The IC Markets demo account in four numbers.

The IC Markets demo account in four numbers.

An IC Markets demo account is free, uses virtual money, and gives you IC's live prices on MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 or cTrader. According to IC's Help Centre, a demo only expires after 30 days of inactivity, so it stays open for as long as you keep using it. The sign-up form asks only for your country, name, email and a password, and you don't need to deposit or upload documents.

A demo is the cheapest way to learn IC's platforms, compare its Standard and Raw pricing on your own trades, and test an expert advisor before real money is involved. It also has limits that matter, and IC is candid about them.

CostFree
ExpiryAfter 30 days of inactivity (IC Help Centre)
PlatformsMT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView via cTrader
Virtual fundsTop up any time from the Client Area
Verification neededNo
Same as live?No: demos aren't connected to IC's live trading environment

How to open an IC Markets demo account

  1. Go to ic.com and choose Try a Free Demo. The sign-up form asks for your country of residence, first and last name, email address and a password for IC's client portal.
  2. Create the demo trading account from the portal, picking the platform you want to practise on: MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 or cTrader. Choose cTrader if you want to trade from TradingView later.
  3. Mirror the account you plan to use live: Standard for commission-free pricing, or Raw Spread for raw spreads plus commission.
  4. Log in to the platform with the demo account's login details, on desktop, mobile or in your browser.

Existing IC clients don't need to register again. The Help Centre says you can open additional demo accounts from the Client Area, next to your live ones. If you have applied for a live account and are waiting for approval, IC says you can already trade a TradingView demo in the meantime.

Does an IC Markets demo account expire?

Yes, but only if you leave it alone. IC's Help Centre states that demo accounts expire after 30 days of inactivity. Log in and trade at least once a month and the account stays open. If one lapses, open a new demo from the Client Area; you lose the history but nothing else.

Export your demo trade history every few weeks (in MetaTrader, right-click the Account History tab and save a report). It is your record of whether a strategy works, and it disappears with an expired demo.

How to add virtual funds to your demo

Running a demo down to zero is common while learning. The Help Centre explains the fix: open Account Summary under Accounts in the Client Area, scroll to the Demo Accounts section, and click Add Funds, the green dollar icon at the end of the account row.

A better habit is to set the balance to what you really intend to deposit. Practising on $100,000 teaches you to place trades that would be reckless on a $1,000 live account. If you plan to start with $500, practise with $500, at the leverage and lot sizes you would use for real.

Demo vs live: what changes at IC

IC is direct about the gap. Its Help Centre says demo accounts are mainly for learning the platform and "we do not guarantee that the performance of a demo account will be the same as that of a live account as our demo accounts are not connected to our live trading environment."

Demo accountLive account
PricesIC's price feedIC's price feed
Order fillsSimulatedReal execution; slippage possible in fast markets
Money at riskNoneYour deposit
Swaps and commissionShown in the platformCharged to your balance
EmotionsLow pressureFear and greed affect decisions
ExpiryAfter 30 days without useNo expiry and no inactivity fee

The last row matters for anyone who takes breaks. A live IC account never charges an inactivity fee, according to the Help Centre, while a demo closes after a month idle.

Get the most from your IC demo

  • Try both pricing models. Open a Standard demo and a Raw Spread demo and place the same trades on each for a week. Compare the cost in the history.
  • Test your EA properly. Run expert advisors on a demo for several weeks across news events, then check how they behave around IC's Higher Margin Requirement periods, when leverage for new trades is reduced.
  • Learn the platform's order types. Stops, limits, trailing stops and partial closes work differently on MT4, MT5 and cTrader.
  • Keep a written plan. Record entry, stop, target and reason for every trade. The notes are worth more than the balance.

When the record shows consistent rules followed over at least a month, a small live account is the next step. Our IC Markets minimum deposit guide suggests sensible first amounts, and our forex demo account comparison shows how IC's demo compares with other brokers.

Can't log in to your IC demo? Common fixes

Most demo login problems have one of three causes, according to IC's Help Centre. Your account may have expired after 30 days without use, in which case you simply open a new one from the Client Area. Wrong login details are the second cause: the account number, password and server are all in the email IC sent when the demo was created, and you can also find them in the Client Area.

The third cause is the server. An "invalid account" message usually means the username or password is incorrect, or that the wrong server is selected in the platform's login box. Demo and live accounts use different servers, so check you haven't picked a live server for a demo login. If an expert advisor on your demo isn't placing trades, make sure the Expert Advisors button in MetaTrader is switched on; the platform blocks automated trading until you enable it.

Treat the demo like a flight simulator, not a game. Set it up with the balance and leverage you will really use, trade your plan for a month, and only then decide if you are ready to fund a live account.
Abir KhanWriter, FX Recap
Illustrative case: Mateo, 24, Guadalajara

Mateo opened a $10,000 IC demo on MT5 and doubled it in three weeks trading 2-lot positions on gold. When he opened a live account with $300, the same approach wiped out half of it in two trades. He reset his demo to $300, cut his size to 0.01 lots and traded it for six weeks before going live again. His second live month finished slightly positive, with every loss under $5.

Frequently asked

Is the IC Markets demo account free?

Yes. IC's demo accounts are free and use virtual money, so you can't lose real funds. You don't need to deposit or upload identity documents to open one.

How long does an IC Markets demo account last?

IC's Help Centre says demo accounts expire only after 30 days of inactivity. As long as you log in and trade at least once a month, the demo stays open.

Can I add more money to my IC demo account?

Yes. In the Client Area, go to Account Summary under Accounts, find the Demo Accounts section and click Add Funds (the green dollar icon) on the account row.

Can I use TradingView with an IC demo?

IC's TradingView integration runs through cTrader, so open a cTrader demo account and connect it to TradingView to practise from its charts.

Is an IC demo the same as a live account?

No. The prices are IC's, but IC says its demo accounts are not connected to its live trading environment, so fills and results can differ from a live account. Use a demo to learn the platform and test a strategy, then expect some differences live.

Can existing IC clients open another demo?

Yes. Existing clients can open additional demo accounts from their Client Area without registering again.