Honest comparison
AlphaLab 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.
Where Investopedia Simulator shines
We're honest about the competition.
- •Completely free stock paper trading with a simple, approachable interface
- •Backed by Investopedia's large library of educational articles
- •Good for a first taste of buying and selling without risk
Where AlphaLab wins for beginners
Built for learning, not just charting.
- Backtesting — run a strategy against years of past data in seconds, with return, drawdown and Sharpe ratio; Investopedia's simulator has no backtester
- Options, futures, crypto, bonds, commodities and alternatives, not just stocks
- Portfolio-level risk analysis: sector exposure, correlation, drawdown and stress tests
- A structured Learn curriculum with quizzes and cited sources that unlocks lesson by lesson
- Trade journal with setup, tags and lessons-learned fields to build a real review habit
Frequently asked
How is AlphaLab different from the Investopedia simulator?
Investopedia offers free stock paper trading. AlphaLab adds backtesting on years of history, options and futures, portfolio risk analysis, a trade journal and a tiered curriculum with quizzes — so you can test ideas and learn the concepts behind them, not just place pretend trades.
Does AlphaLab cost money?
AlphaLab has a free plan with 3 strategies, 25 watchlist tickers, stocks, crypto, backtesting, paper trading and risk analysis. Trader ($12.95/mo) adds unlimited strategies, options and bonds; Pro ($25.95/mo) adds every asset class.
Can I trade options on AlphaLab like on a real broker?
You can paper trade and backtest options on the Trader and Pro plans, with option chains, payoff diagrams and Greeks. It is simulation only — no real orders are sent.
Try AlphaLab free
Backtest, paper trade and learn — no credit card needed to start.
Start free