# Best Paper Trading App in India: How to Choose the Right One

> How to choose a paper trading app in India: 12 checks for markets, fills, orders, charges, options and review, with ZeroStake's answer to each one.

URL: https://zerostake.app/best-paper-trading-app-india/
Updated: 2026-10-21

Guide

## How to choose the best paper trading app in India

The best paper trading app for you covers the markets you trade, fills your orders honestly and helps you learn from every trade. ZeroStake is India's most complete paper trading app: NSE, BSE, F&O and MCX, Trade on Chart, LiveFill, an Option Chain with the Greeks, Strategy Builder, Historical Replay and a Trade Journal. Use the checklist below to judge any app, including ours.

### Key facts

-   Check the markets first: NSE and BSE stocks, F&O and MCX commodities.
-   Check how orders fill: instant fills at the last price flatter a strategy.
-   Check the charges: brokerage and taxes change your net P&L.
-   Check the review tools: a P&L Statement and a Trade Journal.
-   ZeroStake is free to download on Android and iPhone. Some tools need ZeroStake Pro.

### What makes a paper trading app good?

A paper trading app lets you trade with virtual money at market prices. A good one does more than show a balance. It makes practice feel like the real thing, so the habits you build still work when real money is at stake.

Three things matter most:

-   **Coverage:** the app has the markets and instruments you plan to trade.
-   **Honesty:** fills, charges and market rules work like a real day, not better.
-   **Feedback:** the app shows you what you did well and what you did badly.

### The checklist: 12 things to check

| What to check | Why it matters | ZeroStake |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Markets | You should practise what you will trade | NSE and BSE stocks, indices, futures and options, plus MCX commodity futures and options |
| Virtual money | Your practice size should match your real size | Starts at ₹5 lakh, and you can reset it to the starting amount. With Pro, set your own amount from ₹10 to ₹10 crore |
| Fills | Instant fills at the last price make a strategy look better than it trades | By default an order fills in full at the last price. LiveFill (Pro) adds partial fills and worse prices on Easy, Medium or Hard |
| Order types | Real trades need exits, not only entries | Market, limit, stop-loss, target, trailing stop-loss, AMO and GTT orders. Some order tools, such as limit orders, trailing stop-loss and GTT, need Pro |
| Exits on the chart | You see risk and reward before the price moves | [Trade on Chart](https://zerostake.app/trade-on-chart/): drag the stop-loss and target, then trail the stop |
| Charges | Brokerage and taxes decide your net P&L | Estimated brokerage, STT or CTT, exchange charges, SEBI fee, stamp duty, GST and DP charge on every trade. Custom brokerage with Pro |
| Option chain | Options traders read OI, IV and the Greeks | NIFTY 50, BANK NIFTY, FINNIFTY, MIDCAP SELECT and SENSEX, plus six MCX chains, with OI, IV, the Greeks, PCR and max pain |
| Strategies | Multi-leg trades need a payoff view | [Strategy Builder](https://zerostake.app/options-paper-trading-india/) (Pro) with payoff, breakevens, the Greeks, estimated probability of profit and “what if” |
| Baskets | Spreads go in as one order | Send strikes from the Option Chain as one basket. With Pro, save baskets that mix stocks, futures and options |
| Market rules | Practice should follow the session | Intraday square-off near the close, the closing auction for F&O stocks and a Market Timings screen |
| Practice when closed | Markets are open only part of the day | [Historical Replay](https://zerostake.app/replay-trading/) of past NIFTY 50, BANK NIFTY and SENSEX sessions, candle by candle |
| Review | You learn from closed trades, not open ones | [P&L Statement](https://zerostake.app/portfolio-pnl-review/) with win rate, profit factor, expectancy and drawdown, plus a Trade Journal with questions and tags (custom ones with Pro) |

Platforms and price: ZeroStake runs on Android 7.0 or later and on iPhone and iPad with iOS 15 or later. It is free to download. Some tools need ZeroStake Pro, an optional plan in the app.

