Learn to invest without risking a dollar.
Test any idea on years of real market history, then practice it on delayed prices with virtual money. Plain-English explanations at every step, for stocks, options, futures, crypto, commodities and alternative assets, all in one place.
New to the markets? AlphaLab includes a free, tiered Learn curriculum that starts from the basics, so you can build confidence before you risk a cent of paper capital.
Buying an S&P 500 index fund every month since 2015, this is roughly what the ride looked like:
Illustrative example based on long-run S&P 500 history, not an exact backtest. Run the real numbers free in AlphaLab.
Paper trading vs. backtesting
Most simulators are either a pretend wallet or a professional terminal. AlphaLab sits in the middle: realistic fills, commissions and slippage, in plain English. Backtest an idea on the past, then paper trade it in the present to see if it holds up.
Paper trading
Place simulated trades on delayed market prices and watch a strategy play out as the market moves today. Your positions, cash and P&L update over days and weeks, just like a real account, without risking real money.
Backtesting
Run a set of rules, like buy & hold or a moving-average crossover, against years of past price data in seconds. You see how the strategy would have performed, including return, drawdown and Sharpe ratio, compared with simply holding.
Paper trading, backtesting and market research: everything a disciplined trader checks before the open.
Paper trade live
Run unlimited portfolios on delayed market prices for US and global stocks, options, futures, crypto and commodities. No real money at risk.
Backtest on history
Replay moving-average, momentum and other rules on years of daily data, then compare them against a benchmark.
Read the tape
General market news, company-specific headlines with sentiment, and SEC filings for everything you hold.
Plan the week
Upcoming earnings for your holdings and the economic releases that move markets, on one calendar.
Explore alternatives
Track REITs, infrastructure, miners and private-equity proxies alongside your portfolio, and see how alternative assets move when stocks don't.
Real screens, real data layout. Here's what opens the moment you sign up.
These are the actual app pages, shown with sample data so you can see exactly what's inside before you create an account.
| Strategy | Equity | Return | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
Momentum Tech paper | $64,200 | +12.40% | $842.00 |
Dividend Core paper | $38,100 | +4.10% | $120.00 |
Hedged Long backtest | $10,100 | -2.30% | -$120.00 |
Dashboard
Sample dataA daily portfolio snapshot: equity, P&L, every strategy and today's movers.
- Strategy
- Buy & hold
| Date | Action | Shrs | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 14 | buy | 100 | $93.10 |
| Apr 02 | sell | 100 | $103.40 |
| Jun 18 | buy | 100 | $104.20 |
| Jul 29 | sell | 100 | $107.80 |
Backtest
Sample dataReplay a strategy on years of history, with equity curve, Sharpe and drawdown vs. a benchmark.
| Symbol | Last | Chg % |
|---|---|---|
AAPL Apple Inc. | 178.42 | +1.24% |
MSFT Microsoft Corp. | 412.18 | +0.82% |
NVDA NVIDIA Corp. | 892.55 | +3.41% |
TSLA Tesla Inc. | 214.30 | -1.95% |
AMZN Amazon.com Inc. | 186.72 | +0.46% |
GOOGL Alphabet Inc. | 158.09 | -0.38% |
BRK.B Berkshire Hathaway | 428.50 | +0.12% |
Watchlist
Sample dataTrack the tickers you care about with delayed quotes and change at a glance.
A common approach is to place a stop just below a recent swing low or a support zone, so you exit if the trend breaks rather than on noise.
For a $892 entry with a swing low near $864, a stop around $862 risks about 3.4%. Size the position so that risk caps your loss at an amount you've defined upfront.
AI Assistant
Sample dataAsk plain-English questions about risk, setups and sizing, grounded in your data.
AlphaLab vs. the tools you might already know.
AlphaLab vs. TradingView
TradingView is the standard for charting and idea-sharing. AlphaLab is a different tool: a beginner-first simulator that pairs backtesting and paper trading with a structured curriculum, so you learn why a strategy worked, not just whether it did.
Read the full comparisonAlphaLab vs. Investopedia Simulator
Investopedia's simulator is a well-known, free way to paper trade stocks. AlphaLab goes further: backtesting on years of history, options and futures, portfolio risk tools, and a curriculum that teaches the concepts behind each trade.
Read the full comparisonAlphaLab vs. Stratos
Stratos is a newer paper-trading app focused on a clean mobile experience. AlphaLab is a broader lab: backtesting, multi-asset paper trading, portfolio risk tools and a beginner curriculum, all in the browser with no app install.
Read the full comparisonA curriculum that meets you where you are.
AlphaLab is built for newcomers as much as experienced traders. The Learn hub is a free, tiered curriculum of lessons and quizzes on markets, technical analysis, risk and portfolio theory, so you can build confidence before you risk a cent, even of paper capital.
- Start from zero: market basics, reading quotes and risk
- Lessons unlock in order, with short quizzes
- Sources cited in Bluebook format
- Tiered curriculum grows with your plan
General financial education, not investment advice.
Trading Essentials
Start from zero. Learn what stocks are, how prices move, how to read a chart, and how to manage risk with hands-on examples.
Intermediate Trading
Build a working understanding of financial statements, valuation, and technical analysis — the tools traders use to form and test a thesis.
Advanced Finance
First-year MBA-level material: portfolio theory, option pricing, and quantitative risk models that underpin professional strategy design.
Start free. Upgrade when you need more. No hidden fees.
Every plan includes paper trading, backtesting and risk analysis. Paid plans are billed monthly, or pay upfront quarterly (7% off) or annually (15% off). Cancel anytime.
| Feature | Free $0 | Trader $12.95 / mo or $36.25 / qtr · $132.25 / yr | Pro $25.95 / mo or $72.50 / qtr · $264.75 / yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategies | 3 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Watchlist tickers | 25 | 250 | 500 |
| Stocks | |||
| Bonds | |||
| Options | |||
| Futures | |||
| Crypto | 5 assets | ||
| Commodities | |||
| Alternative investments | |||
| Backtesting | |||
| Paper trading | |||
| Risk analysis | |||
| Trade journal | |||
| Learn curriculum | Free tier | Free + Trader | All tiers |
AI Assistant Pro add-on for all plans
$12.99 / mo300 AI credits every month for the trading assistant, news sentiment, earnings calendar, document imports and spell check. Available on all plans, including Free.
No hidden fees
The prices above are all you pay. There are no per-trade fees, no data add-ons, and no surprise charges. Cancel any time and keep your free plan.
Trader and Pro include a 14-day free trial — no charge until it ends. Simulated trading only. Not financial advice. Subscriptions are billed monthly, quarterly, or annually in USD; quarterly and annual plans are paid upfront at a discount.
AlphaLab includes a tiered Learn curriculum on markets and trading. All lessons are general financial education, not investment advice; completing them does not certify or qualify you to trade. See our Risk disclosure.
Secure checkout by Stripe. Cancel anytime and keep your free plan. See our Terms for refund details.
Common questions
Yes. The free plan includes 3 strategies, 25 watchlist tickers, stocks, 5 crypto assets, backtesting, paper trading and risk analysis at no cost. Paid plans add unlimited strategies, options, bonds and more.