Which broker APIs have a demo environment?
A demo or paper account trades virtual money, so a mistake in your code costs nothing there. Whether the API works on the demo at all, and on what terms, differs from one provider to the next.
Risk warning: CFDs and spread bets are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You can lose money on these products, and each provider publishes its own loss figure under FCA rules. You should consider whether you understand how they work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Automated and API trading can amplify losses through bugs, connectivity failures and runaway orders.
Rows are in name order. The order is not a ranking and nothing here recommends a broker. Not recorded here means this site holds no record to answer from. It does not mean the broker or platform lacks it.
How each answer is built
The answer is the record's own sentence about demo access, cut at the end of a sentence. The Yes, No or Partial beside it is a separate reading of that sentence, entered in the capability facts register only where its words settle it, with the reason on the capability's page. A demo of a platform that is not said to work with the API is partial. A sentence that settles nothing stays at not recorded.
29 of the 29 records below can answer this question. 5 of those answers rest on a record labelled unverified, 0 rest on sources that conflict, and no record is shown as not recorded here.
The state beside an answer is the cell the capability grid computes for the same record, shown as it stands there: Demo or sandbox. It is a separate reading of the record, decided by the rule on its own page.
Brokers
| Record | Answer from the record | Demo | Status, source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axi | Platform demo only: a free demo account on MetaTrader 4 or MetaTrader 5 with USD 50,000 in virtual funds, created in the Axi Client Portal, which expires after 30 consecutive days without a trade. | Partial | Demo account, Axi UKchecked |
| Bitget | Yes: demo trading with virtual funds. Switch the account to Demo mode on the website, create a Demo API key there, then send REST requests to the usual host with the header paptrading set to 1. WebSocket demo trading has its own addresses on wspap.bitget.com. | Yes | Bitget API quick start, Demo Tradingchecked |
| Capital.com | Yes: separate demo base URL. | Yes | Capital.com Public APIchecked |
| CMC Markets | Platform demo only: an MT4 demo account with GBP 10,000 of virtual funds, which stays open as long as you log in to MT4 at least once every 30 days. It is a demo of the platform, not of an API. | Partial | CMC Markets UK MetaTrader 4checked CMC Connect connectivitychecked |
| Deriv | Yes: the overview says each user gets a default demo account at signup, and there is a separate demo WebSocket endpoint. | Yes | Deriv API: API overviewchecked |
| Dukascopy | Partial: yes for the JForex API, where Dukascopy's wiki says every example program in the JForex SDK is written to run in demo mode and gives a separate connection address for live mode. | Partial | Dukascopy wiki, JForex SDK LIVE modechecked Dukascopy wiki, JForex SDK clientchecked |
| eToro | Yes: the environment is bound to the key when it is created, Demo or Real, and each key supports one environment only. | Yes | eToro Builders FAQchecked |
| Exness | Unverified. When the Exness API help article was read on 23 Sep 2026 it did not say whether a demo account can use the API. The article answered 403 Forbidden on 12 Oct 2026, so it could not be read again. | Not recordedunverified | UnverifiedExness API help article (did not open on 12 Oct 2026)checked |
| FOREX.com | Partial: the StoneX API documentation describes two environments, Live and Pre-Production, each with its own API and streaming address. | Partial | StoneX API documentation, Getting Startedchecked |
| FXCM | Yes: ForexConnect connects to demo and real Trading Station accounts. | Yes | GitHub fxcm/ForexConnectAPIchecked |
| FxPro | Unverified. The platform comparison page carried an Open Demo Account button when read on 21 Sep 2026, which is a platform demo and says nothing about an API. The page answered 403 Forbidden on 12 Oct 2026, so it could not be read again. | Partialunverified | UnverifiedFxPro platform comparison (did not open on 12 Oct 2026)checked |
