Where students build market instinct you can grade — the classroom Investopedia simulator alternative
A consumer stock game keeps one student busy; it doesn't teach your room. MockXMarket puts you in front of the market — you inject the news, set the pace, and watch a class feel a margin call together in a single period — then hand back per-student analytics you can defend in a grade dispute. Flat from $99/month, nothing billed per student.
Instructor controls · Live leaderboard · From $99/month flat
Consumer simulator vs. classroom platform
Comparison based on publicly available information as of June 2026. Investopedia is a trademark of its respective owner; MockXMarket is not affiliated with or endorsed by it.
| Consumer stock simulators (e.g. Investopedia) | MockXMarket | |
|---|---|---|
| Designed for | Individual self-learners | Instructor-led classes |
| Instructor controls | Not the focus | Pace, news injection, start/stop |
| Class leaderboard | Personal rankings | Live, projector-ready |
| Grading & analytics | Basic returns | Sharpe, max drawdown, equity curve, grade |
| Asset classes | Mostly equities (+ some options) | 9 incl. FX, futures, crypto |
| Time-compressed sessions | Real-time only | Full market in one class |
| Ads | Often ad-supported | None |
What it changes in your classroom
The lesson lands while it's fresh
A multi-day market plays out in one class period, so you debrief the decisions students just made — not last week's. You control start, pause, and pace; the news shock you inject becomes the thing you discuss.
A class period students actually care about
One shared, projector-ready leaderboard turns the hour into a live event the room competes in together — not 30 strangers logging into a public website on their own time.
Intuition that transfers past the final
Students live through leverage, hedging, and a real margin call with options (Greeks) and posted-margin futures — the market instinct that shows up on the exam and on the desk, not just a buy-and-hold high score.
Grade on evidence you can defend
Each student finishes with per-student Sharpe, max drawdown, and an equity curve that map straight onto a rubric — a grade that holds up in a dispute, not a screenshot of a leaderboard.
For finance professors: from stock game to graded assignment
A consumer simulator is a fine place for a curious student to practice, but it leaves the instructor out of the loop. There is no way to pace the market for a lesson, to engineer the event you want to discuss, or to see — let alone grade — how each student actually reasoned. That gap is exactly what turns a "stock game" into busywork rather than coursework.
MockXMarket closes it by putting the professor in control. You run a live session, inject the news that creates the teachable moment, and finish with per-student analytics — Sharpe, max drawdown, and an equity curve — that map cleanly onto a rubric. The result is an assignment you can defend in a grade dispute, not a screenshot of a leaderboard. Our guide on running a simulation in class includes a sample grading breakdown, and our assignment-ideas guide pairs each scenario with a gradeable deliverable.
Turn a stock game into coursework that counts
Give your class one vivid market they live through together — and walk away with a grade you can stand behind. Set up in minutes, no IT; nine asset classes, one leaderboard, flat pricing.
Get started free →Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between the Investopedia simulator and MockXMarket?
The Investopedia simulator is a consumer stock game. MockXMarket is built for teaching — the instructor runs live sessions, controls the pace, injects news, sees a class leaderboard, and grades performance across nine asset classes.
Is MockXMarket free?
There's a free way to get started, plus flat instructor pricing from $99/month with no per-student fees and no ads.
Can I grade how each student performed?
Yes — a live leaderboard during the session and post-session analytics (Sharpe, max drawdown, equity curve, grade) for each participant.
Does it support options and derivatives?
Yes — options with Greeks and index futures with posted-margin leverage, plus equities, FX, Treasuries, indices, and crypto.