How to Set Up Topstep Trade Copier for Multi-Account Futures Trading

Topstep's native TopstepX Trade Copier mirrors trades from a lead account to one or more follower accounts on Trading Combine and Express Funded Accounts, but not on Live Funded Accounts. To set it up, go to Settings, then Copy Trading, select the lead with the lowest Maximum Position Size, tick the followers and save (checked on 10 Oct 2026). Third-party copiers such as Tradecopia connect through the TopstepX API instead; our page on trade copiers for prop firms compares them.

This guide uses Topstep's current help articles and vendor documentation checked on 10 Oct 2026. Topstep says "TopstepX™ is the only available trading platform" for new accounts, so don't use an older NinjaTrader or Rithmic tutorial to configure a current TopstepX account.

Topstep's current copying rule

Topstep's TopstepX help article permits the native Trade Copier for Trading Combine and Express Funded Accounts. It states: "Live Funded Account® accounts cannot use the Trade Copier." Moving from an Express Funded Account to a Live Funded Account therefore changes the available copying workflow.

The lead account must have the lowest Maximum Position Size in the group. Each follower still has its own position, orders and limits, and actual execution prices can differ. Check the eligible accounts and limits before activating copying rather than treating equal headline account sizes as proof that they can all follow the same quantity.

The firm's Topstep overview provides context, but the current help article governs the platform steps. The copier does not waive drawdown, scaling or other account rules. Each firm sets its own copying rules: compare the prop firms that allow copy trading, or read how to trade multiple accounts at once.

TopstepX API access for third-party copiers

Third-party copiers connect to Topstep accounts through TopstepX API Access, which Topstep bills separately from your Topstep subscription. You don't need it to use the native Trade Copier.

API access is listed at $29 per month, with Topstep's code topstep reducing it by 50% to $14.50 per month, every month with no end date (checked on 10 Oct 2026). That is a separate charge from any third-party software subscription. The native platform copier is a different feature; do not assume an external API subscription is needed just to use the native account group.

Tradecopia as a third-party copier

Tradecopia is the first third-party copier to consider for supported multi-account connections: it lists direct broker API connections for Tradovate, NinjaTrader, Rithmic and TopstepX. For TopstepX, this guide uses its Pro Desktop plan, which runs as an app on your own Windows or Mac computer. Confirm Topstep's current rules and the vendor's connection instructions before enabling any automated order activity.

Tradecopia Pro Desktop's monthly base price is $49.99 (checked on 10 Oct 2026). Use code QUANT for 30% off the first month; Tradecopia applies partner discounts to the first billing cycle only. It offers a seven-day trial on monthly or quarterly billing and runs on Windows or macOS. The subscription includes unlimited follower accounts, per-account risk limits and copy groups, but Topstep's account and platform limits remain in force.

The software also supports other account connections, including Tradovate and Rithmic. That does not make current TopstepX accounts Rithmic accounts. If you operate another firm alongside Topstep, configure its connection and rules separately; the Rithmic copying guide and Tradovate setup cover those backends.

Set up the native TopstepX account group

Confirm eligible accounts and the lead

Open TopstepX and review the current account list. Choose the eligible lead with the lowest Maximum Position Size, then select the intended Trading Combine or Express Funded followers. Leave Live Funded Accounts outside the group.

Set up the copier from TopstepX's settings. These steps follow Topstep's help article (checked on 10 Oct 2026):

1. In TopstepX, go to Settings, then Copy Trading.
2. Select your Lead account: it must be the account with the lowest Maximum Position Size. Running a 50K, 100K and 150K? The 50K is your lead.
3. Tick each Follower account. Only Trading Combine and Express Funded Accounts can be followers.
4. Click Save Changes.
5. Optionally set a Personal Daily Loss Limit (PDLL) or Personal Daily Profit Target (PDPT) on each follower. Trade limits, symbol blocks and contract limits aren't available on follower accounts.
6. On a phone, open TopstepX in your mobile browser, tap the three dots, then Trading, then Copy Trading, and make the same selections.

Topstep describes executions as mirrored and lists no size multiplier, so plan for every follower to take the lead's quantity. To add or remove followers later, tick or untick them under Follow and save. Check account identifiers before saving, especially if several accounts have similar names.

Review limits and follower positions

Check each account's current position limit, drawdown and applicable daily risk settings. Confirm that the quantity you intend to submit can be accepted by every follower. A rejection on one follower can leave it out of step with the lead even while other followers remain active.

Keep the position and open-order views available. A group shown as connected is not proof that each account received the last instruction. Verify the actual broker state after entries, size changes and exits.

Topstep also lists cases where followers drop out on their own. Followers are unlinked automatically when you submit a payout request, and a follower on a different Scaling Plan tier may disconnect at the start of a new trading day. If the lead hits its Daily Loss Limit, all followers are flattened with it.

Understand how disabling copying works

Topstep's documentation says that turning copying off during an open trade flattens the followers. To turn it off, go to Settings, then Copy Trading, and click Clear, then Save Changes. Do not disable it merely to explore a setting while exposure remains open. Plan account-group changes when positions and outstanding orders have been checked.

After refreshing or reconnecting, verify the selected lead and followers again. Do not assume the previous session's settings or order state survived. Check the current native controls before placing the next trade.

Validate before applying the workflow to funded accounts

Use an available practice or simulation environment to examine entry, reduction, exit and reconnect behavior. Separate accounts can still receive different fills. A successful software connection does not establish that the strategy complies with the firm's rules.

If using Tradecopia, its Test Copy Trading button places a real one-contract MES buy-limit order below the market and then cancels it, according to the vendor's help article. It is not paper trading. Read that documentation rather than treating the button as a risk-free validation step.

Keep manual copying, algorithmic lead activity and webhook automation as distinct choices when reading firm rules. Each firm sets its own copying rules, and Apex's manually entered lead requirement is one example; the Apex trade copier guide explains that account-specific case.

Troubleshoot an out-of-sync follower

Pause further copying if a follower's quantity or position differs from the lead. Inspect its open orders, connection status and rejection messages before deciding how to correct it. Repeatedly submitting another order without checking broker state can increase the mismatch.

Record the account identifiers, time, instrument and exact rejection message for support. Check scaling limits and group eligibility as well as connectivity. A discrepancy is not automatically a network problem, and a hosting upgrade does not correct an ineligible account or rejected quantity.

Before the next session, confirm the CME session schedule and Topstep's required close times. Use our comparison of prop-account copying workflows to compare the native and third-party choices.