Why Traders Are Leaving Topstep in 2026 (And Where They Go)

Topstep is still the most established futures prop firm in the industry—but it's bleeding traders faster than at any point in its 14-year history.

Between the TopstepX platform outages that wrecked accounts in late 2025, the January 2026 profit split changes that eliminated the 100% first $10K for new traders, the forced migration to a single proprietary platform, and pricing that no longer undercuts newer competitors, the reasons to leave have stacked up.

I've talked to dozens of Topstep traders who've switched firms in the last six months, and the patterns are clear. Some left over a single bad experience. Most left because the accumulation of changes tipped the value equation against them. Here's exactly why they're leaving, where they're going, and whether Topstep is still worth it despite all of it.

Why Topstep matters: Topstep is the firm that started the futures prop trading industry. Founded by CME floor trader Michael Patak, they've been around longer than any competitor. I've evaluated their accounts, tracked their payout history, and compared them against every major alternative in the space.

That said, longevity doesn't mean perfection. Topstep has strengths (proven track record, fast payouts, strong platform support) and weaknesses (trailing drawdown, subscription model costs, no affiliate program for reviewers) that I've documented honestly. For a complete breakdown of their account types, pricing, and what to expect at each stage, read my full Topstep accounts overview. For the absolute latest, check Topstep's website or their Help Center.

Reason #1: The TopstepX Platform Outages

This is the wound that's still healing. In November and December 2025, TopstepX experienced at least 11 confirmed platform outages across multiple trading sessions. Traders reported being unable to log in, execute trades, or manage open positions. Stop-loss and take-profit orders failed to trigger. Accounts were auto-liquidated during outages, breaching Maximum Loss Limits through no fault of the trader.

The damage wasn't just financial—it was trust. When your only trading platform goes down during market hours and your funded account gets blown because a stop-loss didn't execute, that's not a trading loss. That's a platform failure. And Topstep's initial response made it worse: slow communication, generic "policy violation" rejections on affected accounts, and a Trustpilot rating that dropped to 3.6 with a wave of one-star reviews.

CEO Michael Patak publicly acknowledged the problems in late December 2025 and promised fixes by January 2026. The platform has stabilized since then, and Topstep did reverse some affected accounts. But for many traders, the damage was done. When you've spent months passing a Combine and building a funded account, watching it evaporate because of server issues—and then having to fight support to get it fixed—the emotional cost exceeds whatever compensation the firm offers.

Where they went: MyFundedFutures and Alpha Futures absorbed the most Topstep refugees during this period. Both support Tradovate and other third-party platforms, meaning traders aren't locked into a single proprietary system.

Reason #2: Forced Migration to TopstepX

The platform outages wouldn't have been as catastrophic if traders had alternatives. But Topstep eliminated all platform options for new accounts in mid-2025. After July 7, 2025, every new Trading Combine runs exclusively on TopstepX. After August 1, 2025, even resets on legacy accounts must happen on TopstepX. NinjaTrader, Tradovate, Quantower, TradingView—all gone for new traders.

This is the change that generates the most sustained frustration in Topstep's Discord and Reddit threads. It's not that TopstepX is bad—it's actually a capable platform. The problem is the lack of choice. Traders who built entire workflows around NinjaTrader's automation, Sierra Chart's order flow tools, or TradingView's Pine Script indicators had those workflows invalidated overnight.

For algo traders, the impact is terminal. TopstepX doesn't support automated trading. No bots, no EAs, no API-based execution. If your edge relies on automation, Topstep isn't just inconvenient—it's structurally incompatible with your strategy.

TopstepX also has a single-device limitation. You can't run the platform on desktop and mobile simultaneously. For traders who monitor charts on one screen and execute on another, this is a genuine workflow restriction that doesn't exist on NinjaTrader or Tradovate.

Where they went: Apex Trader Funding (14+ supported platforms), Bulenox (NinjaTrader, Sierra Chart, R|Trader Pro), and Alpha Futures (Tradovate, AlphaTicks, NinjaTrader) all offer multi-platform flexibility.

Reason #3: The Profit Split Change

On January 12, 2026, Topstep changed the profit split for all new traders. Previously, traders kept 100% of their first $10,000 in payouts before the 90/10 split kicked in. Now, every payout from dollar one is 90/10.

For context: $10,000 at 100% is $10,000. $10,000 at 90% is $9,000. That's $1,000 gone from the first $10K alone. Over a year of trading, the cumulative impact of the flat 90/10 is significant—especially compared to competitors like Apex, which still offers 100% on the first $25,000 per account (yes, per account, not per trader), or MyFundedFutures, which gives 100% on the first $10K.

