TradingSim is well-built, well-regarded replay software, and for the trader it is aimed at, it is worth the money. But if you arrived here as a forex trader, there is one fact that settles the question before price ever comes up: TradingSim does not cover spot forex. Here is the full picture, and what to use instead if you trade currencies.
Most reviews lead with features. For this product the useful information is what it replays, because that single fact disqualifies it for a large share of the people searching for it.
As advertised on tradingsim.com on 17 August 2026, TradingSim covers three markets:
None of this is a flaw. TradingSim is an equities-first product and is honest about it. It only becomes a problem when a forex trader buys it on the strength of a review that never mentioned the distinction.
Read from the vendor's own pricing on 17 August 2026:
| Tier | Monthly | Annual | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | $79 / month | $396 / year | 2 years of replay history |
| Premium | $89 / month | $449 / year | 5 years of history, tick & second charts, Level 2 data |
A free trial is available. Annual billing is the sane choice if you commit — the monthly rate is roughly double the annualised cost, which is a strong nudge and worth noticing rather than resenting.
The tier decision is really about Level 2 and tick data. For an intraday equities trader reading order flow, Level 2 replay is close to the entire point of the product, and Premium is the only tier that has it. For swing trading on daily bars, Pro is plenty and the extra three years of history matters more than the depth-of-market feed.
Put in context: $449 a year is meaningfully more than a one-time desktop backtester such as Soft4FX at $109 plus tax, and it never stops. What you are renting is the data feed and the Level 2 replay, which genuinely cannot be bought once.
| You are… | Verdict |
|---|---|
| A day trader of US equities | Buy it. This is the product's home ground. |
| Trading small caps and momentum | Buy Premium. Level 2 replay is the reason. |
| Learning order flow and tape reading | Buy Premium. Almost nothing else replays depth. |
| Trading futures contracts | Consider it. Coverage is real, if secondary to equities. |
| A spot forex trader | Do not buy. Your market is not in it. |
| Practising price action on currency pairs | Do not buy. Use a free forex replay tool. |
| Unsure whether you will stick with trading | Do not buy yet. Prove the habit on something free. |
If you are here because you wanted replay practice on currencies, FXAbsolute covers what TradingSim does not: 28,412,683 one-minute bars across 15 forex, index and crypto instruments from 2021 to 2026, replayed bar by bar in a browser with drawing tools, limit orders, an automatic trade journal and live statistics. No account, no download, no subscription.
Where each one genuinely wins:
| TradingSim | FXAbsolute | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $396 – $449 / year | Free |
| Spot forex | No | Yes |
| US equities | 10,000+ symbols | No |
| Level 2 / order flow | Yes (Premium) | No |
| Tick & second charts | Yes (Premium) | No — one-minute base |
| History depth | 2–5 years | 5 years (2021–2026) |
| Account required | Yes | No |
| Coding-agent access | No | Yes — MCP server |
These are not really rivals — they serve different markets, and TradingSim's Level 2 replay is something we do not attempt. If you trade US equities intraday, pay for it. If you trade currencies, no amount of quality in an equities simulator makes it the right tool.
As shown on tradingsim.com on 17 August 2026: Pro is $79 per month or $396 per year, and Premium is $89 per month or $449 per year. Premium adds five years of replay history instead of two, plus tick and second charts and Level 2 data. A free trial is available.
Not spot forex. TradingSim covers US equities, futures and crypto. You can trade currency exposure through futures contracts, but that is a different instrument from spot forex with different tick sizes, sessions and expiries. For spot forex replay, a free alternative is FXAbsolute.
For an intraday US equities trader, yes — particularly on Premium, where historical Level 2 and time-and-sales replay is something very few simulators offer. For a spot forex trader it is not worth it at any price, because the market is not covered.
Pro at $79 per month includes two years of replay history. Premium at $89 per month includes five years, plus tick and second charts and Level 2 depth-of-market data. The ten-dollar gap makes Premium the obvious choice for anyone trading intraday.
For forex, FXAbsolute at fxabsolute.com is free with no account and replays 28,412,683 one-minute bars across 15 forex, index and crypto instruments from 2021 to 2026. It does not offer Level 2 data or US equities, so it is a replacement only if currencies are what you trade.
Yes. Pre-market and post-market sessions are included in the replay, which matters for equities strategies built around gaps and extended-hours moves.
FXAbsolute replays five years of real one-minute currency data bar by bar in your browser — no account, no download, no subscription.
Open FXAbsolute →