Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Capital.com vs ActivTrades, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Capital.com and ActivTrades are both noteworthy players in the online brokerage space but have distinct features in terms of regulatory compliance and trust ratings. Founded in 2016, Capital.com holds three Tier-1 licenses, considered highly trusted, and one Tier-2 license. It achieves a Trust Score of 87, classifying it as a trusted broker. Meanwhile, ActivTrades, established in 2001, holds two Tier-1 licenses and one Tier-2 license. With a Trust Score of 81, it also falls within the trusted category according to ForexBrokers.com, though it ranks slightly behind Capital.com.
Neither Capital.com nor ActivTrades are publicly traded companies or operate as banks, underscoring their focus on providing specialized online trading services. Both brokers demonstrate a commitment to security and reliability, evidenced by their multiple regulatory licenses. While both are considered trustworthy, Capital.com's higher Trust Score reflects a marginal edge in terms of perceived security and reliability based on the criteria set by ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2016 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
Comparing commissions and fees, Capital.com comes out cheaper overall than ActivTrades. Capital.com earns 5/5 stars and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers for Commissions and Fees at ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades earns 4/5 stars and ranks #29 out of 63. Both brokers price slightly better than the industry average, but Capital.com is the more cost-effective pick for forex traders based on its tighter EUR/USD spread.
Capital.com offers a universal retail account and a professional account for eligible traders (note: professional clients do not receive the same regulatory protections as retail clients). Its dynamic EUR/USD spread averaged 0.6712 pips in April 2024, which is lower than the industry average and supports low-cost forex trading.
ActivTrades provides an Individual Account as its main option, plus Professional and Islamic accounts, and a demo account. There’s no dedicated high-volume account or active trader pricing, and spreads are the same across account types. Costs vary by asset and platform, and spreads can widen during quieter periods. For EUR/USD, ActivTrades’ average spread was 0.98 pips in May 2024—slightly better than average, though not as low as the cheapest brokers.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $10 | $0 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.67 | 0.98 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.67 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Comparing Capital.com and ActivTrades for range of investments, Capital.com offers a larger catalog with 5,585 tradeable symbols and 125 forex pairs, while ActivTrades lists 1,267 symbols and 49 forex pairs. Both support forex trading (via CFDs/spot contracts) and let you trade cryptocurrency derivatives, though neither broker lets you buy the actual coins.
There are key differences in what you can own outright: ActivTrades lets you buy exchange-traded shares on certain international exchanges (not U.S.), whereas Capital.com doesn’t offer real, exchange-listed shares in any market; both lack U.S.-listed share dealing. ActivTrades also offers copy trading, while Capital.com does not. For Range of Investments, Capital.com is rated 4.5/5 (ranked #23 of 63), and ActivTrades is rated 4/5 (ranked #32 of 63) — so Capital.com wins on breadth, while ActivTrades appeals if you want copy trading and access to some international shares.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5585 | 1267 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 125 | 49 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
Capital.com and ActivTrades both check key boxes for traders: each offers a free paper trading (demo) account, an in-house proprietary platform, Windows desktop software, a web-based platform, and the ability to place trades directly from charts. Both support MetaTrader 4 (MT4). The big differences: ActivTrades adds MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and supports copy trading, while Capital.com does not offer MT5 or copy trading. Details like the number of built-in indicators, drawing tools, and watch list columns aren’t disclosed here.
For platform quality, Capital.com is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #10 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades earns 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #32. If you need MT5 and copy trading, ActivTrades is the better fit. If you want a higher-rated overall platform experience with MT4 and easy web and desktop access, Capital.com stands out.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 97 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Capital.com and ActivTrades both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts, lets you build watchlists with real-time quotes, and includes 30 technical indicators along with drawing tools like trendlines. Your chart drawings auto-save on both apps. One limitation: neither broker syncs watchlist symbols between the mobile app and the web platform. Time-frame options weren’t specified for either app.
For ratings, Capital.com stands out with 4.5 stars and ranks #11 out of 63 brokers in ForexBrokers.com’s Mobile Trading Apps category. ActivTrades earns 4 stars and ranks #19. If mobile experience is your top priority, Capital.com has a slight edge, while ActivTrades remains a dependable choice.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | No | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Comparing Capital.com vs ActivTrades for market research: both provide daily market commentary and forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones. Each also offers an economic calendar and a sentiment tool that shows the ratio of long vs short positions. Neither broker includes Autochartist, Trading Central, or Acuity Trading tools. The standout difference is TipRanks—Capital.com includes TipRanks-driven research, while ActivTrades does not.
Independent ratings back this up: Capital.com earns 4.5 out of 5 stars for Research and ranks #14 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades scores 4 stars and ranks #31. If TipRanks insights and a higher research score are priorities, Capital.com has the edge; if you simply need daily commentary, premium news, sentiment data, and a calendar, both brokers cover the essentials.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Capital.com and ActivTrades both cater to beginner traders with sizable video libraries: each offers at least 10 beginner videos and at least 10 advanced lessons. Where they differ is live teaching—ActivTrades runs at least one client webinar each month, while Capital.com does not. If you value real-time classes and interaction, ActivTrades has an advantage; if you mainly learn from on-demand videos, both are solid choices.
Some items aren’t specified here, including whether either broker supplies a searchable archive of recorded webinars, an investor dictionary with 50+ terms, or at least 10 forex- or CFD-specific pieces. According to ForexBrokers.com, Capital.com earns 4.5/5 stars and ranks #8 of 63 for Education, whereas ActivTrades earns 4/5 stars and ranks #38, suggesting Capital.com provides a stronger overall learning experience for beginners who prefer self-paced education.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Capital.com is better than ActivTrades. Capital.com finished with an overall rank of #10, while ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #33.
Capital.com stands out for its quality research, strong educational content, and innovative web platform. Capital.com holds fewer regulatory licenses and offers a narrower range of markets than some of the best brokers, but still significantly outperforms the industry average.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 87 | 81 |
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Both Capital.com and ActivTrades enable the trading of cryptocurrency derivatives, but neither platform offers the option to purchase actual, delivered cryptocurrencies.
Comparing online brokers Capital.com and ActivTrades for deposits and withdrawals: both lack ACH or SEPA transfers, both support Skrill and bank wire, Capital.com offers PayPal while ActivTrades does not, and Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Capital.com | ActivTrades | |
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| Trust Score | 87 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Capital.com Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Capital.com | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
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