Earn2Trade scores 18.5 higher under TVSM-PF/2.0.2.
Payout split
Max funded
Payout cap
Drawdown model
Min trading days
Challenge fee
Fee refundable
News trading
Platforms
Payout schedule
| Specification | Earn2Trade 80/100 Strong | Topstep 61/100 Adequate |
|---|---|---|
| Payout split | 80/20 in trader favour across Live and LiveSim accounts | 90% (flat for new traders as of Jan 12, 2026) |
| Max funded | TCP25 → $200K final account; TCP50/100 → $400K | $150,000 (Express Funded Account) |
| Payout cap | None | $2,000/payout Standard, $3,000/payout Consistency — new $50K accounts from Apr 28, 2026 |
| Drawdown model | Trailing Drawdown until top-tier funded reached; converts to Fixed Drawdown ($194K floor on TCP25, $388K on TCP50/100) | Trailing EOD MLL — ratchets up with peak end-of-day balance, never resets down |
| Min trading days | 10 | 5 winning days required before payout request |
| Challenge fee | Trader Career Path exam ~$150; $139 Live activation; CME data fees $140–156/mo separate | $49–$149/month subscription |
| Fee refundable | $139 Live activation deducted from first profit withdrawal (conditional refund) | No — subscription model, no refund on payout |
| News trading | Restricted on funded accounts during major releases | Allowed — no restrictions on futures news trading |
| Platforms | NinjaTrader, R-Trader, Quantower | TopstepX (proprietary, mandatory as of 2026) |
| Payout schedule | Within-week processing | On demand after 5 winning days — processed 1-3 business days |
| Visit Earn2Trade | Research only |
Verify regulator standing
Cross-check both firms against NFA BASIC, CFTC, and the CME Group rulebook for futures drawdown rule context. Earn2Trade: www.earn2trade.com.
Dimension by dimension: who wins where
Computed live from the per-variable evidence behind each firm's TVSM-PF score — Earn2Trade takes 6 of 6 dimensions at current scores. Every variable links to a primary source on the firm pages.
Earn2Trade wins. Earn2Trade pays 80% across its Live and LiveSim accounts with no payout cap and within-week processing; Topstep’s flat 90% is ceilinged at $2,000–$3,000 per payout (cut on new $50K accounts in April 2026), so Earn2Trade takes home more on any month above roughly $2,000. Read both rules verbatim below.
Earn2Trade wins. Earn2Trade’s Trader Career Path is a transparent, platform-agnostic progression; Topstep layers a consistency target that changes by account type and mandates its proprietary platform, which costs it on flexibility. (Topstep’s one fairness edge — unrestricted news trading — is in the verdicts below.)
Earn2Trade wins. Topstep cut its per-payout cap in April 2026 and reworked its split to flat-90% in January 2026 — recent mid-stream term changes this dimension prices. Earn2Trade’s terms have held steadier.
Earn2Trade wins. Earn2Trade edges it at current scores on its CME-aligned education pedigree and transparent scaling to $400K. Topstep’s 2012 founding is the longer record — the dimension’s counterweight, and a real point in its favour — but the composite lands with Earn2Trade here.
Earn2Trade wins. Earn2Trade keeps open platform choice — NinjaTrader, R-Trader and Quantower — so you trade in the software you know. Topstep is locked to its proprietary TopstepX (mandatory as of 2026), and the forced migration shows up in execution-quality reports.
Earn2Trade wins. Both are inexpensive to start, but Topstep’s per-payout cap erodes take-home on any sizeable month; Earn2Trade’s no-cap structure and $400K scaling deliver more realized value over a funded run.
Rule by rule, in each firm's own terms
Verbatim from our verified spec database — the conditions are the product, so nothing here is flattened to a yes/no. Where a rule has tiers or conditions, you are reading them.
