Comparison
TradeDay vs Topstep: Daily Loss Limit Compared
Both firms trail their drawdown from account equity and require the same 10-day minimum on a 50k account. The rule that actually separates them is the daily loss limit — TradeDay's is a fraction of Topstep's, relative to the same account size.
Rule-by-rule comparison — 50k accounts
| Rule | TradeDay 50k | Topstep 50k |
|---|---|---|
| Profit target | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Max drawdown | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Drawdown type | Trailing | EOD trailingWIN |
| Daily loss limit | $500 | $1,000WIN |
| Consistency rule (eval) | None. | No % consistency rule on the Combine (evaluation) — instead a… |
| Min trading days | 10 days | 10 days |
| Automation allowed | Permitted during evaluations via TradingView webhook alerts to a broker… | Full automation permitted on the Combine (evaluation). |
| Payout split | Not published | 90/10 from the first dollar for accounts created after Jan 12, 2026…WIN |
| Best for | A straightforward eval with no consistency rule at all | More daily-loss room, a clearer drawdown label, and a stated payout split |
The daily loss limit difference — and why it matters for algos
TradeDay: $500 on the 50k tier
On MES at roughly $5/point, a 4-point stop costs about $20 — meaning, in theory, dozens of small losers before the daily limit triggers. In practice, a handful of wider-stop losing trades on a volatile session can eat into that $500 quickly. A daily kill switch set around $400 leaves a buffer before the hard $500 line, and micro contracts (MES/MNQ) are the natural fit for keeping per-trade risk small enough to absorb a losing streak within that limit.
Topstep: $1,000 on the 50k tier
Twice the daily room of TradeDay on the same account size and the same profit target. That extra buffer is more forgiving for a strategy with an occasional wider-stop loss. A kill switch set around $800 — $200 inside the hard limit — is a reasonable starting point; see the Topstep Combine guide for the full rule breakdown.
Drawdown type: TradeDay's mechanic is less clearly documented
Topstep's drawdown is explicitly EOD trailing — the floor moves at the close of each session, based on settled balance, not intraday highs. TradeDay's source material describes a trailing drawdown that tracks peak account value across sessions but doesn't specify whether that tracking happens intraday or only at the close. For a script, that ambiguity matters: build the tighter (intraday) assumption into the strategy as a safety margin unless TradeDay confirms otherwise directly.
Automation setup: nearly identical infrastructure
Both firms commonly run on a TradingView Pine Script → webhook alert → broker execution pipeline, with TradersPost handling the middle step for many traders. Moving a strategy between the two mainly means updating the daily-loss kill switch value — $400 for TradeDay's 50k, $800 for Topstep's 50k — rather than rebuilding the strategy itself.
Instruments
Both firms trade CME futures. MES and MNQ are the natural fit for either firm's 50k tier given the daily loss limits involved — TradeDay's tighter $500 line in particular leaves little room for a full-size ES or NQ contract to take even one losing trade without approaching the limit. See the MES vs MNQ guide for sizing details.
Which firm should you choose?
You want a simple, no-consistency-rule eval
- No consistency rule at any stage
- Strategy runs tight stops well within a $500 daily line
- Comfortable with a less-documented drawdown mechanic
- Testing a new strategy at smaller per-trade risk first
You want more room and clearer documentation
- $1,000 daily limit — twice TradeDay's room on the same tier
- Explicitly documented EOD trailing drawdown
- A stated payout split rather than an unpublished figure
- Broader public documentation and community track record