RingSide vs thinkorswim paperMoney
paperMoney is a broker’s simulator, as deep as the platform it lives in. RingSide is a browser game that takes the parts of trading that make a contest fair and puts other people on the other side.
RingSide vs thinkorswim paperMoney
A broker simulator, or a trading game with opponents.
| RingSide | thinkorswim paperMoney | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no payment details | Free with a Schwab account, or a 30-day guest pass |
| Markets | Crypto pairs and gold, long and short | Equities, options, futures and forex |
| Starting balance | 1,000 virtual USDT per round, equal for all | 100,000 dollars of virtual buying power |
| Who you trade against | Other people in the same round | Nobody, it is a solo simulator |
| Time frame | Timed rounds, 1 minute to 1 week | Open-ended |
| Prices | Live, one shared snapshot per second | Schwab’s page says real-time data, a Schwab walkthrough mentions a delay setting |
| Leverage | Up to 100× in 1-minute rounds, 3× in week-long crypto rounds | Margin buying power on stocks |
| Tools | Chart, watchlist, order ticket, limit, stop and take-profit orders | The full thinkorswim platform |
| Platform | Browser, phone and desktop, no install | thinkorswim desktop, web and mobile |
| Real money | None, play money only | None in paperMoney, Schwab is a broker |
Facts about thinkorswim paperMoney 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 paperMoney fits better
If you intend to trade stocks, options or futures with a broker later, practising on the broker’s own platform is the shortest path. paperMoney mirrors the order types and screens of thinkorswim, and the 100,000 dollar virtual balance is sized for that. It is a rehearsal, not a game.
Where RingSide fits better
No account at a broker
RingSide needs an email address and a username. There is no identity check, nothing to download and nothing to pay. You start with 500 chips, and if you fall below 100 you are topped back up to 100 once a day.
A contest, decided on the clock
Every player in a round gets 1,000 virtual USDT and the same one-second price snapshot. Fills are at the mid price with no spread and no fees, so only performance counts. At the close every open position is valued at the price of that moment, and roughly the top third of the field is paid from the pot of chips.
The mechanics that matter
Long and short, leverage per position up to 100× in a 1-minute round, cross margin, liquidation at a maintenance margin of 0.1 percent of position value, and limit, stop and take-profit orders that rest on the server. Enough to make a contest fair, and nothing that pretends to be a brokerage.
Frequently asked
Is thinkorswim paperMoney free?
Schwab offers it as part of the thinkorswim platform. Clients use it with their account, and non-clients can use a 30-day guest pass. RingSide is free with no account at a broker and no payment details.
Which one is closer to real trading?
paperMoney, for stocks and options. It is a broker’s own platform with a broker’s order types and data. RingSide keeps the mechanics that matter in a contest, long and short, leverage, liquidation, resting orders, settlement on the clock, but it is a game, not a brokerage.
Can I trade crypto on paperMoney?
Schwab’s paperMoney pages list equities, options, futures and forex. We did not find crypto there. RingSide trades 16 crypto pairs and gold.
Does RingSide involve real money?
No. RingSide is played with chips that have no monetary value and cannot be bought, deposited or withdrawn. There is no payout in money and no brokerage account behind it.
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.