Best Trading Demo Competitions In September 2025
Trading demo competitions can be a fantastic way to practise strategies without financial risk, while sometimes bringing the possibility of cash prizes.
Here’s how it works – a broker will offer a demo account that comes funded with virtual capital. You then trade financial markets like forex and stocks, competing against other trades who’ve signed up.
To take part, pick from our selection of the best brokers running demo trading contests.
Top Brokers For Demo Competitions
These 6 brokers offer the best demo trading competitions based on our latest tests:
Why Are These Brokers The Best For Demo Trading Competitions?
Here's a quick summary of why we believe these are the best brokers for demo account competitions:
- CloseOption is the best broker with demo trading contests in 2025 - When we tried CloseOption’s weekly demo contests, entry fees applied but occasional waivers eased access. Traders got $10,000 virtual funds, with real-time price action and varied expiry times. Prizes up to $1,000 rewarded top performers, offering realistic binary options practice in a competitive environment.
- World Forex - During our tests of World Forex’s demo trading competitions, we found that they offered free entry with real-money prizes up to $1,400. Participants received a $10,000 virtual balance, and the contests were held on MT4/MT5 platforms. Execution closely mirrored live market conditions, providing a realistic day trading experience.
- XM - When we tested XM’s demo contests, we found real cash prizes up to $30,000 monthly with no deposit required. Entry was quick, and competition formats were fast-paced, simulating live spreads from 1 pip with MT4/MT5 platforms. Execution and volatility mirrored live conditions closely, offering genuine trading pressure in a risk-free setting.
- RoboForex - During our tests, RoboForex’s demo contests ran monthly with prize funds up to $10,000 and no deposit needed to join. Entry was smooth, and trading took place on MT4/MT5 with spreads from 0.0 pips and fast execution. Market replication was strong, with real-feel volatility and latency, making strategy timing crucial.
- Vantage - During our evaluations, Vantage’s demo trading contests offered frequent access to real-cash prizes, often exceeding $10,000. Signup was seamless, with realistic trading conditions—tight spreads from 0.0 pips and fast execution on MT4/MT5 and ProTrader. Leaderboards updated in real-time, and competitions closely mirrored live markets, making strategy and timing feel genuinely competitive.
- FxPro - When we tried FxPro’s demo trading competitions, we found fewer events than some rivals, but prize pools were solid and entry was simple. Trading conditions matched live environments well—spreads from 1.2 pips on MT4/MT5 and cTrader, with no commission. Execution speed was impressive, offering a realistic, low-risk way to test strategies competitively.
How Secure Are The Best Demo Competition Brokers?
Even with demo competitions, platform security matters. Here's how the top brokers protect your data and accounts:
| Broker | Trust Rating | Guaranteed Stop Loss | Negative Balance Protection | Segregated Accounts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CloseOption | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | |
| World Forex | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | |
| XM | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| RoboForex | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Vantage | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| FxPro | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
Are The Best Demo Competition Brokers Good For Beginners?
Demo competitions are a great way to learn. Here's how these brokers support beginners with user-friendly setups:
| Broker | Demo Account | Minimum Deposit | Minimum Trade | Education Rating | Support Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CloseOption | ✔ | $5 | $1 | ||
| World Forex | ✔ | $1 | 0.01 Lots | ||
| XM | ✔ | $5 | 0.01 Lots | ||
| RoboForex | ✔ | $10 | 0.01 Lots | ||
| Vantage | ✔ | $50 | 0.01 Lots | ||
| FxPro | ✔ | $100 | 0.01 Lots |
Are The Top Demo Competition Brokers Good For Advanced Traders?
Advanced traders need flexible tools, fast platforms, and real incentives. Here's how these brokers meet those needs:
| Broker | Automated Trading | VPS | AI | Pro Account | Leverage | Low Latency | Extended Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CloseOption | - | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | - | ✘ | ✘ |
| World Forex | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | 1:1000 | ✘ | ✘ |
| XM | Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | 1:1000 | ✔ | ✘ |
| RoboForex | Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, Strategy Builder in R StocksTrader | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | 1:2000 | ✘ | ✘ |
| Vantage | Myfxbook AutoTrade, Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | 1:500 | ✘ | ✘ |
| FxPro | Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, cBots on cTrader | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro), 1:1000 (Via Prime Ash Capital Limited) | ✔ | ✘ |
Compare Detailed Ratings Of Top Demo Competition Brokers
See how the best demo competition brokers scored in our hands-on evaluations:
| Broker | Trust | Platforms | Assets | Mobile | Fees | Accounts | Research | Education | Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CloseOption | |||||||||
| World Forex | |||||||||
| XM | |||||||||
| RoboForex | |||||||||
| Vantage | |||||||||
| FxPro |
How Popular Are These Demo Competition Platforms?
