The best paper-trading app for competing with friends is one that's free, starts everyone on an equal balance, ranks you on a shared leaderboard, and runs recurring competitions so there's always a fresh contest to enter. Rather than crown a single winner, this guide lays out the criteria that actually matter for playing with friends — then explains where Alinda fits.
The criteria that matter for competing with friends
A great solo simulator isn't automatically a great one for a group. Head-to-head play adds requirements that a single-player practice tool doesn't have. Here's what to weigh.
1. Free to join
If anyone in your group has to pay or fund an account, half your friends won't show up. The best option for a group is free to sign up and free to compete, with no deposit and no credit card. Nothing about the game requires real money, so nothing should cost real money to play.
2. Fair, fixed starting balances
Fairness is the whole game. If one person starts with more virtual cash than another, the leaderboard measures budget, not skill. Look for competitions where everyone begins with the same fixed balance over the same period — that's what makes the ranking mean something.
3. A shared leaderboard
Bragging rights need a scoreboard. A public leaderboard that ranks everyone by return turns a bunch of separate practice accounts into an actual competition. Without it, you're just comparing screenshots.
4. Recurring competitions
A one-off game gets stale, and whoever's behind has no way to come back. Recurring contests — say, a monthly reset — give everyone a clean slate on a schedule, so a bad run isn't permanent and there's always a new race to join.
5. Stocks and crypto
Groups have mixed interests. An app that covers both US stocks and crypto lets stock people and crypto people compete in the same contest instead of splitting up.
6. Easy sign-up and sharing
Friction kills group activities. Quick sign-up (no brokerage paperwork, no identity verification, no funding step) and an easy way to see each other on the board make the difference between "everyone's in by tonight" and "we'll do it eventually."
7. Read-only public portfolios
Half the fun is peeking at how a friend is winning. Portfolios that others can view but not alter let you learn from each other and trash-talk with evidence — while keeping each person's account safe.
The landscape: what kinds of tools exist
When people search for a paper-trading app to use with friends, the options generally fall into a few broad categories. We're describing the category shapes here, not making specific claims about individual products — features and pricing change, so verify any particular app yourself before you rely on it.
| Category | Typical strength | Typical trade-off for group play |
|---|---|---|
| Broker paper-trading tools | Realistic order types tied to a real brokerage | Often built for solo practice, not friend-vs-friend leaderboards |
| Dedicated stock-market games | Designed around contests and scoring | Vary widely in cost, asset coverage, and how contests are run |
| General portfolio trackers | Good for watching real holdings | Not built to simulate trades or run competitions at all |
The takeaway isn't that one category is "best" — it's that competing with friends specifically rewards the tools built around fair, recurring, leaderboard-driven contests. Judge any candidate against the seven criteria above.
Where Alinda fits
Alinda is a free paper-trading app built around exactly this use case — competing with friends. Its Seasons feature is a monthly competition designed to be fair by construction:
- Equal footing. Every entrant starts a season with the same fixed balance.
- A public leaderboard. Everyone is ranked by return over the season.
- Monthly reset. Each season is a fresh race, so nobody's stuck behind a bad month — and when a season ends it's frozen but stays viewable, so results are preserved.
- Stocks and crypto. Both are in the same simulator, so mixed-interest groups compete together.
- Fast, free sign-up. No deposit, no brokerage account, no real money anywhere.
- Read-only public portfolios. Friends can view each other's public portfolios without being able to change them.
That combination maps directly onto the criteria that matter for group play. For a deeper look at how the contests work, see stock trading competition.
How to run a competition with your friends
You don't need much to get a group going:
- Everyone signs up free on Alinda.
- Join the current season — each person gets the same starting balance.
- Trade over the month using stocks, crypto, or both.
- Watch the leaderboard to see who's ahead.
- Compare public portfolios to learn (and talk trash) with evidence.
- Reset next month and run it back.
Because it's simulated, the stakes are pride, not money — which is exactly what makes it easy to get everyone to play.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best paper-trading app for competing with friends?
The best one for a group is free, starts everyone on an equal fixed balance, ranks players on a shared leaderboard, and runs recurring competitions. Judge any app against those criteria. Alinda is purpose-built for monthly seasons with friends and meets all of them.
Is a paper-trading competition free to play?
It should be. There's no real money in paper trading, so competing shouldn't cost anything. Alinda's seasons are free — see pricing for the optional Pro tier.
Do we all need brokerage accounts?
No. A paper-trading app doesn't place real orders, so there's no brokerage account, funding, or identity check required. That's a big reason it's easy to get a whole group started quickly.
Can we compete on both stocks and crypto?
Yes, if the app supports both. Alinda covers US stocks and crypto in the same simulator, so friends with different interests can compete in the same season.
How do fixed starting balances keep it fair?
When everyone begins with the same virtual cash over the same period, the leaderboard reflects trading decisions rather than who started with more. That equal footing is what makes the ranking meaningful.
Start a season with your friends
If you want a fair, free, recurring way to compete, gather your group on Alinda, join the current monthly season, and let the leaderboard settle who's really the best trader — all with simulated money, so the only thing at stake is bragging rights. New to the idea? Start with what is paper trading, or visit help with any questions.
Alinda is a paper-trading simulator that uses simulated (fake) money — no real funds are ever at risk. Market data is delayed. This article is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not investment advice.