundtrip: $1.76

NQ Roundtrip: $3.70
MNQ Roundtrip: $1.20

Live commissions are much more important than the ones in evaluation. Those are the ones that can add up to thousands of dollars a year or more, silently reducing your profits.

On Earn2Trade, the live commissions you requested (you did that, right? I hope so) remain the same, $3.88 per NQ roundtrip and $1.76 per MNQ roundtrip.

On TopStep, they take a jump compared to the evaluation. NQ is $4.16 - $4.60 depending on your platform, and MNQ is $1.32 per roundtrip. 

This round is tough to call. If you're on e-minis contracts, E2T wins. If on micros, TopStep wins (but stay tuned for important info about how TopStep treats micros. So, we're calling it a draw.

Winner: It's a draw!

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Evaluation Profit Target

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Evaluation Profit Target

6%

5-6%

6%

While this is a short-term consideration, it's still an important one. The faster you can reach your target and start getting paid for your profits, the better. 

Earn2Trade sets their Gauntlet Mini profit targets at 5-6%, and TCP targets at 6%. TopStep has a 6% target.

We have another tie.

Winner: TIE!

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Evaluation Drawdown

Feature

Evaluation Drawdown

Daily: 2.2% of starting value

Total: $1500 on 25k TCP, End of Day Trailing

Daily: 2.2% of starting value

Total: 3.5-6% of starting value, lower percentage at each higher tier. End of Day Trailing

Daily: 2% of starting value

Total: 3-4% of starting value

Earn2Trade places a 2.2% daily drawdown limit on their TCP and Gauntlet Mini programs.

The TCP 25k account has a $1500 max drawdown limit (6%). The Gauntlet Mini max drawdown ranges from 3.5% - 6%, with lower percentages at higher account tiers. These drawdowns trail up with your account balance, based on End of Day (EOD) balance.

TopStep has a 2% daily drawdown limit and 3%-4% max drawdown, based on starting balance. The lower percentages are on higher account tiers. Your highest end-of-day balance determines your drawdown threshold.

With Topstep, hitting your daily drawdown limit doesn't fail the account. With Earn2Trade, it does.

Because Earn2Trade gives you more room, and Topstep lets you hit your daily limit without failing, this one is another tie.

Winner: TIE

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Funded Acct Drawdown

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Funded Acct Drawdown

Daily: 2.2% of starting value

Total:

-25k level: 6% trailing EOD

50k level: 4% trailing EOD

100k level: 3.5% trailing EOD

-200k account: Fixed drawdown at $194,000

Daily: 2.2% of starting value

Total: 3.5-6% of starting value, trailing EOD - stops trailing when threshold reaches starting value

Daily: 2% of starting value

Total: 3-4% of starting value, trailing EOD - stops trailing when threshold reaches starting value

The E2T Gauntlet-Mini-funded accounts, and TopStep funded accounts, have the same drawdown limits as their evaluation counterparts (see previous section). The Earn2Trade TCP is a little different. The 25k, 50k, and 200k TCP steps have an EOD trailing drawdown of 6%. The 100k live step has a 6% drawdown that trails intraday.

Because the numbers are still mostly the same as in the evaluation, this is also a tie.

Winner: Earn2Trade

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Evaluation Rules

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Evaluation Rules

-Don't hit drawdowns with net loss (including commissions)

-Don't exceed max contract size (progression ladder, see below).

-Consistency: No single day is more than 30% of total profit. Does not fail the account, just have to meet this to pass.

-See overnight, weekend, holiday, news trading (below)

-Don't hit drawdowns with net loss (including commissions)

-Don't exceed max contract size (progression ladder, see below).

-Consistency: No single day is more than 30% of total profit. Does not fail the account, just have to meet this to pass.

-See overnight, weekend, holiday, news trading (below)

Both Phases:

-Don't hit max drawdown with net loss (including commissions)

-Don't exceed max contract size

-Simulation gaming (tight stops, etc, see below)

-Trade 4 days minimum

-Consistency target - best day below 30% of total profits (doesn't fail account, just have to meet it to pass)

-See overnight, weekend, holiday, news trading (below)

For this comparison, we'll look at hard rules and soft rules - When broken, hard rules will blow up your account, soft rules won't.

Earn2Trade has the same rules across their TCP and GM plans. Hard rules:

  1. Don't hit daily loss or max drawdown with your total loss (includes commissions). 
  2. Don't exceed max contract size (For TCP, see progression ladder pictured below)
  3. Overnight, holiday, news trading rules (covered later in their own sections)
describes the contract sizing allowed during earn2trade's trader career progression - earn2trade vs topstep

Earn2Trade has a soft rule on consistency: No one day should be more than 30% of your overall profit. If you have a day that amounts to more than 30%, you'll have to keep trading until that day makes up less than 30% of your total gain.