We looked at which demo competition brokers are gaining the most attention from traders worldwide:
| Broker | Popularity |
|---|---|
| XM | |
| Vantage | |
| CloseOption | |
| FxPro | |
| RoboForex | |
| World Forex |
Why Join A Demo Competition With CloseOption?
"CloseOption is a good pick for traders seeking a user-friendly binary options platform with high payouts and joining bonuses."
Tobias Robinson, Reviewer
CloseOption Quick Facts
| Bonus Offer | $10 Welcome Gift |
|---|---|
| Demo Account | Yes |
| Instruments | Binary Options on Forex & Cryptos |
| Regulator | National Bank of Georgia |
| Platforms | Own |
| Minimum Deposit | $5 |
| Minimum Trade | $1 |
| Account Currencies | USD |
Pros
- New traders can get started with a $5 minimum deposit
- The user-friendly platform is compatible with most web browsers
- Multiple global payment methods are available
Cons
- CloseOption is not regulated by a well-regarded trading authority
- Binary options are only available on fiat and digital currencies
- Clients need to deposit $50,000+ to qualify for the best payouts
Why Join A Demo Competition With World Forex?
"World Forex provides both highly leveraged CFDs and digital contracts, making this a good broker for clients who want flexible and rewarding ways to trade. The copy trading service will also appeal to newer traders."
World Forex Quick Facts
| Bonus Offer | 100% Deposit Bonus |
|---|---|
| Demo Account | Yes |
| Instruments | Forex, CFD Stocks, Metals, Energies, Cryptos, Digital Contracts |
| Regulator | SVGFSA |
| Platforms | MT4, MT5 |
| Minimum Deposit | $1 |
| Minimum Trade | 0.01 Lots |
| Leverage | 1:1000 |
| Account Currencies | USD, EUR, RUB |
Pros
- Demo account
- MT4, MT5 and a proprietary trading terminal
- 10+ accepted payment methods
Cons
- No negative balance protection
- Withdrawal fees apply
- Weak regulation
Why Join A Demo Competition With XM?
"With a low $5 minimum deposit, advanced charting platforms in MT4 and MT5, expanding range of markets, and a Zero account offering spreads from 0.0, XM provides all the essentials for active traders, even earning our ‘Best MT4/MT5 Broker’ award in recent years."
Christian Harris, Reviewer
XM Quick Facts
| Bonus Offer | $30 No Deposit Bonus When You Register A Real Account |
|---|---|
| Demo Account | Yes |
| Instruments | CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Commodities, Indices, Thematic Indices, Precious Metals, Energies |
| Regulator | ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, IFSC |
| Platforms | MT4, MT5, TradingCentral |
| Minimum Deposit | $5 |
| Minimum Trade | 0.01 Lots |
| Leverage | 1:1000 |
| Account Currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, JPY |
Pros
- XM stands out for its commitment to trader education, with a wealth of well-presented resources, including webinars, tutorials, and even real-time trading sessions through XM Live.
- XM’s growing roster of 1,000+ instruments provides diverse short-term trading opportunities, with unique turbo stocks, fractional shares, and more recently thematic indices.
- XM’s customer support has delivered over years of testing, with 24/5 assistance in 25 languages, response times of <2 minutes and now a growing Telegram channel.
Cons
- Although trusted and generally well-regulated, the XM global entity is registered with the weak IFSC regulator and UK clients are no longer accepted, reducing its market reach.
- XM relies solely on the MetaTrader platforms for desktop trading, so there’s no in-house downloadable or web-accessible solution for a more beginner-friendly user experience with unique features.
- While the XM app stands out for its usability and exclusive copy trading products, the selection of technical analysis tools needs to be improved to meet the needs of advanced traders.
Why Join A Demo Competition With RoboForex?
