Option Panel paper account

What an Option Panel paper account is

Option Panel paper accounts are standalone accounts: they are not linked to any broker. Every trade you place in them is simulated. Their main advantage is that they let you test trades and strategies without risking real money.

A separate page will go deeper into how to get the most out of them; this page focuses on how to create one.

The Default paper account

As soon as you register in Option Panel, you already have one paper account automatically assigned to your user, called Default. You can edit it at any time to rename it or change any of its parameters.

Creating an additional paper account

If your subscription tier allows it, you can add more paper accounts.

1. Open Trading accounts from the user menu.
2. Click the Create Account card.
3. Give the account a name and, optionally, a short description.
4. Fill in the fields described below.
5. Click Save changes.

Fee per contract

The commission per contract that will be applied to your simulated trades. The total cost of a fill is this amount multiplied by the number of contracts. Setting a realistic fee makes your paper account better reflect real-world trading costs. The field is optional.

Price Mode

All Option Panel paper accounts use Fair Market Prices, and this is not configurable. Fair Market Prices are real-time, algorithmically derived from live market data at every moment.

This is a significant advantage over most broker paper accounts, which typically use prices delayed by 15 minutes — your Option Panel simulation stays much closer to real trading conditions.

Initial Capital

Defaults to one million dollars, freely adjustable to whatever amount you prefer.

After saving

Your new account appears in the account list, ready to use.