Earn2Trade vs Topstep
Every figure below comes from each firm's own site and is scored by the same published formula. A firm's commercial relationship with us changes nothing here.
The short answer
Topstep scores 7.7/10 on the PFM Score, Earn2Trade 5.2/10.
Topstep leads on Payout Integrity (8.3 vs 3.0) and Trading Conditions (7.4 vs 7.3).
Choose Earn2Trade if…
- you want it cheaper to get funded on a $50K account ($170 vs $198 in month one)
- you'd rather not pay to activate a funded account (Topstep charges $149)
- you want a larger account (up to $200K vs $150K)
Choose Topstep if…
- you want the higher profit split (90% vs 80%)
- you want faster payout processing (2 days vs 7 days)
- you want a lower monthly fee ($49 vs $170)
- you want same-day payouts (Earn2Trade doesn't offer them)
Side by side
✓ marks the firm ahead on that metric, by the rules on our methodology page — a fact, not a recommendation. "At least" means a fee or step isn't published (or we haven't verified it yet); the real figure can only be higher, so it's never counted as a lead. Costs are list prices, not promos.
| Metric | Earn2Trade | Topstep |
|---|---|---|
| Score | ||
| PFM Score | 5.2/10 (#24 of 25) | 7.7/10 (#15 of 25) (ahead) |
| Payout Integrity | 3.0 | 8.3 (ahead) |
| Rule Clarity | 6.9 | 6.9 |
| Trading Conditions | 7.3 | 7.4 (ahead) |
| Rules & payouts | ||
| Drawdown | End-of-day · $2K | End-of-day · $2K |
| Profit split | 80% | 90% (ahead) |
| Payout processing | 7 days | 2 days (ahead) |
| Minimum path to first payout | 7 trading days | Not verified |
| Profit target | 6% ($3,000 on $50K) | 6% ($3,000 on $50K) |
| Costs — $50K account | ||
| Entry fee | $170 | $49 (ahead) |
| Monthly fee | $170 | $49 (ahead) |
| Activation fee | None (ahead) | $149 |
| Cost to get funded (month one) | $170 (ahead) | $198 |
| Trading conditions | ||
| Platforms | Tradovate, NinjaTrader, Rithmic, TradingView, Finamark | TopstepX, NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView |
| Account sizes | $50K–$200K | $50K–$150K |
| News trading | Yes | Yes |
| Weekend holding | No | No |
| EAs / bots | Yes | Yes |
| Scaling plan | Yes | Yes |
| Same-day payouts | No | Yes (ahead) |
| The firm | ||
| Founded | 2018 | 2012 |
| Based in | United States | Chicago, IL · United States |
Sources
- Earn2Trade — official site ↗ · pricing page screenshot, Sep 14, 2026, 20:24 UTC · inputs last verified Sep 14, 2026
- Topstep — official site ↗ · pricing page screenshot, Sep 14, 2026, 20:07 UTC · inputs last verified Sep 14, 2026
Terms change. Always confirm the current rules and prices on the firm's own site before you buy an evaluation.