The paper trading app
for Indian markets.
No card. No broker account. Virtual capital on live NSE data.
01
Create strategy with AI
~2 min
02
Backtest it
~30 sec
03
Paper trade
2–4 weeks
04
Deploy live
Ongoing
In short
INDfolio AI is a paper trading app for Indian markets: it runs your strategy on live NSE prices — equity, futures, options and indices — with virtual capital, through the same execution engine, fill logic and risk checks used for live deployment. It starts free (one paper strategy, no card, no broker account needed), runs in the cloud with your laptop closed, and when live results confirm the backtest, the same strategy deploys to any of 7 SEBI-registered brokers in one click.
- Free plan — one paper strategy included
- ₹0 Free plan — one paper strategy included
- NSE prices, not delayed or end-of-day
- Live NSE prices, not delayed or end-of-day
- Brokers ready when you go live
- 7 Brokers ready when you go live
- From paper trading to live orders
- 1 click From paper trading to live orders
What you get
Virtual trading that behaves like the real thing
Live NSE market data
Your strategy reacts to actual NSE prices in real time — equity, futures, options and indices — not delayed quotes or end-of-day replays.
Virtual capital, real discipline
Set a starting balance and position sizes. Entries, stops, targets and square-off all execute as they would with real money.
Same engine as live trading
Paper and live share one execution engine. The strategy that paper trades is byte-for-byte the strategy that later deploys.
Runs in the cloud
Paper strategies keep trading with your laptop off, with alerts for every entry, exit and risk event on paid plans.
Risk controls rehearsed
Daily loss caps, position limits and auto square-off are enforced in paper exactly as they will be live — so go-live holds no surprises.
Results beside the backtest
Live paper P&L, orders and positions render next to the original backtest, so you can see whether reality matches the simulation.
The difference
Practice apps rehearse you. INDfolio AI rehearses your strategy.
Most virtual trading apps in India are built for manual practice — excellent for learning order types and building chart discipline. If what you want to test is an automated strategy, the rehearsal has to run on the same engine that will trade live, or the results don’t carry over.
| What matters | Typical virtual trading apps | INDfolio AI paper trading |
|---|---|---|
| What you rehearse | Your clicks — manual practice trades | Your strategy — automated rules running unattended |
| Fills and timing | Simulated by a separate practice engine | Same engine, fill logic and risk checks as live deployment |
| When it runs | Only while you have the app open | In the cloud, through every session, laptop closed |
| Risk controls | Rarely part of the simulation | Loss caps, position limits and auto square-off, exactly as live |
| Path to real trading | Re-place each trade yourself in a broker app | One click — the identical strategy starts routing orders to your broker |
| Cost to start | Often free | Free plan with one paper strategy; paid plans from ₹999/month incl. GST |
Practising discretionary trading by hand? A manual simulator may fit you better — our round-up of paper trading apps in India compares the options honestly, including where INDfolio AI is not the right tool.
What is a paper trading app?
A paper trading app lets you trade with virtual money on real market prices, so you can test a strategy or practise execution without financial risk. In India that means live NSE data, real lot sizes, real market hours and intraday square-off rules — everything about the market is real except the capital. It is the dress rehearsal between a good backtest and real money.
How do you start paper trading in India?
- 1
Describe your strategy
Type the rules in plain English — or assemble them in the visual builder. The AI turns them into an executable strategy in about two minutes.
- 2
Backtest it first
Run it against years of NSE history with the full Indian cost stack, so only ideas that survived the past graduate to the present.
- 3
Paper trade on live NSE data
Start it with virtual capital. It trades every session from the cloud while you watch live P&L, orders and positions beside the backtest.
- 4
Go live in one click
When a few weeks of paper results confirm the backtest’s character, connect your broker and flip the same strategy live — nothing is rebuilt.
Can you paper trade options and futures?
Yes — and for F&O strategies the rehearsal matters most. NIFTY, BANKNIFTY and stock options run with strike selection logic, real lot sizes and expiry handling; futures with lot-size-aware position sizing. Expiry-day behaviour, opening volatility and whether your entry time actually has liquidity are exactly the things a backtest glosses over and paper trading exposes. Coverage is NSE only — equity, futures, options and indices; MCX commodities, forex and crypto are not supported.
What paper trading proves — and what it cannot
Paper trading proves a strategy is executable today: signals fire when expected, the instrument is liquid at your entry time, risk controls trigger where you set them, and live behaviour matches the backtest’s character. It cannot prove profitability to the last basis point — virtual fills never model real slippage and partial fills completely, on any platform. Expect live results slightly worse than paper, and treat paper trading as one stage in a validation sequence: backtest, Monte Carlo, paper trade, then deploy small.
Pricing
How much does paper trading cost?
Free
₹0
One paper strategy on live NSE data, AI + visual builders, backtesting on 3 years of NSE history. No card required.
Trader
₹999/mo
Five concurrent paper strategies, full NSE history with the Indian cost model, live deployment to one broker. GST included.
Pro
₹2,499/mo
Unlimited paper strategies, walk-forward analysis, live deployment across all supported brokers. GST included.
Paid plans carry a 7-day trial. Full details on the pricing page.
Last updated: · Facts verified against the live product.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free paper trading app for Indian markets?
Yes. INDfolio AI’s free forever plan includes one paper trading strategy on live NSE data, plus the AI and visual strategy builders and backtesting on 3 years of NSE history. No card and no broker account are required to start.
Do I need a broker or demat account to paper trade?
No. Paper trading uses virtual capital, so you only need a free INDfolio AI account. A broker connection is needed only when you decide to deploy the strategy live.
Which market data does the paper trading run on?
Live NSE market data — the same feed the live execution engine uses. Fills are simulated against real prices in real time, respecting NSE market hours, lot sizes and intraday square-off.
Can I paper trade options and futures in India?
Yes. NIFTY, BANKNIFTY and stock options with strike selection logic, plus index and stock futures — all with real NSE lot sizes and expiry handling. MCX commodities, forex and crypto are not supported.
How long should I paper trade before going live?
Long enough to see the strategy’s character confirmed — typically a few weeks or a meaningful number of trades. You are checking that live behaviour matches the backtest: similar win rate, similar drawdown, no operational surprises.
What is the difference between paper trading and backtesting?
A backtest replays the past and asks “would this have worked?”; paper trading runs in the present and asks “does this work now, with today’s liquidity and spreads?”. Both are necessary, and neither substitutes for the other.
Will live results match my paper trading results?
Expect live results to be slightly worse than paper. Virtual fills cannot fully replicate real slippage and partial fills — no simulator’s can. Paper trading proves a strategy is executable and behaving as designed; only live trading proves the last few basis points.
Paper trade your first strategy today
The free plan includes one paper strategy on live NSE data — no card, no broker account required.