The ability to start the simulator from the manager doesnt "fix" the problem with the missing license.
There are alternatives to Siemens S7-PLCSIM, but they also cost money.
If you have a spare CPU, then you can use it for running your program in simulated mode for "free".
If you dont have the i/o modules then you can still run the program on the CPU. You have to make sure that the CPU property "Cycle/Clock memory" .. "OB85 callup at i/o error" is set to "no OB85 callup".