Paper trading
Run the real strategies on simulated money and real prices, with no key and no deposit, before you risk anything.
What paper trading is
A paper account trades a simulated $10,000 balance on real market prices, with the same strategies as live. No exchange is involved, so there is no key to create and no money at risk.
Create a paper account
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Switch to Paper
Use the Paper / Live switch in the top bar. Your live accounts keep trading while you look at paper.
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Add an account
On Accounts, click New paper account and give it a name.
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Press Start
It starts with $10,000 and Day Trading. You can give it another style before you start.
What it tells you
Paper shows you how the strategies behave: how often they trade, how long they hold, how deep the falls get. Spend a few weeks with it and you will know whether you can sit through the bad days before real money is on the line.
Keep in mind where it differs from live:
- Your orders do not move the market on paper, and fills are simulated.
- A real account pays real fees and funding, and its balance changes with your deposits and withdrawals.
Start over
Settings → Account → Reset paper trading returns your paper accounts to the starting balance. Open paper positions close at market, then paper orders, trades and the equity curve are deleted. It finishes within a minute or two after the last position closes.