Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of CMC Markets 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.
CMC Markets, founded in 1989, is a well-established online broker that stands out for its high level of trustworthiness. As a publicly traded entity, CMC Markets enjoys a top-tier reputation, boasting six Tier-1 licenses that reflect its commitment to security and reliability. With an impeccable Trust Score of 99 from ForexBrokers.com, customers can have confidence in its operations. Although it is not a bank, CMC Markets leverages its extensive experience in the financial markets to offer reputable services.
Founded in 2016, Capital.com offers a compelling alternative for those seeking a reliable online broker. While not publicly traded, the platform is still recognized for its dedication to trust and safety, holding three Tier-1 licenses that are a testament to its dependable services. With a Trust Score of 87, Capital.com earns a 'trusted' rating, making it a solid choice for those looking to trade online. Like CMC Markets, it is not a bank, but it effectively integrates technology to provide a user-friendly trading experience.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2016 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of CMC Markets and Capital.com, both brokers offer competitive pricing, but CMC Markets takes the lead. For its outstanding cost structure, CMC Markets won the top spot in the 2025 Annual Awards for Commissions and Fees. It offers consistently low spreads for all customer segments and account types. For example, the typical spread for EUR/USD is just 0.61 pips. CMC Markets also provides a discount program through its new Price Plus Scheme, allowing active traders to earn reductions in trading costs based on their Trading Points, which are calculated from trading volumes.
On the other hand, Capital.com offers pricing that is slightly better than the industry average and ranks #3 in the same awards category. The broker lists a dynamic spread of 0.67 pips for the EUR/USD, verified to be its average rate in April 2024, making it an appealing choice for low-cost forex trading. Capital.com provides a universal account for retail traders and an additional professional account, although professional clients won't receive the same regulatory protection as retail clients.
Both brokers received top ratings of 5 stars out of five for their commissions and fees. CMC Markets impresses further with its FX Active pricing, which includes a commission of $2.50 per side and minimum spreads of zero pips, leading to an all-in cost of 0.5 pips for popular pairs like EUR/USD. With these plans, CMC Markets emerges as the unrivaled leader in competitive pricing and is ranked #1 out of 63 brokers for commissions and fees by ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $10 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 0.67 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | 0.67 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
CMC Markets offers a wider range of investments than Capital.com. Traders get access to 12,029 tradeable symbols at CMC Markets versus 5,585 at Capital.com, along with more forex pairs (141 vs. 125). Both brokers support forex trading (CFD or spot), and both let you trade cryptocurrency via CFDs, but neither lets you buy actual, delivered crypto.
CMC Markets also lets clients buy real exchange-traded shares in both U.S. and international markets, while Capital.com does not offer non-CFD stock trading. CMC Markets supports copy trading; Capital.com does not. Reflecting this broader selection, CMC Markets earns 5 stars and ranks #9 out of 63 for Range of Investments on ForexBrokers.com, compared with Capital.com’s 4.5 stars and #23 ranking.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12029 | 5585 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 141 | 125 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| 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.
Comparing CMC Markets vs Capital.com for trading platforms and tools: both offer free demo (paper) accounts, in-house proprietary platforms, a Windows desktop download, and a web-based platform. Each supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and lets you place trades directly from charts. A key difference is MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and copy trading—CMC Markets supports both, while Capital.com does not include MT5 or copy trading.
For quality and recognition, CMC Markets earns 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers for Trading Platforms and Tools on ForexBrokers.com. Capital.com scores 4.5 stars and ranks #10. Choose CMC Markets if you want MT5 access and built-in copy trading alongside strong charting and workflow tools; pick Capital.com if MT4 plus its proprietary platform and easy web/desktop access cover your needs.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 73 | 97 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
CMC Markets vs Capital.com: both mobile trading apps are available for iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts, drawing trendlines on charts, and auto-saving your drawings. For technical studies, Capital.com edges ahead with 30 indicators, while CMC Markets includes 29.
Where they differ most is watchlist syncing: CMC Markets syncs watchlists between the app and your web account, while Capital.com does not. In third-party reviews, ForexBrokers.com rates CMC Markets’ mobile app 5 stars and ranks it #5 out of 63 brokers; Capital.com earns 4.5 stars and ranks #11. Choose Capital.com if you want the slightly larger indicator set, and choose CMC Markets if synced watchlists and a higher rating and ranking matter more.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
CMC Markets and Capital.com both provide daily market commentary and forex news from reputable sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, ensuring traders stay informed about the latest market trends. While both platforms offer sentiment-based trading tools, CMC Markets takes a slight edge in technical analysis by incorporating tools from Autochartist, which Capital.com lacks. On the other hand, Capital.com diversifies its research offerings by including market insights from TipRanks, a feature not available on CMC Markets' platform.
Both brokers support traders with economic calendars that display crucial upcoming global news events. Despite their similarities, CMC Markets is rated higher for research with five stars and ranked #6 by ForexBrokers.com compared to Capital.com's 4.5-star rating and #14 ranking. This distinction positions CMC Markets slightly ahead in terms of research excellence and comprehensive tool offerings.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | Yes |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners comparing CMC Markets education vs Capital.com education, both brokers make it easy to start learning with sizable video libraries. Each offers at least 10 beginner-friendly videos, plus 10 or more advanced videos for when you’re ready to go deeper. The lessons cover core trading topics that include forex and CFDs, helping you learn at your own pace with on-demand content. Neither broker runs monthly live educational webinars, so if you prefer live classes, you’ll need to look elsewhere; if you’re fine with self-guided videos, both are solid options.
In terms of quality signals, CMC Markets earns a 5-star education rating and is ranked #10 out of 63 brokers for Education by ForexBrokers.com. Capital.com earns 4.5 stars and ranks slightly higher at #8 out of 63. That means CMC Markets edges ahead on the star rating, while Capital.com places better in the category ranking. Beginners should feel confident with either choice: pick CMC Markets if you value a top-tier rating, or go with Capital.com if the higher category position matters more to you.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | No |
| 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 CMC Markets is better than Capital.com. CMC Markets finished with an overall rank of #4, while Capital.com finished with an overall rank of #10.
CMC Markets is well-trusted across the globe, and delivers a terrific trading experience thanks to its excellent pricing and selection of over 12,000 tradeable instruments.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 87 |
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In the CMC Markets vs Capital.com comparison, neither online broker allows you to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both offer cryptocurrency CFD trading.
Comparing online brokers CMC Markets vs Capital.com for deposits and withdrawals: CMC Markets supports ACH/SEPA and bank wire transfers, offers PayPal but not Skrill, while Capital.com does not support ACH/SEPA, does support bank wires, PayPal, and Skrill; Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either broker.
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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| Trust Score | 99 | 87 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Capital.com Review |
| Broker Screenshots | CMC Markets | Capital.com | |
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