The VIX volatility index’s recent drop from 19 to 15 offers a window to experiment with low-volatility strategies in a practice investing app before real capital deployment. Why? Because no matter what’s happening in the economy, people still need a place to live and apartments can consistently produce rent money. Why it didn’t make the cut: Robinhood has been involved in controversies related to company reliability, data breaches and trustworthiness, which also kept it off our top list. Investors closely watching the NASDAQ’s tech-heavy composition can use a practice investing app to model scenarios, given AI-related stocks have risen over 12% this quarter. Sim traders can replicate portfolio exposure to forecast risk-adjusted returns.