Trading Education and Practice Simulators

A free browser-based stock market game that gives new traders $100,000 in virtual cash to trade real, live-quoted stocks, ETFs, and options. Users can join public leaderboard contests or set up private games for classes or friends, pairing practice trades with Investopedia's own reference articles.

Best for: Beginners who want a well-known, no-cost simulator tied to reference articles

• paper trading
• virtual portfolio
• leaderboards
• private contests
• real-time quotes

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's official investor education site offers plain-language guides on how markets, brokers, and investment products work, alongside free calculators for compound interest and savings goals. It also lets investors verify whether a broker or investment adviser is properly licensed.

Best for: Traders who want unbiased, regulator-backed basics and fraud protection

• investor basics
• fraud alerts
• broker verification
• financial calculators
• government-run

The brokerage industry's self-regulator runs a free investor education hub covering account types, fees, order types, and common scams, plus BrokerCheck for vetting brokers and firms before opening an account. It leans practical and protective rather than strategy-focused, aimed at helping new investors avoid costly mistakes.

Best for: New investors vetting brokers and learning to spot scams

• brokercheck
• fraud prevention
• fee analyzer
• investor basics
• government-adjacent

A free, ad-free video and exercise library covering how stocks, bonds, options, and markets work from first principles, built for self-paced learning with no account required to watch. It suits complete beginners who want a rigorous conceptual foundation before opening a brokerage account or trying a simulator.

Best for: Absolute beginners building conceptual foundations before trading

• video lessons
• practice exercises
• self-paced
• no signup required

A free educational resource funded by the options exchanges and OCC, offering self-paced courses, webinars, podcasts, and an options and probability calculator suite covering everything from basic calls and puts to LEAPS, index options, and volatility. It is written for retail traders who want exchange-backed strategy education.

Best for: Traders wanting neutral, exchange-sponsored options fundamentals

• options calculator
• webinars
• strategy guides
• probability calculator
• exchange-backed

• Also in
• Options Analytics

Cboe's own education arm runs free self-paced and live classes ranging from Options 101 through advanced volatility, dispersion, and multi-leg strategy topics, plus a personalized learning path based on a short experience questionnaire. Its options calculator and trade optimizer tools reinforce lessons with real market data.

Best for: Traders who want structured options coursework straight from the exchange

• live classes
• learning paths
• options calculator
• volatility education
• exchange-backed

• Also in
• Options Analytics

The financial media arm behind the tastytrade brokerage offers a free, on-demand library of videos and written guides on options, futures, and probability-based trading, plus recorded webinars on specific mechanics like portfolio margin and 0DTE options. Content leans practical and product-focused rather than academic.

Best for: Traders who prefer video-driven, probability-focused options and futures education

• video lessons
• webinars
• options basics
• futures education
• daily live programming

CME Group's education hub offers more than 60 free courses on futures and options on futures, spanning individual product mechanics, economics, volatility, and portfolio risk management, along with webinars and a practice trading simulator. It is the most direct source for exchange-traded futures fundamentals.

Best for: Traders learning futures and futures-options mechanics from the exchange itself

• futures education
• webinars
• practice simulator
• product-specific courses
• exchange-backed

Interactive Brokers' free education platform offers self-paced video courses, webinars, and podcasts on stocks, options, futures, and technical analysis, organized by experience level from complete beginner to advanced. It is open to anyone, not just IBKR account holders, and stays independent of any single trading style.

Best for: Traders wanting broad, broker-backed courses across many asset classes

• video courses
• webinars
• podcasts
• technical analysis
• beginner to advanced paths

Fidelity's free learning hub pairs articles, webinars, and video series with guided strategy content like its options and technical-indicator guides, organized by both topic and life stage. No Fidelity account is required to browse, though some interactive tools work best when logged in.

Best for: Investors who like a major broker's structured, guided learning content

• articles
• webinars
• options strategy guide
• technical indicator guide
• no account required

Charles Schwab's education hub covers investing basics through options and trading strategy in articles, videos, and a daily market podcast, plus a starter kit aimed at first-time investors. Content is free to browse without a Schwab account and draws on the firm's in-house research desk.

Best for: New investors who want a big brokerage's beginner-friendly curriculum

• articles
• starter kit
• market podcast
• options education
• no account required

A free, encyclopedic reference on technical analysis covering chart types, indicators, overlays, and trading strategies, organized as a searchable knowledge base rather than a course. It is a standard first stop for traders who want to understand what an indicator does before applying it on a live chart.

Best for: Traders who want a free reference for technical indicators and patterns

• technical analysis reference
• indicator glossary
• chart pattern guides
• searchable
• no signup

• Also in
• Charting

A free strategy reference built by Brian Overby that breaks down more than 40 options strategies by experience level, from simple covered calls to multi-leg spreads, explaining the setup, ideal market view, and risk and reward for each in plain language. It favors quick lookups over structured courses.

Best for: Traders who want a fast reference for a specific options strategy

• strategy guides
• options basics
• rolling positions
• plain-language explanations

The School of Pipsology is a free, structured forex curriculum organized by belt levels from absolute beginner to advanced, covering pip mechanics, technical and fundamental analysis, and trading psychology. A large community forum runs alongside the lessons for traders who want peer discussion.

Best for: Traders specifically learning forex from the ground up

• structured curriculum
• forex basics
• community forum
• trading psychology

A free stock market simulator that pairs $100,000 in virtual cash with short courses on getting started in investing, letting users practice trading stocks, ETFs, options, and crypto before joining national or private contests. Its learn-then-practice format links each lesson directly to the simulator.