TopStep's hard rules:

  1. Don't hit max drawdown limit.
  2. Don't exceed max contracts.
  3. Overnight, weekend, holiday trading rules (covered in later sections)
  4. NO "simulation gaming" (see screenshot below)
in this screenshot, TopStep describes their rules regarding simulation trading

TopStep's explanation of what they call Simulation Gaming

TopStep's soft rules:

  1. Daily drawdown limit: If you hit it, but not your max drawdown, you won't be able to trade until the next session.
  2. Consistency: no single day's profits should be over 30% of total profits. If you have a big day, you'll just have to trade until that day makes up less than 30% of your profits.

Based on these rule sets, Earn2Trade wins the rules round. Stay tuned below for rules regarding news, overnights, and holidays.

Winner: Earn2Trade

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Funded Account Rules

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Funded Account Rules

-Don't hit drawdowns with net loss (including commissions)

-Don't exceed max contract size (progression ladder, see below).

-See overnight, weekend, holiday, news trading (below)

-Don't hit drawdowns with net loss (including commissions)

-Don't exceed max contract size (progression ladder, see below).

-See overnight, weekend, holiday, news trading (below)

-Don't hit drawdowns with net loss (including commissions)

-Don't exceed max contract size

-See overnight, weekend, holiday, news trading (below)

As you can see from the table, funded account rules are very similar between Earn2Trade and TopStep:

  • Don't hit your max drawdown thresholds after commissions
  • Don't exceed max contract quantities in a position

Earn2Trade and TopStep have each have their own "progression ladder" but only Earn2Trade calls it that. This basically limits how many contracts you can trade below certain profit levels in your funded account. These are designed to reduce the risk of blowing your funded account.

Since they're both about the same here, it's another draw.

Winner: Draw!

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Holding Trades Overnight

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Hold Trades Overnight

-All positions and working orders must be closed by 3:10pm CT until 5pm CT.
-HE/LE must be closed by 1:05pm CT until 5pm CT.
-ZC/ZW/ZS/ZM/ZL must be closed between 7:45am-8:30am CT and then again between 1:20pm-5pm CT.

-Don't hit drawdowns with net loss (including commissions)

-Don't exceed max contract size (progression ladder, see below).

-See overnight, weekend, holiday, news trading (below)

-All positions and working orders must be closed by 3:10pm CT until 5pm CT.

-For products that close before 3:10pm CT, all positions and working orders must be closed before that product's daily close.

Earn2Trade's and TopStep's overnight holding rules are almost identical. They don't allow you to hold trades whenever the market for your instrument is closed.

Now, if you think of "overnight" like a stock trader, you can still hold through the night. You can go long or short the indices from 5pm CT, hold through the wee hours, and into the next retail session, if you want.

You just can't hold when the futures markets are closed (and you have to be out well before they're closed).

Since E2T and TST are about the same here...

What does an artist do? They draw.

Winner: Draw!

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Holding Trades Over Weekends & Holidays

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Hold Over Weekends or Holidays

Same as overnight

Same as overnight

Same as overnight

Earn2Trade, TopStep, and Apex all treat this the same way they treat an overnight hold on any other day.

Winner: Draw

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Holiday Trading (day trading)

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Holiday Trading (Day Trading)

When markets are open. Adjust cutoffs for early closes

When markets are open. Adjust cutoffs for early closes

They will email you before holidays to tell you when you can trade. Generally not allowed during Thanksgiving week & Christmas - New Years. More restrictions on funded accounts than evaluation accounts.

Earn2Trade allows you to trade holidays whenever markets are open. You still need to pay attention to closing times, especially on early-close days.

TopStep has a subjective policy. They will set their holiday trading policy sometime before the holidays and send you an email letting you know whether you can trade and when. Personally, I really don't like this policy. You shouldn't have to wait for a last-minute email to tell you when you can plan your holidays, and the life of your account shouldn't be subjected to rules that change on a whim.

Earn2Trade wins this round in a landslide.

Winner: Earn2Trade

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: News Trading

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

News Trading

No restrictions

No restrictions

Trading your normal day to day system during a news announcement is allowed. News trading strategies themselves, directional, multi directional, pre news entries for windfalls of any kind are prohibited. (TopStep has changed this policy before, so be sure to read your emails)

This will matter for you whether you want to trade news or not, since some firms don't allow you to trade during news at all.

