Open a demo trading account

The key difference between a demo account and a live account is that a demo comes with zero risk – it’s a trading simulator that enables you to buy and sell real markets with virtual funds. With a live account, on the other hand, you’re risking your own capital.

Many traders use a demo to see how the markets work – or test drive our platform – before they upgrade to a live account that earns real profits and losses.

There are some other differences between demo and live accounts. For example, you won’t be able to access features such as Performance Analytics or SMART Signals with a demo.

We’d recommend using a demo account until you feel comfortable trading with real capital. Ideally, you’ll have a comprehensive plan and strategy in place too, so you know exactly what to do once you’ve added some funds.

City Index demo accounts expire in twelve weeks, but you can open another one if you wish to continue practising for longer.

Yes, you can open as many City Index demo accounts as you like – although you’ll need a different email address for each one. You can also apply for another demo account once your current one has expired, if you want to trade risk free for a longer period.

We offer separate demo accounts for MT4 trading, so you can try out our leading MT4 package too. Open your MT4 demo here.

Yes, your demo trading account comes with access to our full range of 80+ currency pairs, available as spot markets or via spread betting. You don’t need a separate forex demo account so you can buy and sell EUR/USD and GBP/USD alongside the UK 100, Barclays and gold.

Yes, you can have a demo and a live account open at the same time. This is popular among traders, who use their demo account to trial new strategies and technical tools without putting any capital at risk.

You won’t be able to access our exclusive Performance Analytics tool with your demo account. It is only available on our live accounts as it needs a bulk of live trades to analyse.