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 vs Capital.com: CMC Markets, founded in 1989, is publicly traded and not a bank; Capital.com, founded in 2016, is privately held and not a bank. On the ForexBrokers.com Trust Score, CMC Markets earns 99/99 (90–99 = highly trusted), while Capital.com scores 89/99 (80–89 = trusted).
Regulation and licenses: CMC Markets holds 6 Tier-1 licenses (considered highly trusted by ForexBrokers.com) and 1 Tier-2 license (trusted). Capital.com holds 3 Tier-1 and 3 Tier-2 licenses. These credentials help explain their respective Trust Scores and can guide your comfort level with each broker’s oversight.
| 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 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
CMC Markets and Capital.com both earn 5 stars for commissions and fees, but Capital.com has a slight edge on price. ForexBrokers.com ranks CMC Markets #3 out of 36 in this category, while Capital.com ranks #2 out of 36. CMC Markets’ standard account showed an average EUR/USD spread of 1.3 pips, which is above its advertised minimum and higher than many low-cost rivals. Its pricing can improve with the FX Active plan, where all-in costs drop to about 1.15 pips on EUR/USD, plus commission.
Capital.com comes in a bit cheaper for everyday forex trading, with an average EUR/USD spread of 0.6712 pips based on April 2024 data. That places it below the industry average and makes it the better pick if your main goal is keeping trading costs as low as possible. CMC Markets still offers value for active traders who can qualify for volume-based discounts, but those savings are more targeted and depend on how much you trade.
On non-trading fees, CMC Markets is also fairly friendly: there is no minimum deposit, no fee for international wires, and its inactivity charge only starts after a full year without trading or open positions. Capital.com is also known for competitive pricing overall, but the key difference here is that its lower spread gives it the lead on core trading costs.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $20 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.3 | 0.7 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 1.15 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | 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, making it the stronger choice for traders who want more market access in one place. Both brokers support forex trading, including forex CFDs, and both offer cryptocurrency CFDs, but CMC Markets stands out with 21,710 tradeable symbols and 303 forex pairs, compared with Capital.com’s 5,585 symbols and 125 forex pairs. CMC Markets also lets clients trade exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, while Capital.com does not offer these non-CFD shares.
For range of investments, CMC Markets is rated 5 stars and ranks #9 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Capital.com is rated 4.5 stars and ranks #18. Neither broker offers copy trading or the option to buy actual, delivered cryptocurrency. Overall, if you want broader market choice and access to real exchange-traded shares, CMC Markets has the edge over Capital.com.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 21710 | 5585 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 303 | 125 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | No | 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.
CMC Markets and Capital.com both give traders a wide choice of platforms and tools. Each broker offers a free demo account, a proprietary platform, a Windows desktop download, and a web-based platform, along with MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Both also let you trade directly from charts. One key difference is that neither broker offers copy trading, so if that feature matters to you, you may need to look elsewhere.
For trading platforms and tools, CMC Markets has the edge overall. It is rated 5 stars and ranks #6 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while Capital.com is rated 4.5 stars and ranks #10. In simple terms, both brokers are strong choices for platform access and chart-based trading, but CMC Markets comes out slightly ahead in this category.
| 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 | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 65 | 97 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
CMC Markets and Capital.com both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, along with stock and forex price alerts, 30 technical studies, trendline drawing, and auto-saving of chart drawings. That means both platforms give mobile traders the tools they need to follow markets and manage charts on the go.
The main difference is watchlist syncing: CMC Markets lets watchlists stay synced between the mobile app and the online account, while Capital.com does not. CMC Markets also has the edge in third-party ratings, earning 5 stars and a #5 ranking out of 36 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps, compared with Capital.com’s 4.5 stars and #11 ranking.
| 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 | 30 | 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 give traders useful market research tools, including daily market commentary, news from top sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, a sentiment tool that shows long and short positioning, and an economic calendar for key global events. Neither broker offers research from Trading Central, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading, but both provide the kind of everyday updates that can help traders follow market moves and plan trades more confidently.
The main difference is that CMC Markets adds Autochartist, which gives it an edge for traders who want more help with technical and fundamental analysis. That extra feature helps explain why CMC Markets earns a 5-star Research rating and ranks #6 out of 36 brokers in the ForexBrokers.com Research category, while Capital.com is rated 4.5 stars and ranks #14 out of 36.
| 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 | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing CMC Markets and Capital.com for beginner-friendly learning, both brokers give new traders plenty of support through forex and CFDs education, including at least 10 learning pieces focused on those markets, plus at least 10 beginner videos and at least 10 advanced videos. Capital.com has the edge in the overall Education ranking from ForexBrokers.com, placing #8 out of 36 brokers versus CMC Markets at #10, and it also earns a strong 4.5-star education rating.
CMC Markets stands out for live learning because it offers online client webinars at least once a month, while Capital.com does not. That makes CMC Markets a better fit for beginners who want regular guided sessions and the chance to learn in a more interactive format. In short, both brokers offer a solid range of educational content, but CMC Markets is stronger for webinars and Capital.com slightly leads on overall education ranking.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | 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 #5, while Capital.com finished with an overall rank of #13.
CMC Markets is well-trusted across the globe, and delivers a terrific trading experience thanks to its 21,710 tradeable instruments and 303 forex pairs, the largest currency lineup in the industry.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Trust Score | 99 | 89 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
| Trading Fees |
|
|
| Trading Platforms |
|
|
| Research |
|
|
| Mobile Trading |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
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.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | CMC Markets | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 99 | 89 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Capital.com Review |
| Broker Screenshots | CMC Markets | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
|
|
| Regulation | CMC Markets | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 89 | |
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2016 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | CMC Markets | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | CMC Markets | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | CMC Markets | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 21710 | 5585 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 303 | 125 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | No | 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). |
| Cost | CMC Markets | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.3 | 0.7 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 1.15 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | CMC Markets | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $20 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | CMC Markets | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | CMC Markets | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 65 | 97 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | CMC Markets | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | CMC Markets | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | CMC Markets | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | CMC Markets | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Capital.com Review |
| Overall | CMC Markets | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Trading Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Trading Platforms |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 99 | 89 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | Capital.com Review |
IG
FOREX.com
CMC Markets
XTB
eToro
Capital.com
AvaTrade
XM
Pepperstone
FP Markets
Tickmill
HFM Markets