Topstep Accounts Price: Full Cost Breakdown (2026)

Topstep Trading Combine subscriptions cost $49–$229 per month depending on account size (50K, 100K, or 150K) and the pricing path selected at checkout. The Standard Path charges lower monthly fees but adds a $149 one-time activation fee per Express Funded Account earned, while the No Activation Fee Path charges higher monthly fees and waives that activation charge entirely. The Express Funded Account itself carries no monthly subscription fee, though Live Funded Account traders face ongoing Professional Market Data fees, round-turn commissions, and a platform license cost.

Trading Combine Monthly Subscription Prices

Topstep offers two pricing paths for its Trading Combine evaluation, and the path you select at checkout is permanent — Topstep states paths cannot be changed after purchase. The table below shows the monthly subscription cost for each account size on each path.

The Standard Path is described by Topstep as suited to traders still building consistency, since the lower monthly cost reduces ongoing spend during a longer evaluation period. The No Activation Fee Path is described as better for traders confident they will pass in one or two attempts, because the higher monthly cost is offset by avoiding the activation fee entirely. Choosing the wrong path for your situation has a direct financial consequence: a trader who takes six months on the No Activation Fee Path at the 100K level pays $894 in subscriptions versus $594 on the Standard Path — a $300 difference before the activation fee is even considered. For more context on how Topstep’s evaluation structure works, see the Topstep review on PropCatalog.

Express Funded Account Activation Fees

Once you pass the Trading Combine, you activate an Express Funded Account (XFA). The activation fee depends entirely on which path you purchased — it cannot be changed retroactively. Topstep confirms that the XFA starts with a $0 balance; the account size (50K, 100K, or 150K) represents buying power, not deposited cash, and your balance grows from trading profits.

Topstep also notes that traders can hold up to five active XFAs simultaneously; if you already hold five or have a Live Funded Account, the activation button is greyed out and you must close an account before activating a new one. A practical consequence: a Standard Path trader who earns three XFAs over time pays $447 in total activation fees across those accounts. There is no monthly subscription fee for the XFA itself on either path. For a broader look at how activation fees compare across futures prop firms, see Topstep No Activation Fee Rules on PropCatalog.

Reset and Reactivation Costs

Two separate fee events can occur after a Trading Combine or funded account is lost: a Reset during the evaluation phase, and a Back2Funded reactivation if a funded account is closed before the first payout.

Reset Pricing — If your Trading Combine breaches the Maximum Loss Limit, you can purchase a Reset from your Topstep dashboard or within the TopstepX platform. Reset prices match the monthly subscription cost for your path and account size, as stated by Topstep:

Back2Funded Reactivation — If you lose your XFA before your first payout, you may reactivate it through the Back2Funded option within a 30-calendar-day window from account closure. Reactivation fees are: $599 for a 50K XFA, $699 for a 100K XFA, and $829 for a 150K XFA. This condition — before your first payout — is a firm requirement; the Back2Funded option applies specifically to that pre-payout stage. Missing the 30-day window means the option is no longer available.

Responsible Trading Discount

Topstep offers a Responsible Trading Discount for traders who add a Daily Loss Limit (DLL) at the time of purchase on eligible account types: No Activation Fee Trading Combines, Express Funded Account Activations, and Back2Funded Reactivations. The discount applies at checkout and recurs monthly for No Activation Fee Trading Combines. Importantly, the DLL is fixed once set and carries into your XFA when you pass, so it is not a temporary constraint. Topstep states that over 63% of traders have lost an account in a single day, which is the stated rationale for the discount.

As a hypothetical example: a trader on the No Activation Fee 150K path who adds a DLL pays $229 − $30 = $199/month, matching the Standard Path monthly rate — but still avoids the $149 activation fee if they pass. The discount is applied at checkout, not as a rebate. The Standard Path is not listed as eligible for this discount in the source.

Live Funded Account Ongoing Costs

Once a trader progresses to the Live Funded Account (LFA), the cost structure changes substantially. Topstep identifies three recurring cost categories: Professional Market Data fees, round-turn commissions, and a platform license. There is no monthly subscription fee equivalent to the Trading Combine charge.

Professional Market Data is billed at $133 per exchange per month. Topstep covers one exchange (CME by default) for all LFA traders, effective at the next billing cycle. To trade all four permitted exchanges — CME, NYMEX, COMEX, and CBOT — the total data cost is $540/month, of which $399/month is out-of-pocket after Topstep’s covered exchange. Data fees are billed on the 26th of each month and are not prorated, so Topstep recommends starting an LFA on the 1st of the month to avoid paying for a partial month.

Round-turn commissions are deducted directly from the brokerage account balance. Platform license costs are the trader’s own responsibility in the LFA; Topstep covers platform fees for many supported platforms during the Trading Combine but not in the LFA. The reason data costs are higher than a personal brokerage is that LFA traders are classified as Professional Traders by the exchange, which carries a higher fee structure than Non-Professional classification.

Per-Trade Commission and Fee Breakdown

Round-turn commissions on TopstepX apply across all account stages: Trading Combine, Express Funded Account, and Live Funded Account. Topstep’s commissions page breaks down the three components of each round-turn cost: exchange fee (set by the exchange, varies by product), NFA regulatory fee ($0.02 per round turn), and Topstep’s commission ($1.00 round turn for minis, $0.50 for micros).

Starting the October 1, 2026 trading day, CME is raising exchange fees on two products: MCL moves from $0.50 to $0.60 per side ($1.20 round turn total) and MNG from $0.60 to $0.70 per side ($1.40 round turn total). These are deducted automatically. During the Trading Combine, a simulated fee of $3.70 per lot is charged to emulate real-world round-turn costs. For a full per-trade breakdown, see Trading Fees Topstep Per Trade on PropCatalog.

Data and Add-On Fees

Data fees vary by account stage. During the Trading Combine and Express Funded Account, Topstep states that Level 1 (Top of Book) data — showing the best bid and ask, required for chart trading — is included with membership at no extra cost. Level 2 (Depth of Market) data, which shows multiple bid/ask levels and is required for DOM or Matrix trading, is available as an optional add-on.

Level 2 is billed on the 28th of each month and is not prorated. To add it, navigate to Dashboard → Accounts → Add-Ons → Depth of Market Bundle. A practical mistake to avoid: traders who switch to DOM-based strategies mid-month will pay the full $38 regardless of when in the billing cycle they add the subscription. LFA traders are subject to the separate Professional Market Data fee structure described in Section 5 rather than this add-on pricing. For broader context on prop firm fee structures, see Prop Firm Fees Explained on PropCatalog.

Accepted Payment Methods and Taxes

Topstep accepts the following payment methods for all account types and fees, as stated on its pricing page: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Google Wallet, and Apple Pay. PayPal is not supported. Payment cards are managed through the Billing section of the Topstep dashboard, where traders can add new cards, set a default card, or remove saved cards.

All listed prices are base costs only. Depending on your location, applicable taxes — VAT, GST, or sales tax — may be added at checkout. Topstep notes that sales tax may be added where applicable, but the source does not specify which jurisdictions are affected, so traders should review their checkout total before confirming any purchase.

A common mistake is assuming that the monthly subscription auto-renews at the same rate regardless of add-ons; Level 2 data ($38/month, billed the 28th) and Professional Market Data fees (billed the 26th) are billed on separate cycles from the main subscription, so traders may see multiple charges in a single calendar month. Keeping track of each billing date helps avoid unexpected card declines that could interrupt account access. For a full overview of how Topstep’s pricing compares in the futures prop firm space, see the Prop Firm Pricing and Fees page on PropCatalog.