| Rule | Earn2Trade | Topstep |
|---|---|---|
| Drawdown model | Trailing Drawdown until top-tier funded reached; converts to Fixed Drawdown ($194K floor on TCP25, $388K on TCP50/100) | Trailing EOD MLL — ratchets up with peak end-of-day balance, never resets down |
| Max drawdown | $3,500 trailing (Live) or EOD ($3,500 LiveSim); fixed at scale-up | Trailing EOD MLL — $2,000 buffer on $50K account |
| Daily loss limit | $2,200 (Live account) | Dynamic Daily Loss Limit — scales with account balance |
| Payout split | 80/20 in trader favour across Live and LiveSim accounts | 90% (flat for new traders as of Jan 12, 2026) |
| Payout cap | None | $2,000/payout Standard, $3,000/payout Consistency — new $50K accounts from Apr 28, 2026 |
| Payout schedule | Within-week processing | On demand after 5 winning days — processed 1-3 business days |
| Min trading days | 10 | 5 winning days required before payout request |
| Consistency rule | Disclosed; standard futures consistency cap | Consistency EFA: largest single trading day cannot exceed 40% of total net profit during payout window. Standard EFA: no consistency target. |
| News trading | Restricted on funded accounts during major releases | Allowed — no restrictions on futures news trading |
| Weekend holds | Not permitted on funded accounts | Futures markets only — positions must be closed before CME weekend close per exchange rules. |
| Evaluation cost | Trader Career Path exam ~$150; $139 Live activation; CME data fees $140–156/mo separate | $49–$149/month subscription |
| Fee refundable | $139 Live activation deducted from first profit withdrawal (conditional refund) | No — subscription model, no refund on payout |
| Platforms | NinjaTrader, R-Trader, Quantower | TopstepX (proprietary, mandatory as of 2026) |
| Max funded | TCP25 → $200K final account; TCP50/100 → $400K | $150,000 (Express Funded Account) |
| Scaling | TCP25 → $200K final; TCP50/100 → $400K via tiered progression | Express Funded scales to $150K via successful Combine passes; no automatic scaling within an account |
Verified June 2026 (Earn2Trade) · June 2026 (Topstep). Source extracts for every scored variable are on the firm pages.
The verdict, by trader type
A comparison that ends in “it depends” is not a verdict. Picks below are per trading style — find yours.
News trader
Topstep
The clearest row Topstep wins. Topstep: Allowed — no restrictions on futures news trading. Earn2Trade: Restricted on funded accounts during major releases. If your edge is economic releases, Topstep is the firm that lets you trade them on a funded account.
Platform freedom
Earn2Trade
Earn2Trade runs on NinjaTrader, R-Trader, Quantower; Topstep forces TopstepX (proprietary, mandatory as of 2026). A trader attached to NinjaTrader or Quantower keeps their stack at Earn2Trade and gives it up at Topstep.
High-volume / large withdrawals
Earn2Trade
No contest at scale. Earn2Trade: None payout cap, scaling to $400K. Topstep ceilings every payout — $2,000/payout Standard, $3,000/payout Consistency — new $50K accounts from Apr 28, 2026 — so the more you earn in a month, the more the cap costs you.
Longest track record
Topstep
Topstep has funded futures traders since 2012 — the longest record in the category, and a genuine trust signal for a first funded account. Its per-payout cap and platform lock are what cost it everywhere else.
Earn2Trade vs Topstep — the questions traders actually search
Is Earn2Trade or Topstep better in 2026?
Earn2Trade currently scores in the Strong band under TVSM-PF and wins all six scored dimensions; Topstep sits in the Adequate band, held back by a per-payout cap (cut again in April 2026) and the forced move to its proprietary platform. Topstep keeps two real edges — unrestricted news trading and the longest record in futures funding (since 2012). Live scores and per-variable evidence are on each firm page.
Which has the better payout — Earn2Trade or Topstep?
Topstep advertises the higher split — 90% (flat for new traders as of Jan 12, 2026) — but caps every withdrawal: $2,000/payout Standard, $3,000/payout Consistency — new $50K accounts from Apr 28, 2026. Earn2Trade pays 80/20 in trader favour across Live and LiveSim accounts with None payout cap. Past roughly $2,000 a cycle, Earn2Trade's no-cap structure takes home more despite the lower headline split.
Which is cheaper — Earn2Trade or Topstep?
Different models. Earn2Trade: Trader Career Path exam ~$150; $139 Live activation; CME data fees $140–156/mo separate. Topstep: $49–$149/month subscription. Topstep's monthly subscription is cheap at entry; Earn2Trade's Trader Career Path is closer to a one-time exam plus a live-activation fee, with no payout cap to limit what you withdraw.
What platforms do Earn2Trade and Topstep support?
This is a real divide. Earn2Trade: NinjaTrader, R-Trader, Quantower. Topstep: TopstepX (proprietary, mandatory as of 2026). If you already trade in NinjaTrader or Quantower, you keep your stack at Earn2Trade and give it up at Topstep.
Do Earn2Trade and Topstep allow news trading?
This is Topstep's clearest edge. Topstep: Allowed — no restrictions on futures news trading. Earn2Trade: Restricted on funded accounts during major releases. A trader whose edge is economic releases is better served at Topstep.
Which scales to a bigger account — Earn2Trade or Topstep?
Earn2Trade. TCP25 → $200K final; TCP50/100 → $400K via tiered progression. Topstep: Express Funded scales to $150K via successful Combine passes; no automatic scaling within an account (max $150,000 (Express Funded Account)).
Full breakdowns with per-variable sources: Earn2Trade review · Topstep review