Topstep Rebuilds Its Flagship Product
Topstep’s Combine evaluation program — the product that defined the futures prop firm category when Topstep launched it nearly a decade ago — has been substantially redesigned for 2026. The new Combine format, announced in March 2026, represents the most significant structural change to Topstep’s core evaluation product in its history.
The redesign reflects both competitive pressure from Apex Trader Funding and other futures prop firms and feedback accumulated from hundreds of thousands of traders who have completed Topstep evaluations over the years.
What Changed in the New Combine
The redesigned Combine introduces several meaningful structural changes:
Flexible account tiers. The new Combine offers account sizes ranging from $25,000 to $150,000 — expanding both the entry and ceiling options. The original Combine’s account ladder had gaps that forced some traders into account sizes not optimally matched to their strategies.
Simplified rule structure. Topstep has reduced the number of distinct rules in the Combine from seven to four core parameters. The simplification was a direct response to trader complaints that the original rule set was difficult to internalize completely, leading to inadvertent violations.
Performance-based advancement. A new “Express Path” allows traders who hit 75% of their profit target while maintaining drawdown compliance to advance to funded status early, before the standard Combine calendar period expires. This addresses the frustration of traders who reach their targets quickly and then must wait out the remaining evaluation period.
No minimum trading days (base tier). The base Combine tier has eliminated its minimum trading days requirement. Traders who prefer concentrated trading sessions over distributed daily participation are no longer penalized for their approach.
Combined news trading provision. The new Combine explicitly permits trading through high-impact news events on all account tiers, ending the ambiguity that had characterized Topstep’s previous news trading policy.
Background: Why the Redesign Was Necessary
Topstep’s original Combine had become increasingly dated relative to the competitive futures prop landscape. When Apex emerged with 100% first withdrawal and multi-account flexibility, Topstep’s more conservative and rule-heavy Combine lost competitive momentum.
The decision to redesign rather than simply discount the existing product reflects a recognition that the issue was structural, not just pricing. Topstep’s leadership has been transparent about this evolution, acknowledging in public communications that the trader experience needed fundamental improvement rather than surface-level adjustments.
The prior elimination of Topstep’s activation fee — covered separately — was the first signal of this strategic direction. The Combine redesign is the more substantive expression of it.
The Funded Account That Follows
The redesigned Combine flows into a funded account structure with equally notable changes. Funded accounts now:
- Start at 90% profit split (up from 80% in the legacy structure)
- Have scaling provisions triggered at $5,000 cumulative profit milestones
- Feature on-demand payout requests (replacing the previous calendar-based payout schedule)
These changes make the post-Combine funded account experience meaningfully more trader-friendly than the structure Topstep operated before 2026.
Competitive Response
Apex Trader Funding, the category leader, responded to Topstep’s redesign announcement with a promotional campaign emphasizing its existing 100% first withdrawal feature — essentially reminding the market that Apex had introduced this type of trader-friendly structure first.
The competitive dynamic benefits futures traders directly. Both firms are now competing on genuine product quality rather than relying on brand legacy or marketing spend alone. The trader community is the clear winner when industry leaders are forced to genuinely improve their products.
Topstep’s redesigned Combine is available immediately for new evaluations. Existing Combine accounts can be converted to the new format through a migration path detailed in Topstep’s updated documentation.
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