Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Charles Schwab vs Capital.com, 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.
Charles Schwab, established in 1971, stands out for its strong regulatory credentials and high trust factor as a leading online broker. It is publicly traded and operates as a bank, providing an additional layer of security for its clients. Schwab boasts five Tier-1 licenses, highlighting its position as a highly trusted entity according to ForexBrokers.com, and it achieves a standout Trust Score of 99. This score places it at the top of the trust spectrum for online brokers.
Capital.com, on the other hand, entered the market in 2016 and, although not publicly traded or a bank, still maintains a solid reputation with three Tier-1 licenses and an additional Tier-2 license. These factors contribute to its Trust Score of 87, categorizing it as a trusted platform. While it doesn't quite reach Schwab’s level of trust, Capital.com remains a reliable choice for those seeking an alternative in the trading landscape.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1971 | 2016 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
Charles Schwab and Capital.com are two well-regarded online brokers, each offering unique advantages for traders with different needs. Charles Schwab stands out with no minimum deposit requirement for its primary brokerage accounts, making it accessible for forex traders. It offers the Schwab One and Schwab Global accounts, providing platforms for trading both U.S. dollar-settled forex and diverse international securities with varying currency conversion fees. While Schwab does not charge commissions for forex trading, the average EUR/USD spread of 1.35 pips is on the higher end. Charles Schwab earned a 4-star rating and ranks #23 in the Commissions and Fees category according to ForexBrokers.com.
In contrast, Capital.com is celebrated for its competitive pricing, featuring an average EUR/USD spread of just 0.67 pips as of April 2024, which is notably lower than the industry standard. This makes Capital.com an attractive option for traders focused on minimizing forex trading costs. Their account offerings cater to retail and professional traders, with the latter category acknowledging different regulatory protections. Capital.com has been awarded a 5-star rating for commissions and fees, securing a high ranking of #3 among 63 brokers reviewed by ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $10 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.35 | 0.67 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.35 | 0.67 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When it comes to the range of investments offered by Charles Schwab and Capital.com, both platforms bring unique advantages to the table. Charles Schwab stands out with a massive selection of 40,000 tradeable symbols, including 73 forex pairs. This extensive offering is bolstered by the ability for clients to purchase exchange-traded securities directly on U.S. and international exchanges, allowing for investments in companies like Apple and Vodafone. However, those seeking to diversify with cryptocurrencies will find that Schwab only provides access to cryptocurrency derivatives, not the actual coins.
Meanwhile, Capital.com offers 5,585 tradeable symbols including an impressive 125 forex pairs. However, it focuses on derivative trading and does not provide access to buying actual exchange-traded securities on U.S. or international exchanges. Like Schwab, Capital.com enables trading of cryptocurrency derivatives but not the actual cryptocurrencies. With a high rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars for its range of investments, Capital.com ranks at #21 out of 63 brokers, while Charles Schwab is rated at 5 stars and ranks #5, highlighting its broader array of investment options.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 40000 | 5585 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 73 | 125 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | 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.
When comparing Charles Schwab and Capital.com, both online brokers offer a variety of tools and platforms that cater to traders seeking efficiency and ease of use. Charles Schwab provides a comprehensive approach with its proprietary platform available on both Windows-based desktop and web browsers. It also features simulated trading, allowing users to engage in risk-free practice. Capital.com, while also offering a proprietary platform and simulated trading, stands out with its inclusion of MetaTrader 4 (MT4), catering to traders familiar with this popular software. However, neither platform supports copy trading, DupliTrade, or ZuluTrade, focusing instead on their own developed tools.
In terms of charting tools, Charles Schwab presents traders with 24 drawing tools and the ability to trade directly from a stock chart, while Capital.com offers a richer selection of 60 drawing tools. Schwab excels in customization with its watch lists supporting 580 columns, significantly more than Capital.com's 11. While both brokers have their merits, Charles Schwab edges ahead with a rating of 5 stars for trading platforms and tools and is ranked #5 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. Capital.com, earning 4.5 stars, is a close competitor ranked at #10, offering a solid platform with a focus on technical flexibility.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 374 | 97 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 24 | 60 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 580 | 11 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Charles Schwab and Capital.com both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android users, targeting traders who need access on the go. Both apps allow users to set stock or forex price alerts and feature the capability to draw trendlines on charts while also supporting multiple time frames for comprehensive analysis. However, when it comes to syncing watchlists across mobile and online platforms, Charles Schwab holds an advantage, offering seamless syncing, a feature that Capital.com lacks. Additionally, Charles Schwab's app boasts an impressive 374 technical studies for charting, significantly outpacing Capital.com's offering of 30 studies. Both apps provide real-time quotes in watchlists and ensure that any drawings on charts are automatically saved, providing convenience to users.
