Methodology
How the ZeroStake simulator works, and where it differs from a real market
ZeroStake follows market prices and fills your virtual orders inside the app. No order reaches an exchange or a broker. By default, an order fills in full at the last price, and LiveFill makes fills harder when you want it. Charges, margins and option metrics are estimates. This page explains each part and every way practice differs from real trading.
On this page
What is ZeroStake, in one line?
ZeroStake is a trading simulator for Indian markets. You trade NSE, BSE and MCX instruments with virtual money. Your orders stay inside the app.
Where do ZeroStake prices come from?
ZeroStake follows market prices for the instruments it covers. Charts, quotes, option chains, market breadth, heatmaps and global indices all use market data.
Market data can be imperfect. It can arrive late, stop for a while, have gaps or change after the fact. A quote in ZeroStake can differ slightly from the exchange or from another app. The app itself notes that global indices may be slightly delayed.
Some screens update on a slower schedule by design. FII and DII figures come as a daily report. They show what institutions did on a past day, not orders as they happen.
Before you trade real money, confirm the price with your broker or the exchange.
How does ZeroStake fill virtual orders?
By default, ZeroStake fills each order in full, at once, at the last price the app has. There is no exchange queue.
| Order | How it fills in ZeroStake |
|---|---|
| Market order | In full, at the last price the app has |
| Limit order | When the price reaches your limit or better |
| After-market order (AMO) | Goes in at the next open, then follows the same rules |
| Stop-loss | Works as stop-loss market (SL-M): at the next price after the trigger |
| Target set to market | Works as target market (TGT-M): at the price that crosses the target |
| Trailing stop-loss | The trigger follows the price and never moves back. When hit, it fills like a stop-loss |
| GTT | Waits up to 7 days for its trigger, then places a market or a limit order. Exits can be SL-M, SL-L, TGT-M or TGT-L |
| Basket | All legs go together at market price |
The trigger of a stop-loss is not a promised price. In a fast market, the next price can be past your trigger. The fill can be at the trigger, better or worse.
What does LiveFill change?
A simulator that fills every order at once, at the last price, flatters a strategy. LiveFill adds the friction that real trading has.
Turn on LiveFill in Tools and pick a Trading Difficulty:
| Level | What you feel |
|---|---|
| Easy | Forgiving fills |
| Medium | The app’s recommended level |
| Hard | Unforgiving fills |
With LiveFill on, an order can fill in parts and at a worse price than the last price, more so on a harder level. You see it in Open Orders. A part-filled order says PARTIAL and shows how much has filled and at what price. Each order carries a pill with the level it ran at, for example LiveFill · Medium.
We recommend Medium or Hard. Easy forgives a lot, so it can make a strategy look better than it will trade.
LiveFill fills are estimates. They can differ from a real exchange. LiveFill is part of ZeroStake Pro, an optional plan in the app.
What does the simulation not reproduce?
A real exchange matches orders in a queue, against real buyers and sellers. ZeroStake does not. So a virtual fill is not proof that a real order would fill at the same price or time.
| Real exchange | ZeroStake |
|---|---|
| Your limit order waits in a queue behind others | It fills when the price reaches your limit |
| Large orders can fill in parts | In full by default. In parts when LiveFill is on |
| The bid-ask spread and market impact affect your price | The last price by default. With LiveFill on, the price can be worse |
| Brokers run risk checks and can reject orders | App rules apply, not a broker’s risk checks |
| Freeze limits and exchange rejections apply | These are not reproduced |
| Network and exchange delays, outages and gaps | Not reproduced in the same way |
| Real money changes how you feel and act | Virtual money feels lighter |
The last row is the largest gap. Practise with your real size and real rules to keep it small.
Some broker rules are there. The app squares off open intraday positions near the close, with a broker-style charge. It also follows the closing auction session for F&O stocks.
How are charges, margins and P&L worked out?
Every trade carries estimated charges: brokerage, STT or CTT, exchange transaction charges, SEBI fee, stamp duty, GST and the DP charge. Net P&L subtracts them from gross P&L. You can also leave brokerage out of your P&L with one switch.
With ZeroStake Pro, you can set your own broker’s brokerage for each segment. Exchange charges, the depository fee and taxes follow official rates, and you cannot change them.
Margin figures estimate what a broker would block for the trade. These figures are not contract notes, tax records, account balances or margin commitments. Your broker’s numbers can differ.
How are option metrics worked out?
The Option Chain shows IV, the Greeks, PCR, max pain, breakevens, support and resistance. The Strategy Builder adds the payoff, the best and worst outcome and the probability of profit.
Some of these come straight from market data, such as OI and volume. Others come from models and the inputs you choose, such as the Greeks, the payoff and the probability of profit. Model values change when the price, IV, time or your legs change.
They describe the market and your strategy as they are now. They are not forecasts and not recommendations.
How does Historical Replay work?
Historical Replay plays past NIFTY 50, BANK NIFTY and SENSEX futures and options sessions candle by candle. You choose the date, the interval from 1 minute to 4 hours and the speed up to 24x (up to 5x without Pro). You place every trade by hand.
Replay does not run a strategy over past data for you. It trains your decisions. Replay positions stay inside Replay and clear when you leave, so your main records never change.
What do the review stats mean?
Win rate, profit factor, expectancy, drawdown, streaks, holding time and cumulative P&L all come from your virtual trades. They describe how you traded in practice. They do not predict future returns and do not show real-money performance.
What should you do with this?
Use ZeroStake to build skill: orders, exits, options knowledge, patience and review. Do not use virtual results as proof that a strategy will make money with real capital. When you move to real trading, start small, and use a SEBI-registered broker of your choice.
Questions, answered.
Read all questionsDoes ZeroStake send orders to an exchange?
No. Every order stays inside the app and uses virtual money. ZeroStake is not a broker and has no exchange connection for orders.
Why did my stop-loss fill at a worse price than the trigger?
Because a stop-loss works as a stop-loss market (SL-M) order. Once the price touches the trigger, the exit fills at the next price the app sees. In a fast market, or with LiveFill on, that price can be past the trigger.
Does LiveFill copy the exchange exactly?
No. LiveFill is a practice tool. Its fills are estimates and can differ from a real exchange. It adds friction, so a strategy does not look better in practice than it will trade.
Are ZeroStake prices the same as my broker's?
Close, but not always the same. Prices can arrive with a delay and can differ slightly from an exchange or another data service. Confirm prices with your broker before you trade real money.
Can I use ZeroStake P&L for taxes?
No. ZeroStake P&L comes from virtual trades and estimated charges. It is not a contract note, a tax record or an account statement.
