Demos are useful. They are also incomplete. You should still open one — preferably two — before you fund. Just do not treat a green demo equity curve as evidence.
What a demo is good for
- Platform fit: MT4, MT5, cTrader, or web.
- Order types: stop, limit, guaranteed stop if offered.
- Whether you can actually find margin, swap, and history.
What it hides
Live books gap. Spreads widen at news. Fills slip. A demo server can be generous. Your own behaviour also changes when the loss is real — that is not a software bug.
Withdrawals never happen on a demo. If the live process is slow or the method you used to deposit is blocked on the way out, the demo did not warn you.
A practical sequence
Demo two firms. Compare tickets. Read the entity on the live application. Send a small test, then try a small withdrawal before you scale. Our FAQs and risk disclaimer are blunt on purpose: leveraged products can result in the loss of your capital.