Why simulate instead of just backtest
A backtest tells you what would have happened. Paper trading tells you what you would have done — with real prices moving in real time, the actual hesitation before pulling a trigger, and the actual discipline (or lack of it) to hold a losing position or take a win early. That is a different, harder skill than reading a historical chart, and it is the one that matters once real money is involved.
What makes it realistic
- $100,000 in virtual buying power, priced off the same live data the rest of the site uses
- Market, limit and stop orders — long and short, margin and fractional shares
- Commission and slippage modelled, so a good result reflects a good call, not an idealised fill
- Full order history and a running P&L you can export
- A public leaderboard, if you want to compare a strategy against other accounts
Most free paper-trading tools fill every order instantly at the exact price on screen, which trains habits that fall apart the moment real slippage shows up. WOWS models commission and slippage on every fill, so the numbers on your simulated statement behave the way a real brokerage's would.
Still entirely simulated
No real money is ever deposited, invested, transferred or withdrawn on WOWS. The account is virtual currency from the moment it is created, and nothing on the platform is a recommendation to trade with real funds. Full terms are on the risk disclaimer.
Free during the WOWS preview
Paper trading is part of every account while WOWS is in preview — sign up with an invitation code and the $100,000 account is there from the first login.