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 vs ActivTrades: both are online brokers that are not publicly traded and not banks. Capital.com (founded 2016) has a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 87, while ActivTrades (founded 2001) scores 81; on this 0–99 scale, both sit in the trusted range (80–89).
In terms of regulation, Capital.com holds 3 Tier-1 licenses (considered highly trusted by ForexBrokers.com) and 2 Tier-2 licenses (trusted). ActivTrades holds 2 Tier-1 licenses and 1 Tier-2 license. Both offer strong regulatory oversight, with Capital.com showing a slight edge in top-tier and mid-tier coverage.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2016 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
Capital.com vs ActivTrades on commissions and fees: Capital.com generally comes out cheaper for forex. Capital.com is rated 5 out of 5 stars and ranks #3 of 63 brokers for Commissions and Fees at ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades earns 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #21 of 63. Both price slightly better than the industry average, but Capital.com typically has the edge.
Capital.com keeps costs low with tight spreads. Its dynamic EUR/USD spread averaged 0.6712 pips in April 2024 (listed as 0.67 pips), which is below the industry average and supports low-cost forex trading. The broker offers a single retail account and an elective Professional account for qualified traders; note that Professional clients do not receive the same regulatory protections as retail clients.
ActivTrades’ pricing is also competitive, though in our like-for-like check the EUR/USD averaged 0.98 pips in May 2024—higher than Capital.com. ActivTrades offers an Individual account, a Professional account (lower margin requirements but the same spreads), and an Islamic account. There’s no dedicated high-volume or active-trader pricing, and fees vary by asset and platform. Spreads can change during the day, including around rollover when they may widen.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $20 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.64 | 1.08 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.67 | 0.92 |
| 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 vs ActivTrades for range of investments, Capital.com offers a wider selection overall with 5,585 tradeable symbols, while ActivTrades lists 1,267. For forex, Capital.com provides 125 currency pairs versus 49 at ActivTrades. Both brokers support forex trading and let you trade cryptocurrency via CFDs, but neither lets you buy actual coins.
When it comes to exchange-traded shares, neither broker offers direct access to U.S.-listed stocks; however, ActivTrades does provide access to some international exchange-traded shares, which Capital.com does not. ActivTrades also supports copy trading, while Capital.com does not. For Range of Investments, Capital.com is rated 4.5/5 stars and ranks 18th out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com; ActivTrades earns 4/5 stars and ranks 25th. In short, Capital.com suits traders seeking more symbols and forex pairs, while ActivTrades adds perks like copy trading and international share access.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5585 | 1267 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 125 | 49 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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 platform access and practice trading. Each broker offers a free demo (paper) account, a proprietary platform, a Windows desktop download, and a web-based platform. Both also let you place trades directly from charts and support MetaTrader 4 (MT4). The main platform differences are that ActivTrades adds MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and offers copy trading, while Capital.com does not support MT5 and does not offer copy trading.
For trading platforms and tools, Capital.com earns 4.5/5 stars and ranks #10 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades scores 4/5 stars and ranks #26. If you want MT5 and copy trading, ActivTrades is the better fit. If you prefer a higher-rated platform suite with MT4 and an easy demo setup, Capital.com is a strong pick.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| 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 deliver full-featured mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts for stocks and forex, offers 30 technical studies for charting, and lets you draw trendlines that auto save. One noticeable limitation for both is watchlists: changes made on mobile don’t sync with the online account’s watchlists. If you value on-the-go charting and timely alerts, either app can cover the basics well.
When it comes to ratings and industry standing, Capital.com has the edge. It earns 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #11 out of 63 brokers in ForexBrokers.com’s Mobile Trading Apps category, while ActivTrades scores 4 stars and ranks #21. In simple terms, both apps are capable for traders who want solid charting and alerts on mobile, but Capital.com is rated higher overall, making it the stronger pick if app quality and user experience are your top priorities.
| 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 |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Capital.com and ActivTrades both cover the basics traders look for in market research. Each provides daily market commentary, top-tier forex news from sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, a sentiment tool that shows the share of long vs. short positions, and an economic calendar for upcoming events. Neither broker includes third-party toolsets from Autochartist, Trading Central, or Acuity Trading.
The main difference is that Capital.com adds TipRanks research, which can help with stock ideas and analyst views. That extra layer helps explain Capital.com’s higher Research rating of 4.5/5 and its #14 ranking out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, compared with ActivTrades’ 4/5 rating and #26 ranking. If you want added third‑party insights, Capital.com has an edge; if you just need daily commentary, quality news, sentiment data, and an events calendar, both brokers deliver.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginner traders comparing education at Capital.com and ActivTrades, both online brokers deliver plenty of on-demand learning. Each offers at least 10 beginner videos and 10 advanced videos, so you can start with the basics and progress as your skills grow. The key difference is live instruction: Capital.com does not host monthly educational webinars, while ActivTrades does—helpful if you prefer real-time sessions with Q&A.
In third-party evaluations, Capital.com earns a higher Education score and rank—4.5 out of 5 stars and #8 of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com—while ActivTrades holds 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #30. If you want a stronger overall learning package and self-paced videos, Capital.com stands out. If monthly webinars are essential to your study routine, ActivTrades is the better fit.
| 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 #12, while ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #28.
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
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ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 87 | 81 |
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Capital.com vs ActivTrades: neither online broker lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both offer cryptocurrency trading via CFDs.
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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