Side-by-side comparison
BrightFunded vs Topstep
Rules, drawdown model, fees, and trading conditions compared side by side. Data verified from official sources.
BrightFunded vs Topstep: Full Comparison
| Rule | | |
|---|---|---|
| Drawdown | Varies Varies by plan after the 2.0 relaunch: the 1-Step uses a trailing max drawdown that locks once equity is 6% above the initial balance; the 2-Step… Full detailVaries by plan after the 2.0 relaunch: the 1-Step uses a trailing max drawdown that locks once equity is 6% above the initial balance; the 2-Step (Bright/Classic) uses a static max loss fixed from the starting balance. | EOD trailing EOD trailing max loss: the limit trails up on the end-of-day closing balance, not on intraday unrealised peaks. CME futures accounts. |
| Consistency rule | None | Varies |
| Risk per trade cap | No cap No max risk-per-trade rule and no max-lot cap; sizing is constrained only by the 5% daily / 10% max drawdown. | Capped Scaling Plan caps max contracts by account balance (e.g. $50K = 5 minis / 50 micros); buying power scales with end-of-day balance. |
| News trading | Varies Unrestricted in the challenge; funded accounts ban trading 5 min before/after high-impact news. | Yes Allowed in all phases; only bars entering a full max-size position into scheduled major news. |
| Weekend holding | Yes Allowed on all accounts; weekend gap losses still count toward drawdown. | No Futures day-trading only, positions auto-flatten daily (~3:10 PM CT); no overnight or weekend holds. |
| EAs / bots | Varies Bans HFT, latency arbitrage, tick scalping, grid, gap/news bots and cross-account copy/hedging. Full detailBans HFT, latency arbitrage, tick scalping, grid, gap/news bots and cross-account copy/hedging. NO minimum hold time (firm states so explicitly); the 60s figure is the threshold for a day to count as a trading day. | Varies Automation permitted via the TopstepX/ProjectX API; no firm-published statement that the API is the ONLY route. Full detailAutomation permitted via the TopstepX/ProjectX API; no firm-published statement that the API is the ONLY route. Bans VPS/VPN/remote servers outright (all activity must originate from the trader's own device), plus HFT and SIM-fill-exploit algos. |
| Daily loss limit | 5% | - |
| Overall loss limit | 10% | - |
| Profit split | 80% base, 90% add-on Base is 80%. Upgrading to 90% split costs +20% on the challenge fee at checkout. | up to 90% 90/10 on Express Funded Accounts (100% of the first $10K for traders who joined before Jan 12 2026). Full detail90/10 on Express Funded Accounts (100% of the first $10K for traders who joined before Jan 12 2026). Live Funded: up to 100% daily after 30 winning days. Crypto only via CME Micro Bitcoin/Ether futures. |
| Fee refund | Varies Not included by default: a 100% fee refund on first payout is a paid checkout add-on. Full detailNot included by default: a 100% fee refund on first payout is a paid checkout add-on. The standard policy refunds only untraded challenges bought within the last 30 days (help centre, Sep 2026). | No Subscription-based pricing, not one-time fee. |
| Platforms | MT5, cTrader, DXtrade | TopstepX |
| Assets | Crypto, FX, Indices, Commodities | Futures, Indices |
| Account sizes | $5K, $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, $200K, $400K | $50K, $100K, $150K |
| Payout methods | - | - |
Last verified: 2026-09-28 (BrightFunded), 2026-09-29 (Topstep). Always verify current terms on each firm's official site before purchasing.
Also consider·VelotradeMulti-asset prop trading,
one account for all markets.
Multi-asset · Hong Kong · Est. 2016
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