# MarketSim vs Trades Trek

The clearest difference is ads: Trades Trek at none against MarketSim's shown. Trades Trek also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). MarketSim's advantage is ratings volume (21K vs 1). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MarketSim sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year and Trades Trek sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Trades Trek holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MarketSim has 21K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of MarketSim's written reviews are positive against 100% of Trades Trek's.

MarketSim ships an update every 2 months, Trades Trek every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MarketSim | Trades Trek |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (21K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marketsim/id1120425128/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trades-trek/id6451382635/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **21K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 41 MB | 54 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Third Line LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1713032911) | [Trades Trek Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1697843407) |

## What reviewers say

### MarketSim

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marketsim/id1120425128)

Learn about the stock market and test trading strategies with a virtual stock game. Start with $10,000 virtual cash and place unlimited trades using live quotes and historical data. Monitor your portfolio with a beautiful and simple interface.

**Highlights:** Virtual stock market simulation, Unlimited trading with $10,000 virtual cash, Over 5000 tradeable symbols, Live stock quotes and historical data, Easy portfolio monitoring, Beautiful and simple design

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MarketSim Premium | $19.99 | per year |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🚀 Real-time stock prices
- 💡 Great for learning about stocks
- 🚀 Sleek and intuitive UI

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitches and bugs with stock prices
- 🔍 Lack of detailed stock information
- 🔍 Limited features compared to real trading
- 💰 Too many ads

**Reported bugs**

- Stocks randomly showing $0 value
- Crashes when trying to buy/sell certain stocks
- Incorrect stock split handling

**Requested features**

- Add ability to short stocks
- Implement stock splits and dividends
- Include more advanced order types
- Add portfolio tracking and analytics
- Expand stock selection to include more options


### Trades Trek

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trades-trek/id6451382635)

Learn about stocks and markets through interactive practice trading with virtual money. Participate in competitions and access real-time market data to hone your investment skills.

**Highlights:** Stock market education, Virtual money trading practice, Trading competitions, Real-time market data, Investment journey guidance

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Trades Trek Premium | $0.99 | one-time |
| Trades Trek Premium | $2.99 | one-time |
| Trades Trek Premium | $6.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MarketSim free?

MarketSim is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Trades Trek free?

Trades Trek is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, MarketSim or Trades Trek?

Trades Trek is rated higher. MarketSim averages 4.6 out of 5 from 21K ratings, while Trades Trek averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do MarketSim or Trades Trek have ads?

MarketSim shows ads; Trades Trek does not.

### Which is updated more often, MarketSim or Trades Trek?

MarketSim ships an update every 2 months, and Trades Trek every 3 weeks. Most recently, MarketSim was updated on November 11, 2026 and Trades Trek on November 3, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*