"RoboForex is great if you want a vast range of 12,000+ day trading markets with ECN accounts, powerful charting and loyalty promotions. It also stands out for stock traders with its user-friendly R StocksTrader platform, featuring 3,000+ shares, fees from $0.01 and sophisticated watchlists."
RoboForex Quick Facts
| Bonus Offer | $30 No Deposit Bonus |
|---|---|
| Demo Account | Yes |
| Instruments | CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Futures |
| Regulator | IFSC |
| Platforms | R StocksTrader, MT4, MT5, TradingView |
| Minimum Deposit | $10 |
| Minimum Trade | 0.01 Lots |
| Leverage | 1:2000 |
| Account Currencies | USD, EUR |
Pros
- The R Stocks Trader platform rivals leading solutions like MT4, with netting and hedging capabilities, comprehensive backtesting, Level II pricing, and a flexible workspace.
- RoboForex is known for its tight spreads starting from 0 pips and low minimum deposits from $10, making it accessible to those on a budget. The ability to trade with micro lots further lowers the barrier to entry for new traders.
- RoboForex secured the 'Best Forex Broker 2025' title in DayTrading.com's Awards after broadening their FX offering, cutting spreads and opening up services in various countries.
Cons
- Despite offering a range of platforms, RoboForex still doesn't support the increasingly popular cTrader. This might deter traders who prefer this specific platform for their day trading activities and is available at firms like Fusion Markets.
- Despite 15+ years in the industry and registering with the Financial Commission, RoboForex is authorized by one ‘Red-Tier’ regulator – the IFSC in Belize, lowering the level of regulatory protections for traders.
- While RoboForex offers competitive spreads, some of its account types come with high trading commissions up to $20 per lot, trailing the cheapest brokers, such as IC Markets.
Why Join A Demo Competition With Vantage?
"Vantage remains an excellent option for CFD traders seeking a tightly-regulated broker with access to the reliable MetaTrader platforms. The fast sign-up process and $50 minimum deposit make it very straightforward to start day trading quickly."
Vantage Quick Facts
| Bonus Offer | 50% Welcome Deposit Bonus, earn redeemable rewards in the Vantage Rewards scheme |
|---|---|
| Demo Account | Yes |
| Instruments | CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Bonds |
| Regulator | FCA, ASIC, FSCA, VFSC |
| Platforms | ProTrader, MT4, MT5, TradingView, DupliTrade |
| Minimum Deposit | $50 |
| Minimum Trade | 0.01 Lots |
| Leverage | 1:500 |
| Account Currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, NZD, JPY, HKD, SGD, PLN |
Pros
- It’s quick and easy to open a live account – taking less than 5 minutes
- Vantage has bolstered its algorithmic trading tools for advanced traders with AutoFibo EA identifying reversal opportunities
- There are no short-term strategy restrictions with hedging and scalping permitted
Cons
- Unfortunately, cryptos are only available for Australian clients
- A steep $10,000 deposit is needed for the best trading conditions, which include the $1.50 commission per side
- The average execution speeds of 100ms to 250ms are slower than alternatives based on tests
Why Join A Demo Competition With FxPro?
"FxPro is a stellar option for day traders, sporting exceptionally fast execution speeds under 12ms, competitive fees that were lowered in 2022, and terrific charting platforms in MT4, MT5, cTrader and FxPro Edge."
FxPro Quick Facts
| Demo Account | Yes |
|---|---|
| Instruments | CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Futures, Spread Betting |
| Regulator | FCA, CySEC, FSCA, SCB, FSA |
| Platforms | FxPro Edge, MT4, MT5, cTrader, AutoChartist, TradingCentral, DupliTrade, Quantower |
| Minimum Deposit | $100 |
| Minimum Trade | 0.01 Lots |
| Leverage | 1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro), 1:1000 (Via Prime Ash Capital Limited) |
| Account Currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, JPY, ZAR, CHF, PLN |
Pros
- FxPro operates under a 'No Dealing Desk' (NDD) model, ensuring fast and transparent order execution, often under 12 milliseconds, ideal for short-term trading strategies.
- FxPro offers four reliable charting platforms, notably the intuitive FxPro Edge, with over 50 indicators, 7 chart types and 15 chart timeframes.
- FxPro's Wallet is a standout feature that allows traders to manage funds securely. By segregating unused funds from active trading accounts, the Wallet provides additional protection and convenience.