When it comes to user ratings, Charles Schwab's mobile app shines with a perfect 5-star rating, whereas Capital.com follows closely with a respectable 4.5 stars. According to ForexBrokers.com, Charles Schwab ranks 6th in the Mobile Trading Apps category among 63 brokers, while Capital.com ranks 11th. Overall, both apps present competitive features for online trading, but Charles Schwab's app takes a slight edge with advanced charting tools and enhanced functionalities, making it a more comprehensive option for traders seeking a well-rounded mobile trading experience.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 374 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Charles Schwab and Capital.com both offer strong options for market research resources. They provide daily market commentary and forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg and Reuters. However, neither platform offers technical analysis tools from Autochartist or Trading Central. While both brokers feature comprehensive economic calendars covering global news events, Capital.com takes it a step further with sentiment-based trading tools that show long or short positions across currency pairs, and additional market insights from TipRanks, tools that Charles Schwab doesn't provide.
When it comes to research ratings, Charles Schwab shines with a full 5-star rating and ranks 4th among 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com. Capital.com, on the other hand, holds a respectable 4.5-star rating, placing 14th in the same category. Both platforms cater to traders looking for informed market insights, but Charles Schwab’s higher rating might appeal to those prioritizing a more renowned research reputation, while Capital.com offers unique sentiment insights and extra tools like TipRanks.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | No | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | Yes |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to educational resources for beginner traders, Charles Schwab and Capital.com both offer a solid selection. Both platforms provide over ten educational materials dedicated to forex and CFDs, including articles, videos, and webinars. However, Charles Schwab takes the lead with monthly online educational webinars and a comprehensive archive of recorded sessions. Capital.com also provides an archive, yet it does not match Schwab’s frequency of live educational webinars. Beginners can find no shortage of trading videos aimed at their level on both platforms, with each offering at least ten such videos available for learning purposes.
Advanced traders will also find valuable content at both Charles Schwab and Capital.com, with each offering a plethora of expert-level videos. Both platforms feature an investor dictionary containing over 50 investment terms, making them useful resources for newcomers and experienced traders alike. Despite these similarities, Schwab achieves a higher rating for its educational offerings, earning five stars compared to Capital.com’s 4.5 stars. Also, in the ForexBrokers.com education ranking, Charles Schwab ranks 6th out of 63 brokers, while Capital.com comes in at 8th, indicating a slight edge for Schwab when education is a priority.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Charles Schwab is better than Capital.com. Charles Schwab finished with an overall rank of #6, while Capital.com finished with an overall rank of #10.
Charles Schwab is a highly trusted financial institution and multi-asset broker catering to U.S.-based and international forex traders. Schwab's award-winning thinkorswim platform offers over 70 tradeable currency pairs alongside impressive tools, research, and education. That said, the broker’s forex offering is still largely limited to what is available on thinkorswim.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
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Capital.com
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|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 87 |
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Both Charles Schwab and Capital.com do not allow the purchase of actual (delivered) cryptocurrency; however, they both offer options for buying cryptocurrency derivatives.
While Charles Schwab supports ACH and SEPA transfers along with bank wires for transactions, it lacks options like PayPal, Skrill, Visa, and Mastercard which are available through Capital.com, highlighting Capital.com's broader variety in payment methods by including PayPal, Skrill, and credit card options alongside bank wires, although it does not support ACH or SEPA transfers.
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 | Charles Schwab | Capital.com | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 87 | |
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| Review | Charles Schwab Review | Capital.com Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Charles Schwab | Capital.com | |
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| Regulation | Charles Schwab | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 87 | |
| Year Founded | 1971 | 2016 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Charles Schwab | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Charles Schwab | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | Charles Schwab | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 40000 | 5585 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 73 | 125 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | 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). |
| Cost | Charles Schwab | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.35 | 0.67 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.35 | 0.67 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Charles Schwab | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $10 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Charles Schwab | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Charles Schwab | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 580 | 11 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 374 | 97 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 24 | 60 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Charles Schwab | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 374 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Charles Schwab | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | Yes | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | No | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Charles Schwab | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Charles Schwab | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | Charles Schwab Review | Capital.com Review |
| Overall | Charles Schwab | Capital.com | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 87 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Charles Schwab Review | Capital.com Review |
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