Lightwick

TopstepX
on Mac.

Topstep trades on one platform, TopstepX, and it runs in your browser. If you’d rather trade from a Mac app, Topstep sells API access that lets one connect. Here’s how that works, what it costs, and the rules that come with it.

By Lightwick · Updated

The short answer

Topstep’s platform
TopstepX only. Topstep says “TopstepX™ is the only available trading platform.” Rithmic, Tradovate, and NinjaTrader setups don’t apply to new Topstep accounts.
Mac app
None from Topstep. TopstepX runs in a browser at topstepx.com/trade, and Topstep says there is currently no mobile app.
From a Mac app
Through TopstepX API access, $29 a month, or $14.50 with Topstep’s code. Lightwick connects this way.
Accounts
Trading Combine and Express Funded Accounts, which are simulated. Live Funded Accounts can’t trade through the API.

TopstepX in a browser

TopstepX is the simplest way to trade a Topstep account on a Mac: open topstepx.com/trade or launch it from your Topstep dashboard. Topstep’s help center notes a few limits worth knowing before you build your routine around it.

One browser at a time

You can’t run TopstepX in two browsers at once, such as Chrome and Edge. Hotkeys and the Performance Dashboard are desktop only.

No outside charting

Topstep says TopstepX can’t connect to external platforms like TradingView, and custom indicators aren’t available.

Exchange data

Topstep says TopstepX takes market data directly from the exchanges, with no third-party feed. Apps connected through the API receive TopstepX’s data too.

Set up TopstepX API access

API access is a paid add-on, powered by ProjectX, that lets other software trade your Topstep accounts. Topstep describes the setup in four steps:

  1. Create a ProjectX Dashboard account

    Sign up at dashboard.projectx.com. This is separate from your Topstep login.

  2. Subscribe to ProjectX API Access

    Apply the code topstep for 50% off, which brings it from $29 to $14.50 a month.

  3. Link the subscription in TopstepX

    Open Settings, go to the API tab, and link it under ProjectX Linking.

  4. Add an API key

    In the same tab, choose Add API Key. Treat the key like a password: anyone with it can trade your eligible accounts.

The rules that come with it

  • Your own device. All trading activity must originate from your personal device. Topstep prohibits VPS, VPN, and remote server use, and says automation on a VPS can lead to suspension.
  • No live accounts. Live Funded Accounts are not allowed to trade through the API. Trading Combine and Express Funded Accounts, which Topstep describes as simulated, are the accounts you’d connect.
  • Third-party apps are your call. Topstep says connecting third-party apps is at your own risk, and neither Topstep nor ProjectX supports or endorses outside vendors. Topstep’s own risk rules still apply to every order.
  • No high-frequency trading. Custom automation is allowed under the standard platform rules, except high-frequency trading.

TopstepX in Lightwick

Lightwick connects to TopstepX directly from your Mac. No Lightwick server sits between you and Topstep, and your API key is stored in the macOS Keychain.

  1. Choose TopstepX on Lightwick’s sign-in screen, or later from the Connection menu.
  2. Enter your TopstepX username, not your email address, and the API key.
  3. Select your account. Lightwick lists the eligible simulated accounts on your profile.
  4. Turn on Auto OCO Brackets in TopstepX Risk Settings if you want to attach a stop and target to entries. The API rejects attached brackets in Position Brackets mode, and Lightwick shows that rejection rather than sending the order unprotected.

What works

Charts, watchlists, and price alerts; a DOM with market depth; footprint charts; market, limit, and stop orders from the ticket, the chart, the DOM, or your hotkeys; one stop and one target per entry; and closing or flattening positions.

What’s different from Rithmic

One stop and one target per entry, not several. Footprint data builds live from the moment you connect, with no earlier history. The API doesn’t report equity, buying power, or daily P&L, so Lightwick shows your balance with open profit and loss included and leaves those fields blank rather than guessing. Topstep’s own loss limits remain the ones that count.

TopstepX API access is billed by Topstep, separately from Lightwick, which is free during beta. If you also trade a Rithmic account at another firm, Lightwick connects to that too; see Rithmic on Mac and the Topstep setup guide.

Common questions

Does Topstep still offer Rithmic?

Topstep’s help center says TopstepX is the only available trading platform. Guides that tell you to choose a Rithmic system or sign Rithmic agreements don’t apply to a new Topstep account. To use another app, connect it through TopstepX API access.

Is TopstepX API access included with my Topstep subscription?

No. Topstep bills it separately: $29 a month, or $14.50 with the code topstep, which Topstep says is valid every month with no end date. You subscribe through the ProjectX Dashboard and link it in TopstepX under Settings → API.

Can I trade my Live Funded Account in Lightwick?

No. Topstep says Live Funded Accounts are not allowed to trade through the ProjectX API, and Lightwick only connects accounts the API reports as simulated. Keep trading a Live Funded Account in TopstepX.

Can I run Lightwick on a VPS or through a VPN for my Topstep account?

Not within Topstep’s rules. Topstep says all trading activity must originate from your personal device and that VPS, VPN, and remote server use is prohibited. Lightwick runs on your own Mac, which fits that rule.

Further reading

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