RingSide vs Investopedia Simulator
Two free simulators with different jobs. Investopedia lets you run a virtual stock portfolio at your own pace. RingSide puts you in a timed crypto round against other people and settles it on the clock.
RingSide vs Investopedia Simulator
Both are free. The difference is markets, time and opponents.
| RingSide | Investopedia Simulator | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no payment details | Free with an Investopedia account |
| Markets | Crypto pairs and gold, long and short | US stocks, ETFs and options |
| Starting balance | 1,000 virtual USDT per round, the same for everyone | Virtual cash, commonly reported as 100,000 dollars |
| Time frame | Timed rounds from 1 minute to 1 week | Open-ended portfolio, games can have an end date |
| Playing against others | 1v1 duels, 5 and 10 player rounds, a weekly league | Public games and private games with invited people |
| Prices | Live, one shared snapshot per second | We could not verify whether quotes are delayed |
| Leverage | Up to 100× in 1-minute rounds, 3× in week-long crypto rounds | Not a feature we could verify |
| Fees in the simulation | None, every fill at the mid price | Not verified |
| Platform | Browser, phone and desktop, no install | Web |
| Real money | None, play money only | None, virtual cash only |
Facts about Investopedia Simulator come from its own public pages at the time of writing and may change. Where we could not verify something, the table says so.
Where Investopedia fits better
If your goal is to learn how a stock portfolio behaves over weeks and months, Investopedia is built for that. It covers thousands of US-listed stocks and ETFs, lets you practise options, and its games can run for a semester. A classroom that wants a long-running stock game is well served there.
Where RingSide fits better
A result that is decided
A RingSide round has a start, a close and a ranking. Every player gets the same 1,000 virtual USDT, every trade fills at the same one-second price snapshot, and at the close every open position is valued at the price of that moment. Roughly the top third of the field is paid from the pot of chips, so a 1v1 pays the winner, a 5-player round pays two places and a 10-player round pays three.
Crypto, both directions, with leverage
You can go long or short on 16 crypto pairs and on gold, with leverage you pick per position. The cap depends on the round length, 100× in a 1-minute round and 3× in a week-long crypto round. Margin is cross, and falling below the maintenance margin of 0.1 percent of your position value liquidates you out of the round.
A league with promotion and relegation
Beyond single rounds there is a weekly league. Divisions hold eight players, every player meets every other in one 15-minute duel per day, a win is worth 3 points and a draw 1, and at the end of the week the top two move up and the bottom two move down.
Frequently asked
Is RingSide a replacement for the Investopedia Simulator?
Only if you want crypto and gold in short, timed rounds against other people. If you want to build a long-only US stock portfolio over months, Investopedia is the better fit. RingSide does not offer stocks or options.
Can I trade stocks on RingSide?
Not today. RingSide trades crypto pairs such as BTC, ETH and SOL and gold via PAXG. Stock indices and forex are prepared in the market register but not switched on.
Does either one use real money?
No. Both are play-money simulators. On RingSide the chips cannot be bought, deposited or withdrawn, and there is no payout in money.
What does a RingSide round cost?
Nothing in money. Each round has a stake in chips that depends only on its duration, from 5 chips for a 1-minute round to 160 chips for a 1-week round. You start with 500 chips and are topped up to 100 once a day if you fall below that.
Play money, no deposits, no investment advice.
RingSide chips have no monetary value and cannot be bought, deposited or withdrawn. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy or sell anything. What the platform is and is not stands in the risk notice.