The downfall of Topstep has been biblical.
What was once the gold standard of futures prop firms has toppled from the top step to the bottom step in the last 12 months.
It’s really sad to see, they were easily the top prop firm for years.
I myself had used them for years and taken many payouts until I was permanently banned in 2025.
Then there’s the slew of other issues that have popped up this year:
Constant platform outages, payout delays, vague hedging allegations, removing all platforms other than the barely functioning TopstepX, unfavourable rule changes, and price increases — many traders are understandably looking for other options.
Just look at their Trustpilot reviews and read through all the recent 1-star reviews that are coming through.
Not good.
Before we look at alternatives, this should be a lesson and all prop firm traders should take note:
NEVER put all your faith in a single prop firm.
Don’t treat your funded account like a savings account.
Take your payouts often and build up a personal trading account alongside your prop accounts.
You never know when a once reputable firm makes changes or have issues that aren’t favourable for you.
So with Topstep taking a tumble, who else is there to use?
While I don’t think anyone is quite yet at the level that golden-age Topstep once was in 2023, there are two that come close.
Note: This article contains affiliate links, where I may receive a small commission if you choose to use my discount code for any of these prop firms. I only ever partner with prop firms that I personally use and trust myself, and using my code helps to support more free value-packed trading content 🙂
The first one is most suitable for newer traders with forgiving rules, low-cost evaluations, and extremely fast payouts:
#1: Lucid Trading
They have been my personal favourite this year.
Their rules are basically identical to Topstep (actually slightly easier for payouts), and payouts are approved same-day.
They are also unique in the sense that they don’t charge a monthly fee.
It’s a one-time fee only, no rebills, which is a HUGE cost saving for most traders.
You can pick up a $50k evaluation for just under $80, one-time fee using code: CAMCAP
I personally trade with them using the $50k LucidFlex accounts.
You can watch a video where I break down their rules here.
#2: Take Profit Trader
This is the firm I’ve made the most money with (over six-figures last year), and is my “bill paying prop” lol…
Their evaluation rules are very easy and forgiving, and they easily have the best payout policy in the game with uncapped payouts, daily payouts, and no consistency rules in the funded stage.
However, I put them at number two on this list as the funded accounts have intraday trailing drawdown which newer traders tend to find difficult.
(But I also have a video breaking down how to beat intraday trailing drawdown here)
But if you are comfortable with intraday trailing drawdown, Take Profit Trader is an excellent choice.
You can get 40% off all evaluations using code: CAMCAP
Overall, I think that Take Profit Trader is a great option for more confident traders that are looking to scale up and make more $$$.
Both firms are great options if you’re looking for an alternative to Topstep, really.
Lucid Trading is the most forgiving and beginner friendly with the lowest cost path to getting funded.
Take Profit Trader is higher cost and slightly less forgiving in the funded stage, but offers the largest upside potential.
Hope you found this helpful!
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