Topstep vs DayTraders.com: prop firm rules compared

DayTraders.com's Full plan trails the drawdown intraday: the floor follows the highest balance the account reaches during the session, open profit included, and never moves back down — a winning trade given back before it is closed still lifts it. For example, at DayTraders.com's Full plan a $50,000 account starts with its floor at $47,500, $2,500 under the start.

On Topstep and DayTraders.com's EOD and S2F plans the drawdown trails at end of day: the floor is recalculated once, from the closing balance, so open profit given back during the session does not raise it — but equity touching the floor during the session still counts. For example, at Topstep and DayTraders.com's EOD and S2F plans a $50,000 account starts with its floor at $48,000, $2,000 under the start.

DayTraders.com's Static plan uses a static drawdown: the floor is set once, the drawdown below the starting balance, and does not move for the whole evaluation. For example, at DayTraders.com's Static plan a $50,000 account starts with its floor at $49,000, $1,000 under the start.

On Topstep the trailing floor stops rising once it reaches breakeven and stays there.

A soft daily loss limit pauses the day instead of failing the account: reach it and open positions are flattened, trading stops until the next session, and the account stays open. DayTraders.com's EOD plan sets it at $1,250 on $50,000. Topstep and DayTraders.com's Full and Static plans have no daily loss limit, so a losing day is bounded only by the max drawdown.

Topstep and DayTraders.com start the trading day at the same moment, 6:00 PM ET (5:00 PM CT); a daily loss limit counts from that reset, not from midnight.

A consistency rule caps how much of the total profit one day may carry. Topstep caps any single day at 55% of total profit, so it takes at least 2 profitable days to finish inside the rule. One day may then carry at most $1,650 of a $3,000 target. DayTraders.com's Full, Static and EOD plans cap any single day at 50% of total profit, so it takes at least 2 profitable days to finish inside the rule. One day may then carry at most $1,500 of a $3,000 target and $1,875 of a $3,750 target. DayTraders.com's S2F plan caps any single day at 20% of total profit, so it takes at least 5 profitable days to finish inside the rule.

Topstep requires at least 2 trading days before a pass; DayTraders.com requires at least 2 trading days before a pass.

On automated trading — a strategy or bot sending the orders — at Topstep it is allowed in the evaluation and on a funded account; at DayTraders.com it is allowed in the evaluation and on a funded account. Written answers: Topstep (read Oct 21, 2026), DayTraders.com (read Oct 21, 2026).

Topstep and DayTraders.com differ on 4 of the evaluation rules compared here: drawdown model, daily loss limit, consistency rule and max drawdown at $50K. If your trades often run into open profit that you give back before closing them, start with the drawdown: Topstep trails at end of day, while DayTraders.com trails intraday or at end of day or holds a static floor, depending on the plan. If one or two large days make up most of your profit, the consistency rule sets how fast you can finish: Topstep caps one day at 55% of total profit; DayTraders.com caps one day at 20–50% of total profit. If you keep trading after a losing morning, look at what the daily loss limit does: Topstep has no daily loss limit; DayTraders.com pauses the day at its daily loss limit on some plans and has no limit on others. In dollars at $50K, Topstep asks for $3,000 of profit with $2,000 of drawdown room, DayTraders.com for $3,000 with $2,500.

Once funded, the profit split is 90/10 at Topstep and 100% (Pro sim) at DayTraders.com. Payout terms — Topstep: Per cycle: 5 winning days of $150+ (Standard) or 3 days at ≤40% consistency; DayTraders.com: Every 8 qualifying days. Topstep sells one evaluation model; DayTraders.com sells 4 plans: Full, Static, EOD and S2F. Each plan carries its own version of the rules above, which is why they are listed plan by plan.

Read both rule sets against your own average day, then confirm the current terms on Topstep's site and DayTraders.com's site. PassTraq tracks challenges at both firms using the same rule presets shown here.