Free Stock Portfolio Simulator for Paper Trading

This tool is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing on this page is financial, investment, or tax advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Some links on this page are affiliate links, which means I may receive compensation if you click them.

Key Points:

• Build and track a virtual stock portfolio with live market prices.

• Use Sandbox mode for experimentation and Competition mode for friendly challenges.

• See your total return, hours invested, and alpha vs the S&P 500.

• Practice paper trading free; no login or funding required.

What Is This Portfolio Simulator and How Does It Work?

• Add virtual positions using live stock prices.

• Track your open positions, unrealized gains/losses, and total return.

• Record how many hours you’ve spent researching and adjusting your portfolio.

• Submit your results to a competition leaderboard and see how you stack up.

You can:

Under the hood, the simulator:

• Uses live market data to approximate real‑world stock prices.

• Tracks your cost basis, current value, and percentage returns.

• Calculates your performance relative to the S&P 500 (via SPY) over your portfolio’s timeframe to estimate your alpha – how much you’ve out‑ or under‑performed a broad market benchmark.

This portfolio simulator is a browser‑based paper trading tool designed for beginners and curious investors who want to learn by doing – without opening a brokerage account or risking actual money.

This is not a brokerage, not a trading platform, and not connected to any real account. It’s a standalone investment portfolio simulator meant to help you build intuition before you ever put capital at risk.

How to Use the Free Trading Simulator

Think of this as your practice account. You can make mistakes here so you hopefully make fewer of them later.

Step 1 – Choose a Mode

• Sandbox Portfolio:
  Use this mode as your personal practice account. Try different strategies, timeframes, or themes (e.g., “only dividend stocks” or “only tech”) and see how they play out.

• Competition Portfolio:
  In this mode, you trade at live market prices and can submit your results to a leaderboard. It’s still virtual, but the scorekeeping is a bit more serious and time‑bound.
  
  

Step 2 – Add a Position (Paper Trade a Stock)

In either mode:

1. Enter a ticker symbol (for example: AAPL, MSFT, or SPY).

2. Choose how many shares you want to “buy.”

3. In Sandbox mode, you can also set a custom buy price and date to simulate past entries.

4. Optionally, log how many hours you’ve spent researching or managing the trade.
   
   

The simulator will:

• Fetch the latest price (for Competition mode)

• Track your position size, average price, and market value

• Update your portfolio totals every time you refresh or the data updates
  
  

Step 3 – Track Performance Over Time

Once you’ve added positions, you’ll see:

• Total invested (based on your buy prices)

• Current portfolio value

• Total return (%) and dollars

• Return per hour based on the time you log in the tool

• S&P 500 return over your portfolio’s timeframe and your alpha vs that benchmark
  
  

Again, this is not a guarantee of future performance. It’s a learning sandbox that mirrors many of the calculations investors look at in real accounts.

Step 4 – Close or “Sell” a Position

When you’re ready to exit a virtual trade, use the Sell button:

• The simulator records an exit price based on the latest data

• The position is moved from “open” to “closed”

• Your realized gain or loss is reflected in your overall performance

Practicing Investing Without Real Risk

The major benefit of a free trading simulator or paper trading free environment is simple: you can make decisions in a realistic market context without risking capital.

Here are a few educational ideas you can explore with this tool:

1. Diversification Experiments

Build two virtual portfolios:

• One heavily concentrated in a single stock or theme

• One more diversified across sectors or index ETFs

Then watch how each portfolio behaves over time. You’ll get a feel for how concentration can amplify both gains and drawdowns, without risking money.

2. Time Horizon & Patience
Use the simulator to track how your ideas play out over weeks and months, not just days. Many new investors underestimate how long it can take for a thesis to play out. This tool lets you experience that timeline safely.

3. Risk and Position Sizing

Experiment with:

• Small position sizes vs “all‑in” trades

• Different numbers of holdings in your portfolio

You’ll start to see how position sizing influences your total return and the volatility of your portfolio.

Again, this is education, not advice. The goal is to help you build intuition around portfolio behavior, not to tell you what you should or shouldn’t buy.

Disclaimers & Affiliate Disclosure

Educational and Entertainment Purposes Only
This portfolio simulator, and all content on this page, is provided strictly for educational and entertainment purposes. Nothing here is financial, investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice, and nothing is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security, strategy, or product.

No Personalized Advice
I’m not acting as your financial advisor. This tool does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. Always do your own research and consider speaking with a qualified professional before making any real investment decisions.

Simulation Only
Results shown in this free trading simulator are hypothetical and do not represent actual trading or real performance. Past simulated performance is not indicative of future results in any real account.

Affiliate Links
Some links on this page are affiliate links. That means if you click a link and later sign up or make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I only highlight tools I genuinely find useful, but you should always evaluate whether any service fits your own situation.