Duotide demo account

A demo account is the cheapest way to get to know a platform: virtual balance, zero risk. It is useful — and it is also where many people build false confidence. It is worth understanding both sides.

What a demo is really for

• Learning the interface: where orders, stops, history and settings are — getting this wrong with real money is expensive;
• Testing stability: does the platform freeze? does the chart update? does it work well on your phone?;
• Understanding the products: how leverage and margin work in practice;
• Validating a strategy mechanically: whether the rules you have set make operational sense.

What a demo does not show

Beyond the psychological factor, there are real technical differences:

• Execution: in a live account there is slippage, and the executed price may not be the one on screen;
• Liquidity: demos usually assume unlimited liquidity, which does not exist;
• Costs: spreads, swaps and fees are not always applied faithfully in the simulation;
• Withdrawals: a demo does not test the one thing that matters most — whether the broker pays out.

How to use it well

1. Set up the demo with a balance close to what you would actually invest — not a large fictitious amount;
2. Trade with the same position size you would use for real;
3. Write down each trade and the reason for entering it;
4. After a few weeks, move to a live account with the minimum deposit;
5. Run the withdrawal test before increasing your deposits.