Can I Use thinkorswim Without an Account?
• With a Guest Pass from Charles Schwab, it’s possible to use thinkorswim without an account.
• There is no cost to use a Guest Pass, and there is no real-money trading risk.
• thinkorswim has paperMoney®, a simulated trading environment.
thinkorswim Guest Pass Introduction
Charles Schwab wants as many people as possible to try out its flagship software, thinkorswim, so it has rolled out Guest Pass. This feature allows non-customers to try the platform with simulated buying power. Here are the specifics:
thinkorswim Guest Pass Details
Schwab’s Guest Pass creates login credentials for the broker’s first-class trading platform, thinkorswim. These login credentials last for 30 days, so the amount of time that guests can use the software is limited. After 30 days, the login credentials expire and will no longer provide access to the software.
The 30-day trial includes access to the thinkorswim platforms, including desktop, mobile, and web-browser formats, so this is a good opportunity to try out Schwab’s impressive software.
A Guest Pass provides access to paperMoney with $100,000 of virtual buying power. It’s important to emphasize that this money is completely fake and cannot be used to trade any actual assets.
Fees and Minimums
There is no cost to use Guest Pass on the thinkorswim platforms. Because there is no actual brokerage account created, nothing has to be funded, and no transfers of assets have to be made. There are no platform fees and no real-money trading risks with Guest Pass.
Free Charles Schwab/thinkorswim Account
Visit thinkorswim Website
Signing up for Guest Pass
It’s really easy to obtain a Guest Pass from Schwab. Simply head to the Guest Pass page and click on the blue button to sign up for the feature.
Follow the on-screen prompts to create a Guest Pass. You will need to provide your email address, and Schwab can send marketing information to this address.
Downloading thinkorswim and Logging In
The desktop version of thinkorswim must be downloaded. On the Guest Pass page mentioned above, there is a blue button to download the software. Click on this button, and the website will download the appropriate file for your operating system. Windows users will get an installer file, Mac users will get a .dmg file, and Linux users can follow Schwab’s Linux installation instructions.
Once the software has been fully installed, you’ll need to log in using your Guest Pass credentials. To do this, click on the gear icon that appears in the lower-left corner of the desktop application window and select Guest Pass from the Account drop-down menu. Other features, such as color theme, can be specified here, too.
For the mobile app, thinkorswim needs to be downloaded from either the App Store or Google Play, depending on the mobile device. Once the app is downloaded, simply log in using the Guest Pass ID and password.
The web-browser version of thinkorswim can be accessed from the Guest Pass page. Guest Pass users can use the buttons on the Guest Pass page to download or launch the thinkorswim platforms and then log in with the credentials they created. Regular Schwab customers log into the normal website to use thinkorswim in web-browser mode.
Awards
Using thinkorswim
Once logged into any of the thinkorswim platforms through Guest Pass, users can submit practice trades using virtual buying power. It’s important to note here that regular Schwab customers should use paperMoney to accomplish the same task. Guest Pass users do not have a distinction between live trading and paperMoney because their platforms do not have live-trading capability. Guest Pass is essentially temporary access to paperMoney, which is practice trading with virtual buying power.
Guest Pass users and regular Schwab customers using paperMoney get access to many of the same products, tools, and features available during live trading within thinkorswim. Beyond order entry, there are charts, scanning tools, educational resources, Level II quotes, time & sales data, futures and forex tools, options tools, and much more. Many of the most advanced features will be found on the desktop system, although thinkorswim mobile and web both have advanced tools. Margin trading can also be practiced in paperMoney.
The $100,000 in virtual buying power will be displayed in the balance panel, which appears automatically in the upper-left corner. Multiple lines will show up here for option buying power, forex buying power, stock buying power, and other balances. After a practice trade has been placed, the numbers will update.
The account value in simulated mode can be reset after trades have been submitted. If you want to start from scratch, select Reset All Balances and Positions.
Free thinkorswim Platform
Visit thinkorswim Website
Updated on 7/8/2026.
Chad Morris has been analyzing investment firms for Brokerage-Review.com since 2015. Backed by FINRA Series 65, 66, and SIE credentials, his work reflects a deep knowledge of the retail brokerage industry and digital trading tools.
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