Many trading platforms offer demo accounts, allowing you to learn the basics of investing before you start trading with your own money. Read my guide to learn about the best demo trading accounts that you can use to practise investing with virtual funds.
Also consider: Best Commodity Trading Platform UK
10 Best demo trading accounts for July 2025
Browse my list of the best demo trading accounts for UK investors.
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Plus500
Plus500 offers a substantial selection of 70 currency pairs and over 2,500 financial instruments which are all traded via CFDs .
Opening a demo trading account with Plus500 is completely free and has no hidden costs. In fact, you don’t need to provide any payment details to open the demo account – only an email address and password.
Every new customer, who registers for a demo account on the Plus500 platform, receives £40,000.00. Once the balance of the demo account drops to 200 EUR (or the equivalent currency amount) or below, the initial demo amount will be automatically reinstated by the system.
Since the demo trading account is intended to emulate the live trading format, it could be a way to learn the mechanics of trading.
Converting to a live account is a simple process that only requires a few additional personal details and verifying them. Plus500’s live accounts have a minimum deposit of $100 and offer a maximum leverage of 30:1.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 80% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
IG Investments
IG’s demo account is an excellent tool for new traders looking to gain confidence before committing real funds. It offers a risk-free environment to explore the platform’s functionality, test strategies, and understand market dynamics. With access to live market data and £10,000 in virtual funds, users can practice all kind of trading and other instruments under real-time conditions.
The demo account mirrors the functionality of IG’s live platform, providing a seamless transition when clients are ready to trade. Features include customisable layouts, charting tools, and one-click trading, making it ideal for beginners and experienced traders testing new approaches.
The demo account showcases IG’s user-friendly interface and comprehensive tools, making it a valuable resource for those seeking to master the basics or refine their skills in a safe, simulated environment.
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
eToro
eToro is a large, multinational, online trading platform and broker founded in Israel in 2007.
It’s known as a popular and reputable provider of trading services and operates with full FCA regulation.
The platform is renowned for listing a wide range of assets, such as:
- Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
- Commodities
- Cryptocurrencies
- Forex
If you’re new to trading, or just want to sharpen your skills, eToro offers a free demo account that you could use. The account has an allowance of $100,000 in virtual funds which allows you to trade the markets without incurring any losses.
In addition to this, eToro charges no fees for the use of the demo account, nor does it charge fees on the trades you make in the demo mode.
Your demo account with eToro is also unlimited, which means there is no time limit and the account won’t expire. Feel free to trade your virtual funds without worrying about using them within a certain timeframe.
If you do happen to run out of virtual funds granted when you opened the account, it’s possible to request additional funds through their reliable customer service.
eToro demo trading accounts could be useful to start learning to trade as their layout is designed to resemble real, live trading accounts.
It is relatively easy to sign up to eToro and get access to a demo account with virtual funds – you can use your email address, or your Facebook or Google accounts.
Using the demo account shouldn’t be too much trouble as eToro offers both Android and iOS apps so you can trade with your mobile.
If you happen to move on to open a live account with eToro, note that its minimum deposit is $50 USD.
{etoroCFDrisk}% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply. For more information, visit etoro.com/trading/fees

XTB
XTB is an award-winning trading platform that has its headquarters in Poland.
It offers 48 currency pairs and 1,500 derivatives across markets that include:
- Forex
- Indices
- Commodities
- Stock CFDs
- ETF CFDs
- Cryptocurrencies
MetaTrader 4 is offered by XTB, as well as xStation – this is a trading platform developed for XTB customers that has a solid reputation, many accolades, and impressive industry rankings. Beginners could take advantage of their virtual funds in order to expand their experience with different trading platforms.
A demo trading account with XTB is limited to four weeks, however, you receive up to $100,000 in virtual funds to practise with – significantly more than most other platforms.
In addition to this, you can also gain access to over 2,100 CFD markets, tights spread from 0.2 pips, and leverage up to 30:1.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Pepperstone
Pepperstone is a Melbourne-based trading platform that operates in various other countries, including the UK. The platform is fully compatible with UK standards and is FCA-regulated.
The demo trading account offered by Pepperstone gives users $50,000 of virtual funds and provides a 30-day time limit – although, this can be requested to be increased through customer service.
Demo accounts with Pepperstone allow the use of the following trading platforms:
- MetaTrader 4
- MetaTrader 5
- cTrader.
In addition to these, Pepperstone demo accounts have access to various trading tools such as:
- Technical indicators
- Graphic tools (line drawing, tracing, shapes etc.)
- Timeframes.
Users can access more than 60 currency pairs with fast execution speeds – 30 milliseconds on average – that can help to avoid slippage and benefit the accuracy of trades.
The demo account is easy to set up and provides access to environments similar to that of electronic communication network (ECN) trading – a computerised system that matches buyers to sellers in a given market.
It offers leverage up to 30:1 for retail traders in Europe, the UK, Australia, and Dubai.
Pepperstone is well known for its award-winning customer support that is partially comprised of traders, so you can get experienced assistance with any trouble you may run into.
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75.3% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Forex.com
Forex.com is a trading platform founded in 2001 and is operated by Gain Capital Holdings which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
Forex.com’s demo account offers users a 30-day trial with access to €10,000 in virtual funds. Compared to other platforms, these parameters are relatively low since a lot of competitors now offer an unlimited demo period with more virtual funds.
This doesn’t mean it isn’t worth using a forex demo account – it’s still free to use and it uses real features from live accounts for an effective introduction to trading the currency markets. In addition to this, you could get access to currency pairs or commodities unavailable elsewhere.
Forex.com offers access to hundreds of different markets. This includes:
- Indices
- Shares
- Cryptocurrencies
- Commodities
The trading platform also boasts market-leading pricing with spreads from 0.8% and 3.33% margin, while listing over 80 currency pairs.
The format of its demo accounts is very similar to the live trading accounts they offer, allowing the use of real features and making it easier to get the gist of real trading.
As well as this, the platform provides research materials in addition to free educational courses covering various skill levels, meaning it could be conducive to learning how to trade.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 78% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
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Please note
This blog is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at retail clients only.
The value of your investments (and any income from them) can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Investments should be considered over the longer term and should fit in with your overall attitude to risk and financial circumstances.
You should note that trading CFDs often leads to a majority of retail investor accounts losing money rapidly.