Demo and Live Accounts

What a demo simulates well

• The platform: every order type, chart and setting behaves as it will live.
• Prices: most brokers feed the demo from the same quotes.
• Costs: spreads and commissions are usually the same, and swaps often are.
• Your process: a demo shows whether you follow your plan when nothing is at stake.

What it cannot simulate

Fills are usually better on a demo: no slippage, no requotes, no rejected orders in fast markets. Balances are unrealistic; a 100,000-dollar demo makes 500-dollar risks feel trivial. And there is no fear. Traders who are calm and disciplined on a demo often size up, hold losers and chase on a live account, because money changes behaviour. Set the demo balance to what you will actually deposit, and treat the results as an upper bound.

When to go live

When you can follow a written plan on the demo for a month or two without breaking it, and when the results are positive or at least explained. Go live with a small deposit, trade micro lots, and expect the first weeks to feel different. Many traders keep a demo running alongside the live account for testing changes.

Using a demo to test a broker

A demo is also the cheapest way to check a broker: spreads at your hours, the platform on your phone, the order types you need, support's response to a question. Demos expire at some brokers after 30 days of inactivity; the broker pages on this site note the demo terms.

Key takeaways

• A demo teaches the platform and your process; it flatters fills and removes fear.
• Set the demo balance to your real deposit.
• Go live small after a month or two of following a plan.
• Use a demo to test the broker as well as yourself.