| IG | Partial: demo API works, but no key from a standalone demo account unless it is linked to a live account. | Partial | How to use IG APIchecked IG Labs FAQ: the demo and live base addresses, and the demo key rulechecked IG REST trading API guide: examples on the demo hostchecked |
| Interactive Brokers | Partial: paper trading accounts are supported and the Web API is logged in to with a separate paper username; demo accounts cannot subscribe to data. | Partial | IBKR Web API documentation, using a paper accountchecked IBKR Web API v1.0 documentation, requirements and limitationschecked |
| OANDA | Yes: fxTrade Practice environment with its own token. | Yes | OANDA Development Guidechecked |
| Pepperstone | Partial: Pepperstone's API trading page says an account holder who meets the 160 million euro monthly volume can request access to a FIX demo environment, to test a FIX integration before going live. No demo or sandbox is stated for the Standard API. | Partial | Pepperstone API tradingchecked |
| Saxo | Yes: SIM environment; 24 hour portal tokens work in SIM only. | Yes | Saxo Environmentschecked |
| Swissquote | Yes: the FAQ on Swissquote's institutional securities API page says a demo environment is offered to validate an API integration. | Yes | Swissquote institutional, securities and cryptos via an APIchecked Swissquote UK, forex and CFD platformschecked |
| ThinkMarkets | Unverified. The UK site showed a Try demo button and a Demo Account option when read on 21 Sep 2026, which is a platform demo and says nothing about an API. The site answered 403 Forbidden on 12 Oct 2026, so it could not be read again. | Partialunverified | UnverifiedThinkMarkets UK (did not open on 12 Oct 2026)checked |
| Tickmill | No: Tickmill's FAQ says there is no demo version of its FIX API connection. The demo account on its site is a platform demo for MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 with virtual funds, which expires after 7 days without a login attempt. | No | Tickmill FAQ: FIX API connectionchecked Tickmill UK demo accountchecked |
| Trading 212 | Yes: the docs name a paper trading (demo) environment on its own host, demo.trading212.com, beside the live host. Documented paths start /api/v0 on both. | Yes | Trading 212 API docs: API environmentschecked Trading 212 API docs: accountschecked |
| XTB | No. | No | XTB help centre: Does XTB offer investment automation tools?checked |
Platform APIs
| Record | Answer from the record | Demo | Status, source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| cTrader | Yes: separate demo endpoint; demo and live environments are fully separated. | Yes | Proxies and endpointschecked |
| DXtrade | No trader demo from Devexperts: the demo on the DXtrade website is for brokers and prop firms to trial the software. Ask your broker for a demo account. | No | DXtrade: Traders FAQchecked |
| Match-Trader | Unverified. Match-Trade's Platform API page, re-read 12 Oct 2026, links a Try demo platform at demo.match-trader.com. | Partialunverified | UnverifiedMatch-Trader Platform APIchecked |
| MetaApi | Yes: MetaApi's FAQ says you can add a demo MetaTrader account to the service to try it without real trades, or give the investor password for read only access. | Yes | MetaApi documentation, FAQchecked |
| MetaCopier | Unverified. The MetaCopier documentation pages opened on 12 Oct 2026 (the REST API, SDK, access policy and Socket API pages) describe no demo or sandbox environment and do not say whether a demo trading account can be connected. | Not recordedunverified | UnverifiedMetaCopier documentation, REST APIchecked |
| MetaTrader 4 | Yes: demo accounts can be opened from within the terminal. | Yes | Opening of accounts (MT4 help)checked |
| MetaTrader 5 | Yes: demo accounts can be opened from within the terminal. | Yes | Opening an account (MT5 help)checked |
| TradeLocker | Yes: separate demo environment at demo.tradelocker.com. | Yes | Getting Started with TradeLocker Public APIchecked |
Where to go next
- Demo accounts: every record's full wording
- Demo or sandbox: the capability table
- Demo versus live
- Answers for every broker and platform API
- Which retail brokers have a public trading API?
- What are the rate limits of each broker API?
- How does each broker API authenticate?
- Which broker APIs stream prices?
- Which broker APIs have an official Python library?
- Which broker APIs have an MCP server?
- What does each API's most referenced error mean?