The split change hit existing traders' perception hard, even if it doesn't affect legacy accounts. It signals a direction: Topstep is extracting more value from traders, not less. Combined with the $149 activation fee (which many competitors have eliminated) and the $30 payout processing fee on ACH/Wire, the total cost of being a Topstep trader has meaningfully increased.

Where they went: Apex Trader Funding ($25K at 100% per account, 20 accounts allowed) and MyFundedFutures (100% first $10K, then 90/10 on standard plans).

Reason #4: Pricing No Longer Competitive

Topstep's $49-$149/month Standard Path pricing was competitive in 2020. In 2026, it's middle-of-pack at best.

Apex's near-permanent 80-90% discount promotions make their entry cost a fraction of Topstep's. MyFundedFutures eliminated activation fees entirely. Bulenox offers one-time pricing. Topstep still charges both a monthly subscription AND a $149 activation fee. The math doesn't work for cost-conscious traders anymore.

Reason #5: Account Closures and Enforcement Controversies

In late 2025 and early 2026, multiple Topstep traders reported having funded accounts closed for "hedging" violations—specifically, trading in opposite directions between an Express Funded Account and a Trading Combine account. Some traders claim they received no prior warning and had accounts with thousands in unrealized profits forfeited overnight.

Whether these closures were justified under Topstep's Terms of Use is debatable. What's not debatable is the communication failure. Traders who'd been funded for months received generic emails citing policy violations with no specifics—no timestamps, no trade details, no appeal process. For traders who'd invested significant time and subscription fees to reach funded status, this felt arbitrary and opaque.

The perception of inconsistent enforcement erodes trust faster than any pricing change. When traders feel that rules can be retroactively applied without clear communication, they start looking for firms with more transparent and predictable enforcement.

Reason #6: The Consistency Rule Frustration

Topstep's 50% consistency target—where no single day can exceed 50% of total profits—has always been polarizing. But as competitors have relaxed or eliminated their consistency requirements, the frustration has intensified.

MyFundedFutures drops the consistency rule entirely once you're in the funded stage. Alpha Futures' Advanced accounts have no consistency rule at all. Apex Trader Funding uses a 30% rule but traders who prefer Topstep's structure find even this less restrictive for normal trading patterns.

The consistency rule particularly punishes traders who are doing well. If you have one exceptional day early in your evaluation, you've effectively raised your profit target because you need additional gains to dilute that day below 50%. Your punishment for trading well is having to trade more—and risk giving back profits—just to satisfy a statistical requirement.

Where Topstep Still Wins

I'd be dishonest if I didn't acknowledge what Topstep still does better than most:

Track record matters. Topstep has been paying traders since 2012. That's 14 years of operational history, millions in documented payouts, and survival through multiple market cycles. MyFundedFutures launched in late 2023. Alpha Futures launched in 2024. Neither has faced a real market stress test. When the next flash crash or liquidity crisis hits, which firm do you trust to still be standing?

EOD trailing drawdown remains best-in-class. Topstep's Maximum Loss Limit only updates at end of day. Apex uses intraday trailing, which is objectively more dangerous during volatile sessions. For scalpers and day traders working ES or NQ during high-volatility events, Topstep's EOD calculation provides meaningful breathing room that directly prevents blown accounts.

TopstepX has genuinely improved. After the December 2025 crisis, Topstep invested heavily in platform stability. The Q1 2026 experience on TopstepX has been noticeably better—fewer outages, faster execution, and the integrated TradingView charts, commission-free trading, and The Tilt™ sentiment tool are features no competitor bundles this cleanly.

Community and education are real. TopstepTV coaching, the Discord community, Training Camp, the Consistency Target Calculator—these aren't marketing fluff. They're tools that measurably help traders improve. Most competitors offer nothing comparable.

The Honest Assessment

Topstep isn't dying. It's adjusting to a market that has fundamentally more competition than when it was the only game in town. Some changes—like the TopstepX mandate and profit split adjustment—are business decisions that benefit Topstep's bottom line at the expense of trader value. Others—like the platform outages—were operational failures that the firm appears to be genuinely addressing.

The traders who are leaving fall into two camps: those who experienced direct harm from outages or enforcement actions (justified departure), and those who found better value propositions at competitors as pricing gaps widened (rational economic behavior).

The traders who stay tend to value Topstep's structure, track record, and EOD drawdown mechanics over the cost savings available elsewhere. Both decisions make sense depending on your priorities.

The prop trading landscape in 2026 is genuinely competitive for the first time. Topstep created this industry, and they're still a strong option for the right trader. But "strong option" is different from "obvious choice"—and that shift is exactly why traders are leaving.

‍