Demo accounts compared: Plus500, eToro, FxPro, OctaFX
Plus500's simulator, eToro's virtual portfolio, FxPro's MT4/MT5/cTrader demos and OctaFX's demo — what each one actually is, and which to open first.
Key takeaways
- A demo and a simulator are the same idea: live prices, virtual money.
- Plus500's demo is a full platform simulator — not MetaTrader.
- Open one demo that matches the live platform you would actually fund.
Search results for 'plus500 simulator', 'etoro demo', 'fxpro demo account' and 'octafx demo' are the same job: practise without paying. The platforms are not the same job.
Plus500 simulator (unlimited demo)
Plus500 calls it a demo; people search 'simulator' and 'simulation' because the platform feels like a full app, not a stripped training mode. It runs on Plus500's own web and mobile charts, with the same instruments as live, and you can keep using it after you fund. There is no MT4 or MT5. If you wanted Expert Advisors, this is the wrong demo.
eToro demo / virtual portfolio
eToro gives a large virtual balance you can toggle to from a live account. The point of this demo is CopyTrader: you can follow someone with fake money and see the drawdown, not just the glossy return. Fees on live eToro (spread, withdrawal, inactivity) do not fully show on the virtual side — read the fee page separately.
FxPro demo account
FxPro's useful trick is three demos: MT4, MT5 and cTrader. Open all three only long enough to pick one. Then stay there for a few weeks. FxPro's live minimum is higher than XM or Octa; the demo is still free.
OctaFX (Octa) demo
Octa's demo is on MT4, MT5 or the in-house app. Use it if you already know you want local SE Asia e-wallets later. It will not teach you whether withdrawals are actually free in your country — only a tiny live deposit does that.
One demo, realistic size
A $100,000 virtual account with 2-lot gold trades teaches bravado. Set the demo balance near what you would actually fund, and size as if a loss hits that cash.
What a demo cannot tell you
- How fast a real withdrawal arrives
- Whether your country's payment method is actually on the cashier
- How you will feel when the money is yours
- Whether an 'account manager' on Telegram is the real broker (they are not)