Best for: Beginners who want lessons and a simulator in one free product

• paper trading
• short courses
• contests
• virtual portfolio

A free, ad-supported stock market simulator built primarily for classrooms, giving students a virtual $100,000 portfolio, real-time trading, and over 50 built-in investing and personal-finance lessons. Teachers can run private contests with custom rules, and adults can use the same simulator outside a classroom setting.

Best for: Students and classrooms learning investing basics through a simulator

• paper trading
• classroom contests
• built-in lessons
• real-time data

A multi-asset paper trading platform used by over a thousand universities that supports stocks, options, futures, forex, and crypto across more than 50 global exchanges, paired with a library of over 500 investing and finance lessons. Individuals can trade through companion sites, though the core product targets schools.

Best for: University students practicing across a wider range of asset classes

• multi-asset paper trading
• university licensing
• curriculum library
• global exchanges

A paid market-replay simulator that lets traders rehearse real historical sessions tick by tick across stocks, futures, and crypto, with Level 2 data, a scanner, and customizable hotkeys for order execution. It suits active and day traders drilling entries and exits rather than casual beginners.

Best for: Active traders rehearsing entries and exits against real past sessions

• market replay
• level 2 data
• scanner
• hotkeys
• historical data

Nobel laureate Robert Shiller's Yale course on financial markets is free to audit in full, covering insurance, behavioral finance, bonds, stocks, options, futures, and the history of bubbles and crashes over roughly 30 hours of video. A paid certificate is optional for those who want a credential.

Best for: Learners wanting a rigorous academic overview of how markets function

• video lectures
• behavioral finance
• academic course
• optional certificate

MIT's Sloan School publishes full lecture videos, notes, problem sets, and exams from its graduate finance theory course free of charge, covering asset valuation, portfolio theory, market efficiency, and an introduction to options pricing. It is dense and academic, built for self-study rather than quick reference.

Best for: Self-directed learners wanting MIT-level finance theory at no cost

• video lectures
• problem sets
• academic course
• no signup required

A nonprofit founded in 1978, AAII combines investor education articles and guides with stock screens and model portfolios built around named strategies like Graham or Lynch. Core educational content and a basic membership tier are free, while its A+ Investor data tools sit behind a paid subscription.

Best for: Individual investors who want research-backed education from an independent nonprofit

• investor education
• stock screens
• model portfolios
• local chapters
• nonprofit

• Also in
• Screeners & Scanners
• Research

Run by Lawrence McMillan, author of the widely cited "Options as a Strategic Investment," this site offers free weekly market commentary, webinars, and analysis tools alongside paid newsletters and mentoring. It suits traders who want options education grounded in one of the field's most established authors.

Best for: Options traders who want commentary from a long-established industry author

• market commentary
• webinars
• options analysis tools
• mentoring
• established author

• Also in
• Options Analytics

The training arm of a New York proprietary trading firm publishes free daily strategy videos, blog posts, and webinars on day and swing trading equities and options, alongside paid mentoring programs and tools packages modeled on its internal trading desk process. Its free content leans toward active, short-term trading.

Best for: Active traders wanting free desk-level commentary before considering paid mentoring

• free daily videos
• blog
• webinars
• paid mentoring
• prop desk background

A long-running web charting service built around its SharpCharts and ACP charting engines, with a wide range of chart types, overlays, and classic technical indicators plus editorial commentary from well-known chartists. A free public chart viewer is available, with paid plans adding saved charts, more indicators, and scanning. Suits price-action and classic technical analysts.

Best for: Classic technical analysts who like editorial market commentary

• classic indicators
• multi-timeframe
• scanning
• alerts
• chart annotations

• Also in
• Charting
• Screeners & Scanners

Long-running investment research and newsletter publisher best known for its Stock Advisor and Rule Breakers stock-picking services, alongside a large library of free articles and educational content. Aimed at buy-and-hold retail investors rather than active traders. Free content is broad; the flagship newsletters require a paid subscription.

Best for: Buy-and-hold investors who want curated stock recommendations

• stock recommendations
• newsletter picks
• educational articles
• portfolio guidance

• Also in
• Research

The Cboe Options Calculator is a free tool from the exchange's own Options Institute that prices calls and puts and computes the Greeks from adjustable inputs like volatility, rate and time to expiration, using real Cboe market data. It is a simple, authoritative reference rather than a full trading platform.

Best for: Traders wanting a free, exchange-run pricing and Greeks calculator

• options calculator
• greeks
• theoretical pricing

• Also in
• Options Analytics

Publisher of stock-market news built around William O'Neil's CAN SLIM growth-investing method, including leaderboard stock lists, IBD Digital rankings and market-direction commentary. Combines daily news with proprietary ratings such as Composite Rating and Relative Strength. Subscription required beyond a limited free trial.

Best for: Growth-stock swing traders following the CAN SLIM system

• can slim ratings
• leaderboard lists
• market direction calls
• relative strength

• Also in
• News
• Screeners & Scanners

Run by the Options Industry Council on behalf of the OCC, this free page bundles an options calculator, probability and P&L simulators, and historical-versus-implied volatility charts, powered by iVolatility data on a 20-minute delay. It is a no-cost, authoritative reference rather than a trading platform, aimed mainly at newer traders.

Best for: New traders wanting free, exchange-affiliated options calculators

• options calculator
• probability calculator
• volatility charts
• pnl simulator

• Also in
• Options Analytics

Blossom links brokerage accounts to track stocks, ETFs, and dividend income while layering in a social feed where verified investors share real, connected portfolios and trades. It includes topic-based communities and educational content aimed at newer investors. It suits investors who want portfolio tracking combined with a community of other DIY investors to follow.

Best for: Investors who want a social community alongside tracking

• social portfolios
• dividend tracking
• community feed
• educational content

• Also in
• Portfolio Trackers