IC Markets Demo Account checklist

Before signing up for any demo, confirm the basic terms directly with the broker. Key points include whether a demo is currently offered, how long access lasts, whether it expires or can be renewed, and which platforms and account types it simulates. Some brokers restrict demos by region or require contact details that lead to marketing outreach, so check the sign-up conditions and privacy terms as well. Write down what you find and the date, since demo terms are among the details brokers change most often.

Demo environments are useful for learning platform mechanics, but they rarely replicate live conditions exactly. Simulated fills often ignore real-world slippage, requotes, and liquidity gaps, and demo pricing feeds may differ from the live feed. Emotional pressure is also absent when no real money is at stake. Treat demo results as a way to learn the platform and test your process, not as a reliable forecast of live performance, and ask the broker directly how its demo pricing and execution are simulated.

You will learn more from a demo if you approach it with a plan rather than clicking around. Decide in advance which instruments, order types, and scenarios you want to test, and keep a simple log of what you observe. Test the things that matter most when real money is involved: placing and modifying stop and limit orders, reading margin requirements, and understanding how the platform displays costs. If anything is unclear, that is a prompt to contact support before funding, not after.