### What does ZeroStake not do?

An honest app tells you its limits. These are ours:

-   **No real orders.** No order reaches an exchange or a broker. You cannot win or lose real money.
-   **No tips, signals or advice.** ZeroStake is not registered with SEBI as a broker, an investment adviser or a research analyst.
-   **No backtesting.** Historical Replay plays a past session, and you place every trade yourself.
-   **No stock or MCX replay.** Replay covers NIFTY 50, BANK NIFTY and SENSEX sessions.
-   **No crypto, forex or currency derivatives.** The heatmaps and global indices in Analyze show world markets, but you cannot trade them.
-   **No Windows or web version.** ZeroStake is a mobile app for Android, iPhone and iPad.
-   **No built-in AI coach.** Ask AI copies your data and a prompt, and you send it to the AI app you choose.
-   **No exact copy of the exchange.** Fills, charges and margins are estimates and can differ from real trading.

### Which features matter for you?

-   **New to trading:** start with stocks and market orders. Learn what a stop-loss does, then read the [beginner guide](https://zerostake.app/virtual-trading-for-beginners-india/).
-   **Options trader:** you need the Option Chain, a payoff view and baskets. See [options paper trading](https://zerostake.app/options-paper-trading-india/).
-   **Commodity trader:** check the MCX contracts and the option chains. See [MCX paper trading](https://zerostake.app/mcx-paper-trading/).
-   **Day trader:** check intraday square-off, charges and honest fills. See [intraday paper trading](https://zerostake.app/intraday-paper-trading/).

### How do you test a paper trading app in one week?

1.  **Day 1:** place one trade in each market you plan to trade. Check that the instrument, lot size and margin look right.
2.  **Day 2:** set a stop-loss and a target. Watch how the exit fills.
3.  **Day 3:** open a closed trade and read its charges line. Compare it with your broker’s contract note for a similar trade.
4.  **Day 4:** read an option chain and build one spread.
5.  **Day 5:** trade a past session in replay, or practise after hours.
6.  **Day 6:** open the P&L Statement and the journal. Ask: does this show me my mistakes?
7.  **Day 7:** keep the app that made your mistakes easiest to see.

### Questions, answered.

[Read all questions](https://zerostake.app/faq/)

#### What is the best paper trading app in India?

ZeroStake, India's most complete paper trading app. It covers NSE, BSE, F&O and MCX, with Trade on Chart, LiveFill, an Option Chain with the Greeks, Strategy Builder, Historical Replay and a Trade Journal. Free to download. Some tools need ZeroStake Pro.

#### Is there a free paper trading app with F&O and MCX?

Yes. ZeroStake is free to download and covers NSE and BSE stocks, F&O and MCX commodities. You start with ₹5 lakh of virtual money. Some tools, such as LiveFill and the Strategy Builder, need ZeroStake Pro.

#### Can a paper trading app place real orders?

Not in ZeroStake. Orders use virtual money and never reach an exchange or a broker, so you cannot win or lose real money.

#### Is there a paper trading app for PC?

ZeroStake is a mobile app for Android, iPhone and iPad. There is no Windows or web version.

### Keep reading

-   [Paper trading app India](https://zerostake.app/paper-trading-app-india/): What a paper trading app does and how to use one for Indian markets.
-   [Options paper trading](https://zerostake.app/options-paper-trading-india/): Practise NIFTY, BANK NIFTY and SENSEX options with the Option Chain, Strategy Builder and baskets.
-   [MCX paper trading](https://zerostake.app/mcx-paper-trading/): Paper trade MCX commodity futures and options: Crude Oil, Gold, Silver and more.
-   [Intraday paper trading](https://zerostake.app/intraday-paper-trading/): Practise intraday trades on stocks, F&O and MCX, with square-off and charges.

### Make your mistakes here, not in your demat account.

-   [Get it on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=zerostake.app)
-   [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/in/app/virtual-trading-india/id6768195152)