Cons
- Despite a growing Knowledge Hub and a $10M funded demo account, FxPro is geared towards advanced traders, with beginners potentially finding the account and fee structure complex.
- There are no passive investment tools like copy trading or interest paid on cash. While active traders may not miss these, competitors like eToro catering to active and passive investors have more comprehensive offerings.
- While FxPro provides 24/5 customer support through multiple channels that performed well during testing, it lacks 24/7 availability, which can disadvantage traders needing assistance outside traditional market hours.
How DayTrading.com Chose The Best Demo Competition Brokers
Our team investigated the demo competitions at each shortlisted broker, focusing on platform access, prize structure, rules, and ease of entry.
We recorded our findings through hands-on testing and ranked brokers based on their overall ratings, reflecting the full trading experience.
What To Look For In A Demo Competition
Here are some things to look for when selecting a broker to compete in demo tournaments:
Authenticity & Reliability
When signing up with any broker for a trading demo competition or otherwise, you should first ensure that the broker is trustworthy and reliable. This is especially important for firms who pay their prizes in trading credit because traders will have to use their platform to wager their rewards.
Prospective clients should research brokers, looking at user reviews from external sources as well as recommendations or warnings from trusted websites. The biggest brokers that run trading demo competitions will often be regulated by an independent governing body, so look out for such certification as an indicator of authenticity.
Important aspects of a broker include the reliability of deposits and withdrawals, safe holding of client funds and stability of the platform.
Prizes & Structure
Naturally, traders will be drawn towards the biggest trading demo competition prizes. The largest tournaments can offer prize funds worth thousands of dollars, which is an appealing prospect for entrants.
As well as the size of a prize fund, it is also worth checking out the reward structure of each competition. More leaderboard places being paid means a higher chance of winning but also a smaller share of the fund for each winner. You should choose carefully between these factors, depending on your priorities.
Depth Of Field
Another key aspect when choosing whether to enter a specific trading demo competition is the depth of field. While larger prize pools are attractive to individual traders, this will likely increase the number of competitors for a prize.
Theoretically, traders will have a better chance at winning with a smaller field, so each entrant has to find a balance between the prize pool and the depth of field.
Information on the number of entrants may be available during the sign-up phase to a competition. Alternatively, most competitions will display past leaderboards showing how many entrants there have been in each contest historically.
How Winnings Are Paid Out
An important factor for traders to consider when looking for brokers that offer trading demo competitions is how the prizes are paid out. Some firms will pay prizes in cash or withdrawable funds while others will pay out in trading credit on their platform. Such funds will need to be traded before being withdrawn.
You need to decide whether you are willing to jump through these extra hoops before withdrawing your funds.
Available Trading Platforms
To ensure fairness or to promote a particular trading software, trading demo competitions are often locked into a specific platform. Some of these will be platforms experienced traders are familiar with, such as MetaTrader 4 or MetaTrader 5. Others may be unfamiliar or bespoke to brokers.
You should ensure that you are familiar with the trading platforms that contests use or are willing to learn quickly during the competition.
What Is A Trading Demo Competition?
A trading demo competition is a way to trade popular financial markets, such as forex, stocks, and cryptocurrency, without staking real money.
To take part, brokers provide special demo accounts. Providers can measure performance in different ways, typically profit generated or trading volume.
Durations can range from a single trading day to month or year-long contests. However, we’ve found the biggest competition prizes are often for long running contests.
Prizes are assigned after competitions close and trading results are generally finalized through a publicly accessible leaderboard.
How Do Trading Demo Competitions Work?
Entering
Trading demo competitions often have a window when traders can sign up to take part, which can often be around a week.
Before entering a tournament, potential competitors can look at the rules and terms and conditions of the tournament as well as the offered prize fund. Entrants should read the rules carefully to ensure they are fair and reasonable.
It is normally a straightforward process to sign up, though some brokers that run trading demo competitions require entrants to possess a live trading account with them to qualify.
Many tournaments will also be locked to a set trading platform to ensure a level playing field, so entrants should make sure they are familiar with the specific software. MT4 is widely used from our investigations.
Demo Account Is Assigned
Each competition entrant is provided with a fresh demo account shortly before the competition starts supplied with a fixed amount of virtual capital to trade with.
