Range too tight
Price leaves the band and the bot sits idle.
GridLab shows: a setup warning when the current price is outside the range, and watch alerts for “price outside band” and “accepted breakout”.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Make your mistakes here, not on the exchange.
Why grid bots lose money, how realistic the simulation is, why there are no API keys, and what it costs.
Mistakes that cost money
Why do grid bots lose money, and how does GridLab help?
Usually because of a setup mistake, not bad luck. These are the most common ones, and what GridLab shows you for each.
Trend turns, bot keeps buying
A long grid keeps averaging into a falling market.
GridLab shows: watch alerts when the 6h direction flips, the trend strengthens, the center drifts or the EMA turns against you.
No exit plan
The bot runs until the market decides for you.
GridLab shows: strategy cards: shrink after time, close after time, inventory cap and low-movement timeout.
Too much leverage
One move and the position is liquidated.
GridLab shows: a warning when, with all lines filled, the liquidation price falls inside the range; maintenance-margin liquidation is simulated.
Grid too dense
Fees eat most of each grid step's price margin.
GridLab shows: a warning when the grid step is too narrow; maker and taker fees are charged separately.
Thin-liquidity pairs
Paper fills look better than the real order book allows.
GridLab shows: a low-liquidity warning that results there may be optimistic.
Forgetting funding
Funding quietly drains a position held for days.
GridLab shows: funding applied to open positions and reported separately.
Trailing in the risky direction
The grid follows price into a worse position.
GridLab shows: trailing risk warnings before you start.
Going all-in on the first try
Your first lessons are paid with real money.
GridLab shows: a virtual balance on live prices, so the first lessons are free.
Why GridLab
Free paper trading exists elsewhere. Why GridLab?
Most paper-trading tools simply run the bot. GridLab also tells you which mistake you are making (range, trend, exit plan, leverage, grid density, liquidity) and prices every fill with realistic costs. And there is a free tier that stays free forever.
I don't earn real money here. Why would I pay?
You pay to avoid losing real money. A single badly configured leveraged grid can cost more than a yearly plan; GridLab lets you find that out with a virtual balance. The free tier is enough to start.
Who is GridLab for?
People new to grid bots, Binance grid bot users who want to test a setup first, signal and strategy builders, people comparing exchanges, and educators or communities who want to show how grids behave without anyone's money at stake.
Is GridLab an exchange or investment service?
No. GridLab is an education and simulation platform: it holds no funds, places no orders on any exchange, does not trade on your behalf and does not provide investment advice.
Realism
What is a grid trading bot?
A grid bot places buy orders below and sell orders above the current price at evenly spaced levels inside a range. Each time price moves from one level to the next it buys lower and sells higher. It tends to suit sideways markets and loses when price leaves the range in the wrong direction.
Does the simulation match reality?
We state openly what is modeled: grid line fills as limit orders with the maker fee at the line price; initial position, stop, TP/SL and manual close as market orders with taker fee and slippage; funding; maintenance-margin liquidation; Binance's quantity formula with tick/step rounding; per-exchange rules such as OKX/Gate contract sizes, KuCoin lot multiplier and MEXC per-pair fees; and data gaps replayed from 1-minute candles. What is not modeled: order-book queue position and depth. Thin pairs get a warning because results there may be optimistic.
Which exchanges and markets can I simulate?
USDT-margined perpetual futures with live public data from Binance, Bybit, OKX, Bitget, Gate, KuCoin, MEXC and Kraken (USD-margined there).
Safety
Do I need to connect my exchange or share API keys?
No. There is no exchange account to connect, no API key and no deposit. The server only reads public market data. Third-party bot platforms generally require exchange API keys, and leaked keys have caused real losses in the past; with GridLab there is no key to leak.
Is real money involved?
No. You practice with a virtual balance on live market prices. No order is ever sent to an exchange.
Will my bot always stay on paper?
Yes. GridLab never sends real orders. Once you have validated a setup here, you apply it yourself on your exchange. An “export settings” feature is coming.
Plans & pricing
What does GridLab cost?
Every account starts with Paper, a 6-day full trial that is wider than the Trader plan. After that the Free tier stays free forever: 1 active grid bot, Binance data, 30-day backtest and Telegram notifications. Paid plans: Trader $10/month ($114/year), Pro Trader $25/month ($285/year) and Market Maker $40/month ($432/year). Paid checkout is not open yet.
What happens when my trial or plan ends?
Nothing is deleted or force-closed. Bots above your new limit are paused, and they continue when you upgrade.
Do I need a credit card to start?
No. Signing up and the 6-day trial need no card.
Getting started
How do I start?
Create an account, pick a pair, an exchange and a price range, and launch a bot on a virtual balance. The 6-day trial starts automatically.
What should I test first?
A setup you are actually considering. Run it here with the same settings, read the setup warnings and watch alerts, and compare it across exchanges before you decide anything.
Is this financial advice?
No. GridLab is an education and simulation tool. Simulation results are for learning and do not guarantee real results; any real trading decision is your own.
Make your mistakes here, not on the exchange
Sign up in a minute and get the 6-day full trial. No card, no keys.
Free forever tier · paid plans from $10/month