Comparison

MarketSim vs Backtest Trading

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MarketSim

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
Read full description

Real markets. Play money. Start with $10,000 in virtual cash and trade real stocks at real prices. Build a portfolio, try out an idea, and see how it does without risking any real money. TRADING • Buy and sell stocks with virtual cash at real market prices. • Trade by dollar amount or number of shares, including fractional shares. • Orders placed while the market is closed fill at the next open. • See every order you've placed in your order history. RESEARCH • Search for companies by name or ticker. • Browse the day's most active stocks, top gainers, and top losers. • View price charts, company profiles, and key stats. • Add stocks to your watchlist to keep an eye on them. YOUR PORTFOLIO • Follow your portfolio's value over time. • See shares, average cost, and total return for each holding. • See how each position contributes to your portfolio. • Dividends are paid and stock splits are applied automatically. MARKETSIM PREMIUM • Up to 10 portfolios, each with its own cash, holdings, and history. • Pick any starting balance from $1 to $1 billion for new portfolios. • Refresh quotes anytime with no cooldown. • No ads. MarketSim is a simulator for learning and entertainment. All trades, balances, and returns are simulated. Virtual cash has no monetary value and cannot be withdrawn. Nothing in the app is investment advice. Market data may be delayed or inaccurate, and simulated performance does not predict real investment results. Premium is an optional subscription that renews yearly until canceled. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://thirdlinellc.com/#privacy-policy

About

Backtest Trading

Features
Read full description

Build a strategy visually before you trade. Choose indicators, operators, and values for entry and exit rules—no code required. Combine conditions with ALL or ANY, validate the setup, then run it on historical data and inspect the risk evidence. HOW IT WORKS 1. Choose a template or build custom entry and exit rules visually 2. Select a crypto, stock, ETF, forex, futures, or index market 3. Set capital, position size, commission, slippage, stop loss, and take profit 4. Run the backtest and review the evidence READ MORE THAN THE RETURN • Compare profit, drawdown, win rate, profit factor, and trade count • Inspect entry and exit markers directly on the chart • Review individual trades instead of relying on one headline number • Save results so you can compare each iteration PAPER CHECKS WITHOUT REAL MONEY Sign in and refresh manually to observe a locked strategy on newly closed candles. Paper does not submit exchange orders; automatic monitoring is not enabled. YOUR BINANCE FUTURES DEMO Connect your own Binance Futures Demo account with your Demo API credentials to place manual orders using demo funds. Review and explicitly confirm before submission. No real funds or automatic trading. BUILT FOR A REPEATABLE PROCESS Backtest is for traders who want a clearer loop: form a hypothesis, test it, inspect the risk, refine the rules, and test again. IMPORTANT RISK NOTE Backtest is not a broker, does not place real-money trades, and does not provide financial advice. Results are hypothetical and can be affected by data quality, assumptions, fees, slippage, and market conditions. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Start with a preset and run your first backtest. Use the Apple Watch app and complications to check recent results and paper-bot signals from your wrist, with privacy controls for sensitive values. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

MarketSim4 screens
Backtest Trading4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Backtest Trading at none against MarketSim's shown. Backtest Trading also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. MarketSim sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Backtest Trading sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MarketSim ships an update every 2 months, Backtest Trading every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
MarketSim versus Backtest Trading: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarketSimBacktest Trading
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (21K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings21K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.017 — better
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB28 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperThird Line LLCDat Thanh Nguyen

Bugs and requests

MarketSim

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

Backtest Trading

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MarketSim

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99
4 purchases

Backtest Trading

Subscriptions4
  • StopTrading Pro3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • StopTrading Power3 Days trial$29.991 Month
  • StopTrading Pro Annual$79.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • StopTrading Power Annual$239.991 Year

Questions

Is MarketSim free?
MarketSim is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Backtest Trading free?
Backtest Trading is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MarketSim or Backtest Trading have ads?
MarketSim shows ads; Backtest Trading does not.
Which is updated more often, MarketSim or Backtest Trading?
MarketSim ships an update every 2 months, and Backtest Trading every 3 days. Most recently, MarketSim was updated on October 14, 2026 and Backtest Trading on October 1, 2026.

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