Earn2Trade doesn't place any restrictions on news trading. That said, if you're doing some kind of windfall strategy, they may see it and tell you to stop (just guessing).

TopStep allows trading during news events but doesn't allow news-based strategies of any kind. Meaning, if your normal strategies have you holding a position through a news announcement, that's not an issue. But, if you specifically want to trade the reaction to some news event, that isn't allowed.

Based on the freedom to trade how you want, Earn2Trade wins this round.

Winner: Earn2Trade

Earn2Trade vs Topstep: Markets Traded

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Markets Traded

Futures (CME, NYMEX, COMEX, & CBOT)

Futures (CME, NYMEX, COMEX, & CBOT)

Futures (CME, NYMEX, COMEX, & CBOT)

All firms in this article trade the same futures markets (CME, NYMEX, COMEX, & CBOT). So it's a tie!

Winner: Draw

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Micro Contracts

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Micro Contracts

Treated as 1/10 E-Mini

Treated as 1/10 E-Mini

Treated as 1 E-Mini

Earn2Trade treats micro contracts properly, as 1/10 of an e-mini contract. TopStep's regular trading combine treats them improperly, the same as 1 e-mini contract. I've spoken with their team about this, and they have their own reasons for doing it, but I still strongly disagree with it.

As you may have guessed, Earn2Trade wins this round in a knockout victory.

Winner: Earn2Trade

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Free Trials

Feature

Earn2Trade TCP

Earn2Trade GM

TopStep

Free Trial

No

No

14 days (cannot qualify you for a funded account)

Earn2Trade doesn't offer a free trial. But, you can join their Discord server for free, and you can try simulations with all the platforms they offer, so that's pretty close. 

TopStep has a 14-day free trial, which allows you to join their Discord sever and try out the simulation on TopStep Trader platform.

Just by a hair, a slight win for TopStep here.

Winner: TopStep

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: TrustPilot Score

Feature

TrustPilot Score

4.75 (1,124 reviews)

4.75 (1,124 reviews)

4.4/5 (1,455 reviews)

Earn2Trade boasts a 4.7 out of 5 rating on TrustPilot

TopStep rates a solid 4.4 out of 5 on TrustPilot.

Both great scores, but the win goes to the highest, so it's Earn2Trade.

Winner: Earn2Trade

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Special Offer

Earn2Trade current promotions here

TopStep current promotions here

Earn2Trade vs TopStep: Overall Winner

Features (pts)

Evaluation Acct Size & Cost (10)

9

8

7

Evaluation Reset Cost (5)

3

3

4

Profit Split to Trader (15)

14

14

15

Funding Bonus (3)

0

0

3

Min Days to Qualify (5)

4

4

5

Max Account Size (5)

5

4

4

Max Funded Accounts on One Login (3)

1

1

3

Max Capital with Max Accounts (10)

7

3

7

Withdrawals (10)

7

7

6

Withdrawal Restrictions (10)

9

9

5

Withdrawal Methods (5)

5

5

5

Funded Acct Fee (5)

4

4

5

Evaluation Commissions (7) (NQ & MNQ as examples)

6

6

7

Live Commissions (15) (NQ & MNQ as examples)

13

13

11

Evaluation Profit Target (5)

4

4

4

Evaluation Drawdown (7)

6

6

6

Funded Acct Drawdown (10)

9

8

7

Evaluation Rules (10)

9

9

9

Funded Acct Rules (10)

9

9

9

Hold Overnight (3) (swing trading)

1

1

1

Hold over Weekends/Holidays (3)

1

1

1

Holiday Day Trading (3)

3

3

1

News Trading (10)

10

10

8

Markets Traded (10)

8

8

8

Micro Contracts (10)

10

10

1

Free Trial (1)

0

0

1

TrustPilot Score (10)

10

10

9

Total (Possible 200)

165

159

152

Percentage Score

84

80

76

Offer

Cell

Between Earn2Trade and TopStep, Earn2Trade takes the victory. There are great aspects of trading with TopStep, too, but they have some work to do to catch up to Earn2Trade, in my opinion. The details provided and the scores given took a lot of thought, and I'm confident in recommending Earn2Trade over TopStep. You can also keep track of how well they stack up among the best prop firms for futures.

Some of the individual factors may weigh differently for your priorities, and this is only a guide based on what I think gives traders the best chances of success. Do what is best for you.

Overall Winner: Earn2Trade

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Daniel Larsen

Daniel created epicctrader.com to help new and experienced traders level up. He began trading in 2002, and has spent over a decade trading professionally, for prop firms and clients. When he's not at a computer, you can find him on the ocean, in a canyon, or in the mountains.