The account might have limits on available trading leverage in line with competition rules or it may be up to traders to independently ensure that they do not break tournament regulations.
Competition Opens
At a set time, the competition will open and traders will have until the competition ends to make as much profit as they can.
Demo competitions from different brokers will often have their own sets of rules, with some limiting the total number of trades allowed, level of leverage, the use of Expert Advisors (EAs) for algo trading, and available trading assets.
Performance Tracking
Once the trading demo competition is underway, entrants will want to know how they are performing and how their gains or losses stack up against others. The biggest tournaments provide leaderboards where traders can measure their performance against their competitors’ trades.
Entrants can quickly see if they are in a prize-winning position and how aggressively they need to trade if not. Performance data is often also available from past trading demo competitions to give users an idea of the kind of returns that are required to finish in a winning position at the end.
Competition Ends
At the competition close time, all open trades will automatically be closed and no more trading is allowed. The amount in each demo account at this time is final and will be used to calculate a trader’s leaderboard position and potential prize eligibility.
Final Leaderboard Published & Prizes Allocated
Once all trading has ceased, profits/losses are finalized for each user. The final rankings of all competition entrants are now decided with prizes awarded to entrants based on these rankings.
Rewards are often either in the form of withdrawable cash or trading credit to be used on the broker’s platforms. The former is often more appealing to entrants but the latter can also be useful. If a trader is comfortable with the platform and trusts the broker, this credit can be used to generate more profit and then be withdrawn later.
Entrants can be disqualified for breaking competition rules either before the final leaderboard is published or afterwards. Traders that narrowly missed out on prize positions should check back in case someone above them drops out.
Pros Of Demo Trading Contests
- Free To Enter – One of the main pulls of trading demo competitions is that they are completely free to enter. Rarely in trading or investment does anything come completely free, so these tournaments are a rare opportunity to gain something for nothing.
- Gain Experience With No Risk – As trading demo competitions are designed to imitate real market trading closely, traders have the chance to gain valid experience with new markets with no risk attached. For emerging markets such as cryptocurrencies, this can be valuable.
- Perform Under Pressure – One thing that differentiates demo trading contests from normal demo accounts is the pressure that comes with potential rewards. Competing prizes is a great way to expose traders to the pressure that comes with having a real financial outcome when trading. It is easy to maintain a clear head and watertight strategy when nothing is at stake in a standard demo account, introducing prizes adds similar mental pressures to trading real capital.
- Beginner-Friendly – Trading demo competitions are a great place for new and aspiring traders to start. Gaining a solid amount of practice before staking real capital can be crucial for longer term success and these tournaments are the perfect place to learn the fundamentals of forex, cryptocurrency and commodity trading. There is no substitute for a hands-on environment for learning and demo competitions allow beginners to test out their knowledge in a realistic trading scenario.
- Prizes – What may appeal most to some traders is the prospect of being rewarded for no-risk trading. The best trading demo competition prizes can be thousands of dollars, with leaderboard places paid out up to the top ten traders. Competition prizes are either paid out in the form of withdrawable cash or trading capital.
Cons Of Demo Trading Contests
- Limited Prize Positions – If traders are competing in trading demo competitions purely with winning prizes in mind, then this can be a frustrating affair. The biggest demo trading competitions have many thousands of entrants and only a handful are rewarded for their efforts.
- Payouts Can Be In Trading Credit – Many traders will want to be rewarded in cash if they finish in a prize-winning position but some prizes are paid in trading credit. This means that competition prizes have to be traded live before they can be withdrawn, which adds both risk and hassle to being paid out.
- Unrealistic Trading Required To Win – In a demo trading competition, there is nothing to lose and everything to gain from aggressive trading. For the vast majority of traders, the amount of leverage and risk required to compete for a prize position in the biggest trading demo competitions will be an unrealistic strategy when using real funds.
Bottom Line
Trading demo competitions draw many people in with their offer of risk-free trading experience and tantalising prizes. Such tournaments are available for almost all forms of financial instruments, from forex and CFDs to cryptocurrencies and binary options, providing a little something for everyone.
The best trading demo competitions have prize pools worth thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, comprised of pure cash, trading credit or physical items.
For experienced traders, the largest tournaments offer a chance to compete with the best around, while beginners can benefit from its risk-free provision of experience.
To get started, see our pick of the top demo trading contests.